—————— es wiles ais = x 
* 
121 
Samples of fibre of S. zeylanica prepared at Jamaica by machinery; 
in 1884, were described as follows by London brokers :—(a.) “ Beautiful 
“fibre, rather heavy and hard, He be whiter, value very uncertain, 
colour 
é . per ; $ 
“growth, fairly well cleaned. Value about 307. per ton.” (c.) “ Might 
= Be e It is almost too good for roping purposes. Worth about 
4 i pe rt Bas 
Of Sai cylindrica, Bojer, an excellent napre and a full 
account by Sir bes liam so will be found at tab. 5,093 of the 
Botanical Maga It is a most “distinct and curious looking plant. 
The leaves are e oylindrical, tee’ in horizontal] section, faintly sulcate all 
round, especially in the young state, obtuse at the end, arching, reaching 
when n fully developed a length of 3 or 4 feet anda thickness of about 
; raceme 
a ncle is about a foot long; the e u K 
with clustered cylindrical flowers just like those of guineensis in 
structure, bu bout an inch long. It is spread across South 
Africa from Zanzibar to Angola. Our Se plants were received by 
the Foreign Office from Angola in 1859 under the name of Ifé and an 
abundant supply of its fibre and ship’s ae and other ropes manu 
factured from it were shown in the Portuguese Department of the Paris 
Exhibition in 1858. 
In the description attached to the figure of the plant in the Botanical 
nig beatae mentioned above, Sir William Hooker adds the following 
particu 
* About tires years ago (that is in 1857) there were received at the 
“ Foreign Office, and ‘tran sferred to the Admiralty, samples of a 
“peculiar fibre and cordage under the name of Ifé, said to be derived 
‘from a new plant at the Portuguese settlement of Angola, west coast 
“of Africa. These were accompanied by some apparently living 
“ plants, which were placed in the lade of the Féreign Office, and 
“by the kindness of our valued friend, G. Lenox-Coningham, Esqr., 
ar 
“ vegetable products, and I was there agreeably surprised to find most 
“ extensive samples, in the Portuguese Department, of the raw mate- 
rial fibre, and manufactured articles, ship-cables, rope, beautiful 
Sdorieee &c., of the same material, and amongst ‘The Products of 
ort. 
y m 
“*sevieria angolensis, this latter being a MS. name of Dr. Welwitsch 
“‘for a remarkable species of Sansevieria, with long stout terete 
“leaves, which is in cultivation at Kew. The cordage and ro 
“‘made of this plant Kaa to a eye of excellent quality, whatever 
“experience may prove them to be.’ Experiments recently made 
“ with this cordage Da mao Mg to be the strongest and tted 
“i “for deep-sea sounding of any fibre known ; indeed this is the less 
“ surprising, seeing ar hse species of Sansevieria (the well-known 
oe zeylanica and guineensis, for example) are cultivated in almost 
“all tropical countries ides pommi nt of the strength and durability of the 
“ fibre, under the name of Bowstring Hemp. 
O samples of S. cylindrica fibre in the Kew Museums there is one 
specimen from Mauritius, sent by Dr. Duncan; fibre of the Probo and 
rope and cordage made from it, probably S. cylindrica, Sierra Leone, 
