ae errr rare 
277 
BARBADOS. 
Besides the experiments in sugar-cane an effort has been made at the 
Dodd Botanic Station to cultivate other plants, especially 7 of 
Agave, Furcraea, pk Boehmeria for fibre purpose 
land is, a of t clayey a m 4 for such plants, ma also 
too much exposed to. ironi and dry winds. 
There are ad thousand acres of kiper land in Barbados where a 
fibre industry might be successfully established, and there are also other 
these can be experimentally tried under favourable circumstances at 
Dodd owing to the unsuitability of the soil and ihe exposed character of 
the locality. 
LXXXV.—CULTURAL INDUSTRIES IN WEST 
AFRICA 
[K. B., 1890, pp. 197-198.] 
f fibre plants there are several that are adapted to West Africa. 
Already the Bowstring mp, yielded by one or more species of 
caer = has been e a prepared at Lagos, and the 
a 
hinery to clean the fibre. The Death Fibre Machine Company, of 
147, Leadenhall Street, E.C., might be in a position to supply particulars 
as to the success of gr owing bowstring hemp in Cuba and also as to the 
best machines for preparing the fibre 
The Sisal Hemp aa Agave gida, var. eaa could very easily 
be introduced to West Africa. Small plants, in quantity, pis probably 
obtainable from ee The Sisal Hem aang grow cert - 
istricts unsuited to almost any other o r If 500 i 
troduced at first, poe after i or three years would yield sniffles 
suckers to establish several acres. Ramie may be regarded as unsni 
panton to it unless there is a sufficient supply of labour to work 
e plantations g suitable machinery is obtainable to decorticate 
the fibre at a low 
Of the jute nee ad ‘fibre plants there are two very valuable fibre 
plants already abundant in at Afri — hig are the “ Bolobolo 
(Honckenya ho ifolia), fully discussed in the Kew Bulletin for January 
eed (see p. 30), and the Toja (Ù rena aay The fibres of these plants 
re probably worth 18/. to 20/. per ton, and the price is always likely to be 
SRRI at such a figure as would render a jute industry remunerative. 
It might be possible to get the natives to clean these fibres by hand an 
sell the produce in small lots locally. 
