440 
THE  TROPICAE  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan.  r,  i8g6. 
shown  to  possess  a lesser  stability  than  in  flax. 
It  is  pointed  out  there  is  a very  close  structural 
resemblance  between  Phormium  fibre  and  Manila 
fibre,  so  that  i i case  Phormium  may  not  be  so  use- 
ful as  flax  for  the  higher  textiles  it  may  be  brought 
into  more  active  competition  than  at  present  with 
Manila  hemp  as  a white-rope  fibre.  The  structural 
resemblance  between  Phormium  and  Manila  hemp 
above  noticed  is  corroborated  by  what  takes  place 
in  commerce,  “ Phormium,’’  writes  one  authority, 
“ mixes  well  with  IManila.  Whcir  the  demand  in  the 
States  for  binder  twice  runs  on  Manila  then  New 
Zealand  Phormium  is  in  such  demand  for  mixing 
that  it  may  go  above  Sisal  in  price.” 
The  outlook  in  this  direction  is,  however  not 
very  promising.  The  supply  of  IManila,  as  well  as 
Sisal  hemp,  could  be  considerably  increased  if  prices 
went  up,  as  there  are  large  tracts  of  land  still 
available  for  cultivation,  and  the  labour  supply  is 
both  cheap  and  abundant.  Further,  the  question 
of  freight  has  to  be  considered.  Frei?hc  on  New 
Zealand  Phormium  to  the  United  States  in  18‘,)2  was 
fi  lOs.  per  ton,  while  on  Sisal  it  was  only  iT. 
Again,  by  sailing  vessel  to  the  United  States  the 
freight  on  Mniila  was  only  £1  12s.  81.  per  ton.  By 
way  of  England  it  is  more.  The  best  opening  for 
Phormium  is  evidently  in  the  direction  of  supplying 
a good  fibre  for  textile  purposes,  and  here  the  field, 
at  present  at  least,  is  not  so  fully  occupied. 
The  prospects  of  the  Phormium  industry  are  yery 
fully  discussed  in  a paper  presented  to  the  Houses 
of  General  Assembly  in  New  Zealand  (II.  22,  1892), 
containing  correspondence  with  the  Agent-General 
in  London.  The  latter  states : — 
“There  are  a number  of  skilled  persons  who,  if 
they  had  sufficient  inducement  and  full  and  proper 
opportunity  [in  this  country]  for  ascertaining  the 
nature  of  rhoriaium  tenax,  would  dir-ct  their  atten- 
tion to  the  discoyery  of  a means  whereby  the  plant 
could  be  effectually  and  economically  cleaned,  so  as 
to  enable  it  to  compete  with  Manila  and  Sisal.” 
He  then  offers  the  following  suggestion : — 
“ It  appears  to  me  that  wuat  is  wanted  is  the 
cultivation  of  the  plant  itself  in  this  country  to  such 
an  extent  as  would  provide  sufficient  materials  for 
the  purpose  of  supplying  those  whose  skill  and 
attention  would  be  directed,  on  sufficient  inducement 
being  offered,  to  the  discovery  of  proper  machinery 
for  preparing  the  fibre  for  the  mirket.” 
It  may  be  added  that  the  plant  grows  yery  freely 
in  the  South  of  England,  the  South  of  Irelacd.  and 
many  localities  with  a warm  climate  south  of  the 
isothermal  line  of  51°  Fahr.  A plot  of  about  five 
acres  in  extent  would  be  amp'y  sufficient  to  supply 
leaves  for  experimental  purposes.  The  importance 
ot  the  interests  concerned  would  fully  justify  the  New 
Zealand  Government  to  act  upon  the  suggestion 
here  given. 
PALM-LiiAr  Fihues. 
Several  species  of  palms  with  feather-winged  or 
pinnate  leaves,  are  utilised  for  the  fine  fibre  contained 
in  the  leaflets.  This  fibre  is  fine  and  hair  lik  ■,  very 
soft,  and.  when  unbleached,  closely  resembles  flax. 
It  is  composed  of  the  fine  tibro-vascular  bundles  run- 
ning through  the  substance  of  the  leaflet.  It  is  deftly 
extracted  by  hand  in  the  young  state  before  it  is 
hardened  bv  exposure  to  the  sun.  The  process  is 
alow  and  tedious,  but  the  value  of  the  fibre  is  un- 
doubted. It  is  remarkable  for  great  strength  and 
durability. 
Oil-palm  Fibre  {FAwm  f/iuneensin''. — The  oil-palm 
is  the  most  valuable  plant  in  West  Africa,  it  is 
distributed  in  a wild  state  over  the  greater  part  of 
tropical  Africa.  The  yield  in  palm  oil  and  oalm 
kernels  is  of  tho  annual  value  of  about  £2.009,000 
sterling.  The  fibre  from  the  leaflets  of  the  oil-palm 
has  long  been  known  in  West  Afric.r.  Only  small 
samples  have  occtsionally  reached  this  country.  A 
very  clear  and  gr.xphic  account  of  the  method  of 
extracting  the  fibre  is  given  in  tho  “ Kew  Bulletin,” 
1892,  pp.  62-t)7  (with  wood-cuts).  The  young  leaflet 
is,  first  of  all,  deprived  of  the  mid-rib  for  a short 
distance  below  tlie  apex,  and  it  is  then  split 
horizontally  so  as  to  expose  the  librc-vaaeular  bundles. 
