604 
Philippine Journal of Science 
1919 
* * * But the utilization of Sida will mainly depend on the partic- 
ular form that will produce the tallest stems with the fewest branches, 
and the highest percentage of fibre to weight of stems. It may readily 
be admitted that the feature, on which the industry will fail to be estab- 
lished, will be the yield as compared with jute. Hitherto the few Reports 
that have appeared exhibit the yield as considerably lower than that of 
jute. Experimenters should, however, not be too easily disheartened on 
this score, for it must be borne in mind that Sida has never been system- 
atically cultivated, while everything has been done that is possible to im- 
prove the yield and quality of jute. * * * 
Sida fiber has been reported as weaker than jute, Corchoi'us 
olitorius; the results obtained in this investigation also show 
that Sida acuta bast is less resistant than jute. Sida fiber is 
said to spin well, and it can be mixed with other fibers that 
are at present used on a manufacturing scale. 
Sida acuta bast is one of the prettiest fibers tested. It is 
marguerite yellow, fine, filamentous, soft, lustrous, and silky. 
The particular sample had been retted for about ten days in 
fresh water and subsequently cleaned, so that its preparation 
is quite different from that of most of the other fibers tested. 
The fine filaments still held together slightly in bundles similar 
to the original ribbonlike form. Practically all of the gum and 
pulp had been removed by the retting and subsequent washing, 
making the fiber very pliable and altogether unlike the crude, 
harsh, and stiff strips characteristic of most of the other ropes 
tested. 
Although Sida acuta makes a handsome, silky looking rope, 
it possesses only medium tensile strength and breaking length. 
Wetting increases its mean tensile strength about 6 per cent. 
The wet series of tests gave better agreement than the dry, the 
maximum difference from the mean tensile strength in the 
former being 7 per cent and in the latter 12 per cent. Three 
of the five dry specimens and three of the four wet test pieces 
failed in eye-splices. The Ilocanos consider rope made of Sida 
acuta a superior product because of its durability under both 
dry and wet conditions, its pleasing color, and its gloss. It is 
used for general purposes and is particularly suited for use 
where a nonstaining fiber is desired. 
A summary of the tests of this species made in the Bureau 
of Science is given in Table XX. 
Imp. Inst. 10 (1912) 218. 
