THE TECHNOLOGIST. [July 1, 1865. 



556 SISAL HEMP. 



the top to keep it healthy. These leaves are composed of a soft, watery- 

 pulp, and are from two to six feet long, and in the middle from four to 

 six inches wide, being frequently three inches thick at the butt, having 

 the general shape of the head of a lance. They contain a gum, which 

 is the chief cause of their being rather troublesome in separating the 

 fibres from the pulp. Neither the epidermis nor this pulp is more than 

 a powder after becoming dry, if the gum be entirely crushed and washed 

 out. This is a most important fact in relation to the manner to be 

 adopted to cleanse the fibres from the pulp. As these are continuous 

 and parallel, and embedded in it, I feel certain that a system of passing 

 the leaves through a series of heavy iron rollers, firmly set, something 

 like those used in grinding sugar-cane, and throwing water upon the 

 crushed leaves in jets or otherwise, in sufficient quantities to wash out 

 the gum (which is perfectly soluble in it), will thoroughly clean the 

 fibres without any loss ; so that, after they are dry, and have been 

 beaten to get out the dust, they will be fit for market. At any rate, the 

 right plan for separating the fibres has not yet been discovered, although 

 there has been enough done at it to show that they can be got out at a 

 profit. Here the people either preserve the primitive plan which 

 is practised in Yucatan, of beating and scraping the leaves or simply 

 crush them in a pair of rollers, afterwards steeping the crushed ones in 

 an alkaline solution for a few days and then clean the fibres by a kind 

 of combing process. But either scraping or combing destroys too many 

 of the fibres by breaking them, which would not be done by a system 

 of rolling and washing out the gum. In Yucatan, they ferment the 

 beaten leaves in water or mud, but this stains and weakens the fibres so 

 as to reduce their value, I believe, more than half. Even steeping the 

 crushed leaves in an alkaline pickle, although it may not weaken the 

 fibres much, as the juice of the leaves is acid, destroys that silky gloss 

 wdrich they possess when got out of the fresh leaves with the aid of pure 

 water alone ; besides, it needlessly increases the expense, if it can be 

 dispensed with. 



A good deal of attention is being paid to setting out the plant on 

 this Island, and on some others along the Reef. I have some fifty acres, 

 and continue to increase the quantity as I have opportunity. About 

 three acres have a good crop now, and fifteen acres have been planted 

 nearly three years, so that it will be necessary for me soon to turn a 

 part of my attention to cleaning this pulp. I have made up my n ind 

 to try the rolling system, and wash out the gum with water. This last 

 article, in a pure state, will be the most difficult to get in carrying out 

 the plan on these Keys. 



