DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



51 



I think, safely be regarded as 4 years from the time of planting. A great deal 

 depends upon the size of the plants when transplanted, hut 

 if they he of a suitable size, say from 12 to 15 inches, with- 

 out doubt the leaves will attain a length of from 4 to 5 feet 

 and be fit to cut well within the period named. 1 have seen 

 thousands of plants with leaves from 2 to 3 feet long that 

 had been growing only two years; I have also seen plants 

 that, I was told, were 3 years old, from which leaves had 

 been already cut." (Rae's Report.) 

 | The life of a plant when undisturbed is six or seven years, 



after which it sends up its blossom stalk and then perishes. 

 In Yucatan cutting extends the life of the plant fifteen to 

 twenty years; T. Albee Smith says twenty-five years. 

 No special cultivation is needed further than to see that 

 the land is kept clean and the suckers kept down. These 

 are valuable for starting new plantations. 



Yield of Fiber. — The annual yield of fiber in Yucatan 

 is from 1,000 to 1,470 pounds per acre; 50 to 70 pounds of 

 fiber is derived from 1,000 leaves. Calculating 33 leaves to 

 the plant as the annual cuttings from the 

 650 plants on an acre, the 21,450 leaves may 

 be said to yield 1,287 pounds of clean fiber. 



T. Albee Smith states that the plants are 

 set out in Yucatan at the rate varying from 

 96 to 140 plants per mecate (one-tenth of 

 an acre). The latter is thought to bring 

 the best yield and longest fiber — say 1,400 

 plants per acre. The producer pays a tax to 

 the State of 3 cents per arroba (25 pounds), 

 which equals $2.40 per ton of 2,000 pounds. 

 He has seen 90 leaves cleaned in five min- 

 utes on one wheel with two feeders, but says 

 that this speed can not be continued. One 

 thousand leaves of henequen weigh in the 

 rainy season 160 to 200 arrobas, in the dry 

 season, 100 to 160 arrobas. One thousand 

 leaves average a yield of 55 pounds of fiber. 



The average weight of a leaf of the Mexi- 

 can form of plant is 1 pound, 10 ounces, 

 according to reliable authorities. A calcu- 

 lation based on the above figures places the 

 yield of dried fiber from 2,240 pounds of 

 leaves at 82 pounds and a fraction. The 

 actual product of a long ton of Indian Key 

 (Florida) leaves from the sisalana form as 

 determined by the Department's Florida ex- 

 periments is about 79 pounds. The machine 

 made a very considerable waste, which, 

 after being carefully washed and dried, 

 gave a weight of 22-J- pounds from the ton 

 of leaves. This gives a total of very nearly 

 102 pounds of straight fiber and waste from 

 a ton of leaves. Regarding the waste made 

 by the Raspador in Mexico no statements 

 can be made. The average yield of 2,000 



1 



Fig, 14.— Leaves of the true 

 sisal hemp plant. 



Fig. 15. — Leares 

 of the false sisal 

 hemp plant. 



pounds of sisal leaves in the Bahamas is 75 pounds, equivalent to 83 pounds to the 



