114 
improved machinery aug more skilled administration more profitable 
results misit be obtain ; 
“ The flowers have 3 ent to Kew witha view tu determining the 
exact BO Rey which I Blass is still undefined.” 
ies ADDED, 1892.--The Caraguatá has now been determined, as shown above, 
= pla n of it with description sare gee argentina, — has been ` 
i n Hooker's Icones Plantarum, pl. 2 Specimens of living plants of 
this, the eae rin as 4 ibera, are much Tied rahe the Kew P PENA where, s0 
far, it does not exist 
XXXIX.—BOWSTRING HEMP. 
[K. B., 1887, May, pp. 1-11.] 
At present, Bowstring hemp is not an article in commercial use; but 
attention may well be directed to the capabilities of Sages species of 
Sansevieria for prodnving fibre of great value. Plants of Sansevieria, 
of which there are 10 o species, are very imam rin on both the 
east and west coasts of opral Africa, which, indeed, may be looked 
upon as the head-quarters p the genus. One well-known species (S. 
zeylanica) is indigenous to Ceylon ; and this and others are foun 
along the Bay of Bengal, a NE Se thence to Java and to the coasts 
of China. The leaves of these plants are more or less succulent and 
abound in a very nee fibre, remarkable alike for fineness, elasticity, 
and for strength. 
Usually os leaves are not more than l} to 2 feet long; in some 
species, such as ©. guineensis and S. cylindrica, they attain a 
length of 3 or 4 feet: while in one species, native of tropical Africa 
[since descri as S. Kirkii, Baker], under favourable circum- 
stances they attain a length of 9 feet. In this species, for particulars 
of which and for samples of its fibre we are indebted to Sir John Kirk, 
G.C.M.G., K.C.B., late Consul-General at Zanzibar, the quality of the 
fibre is exceptionally good. We have doubtless here a new fibre plant 
of great valu ; 
- In the treatment. of the leaves of Sansevieria by machinery the grea at 
drawback hitherto experienced has been their comparatively small size, 
and the difficulty of cleaning the fibre Ae tae them in an expedi- 
tious and remunerative manner. These i 
in the case of the plant brought into matic by Sir John Kirk. Indeed, 
for moist tropical climates, as opposed to the dry, aoh. and arid districts 
of Yucatan where the Sisal Hemp is grown, this and S. longiflora if 
they are really distinct would be likely to prove of RARR, value as- 
fibre plants. 
I 
may be mentioned that all species . Sansevieria prefer a rich moist 
soil and a comparatively pas climat are essentially tropical 
plants and do not thrive in = Petea less than 60° Fahr. Under 
favourable conditions they grow rapidly and establish themselves Aae 
manently by means of large spreading fleshy rhizomes or undergro 
stems. Itis true they will grow in comparatively dry districts, a 
~~ in soils strongly inprogiiated. with salt ; but their growth under 
such circumstances is very slow 
re produce a ce za and the leaves are seldom large enough 
Rox 
Dr. burgh pospone that the fibres of Sansevierias might be called 
Bowstring iai , because the natives of the Circars make their best 
bowstrings of them On t the other hand, small samples of fibre from 
S. guineensis, which have Soakai d in the London aeie have been 
