159 
“ Crop.—The length of time required for the production of the 
first cutting of leaves may, I think, safely be regarded as four years from 
the time of planting. A great deal ees upon the size of the plants 
. . . 5 
su S 
inches, without doubt the leaves will aani a length of 4 to 5 feet, and 
be fit to cut, well within the period named. I have seen thousands of 
plants with leaves from 2 to 3 feet eee that had been growing only two 
years ; and I have also seen ben that I was told were three years old, 
from which leaves had been alre 
leaf and 1,440 Ibs. of cleaned fibre. If the estimate be reduced to 
35 leaves, there mo be 31, Z lbs. of leaf and 1,260 Ibs. of fibre, and 
this is certainl ery m modes t estimate. To gu uard a against all possible 
ae pr the yield of fibre per acre can be safely placed 
at half a 
Considerable interest has lately been taken in endeavouring to trace 
the source from whi oa the Bahamas have received their present supply 
of Sisal Hemp plan The Bahamas Sisal (or Pita, as it is call 
locally) is identical with that existing in Florida and the adjacent 
Keys. We have trustworthy evidence that the Yaxci Sisal plant (the 
y the Govern SS BARREA Ta 1846. For this purpose 36 families 
they were taken somewhere to the south, as "it was found that has 
would not ERON much further north des the spot originally intended by 
. Perri 
In 1871, the late Dr. Parry found the Agaves in Florida, and he 
describes them as having “ pale-green but not glaucous leaves, 4 to 6 feet 
“ long, 4 to 6 inches wide, generally smooth-edged, but here and there, 
