PRODUCTION OF HENEQUEN FIBER 
15 
above the surface of the ground. Three or four double rows of 
galvanized wire are attached to these crosspieces, and the fiber is 
hung over these wires. In some instances a second crosspiece is set 
about 6 feet above the ground, and two layers of fiber are dried on 
the same rack. There is another system of drying in which a table- 
like platform about 3 feet above the ground is constructed with 
galvanized-iron tubing, and the fiber is laid out flat on this surface. 
This method is said to give excellent results, as the fiber becomes 
less tangled than when hung over the wires. The equipment used 
in this system is much more expensive, however, than the ordinary 
drying rack. While the fiber is drying and when it is taken from the 
drying racks an attempt is made to sort out and remove any dam- 
aged fiber. 
The fiber is taken from the drying yard to the warehouse and is 
promptly baled. Different types of baling presses, most of which 
Pig. 8. — A trainload of henequen leaves 
have a capacity ranging from 20 to 40 bales a day, are used. As the 
plantation warehouses are usually small, very little loose fiber is 
allowed to accumulate. 
There has been a wide variation in the size and weight of the bales 
of henequen fiber exported from Yucatan. An attempt is now 
being made to produce a uniform 400-pound bale but there is still 
considerable variation, and the weight of the bales ranges from 375 
to 475 pounds. 
CLASSIFICATION AND STANDARDIZATION OF FIBER 
From the plantations the baled fiber is shipped by rail or boat to 
the central warehouses in Progreso, where it is inspected and pre- 
pared for shipment. Five different grades of fiber are recognized, 
these grades being determined by the color and the quality of clean- 
ing. By means of a s} T stem of " castigos," an effort is now being 
made to encourage or to force the planters to produce a superior 
grade of fiber, uniform in quality. This movement toward improve- 
