THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1890. 
The field is divided into three sections, each of 
■which measures L chains, and is represented as 
follows — 
A to B first sectiOn, B to C second section, O to D 
third section ; in the middle of each runs an interval 
of proper width having a depth on either side within 
each section of about five chains. The short lines 
drawn across indicate the rows of hemp between 
which the cutter works, and ther' fore has — while cutting 
in anv sec'iou — a distance of not more than five chains 
to carry the leaves to the interval, where the cart gets 
loaded. Eicb section has it* boundary line as is shown 
from B to E. 
Culture. — The culture is extremely simple. No shade 
of any kind is allowed, bush is cut down ; and trees 
taken up by the roots. The young suckers are taken 
off, ana if they are not required for planting out, they 
are burnt. Any plant of quite low growth may be 
plante l between the young pi ints to give "catch crops." 
"When the plauts are about two years old, cattle may be 
turned in to keep the grass low, and to prevent bU9h 
springing up. Sisal Hemp plants thrive better without 
either hoeing or ploughing. Various estimates have 
been formed of the duration of these plants, but at any 
rate they last from 12 to 20 years. When they show 
signs of dying off, new suckers are planted between and 
thus there need never be a vacant spot in the plantation. 
Harvesting. — When the leaf is ready for cutting, it will 
have inclined downwards to a horizontal position, and 
its colour will have become darker. Cutting should com- 
mence from the bottom, and the leaf must bo taken off 
clean and as close as possible to the trunk. As soon 
as the leaf is cut, the prickles on the edges and point 
should be trimmed off. The leaves are then made up 
point and base alternately, into bundles of fifties for 
delivery at the works. Thirty such bundles are a 
day's work, but of course more can be done, if the 
varitty is cultivated without the prickles on the sides 
of the leaves. Tne buuules are placed on the edge 
of the cart-road, 30 bundles being a load for a dray. 
The workmen are paid so much per 1,000 leaves. 
The time required for the leaves to ripen after 
planting varies, according to soil and situation, fr om 
2 to 3 years. 
Extraction of libre.— The fibre should be extracted 
from the leaves as soon as they are brought in. If 
left for more than 2 or 3 days after cutting, the 
fibie is spotted. . . 
When the fibre is extracted by passing the leaf 
through the machine, it is hung on drying stands in 
the sun for about 2 hours until it is quite dry. If 
rain comes on, the fibre must be hung up under 
cover or it will become discoloured. In wet weather 
a fire 'is kindled to warm the drying house, or oper- 
ations are suspended. :• ' 
The fibre is often bleached by leaving it on the 
drying stand for 54 hours after being dried, but it 
requiies to be constantly turned. The fibre is im- 
proved in appearance, but weighs less. - j- 
The drying stand is made by erecting posts 4 feet 
high and fastening rails or wire on the top from 
one to another. . . 
The refuse from the leaves is dried in the sun 
and burnt. .,"._> , . , . 
Particular attention is paid m Yucatan to the oper- 
ation of baling, and all discoloured fibre is separated 
and packed as a second quality. Even the cordage 
used to cord the bales of first quality must be of 
the same kind. The bales are passed either by a 
sciew or a hydraulic pie b s, and great care is taken 
to make the bales neat looking and of uniform weight. 
Machinery.— One. fibre machine is required for every 
hundred acres of plants. . . - 
Preston say s :— " The first farm I visited, "Chenkj," 
was running 0 of Death's fibre machines or wheels 
Ml inches in diameter, 0 inch face and 8 knives or 
scrapers driven by No. 7281 10 h. p. Marshall, Sons 
& lo.'s stationary engine, and each wheel was clean- 
foe the leaves at the rate v of 20 to the minute or 
8 U'JO per wheel for a day's work. Two men at each 
v '|,,,l Mending between the wheel and rack con- 
taiuinu' the leaves, feed the machines as fast as their 
hands can move-one coy to two wheels supplies the 
feeders, and three others carry away the fibre to the 
dryiug ground adjoining. It is the most simple thing 
possible, requiring no skilled labour. There is no water 
used either for soaking the leaves or washing the fibre, 
which after exposure to the sun for two hours, is fit for 
baling. The engine is driven by an Indian. 