These  arc  taken  up  one  by  one,  and  usually  twisted, 
at  once  into  a thin  cord.  If  not  so  twisted,  they  are 
kept  iu  sm ill  tufts,  and  eventually  made  up  into  a 
bundle.  The  threads  are  “ as  fine  and  tenacious  as 
human  hiir.”  It  is  a liard  day’s  wn-k  to  prepare 
six  ounces  of  this  fibre  from  8!1  lb.  of  the  raw 
miteriil.  It  is  estimated  that  the  actual  cost  of 
this  hand-made  fibre  cannot  be  less  than  about  £75 
per  ton.  It  is  almost  exolucsively  used  for  miking 
fishing  ]iu‘s  and  fine  cord.  A sample  submitted  to 
Messrs.  Ida  and  Christie,  in  June,  1891,  was  des- 
cribed as  of  “ great  strength  and  fineness,  and,  if 
really  spinnable,  worth  £5i)  to  £150  per  ton.”  This 
must  1)3  regirdcd  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  and 
lasting  of  tropic  il  libras. 
Gri-gri  Fibre  [A>stmcanjam  spp). — In  the  West  Indies, 
at  St.  Vincent,  and  on  the  Atlantic  slopes  of  Central 
America  the  Caribs  extract  a fibre  from  the  yotmg 
leaflets  of  the  Gri-gri  and  other  palms  identical  in 
character  with  that  of  the  oil-palm.  Demonstrations 
in  extracting  fibre  were  given  by  the  Caribs  sent 
from  St.  Vincent  to  the  Jamaica  Exhibition,  1891. 
It  is  evident  that  the  process  is  widely  known 
amongst  native  races.  Everywhere  the  fibre  is  re- 
garded as  most  costly  and  durable.  A fine  fibre  is 
extracted  also  from  the  leaflets  of  Axtrocari/niii  Tucunia 
in  tropical  South  America.  This  is  knitted  by  hand 
into  a coinpic':  wffi  of  so  fine  a texture  as  to  occupy 
two  p-ersons  three  or  four  months  in  its  completiin. 
The  handsome  Hammocks  afierw  irds  made  from  the 
web  sell  for  £.l  each,  or  even  double  that  amounc. 
Paliivua  Fibke. 
A fibre  very  similar  to  West  African  bass,  and 
nearly  of  the  same  character  as  Para  and  Bahia 
piassava,  is  obtained  from  the  Palmyra  palm,  called 
by  the  Portuguese,  par  excellence,  “palmeira,”  or 
“ the  palm  tree  ” {JionisBU't  jiahellifer).  In  West 
Africa  it  is  known  as  the  Black  Run  palm.  It  is 
very  tall,  sometimes,  but  very  rarely,  branched,  with 
large,  fan-shaped  leaves  with  spinous  petioles.  The 
fruit  is  nearly  as  large  as  a coconut,  with  one  to 
three  seeds.  The  Palmyra  palm  is  widely  distributed 
in  India  and  Ceylon,  but  generally  in  a cultivated 
state.  It  is,  however,  truly  wild  in  tropical  Africa. 
In  the  East,  it  is  a toddy  or  sugar  palm.  The  young 
germinating  nuts  are  cooked  and  eaten  as  a vege- 
table. The  leaves  are  made  into  books,  which  con- 
tain the  classics  of  the  Pali  and  Singhalese  langu- 
ages. The  timber  is  hard,  and  very  durable;  it  is 
used  for  umbrella  handles  and  walking-sticks.  From 
the  base  of  the  petioles,  or  the  sheathing  leaf-stalks, 
is  obtained  a stiff,  wiry  fibre.  This  was  at  first 
called  “ bassine,  ” to  distinguish  it  from  bass  and 
piassava  fibres.  It  came  into  notice  as  a commercial 
article  in  1891,  when  the  high  prices  of  piassava 
induced  the  production  of  substitutes.  A.t  that  time 
even  split  r.ittan,  stained  black,  was  requisitioned 
as  a brush  fibre.  Palmyra  fibre  has  stoadily  increased 
in  quantity,  and,  contrary  to  wh.at  was  at  first  antici- 
pated, it  lias  also  risen  in  value.  “The  chief  ob, 
jection  to  Palmyra,”  wrote  IMessrs.  Ide  and  Christie- 
in  1892,  “ is  that  it  lacks  straightness,  but  experi- 
ments are  being  made  in  this  country  to  overcome 
this  defect,  aucl  should  they  prove  successful  it  is 
claimed  by  importers  and  dressers  that  Palmya 
should,  for  wear,  be  found  equal  to  the  best  Para.” 
These  anticipations  have,  to  some  extent,  been 
realised.  Palmyra  now  has  practically  taken  the  place 
of  West  African  bass.  The  latter,  on  the  Kith  Sept., 
1895,  was  “ dull,  business  small,  ,£11  to  .£23  per  ton.” 
Palmyra  fibre,  on  the  other  hand,  was  “good,  .£26 
to  £31;  medium,  £22  to  £25;  common,  £15  to  £19 
per  ton.” 
The  natives  in  Ceylon  and  India  are  evidently 
copying  the  worst  praccices  of  the  Indians  of  Brazil 
in  sending  consignments  of  P.ilmyra  fibre  to  this 
country  in  a d ionp  condition.  The  result  is  that  vs 
one  firm  complains,  " the  bales,  on  opening,  are  fomd 
wet,  and  thd  fibre  to  a large  extent  perished  and 
powdery.”  Should  the  practice  continue,  the  industry 
will  be  seriously  injured.  The  bales  are  press-packed, 
and  iron  bound  ; they  weigh  I to  3 cwts.,  and 
measure  10  to  3fl  cubic  feet.” 
Kittooi.  Fibre. 
The  Kittooi  or  Kittul  palm  of  India  and  Ceylon 
{Car^ota  wens)  is  a stout  handsome  plant  with  tv 
