97 
aes er a pystomatio series of trials made by the Glenrock Company 
t Madras in 1885, it is neir that plants put out in 1864 grew well 
ated yielded numerous shoots, 179 stems, weighing about 60 pounds 
e d thr 
Death and Ellwood machines. These produced 159 pounds of clean 
fibre, or 149 per cent. of the green stem. The cost of cleaning the 
fibre was at the rate of 6/. per ton, while the fibre itself, described as 
“poor, weak, and flaggy, with some clean fibre of good colour,” was 
valued in London at 10. per ton; the best alone was valued a py per 
ton. The minute upon this of the Government of Madras is that 
“unless much improvement both in the method and cost of production of 
“this fibre can be made, the cultivation cannot be made eg P 
Manila hemp plants have been introduced from Kew amaica, onl 
to other Re ome of the West Indies. In favourable ‘incu they 
grow well; but not so readily as the ordinary bananas and plantains. 
As the fr uit is valueless they can gre be grown for the sake of the 
fibre and this alone does not appea offer sufficient inducement to 
plant up large areas. Usually the a from a fruiting stem of the 
common banana or plantain would be from 6d. to 2s., depending upon 
the size of the bunch. The return from the Manila hemp plant would 
according to experience in the Philippines be about one porai of fibre, 
the local value of which would be only 2d. to 3d. 
XXXII—MANILA HEMP IN BRITISH NORTH 
BORNEO 
[K. B., 1892, p. 243.] 
The eens hole. on ae hemp in British North Borneo is taken 
from Mr. Con aT Report, published by the Foreign 
Office [1892, a Sone No. 1,111] :— 
“Manila hemp is the fibre of the stem of a sort of banana, Musa 
textilis, TEN hitherto has been grown only in the Philippine Islands, 
where it is a source of great wealth to the growers, the Gov vernment, 
and all Sesasi and is the means of affording freight to a fiaen 
number of vessels. The soil and climate of North Borneo have also 
been proved, owing to a series of experiments conducted during idane 
years ae to be mere wats onium es to the por r growth of the 
are being watched with much interest, as ater started this ca ain may 
become of very large proportions in the fut 
XXXIII—PLANTAIN AND BANANA FIBRE. 
(Musa sapientum, R. Br.) 
[K. B., 1887, April, pp. 5-8.] 
In connection with Manila hemp some reference may be made to 
fibres produced by other species of the genus Musa, Mr. Morris, the late 
8895 G 
