328  Products  of  the  Century  Plants.     {Am •gjff™- 
connected  by  a  number  of  rails  over  which  the  fibre  is  hung.  When 
dry  the  fibre  is  baled  in  powerful  presses  in  order  to  make  it  more 
convenient  in  handling,  storing  and  shipping. 
Yucatan  is  the  great  sisal-growing  region — especially  the  portion 
of  it  surrounding  the  capital,  Merida.  In  this  district  the  sisal  plant 
is  almost  the  only  vegetation.    Several  towns,  notably  Merida  and 
