470 



THE PLANTAIN AND BANANA. 



woof. The fabrics so woven are nearly as fine as tlie ni^ls de pitia 

 (pine-apple fibre). For purity, flexibility, and colour, the finest of 

 these plantain fabrics are said to compare with cambric as cardboard 

 does to tissue paper. According to Jagor, the finest stuffs require 

 so great an amount of dexterity, patience, and time in their prepara- 

 tion, and are consequently so expensive, that they cannot compete 

 with the cheap machine-made goods of Europe. Their fine warm 

 yellowish colour also is objected to by European women accustomed 

 to linen and muslin strongly blued in the washing. By the rich half- 

 castes, however, who understand the real goodness of their qualities, 

 they are highly appreciated. In the regions where abaca is culti- 

 vated, the entire dress of both sexes is made of this coarse cloth, 

 called guimara For foreign markets, still coarser and stronger fabrics 

 are prepared, such as crinoline and stiff muslin, used by dressmakers. 



It is as an article for export, however, that the cleaned fibre is of the 

 most importance commercially. Nearly three-fourths of the produce 

 go to America. It is very largely used in the manufacture of paper. 



From the fibre of this plant, cordage, mats, and wearing apparel are 

 made in the Philippines. 



Leyte and Saniar in 1856 had a combined export of 5000 tons ; 

 N6gros, 800 tons. South Camarines and Albay produce the largest 

 l>art of the existing export of hemp, and yield a considerable quantity 

 of remarkably good hemp. 



Large supplies are derived from Leyte, Saniar, Bohol, and the east 

 coast of Negros (Dumaguete) in its more immediate vicinity. While 

 from the gTeat island of Mindanao a further supply is obtained, from 

 the fine province of Misamis, and from the small island of Carneguin, ' 

 which produces nearly 1000 tons of good hemp, all of which goes 

 to Cebu. 



The plantain from which it is obtained is propagated with great 

 rapidity, being planted in the rainy season. One hundred plants 

 occupy about 1000 square yards of land. The rude method of pre- 

 paring the fibre is as follows. The stem, after having attained the age 

 of between two and three years, is cut down and stripped of its layers 

 or folds ; these are then divided into sections of three or four inches 

 wide, and the pulpy or fleshy part separated by the process of drawing 

 them under a knife fixed for the purpose ; the fibre thus laid bare is 

 then placed in the sun to dry. If the plant be left on the ground for 

 any length of time after it has been cut down, the hemp made from it 

 assumes a reddish tinge, unfitted for commerce, the tannin in the sap 

 colouring the fibre. Fifty tons produce about 25 lbs. of hemp or 

 fibre. 



The difference that exists between the fibres of the species of 

 plantain appears to be attributable to the fact that some fibres 

 of wild plants, and especially those of the banana, are more or less 

 modified by cultivation. The abaca is found in the volcanic islands 

 of the Philippines, and in the neighbouring archipelago; still it is 

 principally in the pueblos of Donsol, Sorsogon, Tabaco, Cameli, and 

 Quipa, that the cultivation is carried on, and from whence the 

 best material is obtained. The only difference between the abaca 

 and other species of the 31u.sa genus is the rich dark-green hue that 



