74 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



51206 and 51207— Continued. 



not flower until it is 7 or 8 years old, hence the belief that it flowers 

 only once every century and the popular name '* century plant." 



A long dry season and a light rainy one are essential for the best 

 growth of this plant; while warm, clear, dry weather, with bright sun- 

 shine, is required to dry and bleach the fiber. The thick and pulpy 

 leaves of the maguey render it capable of withstanding long droughts 

 which w^ould be disastrous to most other economic plants. The most 

 essential step in maguey cultivation is the selection of a well-drained 

 soil. Shallow, rocky, limestone soils and soils formed by the disinte- 

 gration of coral rock are best suited for maguey growing. 



The fiber is large, inflexible, slightly yellowish, and of a great tenacity. 

 This latter quality renders it very valuable in all cases where sudden 

 strains are anticipated, while its lack of elasticity prevents it from 

 being used to advantage in power transmission. In the United States 

 it is largely used for the ij^anufacture of binder twine, fodder yams, 

 and various other cordage purposes. In the Philippine Islands care- 

 fully selected young leaves are cleaned by the same process used in 

 cleaning pineapple leaves ; the fiber thus obtained is very fine and 

 silky and is used for making cloth, fine handkerchiefs, and other arti- 

 cles. (Adapted from Philippine Agricultural Review, vol. 3, p. 4^4') 



For previous introduction, see S. P. I. No. 33508. 

 51207. Ceotalaria tjsaeamoensis Baker f. Pabacese. 



A tall herb, native to German East Africa and allied to C. lanceolata 

 E. Mey. from which it differs in its broader and shorter leaflets, which 

 are glabrous above and strigose pubescent below. The racemes are 15 

 to 25 centimeters long. 



In Buitenzorg the grayish fiber is not so smooth and silky as that of 

 Hibiscus cannahinus, but that does not necessarily mean that it is not 

 suitable for the spinning of yarn. The same is the case with sunn hemp 

 (Crotalaria juncea), which in British India is more highly esteemed 

 than Deccan hemp (Hibiscus cannahinus). A great drawback is that 

 the total quantity of fiber obtained up to the present differs very mate- 

 rially in strength and ordinarily is not very strong. How this will h& 

 influenced by different climatic and cultural conditions and soil can be 

 determined only by making tests elsewhere, which is strongly recom- 

 mended. 



The practical utility of the fiber can be determined only by spinning 

 and weaving tests. Adequate specimens are available for these tests, 

 but unfortunately tests can not be carried out on account of the diffi- 

 culty in exporting. 



The leaves are used as a green manure and as cattle feed. Analyses 

 made by Dr. A. W. K. de Jong, of the Agricultural Chemical Labora- 

 tory, give the following percentages for fresh and dry leaves, respec- 

 tively: Albumin, 5.3 and 26.7; nitrogen, 0.87 and 4.27; fat, 1.4 and 

 7.0 ; starch 1.9 and 9.6 ; crude fiber, 4.0 and 20.1 ; crude ash, 0.9 and 4.5. 

 The water content of the fresh leaves was 80.1 per cent and their 

 nutritive value 34.4 per cent. 



The roots and stems will perhaps be suitable for the manufacture of 

 paper, where the transportation facilities are favorable. The wood 

 which remains after the removal of the fiber is very thin and smooth, 

 but burns well and without smoke and is much in demand by the inland 



