The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-10-22
THE PLANTAIN AND BANANA.
NO. TX.


From .Simmonds' Tropical Agriculture
There is some dispute as to the
true scientific name of the species of
Mus0 from which the Manila hemp
of commerce, the d6dca OF the Portu-
guese and Spaniards, is obtained. 1t
is now usually assigned to If. teatSlis,
Nees, but probably some may be OBJ
tanned from III. zToglodyt0gatan, Lin,
a native of the same locality. Some
ascribe it also to M sylveStraS and III.
B0ibiSidnd. There are several species
of Musd wild and indigenous to the
Amboyna, Moluccas, and the Philip.
pines
The plant thrives best on the
shaded forest-covered slopes of vol
canic mountains, such as abound in
Albay and Camarines; on level
ground not so well; and on marshy
land not at all. The plant requires,
on an average. three years to produce
its fibre in proper condition. For
the first crop only one stalk is cut
from each bunch; later on, the new
suckers grow so quickly that they can
be cut every two months. In full
growth the yield is thirty hundred
weights to the acre, whereas from an
acre of fax not more than four hun
dred weights 'sobtained. After the
plantation is once established, the
plants flourish without any care or
attention, the only trouble being to
collect the fibre. One plant may
yield as much as two pounds Of fibre,
but the average is not more than one
pound; on Indifferent soil much less.
Several grades of fibre are derived
from different parts of the stem, the
edges yielding the finest. The fibre,
which lies next the surface, is stripped
off by hand in broad bands, and then
softened by being drawn backwards
and forwards between a broad bladed
knife and block Of wood. One
worker cuts up the stalks, strips off
the leaves, and attends to the supply;
the second, frequently a boy, spreads
out the strips of fibre; the third
draws them under the knife. The
coarse fibre is called 6d,addld; the
finer, h4pts. The former is chiefly
used for ships rigging, the latter is
employed in weaving. The three finer
grades of lupus are further soitened
before weaving by being pounded in
a rice mortar. Generally the first or
finest sort is worked as wool with
the second as warp, and the third as
warp with the second as woot. The
fabrics so woven are nearly as fine as
the paipiS de pima pineapple fbre).
For purity, fexibility, and color, the
finest Of these plantain fabrics are
said to compare with cambria as card
board does to tissue paper. Ac-
cording to Jagor, the finest stuffs re-
quire so great an amount of dexterity,
patience, and time in their prepare,
ton, and are consequently so expen-
sive, that they cannot compete with
the cheap machine-made goods OF
Europe Their fine warm yellowish
color also is objected to by European
women accustomed to linen and mus
lin strongly blued in the washing.
BY the rich half castles, however, who
understand the real goodness Of their
qualities, they are highly appreciated.
In the region where abaca is culti-
waited, the entire dress of both sexes
is made of this coarse cloth, called
guimara. For foreign markets, still
cOarser and stronger fabrics are pre-
pared, such as crinoline and stiff mus
lin, used by dressmakers.
1t is an article for export, however,
that the cleaned fibre ia OF the most