Fibres. 



306 



[April, 1910. 



SANSEV1ERIA. 



(Prom the Agricultural News, Vol. 

 VIII,, No. 186, June 12, 1909.) 



Many species of Sansevieria are known, 

 of which the chief may be regarded 

 as Sansevieria guineensis, the kind 

 common in Barbados and other West 

 Indian islands, and S. longiflora. 



S. guineensis is native to Western and 

 Central Africa, where some efforts have 

 lately b6en made to start an industry in 

 its cultivation, and in the preparation 

 of its fibre. 



Although the fibres of certain species 

 of Sansevieria undoubtedly possess very 

 considerable utility, and are fitted 

 for certain economic uses, yet it does 

 not appear that at present any appre- 

 ciable quantity of this fibre is placed 

 on the market. A grower bringing 

 forward this product would probably 

 find difficulty at first in persuading 

 dealers to purchase, and the Sansevieria 

 would have to displace other fibres. 



The best fibres are, of course, obtained 

 from the longest leaves, and in order 

 to encourage a profuse growth of large 

 Sansevieria leaves, it is necessary to 

 provide a certain amount of shade. It 

 will be observed that plants growing 

 in the open yield short, small leaves, 

 as compared with those that are pro- 

 vided Avith congenial shade. On the 

 Zambesi in Africa, it grows abundantly, 

 but always does best when 'keeping 

 to the shade of woods,' and in moist 

 situations, Hence it would appear that 

 in an island like Barbados, ill supplied 

 with trees and bush, the conditions are 

 not favourable to the production of 

 leaves of the best quality. 



Owing to the fact that the produce 

 of these plants does not occur largely 

 in commerce, there exist little reliable 

 data as to returns that may be expected. 

 The first cuttings of leaves would not 

 be obtained, however, until at the 

 expiry of some three years from planting, 

 In Jamaica, according to an estimate 

 made by Sir Daniel Morris, so much as 

 lj tons of dry fibre per acre per annum 

 might be expected under favourable 

 conditions, after the period when cutting 

 has begun. Since the leaves yield only 

 about 3 per cent, of fibre, this would 

 represent a crop of 50 tons of leaves 

 per acre per year to be dealt with. 



When once established, the Sansevieria 

 plants are permanent, 



Sansevieria fibres are soft, silky, 

 elastic and strong, and possibly, when 

 better known, they may come to occupy 

 a more prominent place in the market, 



In his lectures on ' Fibres and Fibre 

 Plants,' however. Sir D. Morris gives 

 it as his opinion that ' in competition 

 with Manila and Sisal hemps, the fibre 

 of Sansevieria has possibly little future 

 before it.' The fibre from £\ guineensis 

 somewhat resembles the valuable Manila 

 hemp (from Musa textilis), and is used 

 for cordage purposes. 



The most varied figures have been 

 quoted by dealers, and at the Imperial 

 Institute, London, as representing the 

 value of differeut samples of fibre 

 from Sansevieria guineensis. These have 

 ranged from £20 to as much as £60 per 

 ton. Most of the valuations that have 

 been made, however, have been of a 

 nomiual character. A good deal depends 

 upon the length and uniformity of the 

 staple, and the care with which the 

 fibre has been prepared and cleaned. 

 A good length of staple is about 3 feet 

 9 inches long. 



The sample of fibre for which the 

 valuation of £60 per ton was quoted, 

 was received at the Imperial Institute 

 about a year ago from the Gold Coast, 

 West Africa. This was described as 

 ' consisting of soft, clean, white, well- 

 prepared fibre, which was fine, of good 

 lustre, of fairly even diameter, and of 

 good strength. The product was about 

 3 feet 9 inches long, and was of excellent 

 quality, suitable for use with the finest 

 Manila hemp.' 



COTTON CULTIVATION IN 

 TINNEVELLY. 



(Prom the Indian Agriculturist, Vol. 

 XXXIV., No. 7, July 1, 1909.) 



Mr. H. C. Sampson, Deputy Director 

 of Agriculture, Madras, contributes a 

 very informing paper to the current 

 number of that very excellent periodical, 

 the Agricultural Journal of India, on 

 the introduction of drill sowing and 

 inter-cultivation on the black cotton 

 soils of Tinnevelly. In 1907-08, the 

 Government of Madras gave an allotment 

 of Rs. 5,000 for the improvement of 

 cotton cultivation, and it was decided 

 that a part of this sum should be utilised 

 in introducing the practice of drill culti- 

 vation for cotton into the Tinnevelly 

 District. To some extent the way had 

 been prepared. This method of culti- 

 vation had been introduced on to the 

 Koilpatty Agricultural Station, and in 

 the 1906-07 seasons, after the station had 

 been enlarged, there were 51 35 acres of 

 cotton all sown with the drill. The 

 crops which were much superior to those 

 outside the farm began to attract atten- 



