May 2, 1904.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
A great deal depeods upon the nature of the water 
used for retting. This may be stagnant or running, 
fresh or suit, warm or cool. A high temperature and 
saline properties increase the rapidity of the process. 
Stagnant water has the advf.ntajje of being warmer 
and the disadvantage of easily becoming foul. Salt 
water is preferable to ft-esh. The tide waters of the 
rivers are mo t genprally used. 
I'O PREVENT OVERRETTING. 
For the ret'.ing process the bundles of leaves are 
placed one upon another in the water. They should 
be tarned every three or four days, as those on the 
bottom will fermeut more rapidly. Even when the 
greatest care is used, by the time the coarser part 
of the leaf is ready to be removed the finer pirt is 
overretted and more or less weakened. This difficulty 
may be overcome by setting upright sticks in the 
water, fastening the bundles lo them, and first 
retting for three or four days, only the coarse part 
of the leaf, Ttiis method is more expensive, but 
%vin produce a better prodi-.ct. Alter the seventh day 
the leaves should bo inspected daily. Tliey may be 
removed in from seven to fourteen days, depending 
upon the condition of the water. 
AFTER TllEATMENT OF FIBIIE. 
When the retting process is complete, the fibre 
should be removed from the water and dried in 
the sun, This drying will ordinarily take from two to 
three days. Care should be taken thit the fibre be 
not exposed to rain or heavy dews during the process 
of drying, as these elements will injure its appearance 
and quality. After being thoroughly dried a shaking 
and brushing is necessary in order to remove whatever 
extraneous matter may BtiU adhere to the fibre. The 
finished product is now ready for the baling press. 
During whatever handling is necessary, and in the 
process of baling, great care should be taken that the 
fibre be kept perfectly dry, and that the different 
strands and hanks do not becoir.e tangled or dirty. 
THE YIELD PEE ACRE. 
Owing to the fact that this Bureau his not, as yet 
done any experimental work with maguey, the only 
available figures as to the yield of fibre per leaf, per 
plant, and per acre are those furnished by our corre- 
spondents. Unfortunately, these figures show a re- 
markable variation, so that only a general estimate can 
be made. In Ilocos Sur the yield of fibre is estimated 
at i pi ul of 137i pounds for every 6,000 leaves. 
Plantings made 4 by 4 feet would give, approximately 
2,700 plants to the acre. With an average yield of 
15 leaves to the plant we would have a total yearly 
yield of 40 500 leaves, producing 6i piculs or 9-8 
pounds of fibre per acre. The estimated yield of fibre 
in this province is 4 per cent of the weight of the 
leaves. This is the same aa the sisal of Yucatan and 
somewhat higher than that of Hawaii. The total 
amount of maguey fi'ire exported from the Philippine 
Islands for the year 1001 was 875 tons. For the first 
six months of the year 1902, 867 tons were exported 
pdicating a coniiiderable increase in the annual 
nirodnction. 
VALUE AND USES OP FIBRE. 
The current prices paid by commercial houses in 
Manila for maguey fibre are 63 follows : For the first 
grade, $lo, local currency, per pioul ; for the second 
grade, $12 per pi'ul ; for the third grade, $9 per pioul. 
It is stited by fibre growers that the average, 
relative amount of the diSerent grades obtained from 
a given amount of fibre is, for 1,00'J pounds of fibre : 
First grade, 920 paunds ; seco.id grade, 50 pounds; 
third grade, 31) pounds. 
The fibre is produced both for local use and for export, 
In the Visayas, maguey is extracted by the a.ima 
method as that u>ed for pina. By this process a very 
fine and soft fibre is secured, which is suiiable for 
use in making delicate handkerchiefs, laces and cloth, 
When used for these purposes the young and tendor 
leaves slionld be selected, as Ihe.-o yield a finer 
quality of fibre. In northein Luzon, where extraction 
is by water retting, the fibre is coarser and is more 
suitable for cordage. 
Maguey fibre has a variety of uses in nearly all 
civilized countries of the world. In the United S ates 
it is used principally for binder twine, also for ships' 
ropes and cables, and for small cordnge ; in Mexico 
and South America for lines, nets, hammocks and 
saddlecloths ; in European countries for various classes 
of cordage. 
FIBRE-EXTRACTING MACHINERY. 
The essential principle of the fibre extracting 
machine is that the puipy material of the leaf is 
scrjiped from the fibre without any preliminary macer- 
ation or fermentation, thus saving all of the expense and 
labor of the slow retting process. The use of fibre- 
extracting machines is a question which has received 
much attention, and is a matter of general interest in the 
Philippine Islands. In the case of abaca no machine baa 
yet been introduced which has met with any consider- 
able deg ee of success. With maguey, however, severol 
different machines are in general use in Mexico and 
the West Indies. Descriptions of the simple " raspa- 
dor " and of the machine used at Sisal are given in 
the bulletin entitled " The cultivation of fisal in 
Hawaii." There is no reason why such machinery 
should not ba used in the Philippine Inlands. The 
qaautity of fibre produced is amply sufficient to justify 
its introduction. With suitable climatic and soil con- 
ditions, it only requires machi oery to make the pro- 
duction of maguey an important industry in these 
islands. Witnout such machinery, however, this 
industry can never become a vtry profitable one. The 
competition between different fibres is now such that 
only those possessing the most desirable qualities 
and which are produced at a minimum cost can be 
expected to hold their nlace in the commercial world* 
EAST AFRICA AS A COTTON- 
GROWING COLONY. 
Mr. Arthur Marsden, who has returned from a 
tour through the principal towns of South Africa, 
which he uodertoolt under the direction of the Secre- 
tary of State for Foreign Affairs, with a view of 
promoting trade in produce between the Protectorates 
of East Africa and Uganda on the one hand and South 
Africa on the other, has drawn up a report for the 
Government, which will shortly be made public. 
His aim has bsen especially to ascertain the possi- 
bilities of trade which exist now that the Uganda 
Railway has been completed, and what are the induce- 
ments offered to white settlsrp, and what is 
THE OUTLOOK FOR RAISING COTTON CCEPS ON A 
L.AEGE SCALE. 
Mr. Marsden holda the position of Chief of Customs 
of East Africa and that of Vice-Consul of Mombasa, 
He has been good enough to commuicate to a 
representative of the Manchester Guardian 3ome 
particulars of the report. This is submitted by him 
thrcugh Sir C. Eliot, Commissioner for the East Africa 
Protectorate. 
The cultivation of cotton-growing in West Africa, 
in which this commercial community is greatly con- 
cerned, has already received much atttntion, and 
Sir Clement Hill, the Superintendent of the African 
Protectorates administered by the Ftreign Office, who 
is personally acquainted with East Africa, is desirous 
that what may be called the new estate of England 
shall not be overlooked as a possible source of supply. 
It may bn premised that in Wr. Marsden's view the 
East African coast is as 
WELL SUITED FOR THE GROWING OF COTTON 
as' West Africa. At the same time his mission was 
rather to inquire how far commercial relations may 
be promoted between the southern and eastern parts 
of the contineiit. Thti completion of the Uganda 
Railway, which has cost the Oovernnieut some six 
millions of money, was a convenient lime for him to 
set out upon his j:inrney. 
Starting from Mombasa for Nairobi on July 25 
last, he spent some time in that place, and then 
went on to Entebbe, where he ascertained the local 
