13 



"by sheep, and at Long Island some planters utilize these animals for weeding. Mr. Simms at Long 

 Island, has his Sisal field planted with ground provisions as well. He told me that his plan is, after 

 gathering his crops of provision, to turn a flock of sheep into the field to eat the grass and weeds. This 

 they speedily accomplish, and all there is left for him then to do, is to " sprig weed." The plan ap- 

 pears to me to be one that should recommend itself to those interested, not only on account of its 

 cheapening the cost of weeding, but also for the great benefit the land must n3cessarily derive from 

 the sheep. Mr. Simms was positive .in his assurance, that the sheep do not trample the plants when 

 they are a foot or, more high, but on the contrary, carefully avoid them." 



The following extracts are taken from a very interesting Report by Mr. Charles Richard Dodge, 

 just issued by the United States " Department of Agriculture :" — 



" The imports of Sisal hemp fibre into this country from Yucatan for the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1890, amounted to 28,312 tons, in round numbers, worth $4,330,300, and for the year previous the 

 imports amounted to over 35,000 tons. This does not take into account the imported manufactures from 

 Sisal hemp, which are considerable, the value of which can not be given. It is said that the United 

 States purchases over 80 per cent, of the marketable fibre produced in Mexico 



The history of the introduction of the plant into Florida, by Dr. Henry Perrine, between 50 and 

 60 years ago, is almost too well known to repoat here, though a few brief statements may not be out 

 of place. 



Familiar with the account of Dr. Perrine's efforts to obtain a grant of land in Southern Florida, 

 upon which to pursue his experiments in the culture of this plant, as well as the story of the tragic 

 ending of the enterprise, it has been my good fortune to obtain from Mrs. Hester Perrine Walker, of 

 Fernandina, Fla. — a daughter of the Doctor and an eye-witness to the Indian Key massacre — some 

 interesting and more detailed statements regarding the introduction of the plant by Dr. Perrine, from 

 which the following facts are gleaned : — 



Mrs. Walker informs me that the first introduction of the plant from Yucatan occurred in the 

 years 1836 and 1837, a few plants having been sent to the Royal Botanical Gardens of Cuba at the 

 same time. Of the plants brought to Florida, part were taken to Indian Key and the others were 

 planted upon "The Indian Hunting Ground," on the borders of Biscayne Bay. It is also stated that 

 when these plants had multiplied to some extent the Officers at Fort Dallas, at the mouth of the 

 Miami River, 12 miles from this locality, were in the habit of gathering the young ones to send to 

 greenhouses in the North, and also to other posts where they were grown as ornamental plants. One 

 of the results of this practice was to introduce the plant into many new localities in Florida, where it 

 soon obtained a foothold. The plants set out on Indian Key multiplied very fast, and a few years 

 after t< e destruction of the enterprise, and the death of Dr. Perrine at the time of the Iudian mas- 

 sacre, a schooner load of the young plants were gathered and taken away, though it is not stated 

 where they went. 



Mrs. Walker writes- further : — 



1 After my father's death and our miraculous escape from the Indians, Congress passed a supple- 

 mentary act, giviug to my mother and her children the same rights and privileges that were vested in 

 him. In accordance with that, act my mother hired men to plant on every section of the Perrine grant. 

 This supplemental act was passed by the Congress of 1840 and 1841 ; whether in the first or second 

 session I can not tell. The general planting of the Perrine grant occurred in 1846, by our agent, 

 Mr. Charles Howe, who took six men with him upon the land for the purpose. This grant consisted 

 of a township 6 miles square, lying on Biscayne Bay, embracing portions of three sections, as allowed 

 by the Land Office. Wf secured, in 1846, thirty-six families of Bahamians to go upon the grant to 

 fulfil the condition of a settler upon each section. The men came over t,u build their houses and plant 

 their gardens preparatory to bringing their families, when they were driven or frightened away by the 

 Indians and could not be induced to return. It. was about this time that the agave was planted upon 

 each section.' 



Mrs. Walker also states that the other agaves were introduced with the sisalana, all of which 

 were called " century plants." Many other plants were introduced, in all some two hundred varieties, 

 which were growing in boxes on the premises of Dr. Perrine and Mr. Howe, Indian Key, preparatory 

 to the removal of the " grant" as soon at the war should cease. These were nearly all burned or des- 

 troyed at the time of the massacre, August 7, 1840. 



From this first introduction of the Agave rigida into Florida the plants spread rapidly, especially 

 on the mainland, being commonly transplanted to the gardens of the early settlers of South Florida 

 chiefly for the sake of ornament. In 1842 the armed occupation act was passed by Congress, which 

 gave a homestead of 160 acres to any person who> occupied a tiact 5 years. Mr Robert Ranson of 

 Titusville, Fla., makes statements in this connection as follows : 



'This resulted in a number of heads of families settling along the Indian River in the neighbour- 

 hood of Fort Capron, and on nearly every one of these old settlements a small patch of Sisal hemp 

 may be found grown into a dense thicket, descended from one or two pareiu plants set out over 45 

 years ago. These facts are considered worthy of mention, as showing that while every other evidence 

 of former cultivation has long since disappeared, the Sisal hemp, regardless of forest tires, weeds, and 

 neglect, still holds its own and spreads year by year.' 



As regards soil, moist or rich land is unsuitable, because ot the lesser yield of fibre. Our corres- 

 pondent, Mr. Ranson, writes with positiveness upon this point, us follows : 



' The fact of the plant itself flourishing better may be attributed to a combination of conditions 

 existing both in the sod and surrounding atmosphere, principal among which I notice the presenoe of 

 salt making it retentive of moisture, and of lime phosphites resultant from decaying shells. Land 

 ^ordering on the Atlantic coast, which is evidently alluvium to a comparatively recent date, is generally 



