109 
end which was a round the piece of wood, and the fibre is then 
hung over a pole to dry. This is soon done if it is a fine day, and the 
hemp is then Taide for market 
These operations are quite simple and can be performed by anyone; 
but some force is required to pull the fibre under the knife, and the 
particular muscles brought into play soon tire if the operator is new to 
the work. Men who have been brought up to hemp pulling can go on 
for hours without any discomfort. 
Some men claim to be a to make half a picul (66 Ibs.) of Hemp in 
a day; but the most I have ever seen produced by one man a day 
was 37 catties (a shade less than 50 Ibs.). With ibe, fibre at $6 a ge 
this quantity would sell for $2-24, a high rate of pay in a country where 
wages are normally 32 cents a day. 
Tt is needless to add that it would not A tiene to pent ae men ie 
day wages to prepare Manila hemp, as uch depends upon 
amount of force put into the work and PORAN o the Pata a of 
hemp produced. 
W. B. PRYER. 
XXXVII—PINE-APPLE FIBRE. 
(Ananas sativus, Baker.) 
[K. B} 1887, April, p. 8.] 
_A note may here be added on the fibre yielded by the bese iba of ae 
ore plant. Altho ugh not at present in commer ris fi use, this 
where the West Indian Ananas has become thoroughly pie a 
beautiful fabric known as “ pina cloth” is made from A rope 
ee fibre 3} inches in Prae e bore a ol at Caiet, 
o 
ere are several samples of fibre of a wild pine-apple (Bromelia 
ieira, Willd.) from De West Indies and Central America at Kew, 
ere is no record of their commercial value. A sample supposed 
to be from this plant was lately sent from Trinidad, upon which the 
brokers reported as follows :—* Not mt in commercial use, but destined, 
«< we think, to a successful future; fine, soft, Mere m strong and 
“ good colour, ample length ; say 30/. per ton and u 
The fibre of the Jamaica pinquin (Bromelia l Alenia L.) would 
appear not to be of high value. The plant covers hundreds of acres in 
the plains and lowlands of Jamaica, and an effort was made some time 
ago to prepare the fibre for commercial purposes. The report of brokers 
pon a sample of 90 pounds was as follows :—“ A long towzelled wea 
. This. of bad colour, oo no strength, and only fit for breaking up. 
= orgies to St. Hele mp tow, but not so good. We should think 
“127. to 102. per seg ne utmost value Several samples of this 
Sahin fibre from Jamaica and ieee: cleaned both by hand and 
by machine, are to be seen in the Kew Museum, No. 
If the ane of this plant were cut up, roughly dried, and placed in 
compressed bales, they might prove of value for paper-making. To 
oo this point it would be sspears 4 to forward to England about 
half a ton of dried leaves in compressed bales, in order that paper- 
ss Hy might be able to test them on a p e large scale. 
