3 



tion, but the total height of tho plant as now existing is about 24 ft. The weight of the wholo plant 

 in a green stale was probahly not less than 2\ to 3 cwt. The loaves have the characteristic black ter- 

 minal spine, and they are furnished throughout with small black teeth about I inch apart. This plant 

 belongs probably to the variety clongata [Agape rigida var. clongata) It is evident that in Yucatan the 

 plants cultivated for fibre are largely composed of this variety. We learn, for instance, that in har- 

 vesting the leaves the Indian who cuts off the leaves is followed by an Indian woman, " who with a 

 knife cuts off the spike or thorn "tipped end and the thorny side of the leaf ready for the machine." 

 In the cuse of loaves without teeth such as are borne by plants of tho variety sisalana, it would be only 

 necessary to cut off the terminal spine. Hence, while the latter variety yields fibre of equal if not 

 better quality than the variety clongata, its loavos are more easily handled, and they require less treat- 

 ment during the process of harvesting. 



In addition to the large plant received from Yucatan there were received two lot9 of small plants. 

 The first of these was received on the 31st May, 1890, and represented apparently about five distinct 

 kinds. The greater part consisted of plants of typical A. rigida, and a good number of A. rigida var. 

 sisalana. The others represented forms not easily determinable in a small state. A set, with the ex- 

 ception of the above, has been retained at Kew, and the plants will be determined later. The others 

 were all distributed to the Botanical Gardens at Singapore, and to the Botanical Stations at Fiji and 

 Antigua. The second lot of small plants from Yucatan arrived at Kew on December 13, 18)0. On 

 arriving there were 30 plants dead and 11 alive. The latter wore, however, so small and sickly that, 

 weakened by the cold to which they had been exposed, it was impossible to save them. This attempt 

 to introduce a representative collection of Agaves from Yucatan, in spite of a considerable sum paid 

 for expenses, was singularly unfortunate. It may be mentioned, however, that Merida, the head- 

 quarters of the hemp industry in Yucatan, possesses only an unpaid Vice-Consul, who is but partially 

 under the control of Her Majesty's Consul at Vera Cruz. It is due to the latter to state that he endea- 

 voured to the utmost of his power to assist this establishment; and if he had not been so remotely 

 placed the result would have been far more satisfactory. 



Very little additional information, not hitherto published, has been received respecting the Sisal 

 Hemp (Henequen) industry in Yucatan. The subject has already been very fully treated in the Kew 

 Bulletin, and it is only necessary to add a description with wood cut of the method adopted for harvest- 

 ing the leaves quoted in the m Jieport of the Department of Agriculture, p. 25. 



" This is done by the Indians, who are almost nude, with a stroke of the knife, or machete, at the 

 rate of, for one hand, of 2,000 to 2,500 leaves per day. Following the Indian who cuts off the leaves 

 is an Indian woman, who with a knife, cuts off the spike or thorn-tipped end and the thorny, flido^nf 



the leaf, roa^ fc, CU. O^'^-c- — g-p «■ ■ •» «™» - a Wu ft M> UbJS g* 



1 000 leaves to cut, prepare, and get the leaves to the cleaning machines. On all the large haciendas 

 visited were little railways into the fields, upon which on cars, drawn by mules or oxen, the henequen 

 was taken to the mill, and the waste was taken away." , . ' 



A Sisal hemp plantation should be systematically laid out, and to work it economically it is desi- 

 rable it should consist of a tolerably large area. It has been insisted in regard to fibre plantations in 

 « Florida that small plantations . . will not pay. A large tract is necessary for the 



U economical production of fibre, so that the work of cutting the leaves and shipping the fibre may be 

 « svstematically continued for the greater part of the year." ; 



As the weight of the green leaves is so large in proprotion to the yield of fibre, their convey- 

 ance from distant parts of the plantation to the factory must involve considerable labour and expense. 

 For instance, if every 100 tons of green leaves will yield only about 2£.to 3% tons of dry marketable 

 fibre, it is evident that an immense quantity of useless pulp has to be conveyed to the factory and dis- 

 posed of as conveniently as the circumstances will admit. _ m - 



Fibre estates should therefore be established on moderately level ground where light portable 

 railways could be laid, or on moderately sloping ground converging on a single point where wire ropes 

 could be used for sliding the leaves in portable bundles to the factory. The experience gained on sugar 

 estates in cultivating large areas in the tropics and in conveying heavy perishable material to a central 

 noint would appear to be generally applicable also to Sisal hemp estates. As in sugar so in Sisal hemp 

 the advantage will ultimately rest with such estates as are able to reduce their working expenses to 

 the lowest p°oint and compete successfully with the produce of countries like Yucatan and the Philhp- 



1)1116 The South American Journal says that " the bulk of the henequen grown in Yucatan is sent to 

 « New York and that the export has grown enormously. In 1875 the total value of the export from 

 " Yucatan, as shown by the Custom House returns, did not exceed 710,124 dols., since which period 

 " it began'to attract greater attention, and in 1878 the figure almost doubled. The .following shows 

 " the export of henequen in each year from 1878 to 1889 : — 



» 1878, 1,166,504 dols. : 1879, 1,287,375 dols. ; 1880, 1,495,467 dols. ; 



« 1881 2,284,389 dols. ; 1882, 2,672,107 dols. ; 1883, 3,311,663 dols. ; 



« 1884 4 165,020 dols. ; 1885, 3,988,791 dols. ; 1886, 2,929,116 dols. ; 



* 1887,' 3,901,628 dols. ; 1888, 8,229,460 dols. ; 1889, 6,872,593 dols." 



It is mentioned as a curious circumstance that the market price of the fibre in New York in- 

 creased almost pari passu with the increase of exports. 



From Messrs. Croker's American Statistics (quoted in Messrs. Ide and Christie s Monthly Cir- 

 n„lar dated 15th January, 1892) we find that the total importations of Sisal hemp into the United 

 States durin- the year 1889-1891 were as follows :~1889, 237,736 bales; 1890, 230,800 bales, 1891, 

 286 700 bales. Of these latter we find 10,006 bales were re-shipped to the United Kingdom. The 

 total importations into the United Kingdom (London and Liverpool), according to Messrs. Ide and 



