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“shipping the fibre may be systematically continued for the greater 
“ part of the year.” 
As the weight of the green leaves is so large in proportion to the 
yield of fibre, their conveyance from distant parts of the plantation to 
the factory must involve considerable labourand expense. For instance, 
if every 100 tons of green leaves will yield only about 234 to 3} tons of 
dry marketable fibre, it is evident that an immense quantity of useless 
pulp has to be conveyed to the factory and disposed of as conveniently 
as the circumstances will admit. 
Fibre estates should therefore be established on moderately level 
ground where light portable railways could be laid, or on moderately 
sloping ground converging on a single point where wire ropes could be 
used for sliding the leaves in portable bundles to the factory. The 
experience gained on sugar estates in cultivating large areas in the 
tropics and in conveying heavy perishable material to a central point 
would appear to be generally applicable also to Sisal Hemp estates. As 
in sugar, so in Sisal Hemp, the advantage will ultimately rest with such 
estates as are able to reduce their working expenses to the lowest point, 
and compete successfully with the produce of countries like Yucatan 
and the Philippines. 
The South American Journal says that “the bulk of the henequen 
“grown in Yucatan is sent to New York, and that the export has 
“grown enormously. In 1878 the total value of the export from 
“ Yucatan, as shown by the Custom House returns, did not exceed 
“710,124 dols., since which period it began to attract greater attention, 
“and in 1878 the figure almost doubled. The following shows the 
“export of henequen in each year from 1878 to 1889 :— 
“ 1878, 1,166,504 dols.; 1879, 1,287,375 dols.; 1880, 7,495,467 dols. ; 
“ 1881, 2,284,389 dols.; 1882, 2,672,107 dols. ; 1883, 3,311,663 dols. ; 
“ 1884, 4,165,020 dols.; 1885, 3,988,791 dols.; 1886, 2,929,116 dols. ; 
“ 1887, 3,901,628 dols.; 1888, 6,229,460 dols.; 1889, 6,872,593 dols.” 
It is mentioned as a curious circumstance that the market price o 
the fibre in New York increased almost pari passu with the increase 
‘of exports. 
From Messrs. Crocker’s American Statistics quoted in Messrs. Ide 
and Christie’s Monthly Circular, dated 15th January, 1892) we find 
that the total importations of Sisal Hemp into the United States during 
the years 1889-1891 were as follows :—1889, 237,736 bales; 1890, 
230,800 bales ; 1891, 286,700 bales. Of these latter we find 10 
bal 
into the United Kingdom (London and Liverpool), according to 
essrs. Ide and Christie, were 20,296 bales. It is evident from this 
the combined consumption of Sisal and Manila hemps 
(known generally as “white hemps ”} we find the relative quantities 
taken on both sides of the Atlantic to be approximately as follows :— 
