64 Fibres of the Haicaiiau Islands. 



the present time gives the latter the advantage. Mitcli improve- 

 ment is hoped to l)e made in this dire(ftion, when it is quite possi- 

 ble that abaca fibre will be grown in Hawaii to the exclusion of all 

 other cordage materials. 



A great stimulus should take place during the next few 5'ears 

 to the production of fibre in Hawaii, which with allied industries 

 may eventually rank in value as the second commercial resource of 

 the Territory. Among the enterprises of the future the growth of 

 abaca and pifia fibres, together with a great development of sisal 

 produdliou, the establishment of a cordage and sacking facftor}- to 

 supph^ with home-grown and manufa(5lured produ(5ls the enormous 

 demand of the sugar and other industries, and of a paper mill to 

 utilize the waste of the fibre mills, will assuredly hold an import- 

 ant place. 



The following table represents the comparative strength of the 

 various fibres prepared and tested for this paper, ramie being taken 

 as the standard of tenacity : 



Ramie (supplied i)y Dr. Xicholan Kusst-el) 1.(10 



Olona 84 



riueapple ( not Hawaiian-pjrowii ) 78 



New Zealand Flax (not Hawaiian-grown) (iO 



Manila ( Philippine fibre) 57 



Bow-string Hemp 4!) 



Sisal 4.S 



Pita 4.5 



Cotton Bast :!7 



Jute (not Hawaiian-grown) :!»! 



Sunflower :{5 



Coir :i4 



Rosella 30 



Hau -'!» 



Okra 21 



The writer acknowledges with thanks the assistance of Pro- 

 fessor William T. Brigham, Dr. Nicholas Russel, Messrs. A. F. 

 Cooke, F. G. Krauss and A. H. Turner, who contributed material 

 for experiment and furni.shed various data. The following works 

 have been consulted: The Cyclopedia of India (Balfour), The 

 Didlionary of the Economic Producfts of India (Watt), The Useful 

 Fibre Plants of the World (Dodge), Uncultivated Bast Fibres 

 (Dodge), Tropical Fibres (Squier), La Ramie (Michotte), The 

 Inhabitants of the Philippines (Sawyer), Index Kewensis (Fowler 

 and Jackson), The Ueaf Fibres of the United States, and other 

 reports of the F'ibre Investigations of the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture. 



