210 
“* yet a future in Mauritius. aos fall in the price of this fibre in the 
“ European markets broke several local companies that were formed 
“ for the working of the aloe nen There was far too much money 
ae in them to pay.” 
* * 
“ On many of the estates self-sown plants a in great numbers. 
“ It was from the leaves of these that the companies made money and 
“ paid large dividends when the price of the fibre wus good. The 
“ plants nee grown ee on ee land, and their presence on it had 
“ not cost a cent. In such cases results materially differ from those of 
“ reaping the aie ra m F laid out plantations with low prices for 
“ the produce. oil and climate of the localities eie to favour 
“ the ih of che: Siei in such a degree that little expense need be 
“ incurred in introducing it to new grounds. The plant produces 
“plantlets in great abundance in this coiony. These plantlets grow 
“ viviparously on the parent plant, and sme to it till they have 
“ developed into almost perfectly formed plant When the young 
K “ plantle ets drop from their parent they are ey fitted to stand by 
ssp dage esing the want of roots they are perfect. The 
oots are emitted as soon as the plantlets come in contact with the 
F fend soil, even when they are lying on the surface of the ground. 
ems, f i nt i 
“and the facilities which it naturally affords for propagation and 
“ increase.’ 
At St. Helena Furcraea A mica has been for some time under 
cultivation as an introduced plant. Experiments on a small scale have 
aa carried on, and samples of fibre have appeared in the English 
arket. (Report by Mr. D. Morris, F.L.S., on the Resources of the 
Tatiana of St. Helena, Colonial Office, African No. 275, 1884.) 
i aa, Collyer and Co. reported in 1883 on fibre from St. Helena as 
ollows :— 
“Aloe fibre Sirah poser gigantea) St. Helena. Good lene ae 
“strength, rather dull colour, generally well cleaned but with 
“ runners untouched, snd barky. Value 28/. to 302. per ton. This 
“sample is very differen t in appearance from the Furcraea gigantea 
of ery lear owing probably to differences of both growth and treat- 
“&“ men 
SILK GRASS (Furcraea cubensis, Haw.). 
While on the subject of fibre from Furcraea gigantea, it may not be 
inappropriate to say a few words as rea the merits of another species, 
reraea cubensis. This, as alread nted out, is possibly one of the 
plants under the name of Cajun from viii some of the Yucatan fibre 
is obtained 
It differs from F. gigantea in that it has no distinct trunk, or : very 
short one, below the rosette of leaves. The latter are 3 to 5 ft. long, 
about 5 inches broad at the middle, cere green, rigid in texture, and 
armed with regular, hooked, brown 
It is a native of tropi cal Ameri ica as cultivated in most PEAP 
countries. A anay of this plant—F. cubensis, var. inermis—is figured 
and described in Bo 3. 
In addition to dow: ers it produces bulbils on the flowering i, S from 
which the plant is readily increased. The plant is common in Jamai 
and it is said that there “ woal be no difficulty i in Meere a eae there a 
area under cultivation.” The fibre is white, strong, and bright 
t. 65 
