130 
COLONIAL OFFICE to ROYAL GARDENS, KEW: 
Downing Street, 
SIR, April 16, 1890. 
WITH reference to the letter of the Colonial Office of 29th May 
last, I am es by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit 
to you for your information a copy of a report which has been received 
from the High Commissioner in South oes on the subject of a certain 
plant from Lake Ngami, sent direct Ags 
(Sighedy ” gre G. W. HERBERT. 
The Directo 
Ro aa Gardens, Kew, 
Mr. HICKS to Sir H. LOCH. 
Grand Hotel, Diep River, 
YOUR eyar March 13, 1890. 
I BEG to ea ato po of the roots and stalks of the plant 
which the Makoulba natives of Lake Ngami ma ake their fish nets from. 
These are the specimens p omised by Mr. James = fais of 
Mafeking, April lth, 1889, to the authorities i Kew Gard 
m, &e. 
(Bignon) ” ROBERT I. HICKS. 
Sir Henry B. Loch, G.C.M.G., C.B. 
These specimens entirely agree with Sansevieria sulcata, Bojer. 
have never had any flow nee S. aE and should be much obliged if 
Mr. Nicolls could get som 
s. Mixed with the bundle of °S. rodga was a single plant of a species, 
possibly S. Volkensii, Gurke. 
XLII.—SISAL HEMP. 
[K. B., 1887, March, pp. 3-8.] 
Under this term are included fibres derived from probably more than 
2s species of Agave, and it is probable also that one species of Furcraea 
used. According to the locality where the industry is carried on or 
ió port of shipment the fibre po in Yucatan is called Sisal Hemp, 
which i = the recognised name in the aep market; or Jenequen or 
Henequen Hemp, which wodi appear to be the t more commonly 
erm 
aag in ym United States. Pita is another Central American fibre but 
whether the produce of an A A. americana) or of a Bromeliad 
gave ( 
ae atas Plumieri) is not quite clear. Probably it is loosely applied to 
As regards the species of. Agave yielding Sisal Hem Miller first 
described A. rigida (Dict. Ed. 8, 1768) in the following w eerie “ Long, 
‘narrow, stiff leaves, entire, and terminated by a stiff black p 
ronis to Miller, Pita fibre is derived from Furcraea gigantea, which wo ould 
make it identical with Mauritius Hemp. Dr. rb ies 1e, ps Sad cca hand, mentions 
Agave Tatli “ as furnishing a fine fibre called Pita 
