AGAVE GROWN IN BENGAL PROVINCES. AT 
specimens was sent from Madras, prepared at the instigation of 
Dr. Hunter in his School of Arts, and by the prisoners in the 
jails at Madras. Of these, the Agave was in the state both of 
fibre and of oakum; also made into string, cord, and rope, 
and dyed orange, red, maroon, and green, showing how well 
this fibre takes these colours. Also, some good paper, made 
with this fibre, mixed with that of gunny bags. In Madras, 
this plant is called petha kalabuntha. The usual way of pre- 
paring these fibres is to steep them in water for three days, 
and then to clear away the herbaceous parts. But the best 
way of steeping is that practised by the natives in some 
places; that is, of sinking the leaves in wet sand. But the 
fibres may also be separated by first beating, and then scraping 
away the rest of the vegetable tissue. The beating is required 
on account of the hardness of these agave leaves. Pressing 
them through grooved cylinders, would, no doubt, be efficacious 
and. also expeditious. 
The Agave is also common in the Bengal Presidency, where 
it is called cantala; and also bans keora, or “ Bamboo Pan- 
danus.” Though, probably most valuable in the upper pro- 
vinces, yet, in December, 1839, Mr. Bond, master-attendant at 
Balasore, sent to the Agricultural Society of Calcutta, a piece 
of cloth manufactured by him from a species of the Aloe plant, 
of which he sent a leaf; and stated that the cloth had been 
woven without the thread having been spun. I have already 
mentioned that the fibre was constantly employed for garden 
purposes at Saharunpore. 
Mr. Tonnochy, B.C.S., succeeded in spreading the culture 
in the Boolundshuhur district, by exposing, in his office, some 
of the dressed fibre, and also a couple of sattranjees or car- 
pets made of them, together with heaps of seed. These all 
disappeared. Mr. Tonnochy encouraged the culture as a hedge- 
plant, because it was not only valuable on its own account, 
but also, because enclosing the fields so much enhances the 
value of land. The long, flowering stem was, moreover, found 
useful as a ridge-pole for cottages. 
In the year 1852, Sir R. C. Hamilton, resident at Indore, 
forwarded some specimens of the fibre of the Agave Cantala 
which grows freely in Malwa, and to which attention had been 
directed during the temporary want of “ Bakkul,” the fibrous 
