23 
as follows: length of stem (below the leaves) 4 ft.; cireumference of 
in. ; ber of leaves on stem, 50; length of leaves about 
4 ft.; breadth of leaves 3] in.; length of peduncle 14 ft. The 
In addition to the large plant received from Yucatan there were 
received two lots of small plants. 'The first of these was received on 
of 
number of A. rigida, var. sisalana. The others represented forms not 
and to the Botanical Stations at Fiji and Antigua. The second lot o 
small plants from Yucatan arrived at Kew on December 16, 1890. On 
rrival there were 30 plants dead and 11 alive. The latter were, 
however, so small and sickly that, weakened by the cold to which 
they had been exposed, it was impossible to sa em. This attempt 
to introduce a representative collection of Agaves from Yucatan, in 
spite of a considerable su for expenses, was singularly un- 
eo 
fortunate. It may be mentioned, however, that Merida, the head- 
to the utmost of his power to assist this establishment ; and if he had 
n een so remotely placed the result would have been far more 
satisfactory. 
Very little additional information, not hitherto published, bas been 
. received respecting the Sisal Hemp (Heuequen) industry in Yucatan. 
The subject has already been very fully treated in the Kew Bulletin, 
and it is only necessary to add a description (with wood cut) of the 
method adopted for harvesting the leaves quoted in the Report of the 
Department of Agriculture, p. 
was understood to say that it costs about 38 cents per 1,000 leaves to 
cut, prepare, and get the leaves to the cleaning machines. On all the 
large haciendas visited were little railways into the fields, upon which 
A 2 
