REPORT ON THE FIBRE INDUSTRY OF YUCATAN. 



By Captain E. Jerome Stuart, Resident Justice of Long Island, Bahamas. 



Nassau, N. P., 30th April, 1892. 

 To His Excellency Sir Ambrose Shea, K.C.M.G., Governor and Commander-in-Chief, fyc, fyc, 8fc. 

 May it please your Excellency, 



In accordance with instructions received from your Excellency on the 15th ultimo, I sailed on that 

 date for Yucatan, for the purpose of comparing the soil of the Bahamas and its adaptability to the 

 fibre industry, with the soil of that State ; to find out the different species of Agaves planted, and their 

 liability to disease ; the character of the machinery used for extracting the Henequen fibre ; and the 

 cultivation and general management of the crops. 



When in the State, I visited 28 Henequen Estates, and after careful enquiry I have the honour 

 to submit the following report : 



The Soil of Yucatan Compared with that of the Bahamas. 



The soil in the "fibre producing district" of Yucatan is gravelly and stony, and varies in colour, 

 being black, brown, and red. There are large tracts of land in the district, similar to that on most of 

 our Islands, and known as " mixed land." The soil has an average depth of 8 inches, and is under- 

 laid by soft limestone rock, similar to that of our " Pine Barren" lands. 



The largest fibre fields in the State are to be found on this shallow stony soil ; and the yield of 

 fibre is greater than on the deeper soil 30 miles further inland. 



I could not — when looking at the fibre fields of Yucatan — doubt for a moment that the fibre fields 

 of this Colony are equally good ; and if the growth of plants is any guarantee of the virtue contained in 

 the soil in which they grow, I do not hesitate in saying that the soil of the Bahamas is equally as 

 good as the soil of Yucatan. 



Any one who will look over the grounds of Fort Charlotte will see the soil, trees, and weeds of 

 the fibre fields of Yucatan, with this difference, that the soil there is more stony. 



The Different Species of Agaves. 

 The "Henequen." The " Bahama Hemp." 



There are several species of Agaves to be found in Yucatan, but as two only are of commercial 

 value, I confine my report to those two. 



The " Henequen" — The species of fibre plant grow in Yucatan, and known as the " Sacqui" or 

 " Henequen" is a different and distinct Agave to that of the Bahama Hemp. 



The plant is hardy, and has, when cultivated, an average life of 18 years ; and propagates itself by 

 Bending out " suckers" from its roots. 



The " Henequen" requires from 5 to 8 years growth to produce a marketable length (three feet) 

 of fibre. The leaf from which the fibre is extracted has a thorn at the point, and spines on its edges, 

 and averages 3J feet in length. 



The fibre of the plant is white, but being inferior to that of the "Bahama Hemp" is rated* in the 

 market, at from £6 to £8 per ton lower. 



The " Bahama Hemp" — The " Bahama Hemp" differs from the " Henequen" inasmuch as the 

 leaves are without spines on their edges; and the fibre is superior in texture. The plant matures 

 from 2 to 3 years earlier than the " Henequen," and has an average life of 12 years. Like the " Hene- 

 quen" it propagates itself from "suckers," but is also capable of producing over 2,000 plants from the 

 " pole" that grows from the centre of the plant. 



The " Bahama Hemp" is found both in Yucatan, where it is known as the Yaxqui, and in Cuba, but 

 is not cultivated, as it requires a more congenial climate than these countries afford. In this Colony 

 the plant luxuriates, the length of leaf being feet to 5 feet, weighing 1£ to 2 lbs. In Yucatan a 

 leaf of the " Yaxqui" from a plant of the same age would measure 3^ feet, and weigh 11 ounces only. 



The Plant's Tenacity of Life. 

 The " Henequen" and " Bahama Hemp" are the hardest of all the Agaves. Their power to with- 

 stand drought is almost incredible. I have known plants of the " Bahama Hemp" to lie on the 

 ground for 3 months, exposed to the rays of the sun, and when planted to grow with the greatest 

 vigour. 



It has never been known for these plants to be troubled with any disease. No fungus or insect 

 can damage or affect them, and in 1883 when the locust devastated the State of Yucatan, the cattle 

 and birds dying of starvation and men where on the eve of despair, the only green living plants to ba 

 seen were the different species of Agaves, and they are now looked upon as the salvation of the State. 



Although not subjected to disease and cajjablo of resisting a drought of 11 months in 12, the 

 plant is not altogether free from the effects of sudden changes of heat and cold ; and is liable to be 

 damaged by floods of rain, immediately after a long drought, if accompanied by a sudden fall of tem- 

 perature. This happened in Yucatan in 1888, when after a severe drought the rains came on suddenly 

 with hail, and a heavy wind from the north west, with a fall of temparature from 89° to 57°, and 

 within one night about 90o/o of the plants were damaged or blasted on the ends of the leaves, about 

 un average of 3 leaves to the plant being affected, causing a loss of 3o/o to 5o/o of leaf. A similar 

 change after a protracted drought happened in this Colony in March last, when a-few of our farms wore 



•At present dato, 20th Juno, rated at £6 lower. 



