THE PLANTAIN AND BANANA. 



471 



pervades every part of the former. The abaca has very little care 

 bo-towed on its cultivation, being grown only for its stalks, and it is 

 an advantage rather than otherwise that its fibres shonld retain their 

 natural coarseness and tenacity. Nor does it require so rich a soil as 

 the edible varieties : it is usually planted on the slopes of mountains, 

 where the land has been newly broken up. The ground is carefully 

 and frequently cleared of all obnoxious weeds during the growth of 

 the young plant, and the stalk is cut when the fruits first make their 

 appearance. At the end of the first crop, they have, monthly, good 

 suckers springing up, and that, too, during the whole time that the 

 plantation lasts, which is from five to seven years. The duration of 

 course varies with the nature of the soil, the fertilizing properties of 

 which this crop exhausts very rapidly, especially as no manure is 

 applied. The textile material is obtained in the following manner : 

 The stems are cut down and stripped of their leaves. It is next 

 divided into long strips of two fingers in breadth, then passed between 

 a thick plank, placed in a horizontal position, with a knife resting 

 edgewise. The material is then drawn through with one hand, whilst 

 the other presses heavily on the back of the knife, and in this manner 

 the pulpy matter is scraped and cleared off, leaving the textile fibres 

 bare. These are put to dry in the sun, care being taken to protect 

 them from rain and moisture. They are then beaten lightly with 

 sticks, again exposed to the sun, and lastly the filaments are sepa- 

 rated according to their degrees of fineness. In this manner three 

 sorts of fibre, of varying quality, are obtained : the first, called bandala, 

 from the outer sheaths of the stem, which is the strongest and 

 coarsest, and from which ropes, &c., are made. The second, known by 

 the name of lupis, which is the finest, is procured from the inner 

 layers ; whilst the third, the tupoz, comes from the intermediate 

 layers of the tissue, and from this last fabrics and gauzes are manu- 

 factured. Two men employed at this work, one in separating the 

 outer coats, the other using the knife, can prepare from 24 lbs. to 

 26 lbs. avoirdupois a day. Fifty feet of land covered with plaintain 

 trees will furnish from 24 lbs. to 26 lbs. of abaca fibre, or 143 lbs. to 

 145 lbs. to every 2^ acres. It is cut at least ten times a year, which 

 gives a mean return of 1760 lbs. of bruised abaca, worth from 5/. to 

 101. If the process be properly conducted, at least 1 lb. of thread, or, 

 taking the produce of 2j acres for a whole year, 3520 lbs. of abaca 

 will be obtained, worth at Manila about 201. The abaca intended for 

 weaving is bruised in a mortar, and thus reduced into a kind of ball 

 about the size of a child's head. This operation has the effect of 

 rendering the threads more flexible and resistant. These threads, 

 having been joined together by women or children, are woven after the 

 manner of cotton, and the texture is immersed in water with a little 

 shell lime for a day and a night. Afterwards they are cleaned in 

 fresh water and left to dry. If mixed with silk or cotton, a beautiful 

 texture is produced, very fine and valuable, and applicable to a variety 

 of purposes. 



Hoping and cordage made from abaca are employed in the mercan- 

 tile marine of India, and in the navy of the United States, and are well 

 known under the name of white rope or Manila rope. 



