93 
[ Eep. No. 654. ] 
The late E. Roberts, oiir ministerial agent to the Eastern hemisphere, 
while at Manilla, speaks of a manufacture as fine as cobweb muslin, 
used by the natives for ornamental shirting, and which he declares to be 
the most beautiful fabric in the world. He calls this fine web by the 
name of Pina, which is simply the Spanish word for Pine-apple, and was 
doubtless intended solely as an adjective adjunct, to denote the plant from 
whose leaves the fibres were obtained. As very fine foliaceous fibres 
are obtainable from the thin, dry, long leaves of many species of true 
Bromelias, or brethren to the edible Pine-apple, they are ]»robably con¬ 
verted, in the East Indies, to the manufacture of those fine glossy sub¬ 
stitutes for linen and muslin, called Grass-cloth. Fine foliaceous fibres, in 
general, are called Grass-flax, or Grass-silk, Tropical Flax, Vegetable Silk, 
&c. As a general remark, these fibres are best obtained by the mechan¬ 
ical process of simple scraping only of the green living leaves. All 
maceration, rotting, or decomposition, however useful for the reticulated 
structure of the barks of common flax and hemp, are injurious to the 
strength of the parallel longitudinal fibres of living leaves of endogenous 
plants. There is no doubt in the mind of the subscriber, that all the 
valuable species of Bromelia can be profitably propagated on even the 
natural, uncleared, arid surfaces of tropical Florida. By the letter of 
J. Dubose, it will be seen that the Bromelia Pita of Goazacoalcos, sent in 
1833, continues propagating itself in the vicinity of Cape Florida. 
HENRY PERRINE. 
Washington, February 10, 1838. 
BROMELIA PITA. 
Goazacoalcos, *fipril 1, 1832. 
Dear Sir : I have taken all the pains that I could to learn the manner 
of cultivating the Pita of this place. The Indians hunt for a thick wood 
of large timber, and cut the small growth of timber down and burn it j 
they then plant the small plants about six feet distant from each other, 
and in twelve months they cut it to rasp. If it is not cut for two or three 
years it makes no difference, on the contrary it is better. When the Pita is 
young, they cut it, and make very fine and white fibres. When three years 
old, the Pita is long and coarser. There are three different kinds of Pita : 
one’ kind has.many thorns, the second kind has but few thorns, and. the 
third kind has none at all. I believe the cause of its not having thorns, is 
owing to the cultivation. Their manner of cultivating it, is to cut the 
weeds once in twelve months. The plant springs from a running root of 
the old plant. After the ground is planted one year, it becomes as thick 
as a wheat-field in appearance, so that it is impossible to walk through it 
without cutting a road. It has a large blossom, like the Pine-apple, but 
close to the ground, and has a small seed. The Indians tell me it takes- 
three years to grow, and they have promised me tp get some seed for 
you Under the flower there grows a small bunch of pits ; these the In¬ 
dians make use of as a drink. They bruise them, then put them in water, 
and it makes a fine drink, fresh and tartish to the taste. The Indians, 
have about five acres to a family, which gives them work for the yeai\. 
The Pita that one man rasps, is four pounds per day. A gentleman here 
tells me that he rents his Pita gardens to the Indians for two bales per 
