80 
THE TEOPICAL AaPJCULTUPJST. [Aug. 1, 1901. 
haw been tested by the writer, is a receipt 
largiely used in Florida for making pineapple 
marmalade for family use or in larf;e quantities 
for trade. "Select large suttar-loaf pineapples, 
peel tliem, take out the eyes, which are not very 
deep in the sugar-loaf, and grate them on a porce- 
lain grater into an eartiien dish. Do not grate 
the core. Weigii the juice and pulp and measure 
out to every pound three-quarters of a pound of 
sugar. Mix the sugar with the pulp and boil it 
for an hour to an hour and three-quarters, until 
it is a smooth, clean paste and firm." 
Chichi or pineapple wine is a delightful and 
favourite drink made of the pineapple in Mexico 
and other tropical countries. A small quantity is 
made as follows: Over the peelings of two pine- 
apples pour one quart of boiling water: allow it 
to steep until old, then sweeten to taste, strain 
and bottle. Tie down the cork and place the 
bottle on its side ; if placed ir. a warm place it 
will be ripe in 24 hours. A small piece ot ginger 
placed in each bottle will improve the flavour. 
If made in large quantities the whole pineaple 
chopped should be used. 
Pineapple Fibre. — The plant affords fine fibre 
of practical utility from the leaves, which are 
about 3 feet long by 1^ to 2 inches wide, strongly 
edged witU spines except in the one variety known 
as the smoothleaved Cayenne. Besides the fine- 
ness of the fibre for textile fabrics, it is remark- 
ably stron? when made into cordage. A govern- 
ment test made in India proved that a rope 3| 
inches in ciicumference would bear a weight of 
42 cwt., it actually breaking with 57 cwt. We 
quote from published reports concerning this 
fil)re. This fil>re however is proilucfd cliiefly from 
a specii's of wild pineapple, tliough rht^ fibre of 
the cultivated plant is of excellent utility. 
" The pineapple grows in great abundance in 
the Philippine Islands, but produces only a small 
dry fruit. We require, however, more precise 
information to en ible us to determine whether 
this is actually the plant escaped from <>altivation. 
Ml". Fenelec, of Pondicherry, considers it a 
distinct species, and has named it Bormelia pigna. 
"In preparing the fibre fur weaving, the iruic 
is not allowed to ripen early ; its removal causes 
the leaves to increase considerably both in length 
and in breadth. A woman places a board on the 
ground, and upon it a leaf with the hollow side 
upwards. Sitting at one end of the board, she 
holds the leaf firmly with her toes, and scrapes 
its outer surface with a potsherd, not with the sharp 
fractured edge, but with the blunt side of the 
rim ; and thus the leaf is reduced to rags. In this 
manner a stratum of coarse longitudinal fibre is 
disclosed, and the operator, placing her thumb- 
nail l)e'ieath it, lifts it up and draw-^ it away in 
a compact strip, after which slie scrapes again 
until a second hue layer uf fibre is laid bare. 
Then turning the If^af round, she scrapes it? hack, 
down to t he lavf r of fibre, which she seizes with 
lier bund and draws a": once, to its full length, 
away from the back of the leaf. When the fibie 
has been washeil, it is drieil in the sun. It is 
afferwaril combed with a suitable comb, sorted 
into four classes, tied together, and treated like 
the fibre of tiie lupi. In this crude manner are 
obtained the threads for the celebrateil \veb "nipis 
de i)ina,'' which is considered by experts the finest 
in the world. 
" In the I'hilippines, where the fineness of the 
work is best understood and appreciated, richly 
embroidered costumes of this description have 
fetched about £200 each. 
" This fine muslin-like fabric is also embroidered 
by the nuns of the convents in Manila with great 
skill and taste. 
" The manufacture of the pina fabric i? carried 
on in the metropolitan province of Fondo. From 
the extraordinary facility with which the pine- 
apple is grown in the vicinity of the equator, it 
seems almost certain that, by the application of 
modern skill to the process of separating the fibre 
from the pulpy matter of the leaf, a valuable 
raw material composed of it might be obtained 
for the nations of Europe. The fibre by the hack- 
ling process could be rendered fit tor the finest 
fabrics. The leaf consists of two different struc- 
tures, the upper side being of a soft or pulpy 
character, easy of removal ; and the under side, 
of a harder or more lipneous nature, and more 
difficult to separate. These two external bodies 
hold the fibre betwen them. 
" In the Straits Settlements the Chinese 
laborers have taken kindly to this new and pro- 
mising branch of industry. The process they 
adopt in preparing the fibre appears to be much 
the same as that pursued in the Philippines. 
After being scraped with a bamboo plane they 
are steeped in water and washed and then laid out 
to bleach on rude frames of split bamboo. The 
process of steeping, washing, exposing to the sun 
is repeated for some days, until the fibres are 
considered properly bleached. Without further 
preparation they aie sent into town for exportation 
to China." 
Neai-ly all the islands near Singapo-e are more 
or le-ssi planted witi. puie .pples, covering a;; extent 
of about 2, OW acres. But the mrrufai'ture n' tiie 
fibre or trade in fruit does not amount to much. 
" The wild brother of the pineapple has a larger 
leaf and longer fibre. It is common in the Antilles, 
growing in the most arid spots. It makes excel- 
lent mats, hammocks, and ropes. Almost all the 
fi-hing tackle of the American mercantile marine 
is made of it. 
"The leaves are 5 to 8 feet long, and from li to 3 
inches wide, thin and lined with a tough fibre. 
The plant is self propagating, and left to itself in 
an open field will soon cover the ground. In 
Central America, but particularly in Nicaragua, 
it is so abundant in the forests as to be a serious 
obstruction to man or beast. It is largely culti- 
vated in the districts of Mexico. It is indifferent 
to soil, climate and season, while the simplicity of 
its culture, and the facility of extracting and 
preparing its products render it of universal use. 
From it is fabricated thread and coidasre, nipts, 
bagging, clothing and hammocks." — Hawaiian 
Planter's Monthlij. 
Banana Meal. — We call attenft'oa to the letter of 
Msis^irs. HftJion & Goiapaay. of L...n'' iti in Corres- 
poadencr Cjlamn, .^.uu th-jit vffer to Lake B.-inir;,-. Mij. i 
at from 30^. to 3.5j. per ewt. It will jmt p iv ^i,t tba 
price, w)ien ihe rii.iker is in a good b.i.riaaa district, 
a'ld yet is far from shipping places, and ko caa get 
plenty of bananas! ao his own door cheap; whan also 
he g03s into the busine:? propevly with artificial driers 
and oth!ir facilities for saving time and labour. At 303. 
the price per lb. runs to about 3jd., at 85s. the price 
is 3id., and at the latter figure there is a good work- 
ing margin, — Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural 
Society, 
