190 



The exquisite perfume of the flowers is alluded to by Shelley : — 



" The wandering airs they faint 



On the dark, the silent stream — 

 The Champac odours fail 



Like sweet thoughts in a dream." 



— (Magnoliacece.) 



79. Musa textilis, Nee. — Manilla Hemp is prepared from this plant, 



the Abaca of the Philippine Islands. It is very much like the 

 banana and plantain, but the fruit is not edible. It is the most 

 important of all cordage fibres, about 50,000 tons being imported 

 annually to Great Britain and the United States. Royle says that 

 the Abaca is cut when about one year and a half old, just before 

 its flowering or fructification is likely to appear, as afterwards the 

 fibres are said to be weaker. If cut earlier the fibres are said to be 

 shorter and finer. It is cut near its roots, and the leaves cut off 

 just below their expansion. It is then slit open longitudinally, 

 and the central peduncle separated from the sheathing layers of 

 fibres, which are in fact the petioles of the leaves ; of these layers 

 the outer are harder and stronger, and form the kind of fibre called 

 bandala which is employed in the fabrication of cordage. The 

 inner layers consist of finer fibres and yield what is called lupis 

 and used for weaving nip is and other more delicate fibres ; while 

 the intermediate layers are converted into what is called tupoz, of 

 which are made web-cloths and gauzes, 4 yards long, of different 

 degrees of fineness. These are universally used as clothing ; some 

 being so fine that a garment can be enclosed in the hollow of the 

 hand. (Musacece.) 1 



80. Myristica fragraxs, Hontt. — The nutmeg has not been hitherto 



cultivated to any extent in Jamaica, but as over 30,000 plants have 

 been distributed from the gardens during the past few years to various 

 parts of the island, it is hoped that the foundations are being laid 

 for building up a lucrative trade. 



The most famous nutmeg gardens in the world are in Banda, one 

 of the Spice Islands of the East Indies. Mr. H. O. Forbes, in his 

 " Naturalist's Wanderings," gives an interisting picture of Banda 

 and its nutmeg groves. 



" A sail of two nights and a day brought us to Banda. We 

 found ourselves slowly steaming in through a narrow winding 

 entrance between thickly foliaged cliffs, which seemed, after giving 

 us passage, to gl'de together and enclose us within a deep blue 

 inland lake without entrance or exit. It was the most lovely 

 spot we had yet visited. Fronting us as the steamer warped itself 

 to the jetty, lay the town as a cluster of white houses, built along 

 the low, narrow foreshore, overshadowed on all sides by steep 

 heights densely wooded with bright green vegetation. 



" We walked through the town, and wandering up the heights 

 by a path overgrown with lycopods and ferns, we presently 

 iound ourselves under a delightfully shady canopy of tall kanary 

 trees, and among the groves of nutmeg of which Banda is the 

 famous garden. Quite a picturesque object in the wood was a 



