THE PHILIPPINE 
Journal of Science 
VOL. XIV JUNE, 1919 ' No. 6 
THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF PHILIPPINE 
BAST-FIBER ROPES ^ 
By Albert E. W. King 
\ 
(From the Division of General, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry, 
Bureau of Science, Manila) 
FIVE PLATES AND TWO TEXT FIGURES 
There are numerous uncultivated species of plants in the 
Philippine Islands, for the most part belonging to the families 
Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae, Malvaceae, and Moraceae, that form an 
interesting group in the fiber series. The fibers produced by 
these plants, which range from large trees to small weedlike 
shrubs, are derived from the tough bast that is found in the 
inner portion of the bark of the stems and of the branches. At 
present these fibers, with perhaps the exception of the fiber ob- 
tained from Abroma fastuosa, have no commercial significance in 
the Philippines ; but in the rural districts they constitute a cheap 
material for the manufacture of cordage that is sufficiently 
resistant and durable for agricultural and animal-husbandry 
purposes. 
Abaca (Manila hemp), which is the strongest and most resil- 
ient of all cordage fibers, is one of the most valuable export 
products of the Philippine Islands. However, it is not grown 
generally throughout the Archipelago, and its cultivation is 
restricted to certain favorable districts where there are fertile, 
well-drained soil, freedom from winds, and an abundant rain- 
fall uniformly distributed throughout the year. Abaca is an 
expensive fiber, and it is natural that the districts in which it 
is not grown use the numerous local bast fibers rather than 
import Manila hemp, especially when transportation is difficult. 
16S157 
^ Received for publication January 24, 1919. 
661 
