238 
variety of uses. All fishing lines and nets of 
the best quality were invariably made of olona, 
because of its high resistance to the action of 
salt water. Olona lines and nets which have 
been in more or less constant use for over a 
century are almost as good as new, and are 
handed down from generation to generation as 
precious objects. Most of the natives are very 
unwilling to part with any of their fishing gear 
that is made of olona. The very serviceable 
carrying-nets, koko, in which the wooden eala- 
bashes and other objects were borne, were com- 
monly made of olona fiber. Olona was not 
used for making the bark-cloth or kapa itself. 
but threads and cords of olona were used for 
sewing the kapa. A stout cord of olona was 
usually attached to the wooden war-clubs and 
dagger-like swords, for suspending the weapon 
from the wrist.. This prevented the loss of the 
weapon during the fray. For fastening the 
stone adz, 00, to its wooden handle, olona was 
always the preferred fiber. 
It was used for the very fine and pliable 
netting which served as a groundwork for the 
feathers, in the construction of the splendid 
garments and insignia of the ancient royalty 
and ali. The brilliant scarlet and yellow 
feathers were skillfully woven by the women 
upon the imperishable framework of olona. 
Mr. William Weinrich, manager of the 
Hawaiian Sisal Company’s extensive planta- 
tion, has made an exhaustive study of fibers in 
the Hawaiian Islands, and has kindly prepared 
for the writer the following statement concern- 
ing olona: 
This fiber not only partakes of all the best 
characteristics of this genus, but is superior to any 
of its members, producing the best of all fibers 
known at the present time. The three dominant 
features are 
First—the great tensile strength. I estimate 
that the strength of olona is about three times the 
strength of commercial Manila. The statement is 
made that olona is about eight times as strong as 
the hemp, Cannabis sativa. So far as I can gather, 
this great strength is due to the unusual length of 
the ‘cell in proportion to its width. 2 
Second—its great resistance to deterioration in 
salt water. I once examined.a ball of olona fish- 
line, the Hawaiian owner of which stated that it 
SCIENCE 
[N. S. Vou. XLVIII. No. 1236 
had been in their family, and in constant use, for 
over fifty years. At the time I saw it, the fiber 
was in an excellent state of preservation. 
Third—its pliability, and thus its adaptability 
for spinning by hand. Fishing lines and nets made 
from this fiber by expert Hawaiians present an 
appearance of so uniform a caliber and twist that 
it would lead one to believe that the fiber had 
been made by the most intricate machinery. 
It was the writer’s pleasure, some years ago, to 
send samples of the olona fiber to the manufac- 
turers in the Hast. To my surprise, the fiber was 
found to be absolutely unknown in that market. 
A fiber with these characteristics should be ex- 
ploited to the fullest measure. The extraction of 
this fiber is not a difficult process. In the history 
of Hawaii we find references to this fiber as hay- 
ing been grown on a large scale as a source of 
revenue; but, like many other things Hawaiian, its 
usefulness has been lost sight of during the prog- 
ress of civilization. 
The key to the situation lies in transforming 
this plant from its wild state to a cultural form. 
When this is done, the world will be in possession 
of a new fiber, having a greater tensile strength, 
weight for weight, than any other fiber known. 
VaucHan MacCaucHry 
CoLLEGE oF HAWatl, 
HONOLULU 
THE BARBADOS-ANTIGUA EXPEDI- 
TION FROM THE STATE UNI- 
VERSITY OF IOWA 
Tur Barbados-Antigua Expedition from the 
State University of Iowa returned to New 
York on August 1, with all its members in 
good health and without mishap of any kind. 
There were nineteen persons in the party, 
nearly all of them instructors or graduate 
students from the State University of Iowa. 
Their object was not only to secure collections 
in marine zoology, entomology and geology 
from a region in which little work had hitherto 
been done; but also to study the living forms 
in and around the islands visited and thus 
supplement the future more intensive work 
based on the collections secured. 
Tn both Barbados and Antigua the colonial 
authorities provided excellent quarters for the 
party and adequate laboratory facilities in 
government buildings, and both officials and 
