224 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Sepr., 1898. 
At Kamerunga, this plant sometimes gives stalks 6 fect in length, but it 
is confidently expected that even a much greater length of stalk will be 
obtained in richer ground. Most writers on this subject agree that wet 
lands are not suitable. ; 
Mr. W. B. Preyer says :—“ Almost any land will do for Manilla hemp, 
as long as it is not too swampy or too steep; but it thrives best on rich flat 
land, and does not much mind a flood as long as the water does not stop too 
long on the land or leave it swampy afterwards.” 
Simmonds says:—‘ The plant thrives best on the shaded forest-covered 
slopes of voleanic mountains such as abound in Albay and Camarines; on 
level ground, not so well; on marshy land, not at all.” 
The vast extent of country between Cardwell and the Daintree River 
would seem to be the lands in North Queensland suitable for this enterprise. 
The Musa family is well represented in three wild forms in this tropical strip. 
Some of the land is of volcanic origin, and seldom subject to drought. 
It would seem from what M. Perroutel, Botanist to the French Govern- 
ment in Guadaloupe, says, that “ the Abaca of the Philippines differs essentially 
from all the varieties of banana known. Its stem, which rises from a tuft of 
shoots, has a height of from 15 to 20 feet, of a dark-green colour, and very 
smooth on its surface.”—“ Cultural Industries,” Z. dA. Bernays. 
No other writer on the subject gives the height of the stem, and it is just 
possible Perroutel included the height of the leaves. A plant measured this 
day at Kamerunga State Nursery gave, with the leaves, a height of 14 feet 
and a circumference at the base of 17 inches, the weight of the whole being 
31 1b. This was taken from a patch where the soil is by no means rich. ‘The 
fibre contents of this stem will be extracted and sent to the Agricultural Museum, 
Department of Agriculture, Brisbane. ‘The stems of nearly all the Zusa family 
yield fibre of more or less value, but none so valuable as Musa textilis. Of the 
three varieties indigenous to Queensland, Musa Banksii appears to be the 
hardiest, the most common, and produces the strongest fibre. Musa Vitzallani 
has not been subjected to treatment for fibre by the writer. It is found in the 
Daintree district, and is said to attain a heightof 20feet. usa Hillii is said 
to grow 30 feet high. (This is according to Baron yon Mueller.) It is a native 
of the Daintree River district. It extends southward to at least Cairns. It 
is found in retired places on the banks of creeks. ‘The writer has found some 
excellent specimens of this variety, but never any that reached the height of 
30 feet. It is probable that here also the leaves were measured with the stalk, 
and the height has been given accordingly. Jibre has been extracted 
from Musa Hillii, but it does not grow in sufficiently large quantities 
in the Cairns district to favour the idea of economic extraction of 
the fibre. Unlike the other two varieties, it produces its spadix 
of fruit erect, and when growing in a perfectly sheltered spot it has a noble 
appearance. ‘The stalk, in the Cairns district, is red, whilst that growing in 
the Daintree district is green; but Mr. Bailey assures the writer that it is the 
same Musa. The dried leaf-stalks of Musa tertilis make a useful rough 
bandage, and twisted into ropes make vey strong ones suitable for rough 
purposes. As many as twenty-four stems haye been counted growing from 
one stool. 
Referring again to Mr. Preyer’s article in the Kew Bulletin, he says :— 
“ At the age of twelve months, when the main stem will be nearly fully grown, 
though not fully matured, two or three others will be of considerable size, and 
some four or five young suckers will be coming on. In time the ground will 
he pretty well covered. As the older stems are cut down, the younger ones 
shoot up and take their place. When it has arrived at this state Manilla 
hemp plantations require yery little attention as long as the workers do not 
open it up too much by cutting over many stems, or allowing the jungle plants 
to enroach too much. As an instance of the longevity of IL. textilis, I may 
mention one stool twenty years old, which has not cost a cent, but has yielded 
stem after stem for treatment at frequent intervals during that period. The 
above remarks are based upon Manilla hemp in North Borneo.” 
