43 



more that his Company alone would he happy to take the entire 

 outp ;t of Malaya for the next five years could it be kept up to the 

 standard of the samples sent. 



I id i tor. 



FIBRE 



The Government of the Philippine Islands. 

 Department of the Interior 



Bureau or Agriculture, 

 Manila, P.I. 



December 2<S'//i f /go./. 



Office of The Chief of Bureau. 

 Skxor Dox Carlos Juan Schirmer, 



Consul de la Republica Argentina, Singapore. 



Dear Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your 

 recent communication relative to fibre cleaning machinery. 



The annual export of Manila hemp from the Philippines now 

 exceed two million pikuls, valued at something more than 820,000,000 

 All of this fibre is cleaned by a slow wasteful process requiring a 

 large amount of labour and giving, in general, an inferior product. 

 There is a great demand for a machine that will clean Manila hemp 

 fibre and a number of American inventors are now endeavouring to 

 perfect such a machine. We also export considerable maguey fibre, 

 while pineapple, murva, and pandang are widely distributed through- 

 out the Archipelago. There is an excellent opportunity in this 

 country for the introduction of fibre-extracting machinery. 



I note with interest your remarks concerning the future of San- 

 sevieria fibre. We have received excellent samples of this fibre from 

 different parts of the Philippines and are now experimenting with the 

 plant in our Manila gardens. 



I have, etc., 



II. P. EDWA RDS, 

 Fibre Kxpert, Bureau of Agriculture \ 



FIBRES. — (Continued . 



Fourcroyas. — The Kourcroyas are commonly known as green 

 aloes or Mauritius hemp. All are natives of Central America, hut 

 several kinds have been distributed as ornamental or fibre plants in 

 different parts of the tropics where thev have been cultivated. As 

 a rule, they possess bigger and thinner leaves than the true aloes and 

 the agaves (American aloes) and the leaver are always bright green 



