The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-09-06
From ,he National Istelligencer.
AGAVA PLANT.

As this plant is becoming of great Importance to
the country, few remarks in relation TO it will doubt
be interesting TO the public
1t is species Of the cactus indigenous to South
America particularly to The portion termed the
Spanish Main where il grows spontaneous in great album
dance The leaves of the plant prepared into hemp
caled sisa It's sale in market amounts to several
thousand annually at prices varying from $500 TO
$3.50 per ton.
Many years ago enerprising gentleman, DR.. Per-
rine native Of France attempted to propagate its
growth in this country at Key West and adjacent islands
Death resulting from Indian hoslities in the vicinity
arrested him in his audabe endeayor Since that period
little attention has been given 10 its cultivation. The
large demand, however, laerly for the article for manu-
cure into cordage and that at high price has pro-
duced incentive among the citizens Of Key West to turn
their attention TO its culture a. which place it grows to
limited extent will be shown by the following extract OF
letter from resident there's
"The sisa hemp is very successful The plant (Agava,
Salana Amercana grows in the poorest kind Of land
and the stony barren island it grows very we'll
There few here just ready to be cleaned out
for market and it has been asoerained by experiment
that will yield thousand dollars per annum
after the fourth year. 1t requires no cultivation; just
drop the seed in the ground and you have nothing more
to do with 1t for four years when you begin to cut
aud Clean The suckers constantly sprnging up so
that by the time you down the first crop the second is
ready to begin WITH and until the land is entirely
exhausted"
weed by gentleman from Florida, with view TO en-
courage its growth and to prepare it into hemp The
principal difficulty in the process found in converting
the leaves into hemp by machinery To give facility to
the operation the ordinary mode of cleaning them as
praced by the natives Of South America where labor is
of little vauc) being too tedious suggested me
thod 1.-THE in at Key Wes) which gave acili-
ty extent but which does not the purpose
sufficiently well TO make the enterprise profitable.
also directed my attention to the best mode Of clean
ing the leaves by requesting the attention of some cien-
tifc gentlemen, Professor David A. Wells Of Spring field,
Massachusetts, among Others to the discovery of some
chemical process for the purpose who hit upon quick
and cheap process IT. however discolored the leaves to
extent which made them unsuitable for cordage.
Subsequently, at the request OF Senator Mallory adj
dressed number of the eastern machinsts the sub
| jec Who with much spirit and zeal, entered upon the
experiment for devising proper plan and am now
happy believe that this object is likely to be effected
As proof of this give here extract of letter from
Messrs. Kellogg Co, of Pine Meadow, Connecticut
] They"say:
| "The machine about which wrote you March Goth
cleans the Agava plant to entire satisfaction We
had make little alteration in the construction of
it after receiving the plant but have retained the
principle 1t works charmingly.n d. NJ.