10 



SISAL HEMP IN THE BAHAMAS AND FLORIDA. 



Enquiries have been made from time to time, as to the progress of this fibre industry in the 

 Bahamas, and the methods of cultivation, &c. 



On application to the Government of the Bahamas, I was favoured with pamphlet-reports on 

 the subject by Messrs. James M. Rue and G orge Preston. 



Mr. Rae's Report is d;itod 26th January, 1891, and gives details to that date as follows : — 



" There are now planted in the Bahamas, as near as can be ascertained, 4,193 acres of land with 

 2,G33,000 Sisal plants. In addition to this number there are in nurseries 1,332 500 plants. The latter 

 may, I venture to think, fairly be regarded as growing plants, in considering the extent of the culti- 

 vation of Sisal. The number of pole plants estimated to be procured during the ensuing six months 

 from trees that are now in pole is 937,500 and the number of suckers or root plants, for the same pe- 

 riod from plants now growing is 960,500 



The enterprising little settlement of Harbour Island, always foremost in developing some new in- 

 dustry, has not been unmindful of its tradition ; and was one of the first to enguge in the plant ; ng of 

 Sisal. No large capitalists have located themselves here, but the people generally have planted with 

 an energy worthy of emulation. Cultivations varying in size from one to three or four acre* are to be 

 met with plentifully, while there are some of much larger extent. Many persons find it a lucrative 

 business to grow the plant in nurseries for sale, and many thousands of young plants have thus been 

 distributed among other Islands of the Colony. I was in a field of some six or seven acres containing 

 about seven thousand plants from eighteen months to three years oi l, belonging to a gentleman who 

 informed me that he had already been reimbursed the cost of planting it, and was then realizing $20.00 

 per month from the sale of suckers. 



This field is situated in an abandoned " provision" field, near the sea shore. The soil is red earth 

 contained in holes and crevices in the rock, and in deposits of a few inches depth in certain spots over 

 the rock. Tee plants were as healthy and vigorous in appearance as I have seen anywhere. The above 

 result regarding the quantity of suckers which had already been sold from them, speaks for itself of 

 their power of reproduction 



The people of Abaco, Harbour Island, Long Island, Rum Cay, Exuma and Grand Bahama, where 

 the largest number of Sisal plants are met with, have for many years past, been in the habit of making 

 a small quantity of rope for home use, from the fibre they extracted from the leaf of the Sisal by the 

 primitive method of bruising and maceration ; and for this purpose they kept a few plants growing 

 about their yards ; consequently when the production of the fibre as an article of merchandize became 

 an acknov. ledged resource, the above named islands had a comparatively good supply of old trees, from 

 the poles of which large numbers of seedlings were readily procured, and the people found profitable 

 employment in planting nurseries to meet the great demand for young plants. These in turn on being 

 planted in the field, very soon began to produce " suckers," ad libitum, hence the rapid progress which 

 has marked the establishment among us of the new industry 



In Abaco we have the " head quarters" of the Sisal industry, for it is on this island and some of 

 its adjacent cays that the largest cultivations in the Colony exist. Beginning at Hole-in-the-Wall, 

 Mr. J. S. Johnson, of Preserved Pine-apple celebrity, has 200 acres planted with 130,000 plants, some 

 of which planted two years ago have leaves over three feet long. Mr. Johnson has also two other cul- 

 tivations on Abaco, namely, one at East Creek, Little Harbour, of 25 acres with 21,000 plants, and 

 another at Witch Puint of 60 acres with 3 1,200 plants. Cotton is being planted between the rows of Sisal. 



The " Bahama Fibre Co., Limited," of which Mr. Abbott is the manager, has a field of 150 acres 

 at Broad Creek with 73,000 plants, and another field of 108 acres at Joe Creek with 62,000 plants. 

 These two fields also contain 264,000 nursery plants. In addition to these the Company has purchased 

 a cultivation at Sweeting's Village, and another at Great Guano Cay, both of which were planted some 

 years ago, and are yielding thousands of pole plants as well as a large number of suckers. 



Cherokee Sound has confined itself mostly to nursery planting, and I saw several thousands of 

 auch plants growing about this settlement. 



The Munro Fibre Company, managed by Mr. T. Trumble, commenced planting in August, 1889, 

 and now have 1,100 acres planted at Cocoa Plum Creek with 654,000 plants, and 10 acres at Blick 

 Sound with 7,000 plants. In addition to the field plants, there are also about 300,000 plants in nur- 

 series. For the time that has necessarily been occupied in preparing and planting so extensive a cul- 

 tivation, the plants look strong and healthy. 



The Company intend to plant their fields with cotton between the Sisal, and I understood Mr. 

 Trumble to say that seed for this purpose had already been received from one of the Southern States 

 of America. The Company has also a factory at Black Sound in which there are five of Death & 

 Ellwood's machines worked by a 15 horse power Steam Engine. These have been employed in clean- 

 ing Sisal leaves purchased from persons who have full grown trees. The yield of cleaned fibre was 

 ascertained to be about 4 p. o., but I could not help being struck with the large proportion of fibre 

 that was wasted in the process. Theie can be no doubt that with the improved machinery which the 

 demand must necessarily cause to be produced, the percentage of cleaned fibre will be largely augmented. 



A portion of the above factory contains the necessary plant for the preserving and canning of 

 pine-apples. This part of the establishment I had the privilege of visiting in July last when in full 

 •operation, and I was veiy much pleased with the order and cleanliness that obtained. 



At Marsh Harbour, I think I can, with all sincerity, say that 1 visited the handsomest Sisal field 

 I have seen. This was planted by Mr. Benjamin E. Roberts two years ago, and contains 140 uoie* 

 with 10T,000 plants. The land is undulating, and the soil is black and abundant. The plants looked 

 as vigorous as possible, and were most prolific with regard to suckers of which there were at least 

 25 000 then in the field, and Mr. Roberts assured mo that he had already removed 47,000. This held 

 •was being planted with dwarf cotton between the SisaL 