" Many of the engines are supplied by Brown and 
May and the wheels are all from Death and Ellwood, 
Leicester. There are in the State of Yucatan very 
many machines and many engines, bnt no hand power 
machines. The machines or wheels at prf Bent in use 
have been working ever since they were first introduced 
20 years ago : the knives or scrapers require renewing 
occassionally. 
" The working hours at this farm were from 4 a.m., 
to 12 noon, or earlier, if the 8,000 leaves to each 
machine were cleaned with an interval for breakfast. 
The fibre is all housed the same day, the machine men 
in the afternoon lending a hand in gathering it in from 
the drying ground. If the farm has a press it is pro- 
perly baled ; if not, it is hand-baled and sent to Merida 
at once, 8 bales on a dray drawn by six mules, or by 
road and railway from the more distant farms and 
there re-baled or sold as it is. 
" Here was a farm cleaning daily 48,000 leaves or 
72,000 lbs., of the crude material yielding 3,600 lbs., 
(5 o/o fibre) costing at the farm 2| cents per pound 
Mexican silver (33 J below gold) worth in Merida lOf 
cents gold. . . . There are in Yucatan some 200 
henequen farms of all sizes, the largest running 30 
machines and employing 500 hands, and several others 
of 20 wheels or more. Many famers' daily incomes are 
8500 to $2,000 clear profit." * 
Yield. — Each plant should produce 30 leaves in the 
year. If there are 600 plants to the acre, this gives 
18,000 leaves per acre per annum. One thousand ltaves 
weigh about 1,500 lb., and, yielding about 4 per cent, 
of dry fibre, give 60 lb. of hemp. Thus, each acre 
should yield about half a ton of hemp per annum. 
The following quotations are taken from a recent 
number of the " British Journal of Commerce." — 
Fibre. — Algerian, curled, green, V ton £7 0 0 
„ „ black ,. 11 0 0 
Aloe „ „ 15 0 0 to £18 0 0 
China Grass „ , 33 0 Oto 36 0 0 
China jute ,, ., 22 0 Oto 23 0 0 
Mexican „ ,', 34 0 Oto 38 0 0 
Raffia „ „ 25 0 Oto 26 0 0 
Bhea „ „ 9 0 Oto 13 0 0 
Kitool „ per lb. 0 0 3 to 0 10 
Hemp.— Polish per ton24 0 0 to 31 0 0 
Italian „ 33 0 Oto 50 0 0 
Sunn „ 6 0 Oto 15 0 0 
Other East India „ 6 10 0 to 22 0 0 
Manilla, brown, etc. „ 45 0 0 to 50 0 0 
„ fair „ 51 0 0 to 52 0 0 
„ good „ 53 0 0 to 55 0 0 
„ Quilot „ 55 0 0 to 66 0 0 
Mauritius „ 36 0 0 to 43 0 0 
New Zealand „ 30 0 0 to 36 0 0 
Sieal „ 53 0 0 
The following is of importance in connection with 
this subject: — 
Washington, Sept. 27. — A copy of resolutions, 
adopted at the Republican Convention of Pratt County, 
Kan., on September 7, will be presented to President 
Harrison tomorrow. The resolutions substantially 
say that the duty levied on imported fibres, suitable 
for making binding twine, has faded in its protective 
features to develope or give the farmers a home pro- 
duct to take the place of the foreign fibres, and that 
American grain-growers are compelled to rely on im- 
ported fibres of which to make binding twine suitable 
for binding grain. To continue collecting a duty on 
such imports is working a hardship on the grain growers 
by increasing the cost of thtir binding materials. 
Congressman S. R. Peters was requested to frame 
and introduce a bill into Congress to place all raw 
* Mr. Kennedy, of the Railway Work Shop, is en- 
gaged in the improvement of his Fibre Machine, and 
it is hoped that it may turn out a great success. 
