48 USEFUL FIBER PLANTS OF THE WORLD. 



literature, as "the worthless Jceratto." An attempt was recently made to start a 

 fiber industry in the Virgin Islands, east of Puerto Rico, with this species, but with 

 unsatisfactory results. 



"Keratto is a term widely used in the West Indies in connection with Auave plants. 

 It is used generic-ally for the whole trihe of American aloes. The Jceratto of Jamaica 

 is A. morrisii of Baker. The Jceratto of the Leeward Islands is A. polyantha; what 

 the Jceratto of the other islands is we can not say. In any case we can not derm- 

 any species by the name. It only means generically an Agave of some kind." Dr. 

 ATorri-. 



Agave potatorum. 



This species is possibly A. scolymus. 



The species, which is much smaller than A. salmiana. is employed in the region of 

 Tehuacan for making the brandy called mescal or mezcal. and for this reason Zu<- 

 carini has given to it the name A. potatorum. Many other species of maguey art- 

 like wise employed in the manufacture of mescal, but this species does not generally 

 produce textile fiber. 'Dr. Weber.) See A. salmiana. 



Agave rigida elongata. Sisal Hemp of Yucatan. The Sacqui 

 or Sac ci of Dr. Per rune. 



Agave rigida sisalana. Sisal Hemp of Florida and the Baha- 

 mas. The Tashqui or Taxci of Dr. Perrine. 



Endogen. Amaryllidacea. Aloe-like leaf cluster. 



Native names. — Henequen or Jenequen (Ync); Sosquil Mex. : Cdbutta or Cabuya 



Cent. Am.). 



Natives of Yucatan, but found in other portions of Mexico, Honduras, Central 

 America, and distributed to the West Indies and to the islands of the Caribbean >ea. 

 "Recommended for culture in Victoria*' (Spon). The variety sisalana was intro- 

 duced into Florida by Dr. Perrine in 1836. Introduced into the Bahamas by C. Nesbit 

 in 1845. Large importations of Florida plants into the Bahamas in recent years. 

 Fig. 1, PL II, represents a sisal thicket, with plants in "pole," on Indian Key. 



Structural Fiber. — Yellowish white, straight, smooth, clean. A valuable cord- 

 age fiber, second only to manila in strength. Does not require retting, and dries white 

 from the machine when well cleaned, without washing. The Yucatan fiber (of com- 

 merce . a little coarser than the Florida fiber. As freshly imported sometimes shows 

 a greenish tinge, due to careless manipulation. "The yaxci or yashqni). with shorter 

 leaf of bright velvety green, produces less fiber, but excels in softness, flexibility, and 

 luster, and brings a higher price in the market." (Dr. Schott.) 



Climate axd soil. — The plants will not stand frost. Northerly limit of safe cul- 

 tivation in Florida the line of 27^ north latitude running across the State. Possibly 

 may be grown a little higher in the interior with safety. Fully matured plants will 

 stand one or two degrees of frost without injury. 



The majority of writers agree that arid, rocky land is suited to the growth of the 

 plant. The soil of Yucatan best suited to this culture is of a gravelly, stony, and in 

 some places of a rocky character, the plants thriving best and yielding the la: _ 

 amount of fiber in comparatively arid districts only a few feet above the level of 

 the sea. On the other hand, moist or rich land is considered unsuited because 

 of the lessor yield of the fiber which results. The plants thrive upon the Florida 

 3, Indian Key especially, upon the almost naked coral rock, with a luxuriant 

 thj and similar conditions prevail in the Bahamas where plantations have been 

 established. 



mivatiox. — The lirst consideration is the preparation of the land. If hum- 

 mock growth, the timber is simply cleared. In other situations, and especially 



