1 Nov., 1897.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 885 
the agriculture of all Zucatan.” When the plants are from three to four 
years old any stock may safely be turned in to keep the weeds down. In their 
young stage they should be protected from stock, not so much from fear of 
their being eaten as of being knocked out and about or trampled under. 
Weeds must never be allowed to grow high enough to shade the plants ; other- 
wise weeds do no injury. 
Harvesting. 
In the third year at the earliest, the cutting of the lower leaves may be 
commenced, and the same operation repeated every four months. The leaves 
when ready for cutting incline downwards to a horizontal position, and the 
colour gets darker. Care must be taken to cut the leaves from the bottom 
upwards as they are found to be ready, the cutting being done quite close to 
the stem. Ifthe Agave rigida is being harvested, care must be taken as soon 
each leaf is cut to trim off the spines on the edges to facilitate handling. The 
leaves are usually tied in bundles of twenty-five or fifty, point to butt alternately, 
and carried to the headland, whence they are taken up by drays. One man can 
cut and tie up on an average 1,200 leaves per day. The knife for cutting the 
leaves is an ordinary sheath knife with an 8-inch blade. 
Lire anp YIELD. 
At intervals of two years the plant throws out shoots from the roots, from 
five to ten in number, which may either be cut and planted out or destroyed. 
The Agave will continue yielding leaves up to fifteen years, when it is cut down, 
care being taken to leave one of the suckers thrown up previous to this period 
to take the place of the parent plant when done with. It will be observed from 
this that when once a given area is put under Agave an unlimited supply of 
plants is available for extending the area, and further the original area never 
requires replanting, as one sucker is always left. ; 
Each robust plant is capable of yielding from twenty-five up to 100 leaves 
per annum. Hence one acre containing 600 plants will produce from 15,000 
to 60,000 leaves per annum. The average yield of dry fibre from 100 leaves 
is 4 lb.; therefore 1 acre will yield from 600 Ib. to 1 ton of fibre. Frequently 
14 tons per acre have been realised, and when more improved machinery 
is brought into use from 2 to 23 tons per acre may be realised. The working 
expenses have usually averaged about 30 per cent. of the value of fibre 
per acre. Therefore taking an average yield of 1 ton of fibre at, say, £40, 
and from this deducting 50 per cent. for working expenses, it will be seen that 
a net profit of £20 per acre is obtained. The cultivation of the Agave and 
its manufacture provide ample, steady, and. well-paid employment tor men, 
women, and children, As showing what profits are realisable from this industry, 
Mr. D. J. Stoddart, in his pamphlet on the sisal hemp, says:—‘“ Many farmers’ 
daily incomes are from $500 (£100) to $2,000 (£400).” 
Exrractrion oF Frere. 
This is best accomplished by machinery, which is very simple and 
inexpensive, and is worked by youths. There are several in use in Mauritius, 
which, although not perfect, are doing satisfactory work. The one most favoured 
in Mauritius is an improvement on the original machine, the paternity of 
which cannot be fixed, many persons having had ahand init. It is, however, 
known as being invented by M. Digard and modified by M. Cazolet. Another 
machine, known as the “ Marabal,” was invented by Messrs. Mérandon and 
Bonieux. In Yucatan and Mexico a number of Death and Ellwood’s machines 
are in use, which are as nearly perfect as possible. The Kennedy machine is 
also much fayoured, and has lately been considerably improved. 
The fibre is also, in small areas, extracted by hand, but it is a slow and 
laborious method. The process consists in squeezing the leaves through. 
heavy rollers—a heavy mangle would do—so as to break the hard bark and 
squeeze out the juice. The crushed leaves are then pounded on a smooth 
