PRODUCTION OF HENEQVEX FIBER 
9 
from superior plants. Suckers may be planted at once or they may 
remain out of the ground for two or three months. Fairly prompt 
planting is advisable. Before planting, the suckers are carefully 
sorted according to size, in order that each section of land planted 
may have as uniform a development of plants as possible. 
Although there is some variation on the different plantations in the 
distance between rows and between the plants in the row, the 
general system of planting is very uniform. The planting distance 
which appears to give the best results is 4 varas (11 feet) between 
rows and 1J varas (50 inches) between the plants in the row. This 
S} T stem of planting gives 96 plants to the mecate, or approximately 
960 plants to the acre. The number of plants is seldom less than 96 
to the mecate, and frequently it is 108, 112, or 126. The double-row 
system of planting, which is used on the sisal plantations in Nether- 
lands India, has been tried in Yucatan, but was considered unsatis- 
factory. 
Pig. 3. — A field of young henequen plants 
The method of planting is very simple, though it is important that 
the work be properly and carefully done. A small hole is prepared, 
in which the bulb is set and partly covered with earth. Where the 
land is very rocky and the quantity of soil is limited, the sucker 
plant is frequently propped up with small stones. 
The plantations are usually laid out so that the rows run from east 
to west. This system of planting is used in order that the plants may 
get as much sunlight as possible and also on account of the prevailing 
winds. 
After a held has been planted it is inspected at regular intervals 
and all plants that fail to grow or that die are replaced with new 
suckers (fig. 3). 
Henequen does not exhaust the soil, but on a field that has pro- 
duced the crop for a long period it is customary not to replant for 
three to five years. 
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