St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-11
SISAL AND MANILA.
Their Uses and the Places Where
They Are Grown, With Other

binding Irvine, the Des Moines Register
thinks it is we'll enough for farmers to
know of what the best Irvine is made,
where it is obtained, ana how it is pro-
duced. The names are evidently de-
rived from commerce and not from the
plants. as both are named after the sea-
ports of the country where they are pro-
duced. Sisal is the seaport town of
Yucatan, in South America; Manila
comes through seaport town of the
Philippine islands, owned by Spain.
Manila is On the famous bay OF that
name, where the town is located, and
where originally, at least, Manila hemp
was first obtained.
Sisal is one of the fibers from which
to make Irvine for binding grain. 1t is
obtained from the henequen plant,
which grows only in Yucatan.
This plant is raised entirely by
the native Indians OF that country.
The fiber is obtained from the leaves,
and as it takes five years for the tree or
plant to come to maturity, the product
cannot be speedily increased at any
time. Yucatan lies southeast of Mexico
and is about as large as Iowa. but much
of it is swampS, lagoonS and impenetra-
bic cllapparals. It projects out a con-
siderable distance into the Gulf of
Mexico. Its climate is hot and mala-
rious, extremely unfrlendly to any
daring Northern adventurer who at
tempts to aid in developing its re-
sources. So 1t is an isolated country,
and it is almost impossible to Increase
or change the character of the laborers
there. And the Indians and half-breeds
who constitute the main portion of the
population are lazy, inefficient and UNI
reliable. Their wants are few and
ambition less. So it is almost impossi-
BILE to increase the amount of Sisal, but
they know enough to increase the price
as the demand increases. But it will
never do to depend upon sisal for pre-
serving the crops OF the grain, producing
belt. 1t cannot wait for the slow and
indolent Indians of Yucatan. Enter.
prise and invention must work out some
other fiber to fill It's place.
Manila hemp is not so circumscribed
in territorial production, but is mainly
raised in the Philippine islands. which
are located northeast OF the island Of
Borneo and east of the Chinese sea.
about as far away, commercially, as it
is possible to get on this earth. This
hemp is obtained from the banana
tree Tor plantain) of the Musa Textillis
genus, and not of the Musa Sapientum,
fruit. Both are of the same family.
This banana tree or plant, for the pro-
duction of MANILA hemp. requires three
OF four years to grow and mature before
it can be cut for the fiber. The laborers
on the PHILIPPINE islands are princi-
pally. if not exclusively, Chinese cool
les. and are as lazy and shiftless as the
Indians in Yucatan. So from the long
season of growth of the henequen plant
for the production of sisal, or the BAN
ana plant for the production Of MANILA,
and the character of sthe laborerS who
produce them, there is little prospect
for increased production of either or
both of these articles to supply the in
creased demand for binding Irvine for
our grain harvests.
The limited supply, added to the in
creaSlng demand, aided by the active
competition of two large American COM
panies for the exclusive control of the
products of the sisal aud MANILA
hempS, have advanced the price at the
ports of those countries from four to
twelve or more cents per pound for the
raw article. The present condition Of
affairs has been caused by the greedi-
ness of the American Cordage company
and the National Cordage company.
Had they combined as the beef trusts
of Chicago, the Chicago stock yards, the
beef and pork packing companies and
shippers and commission merchants in
stock, all combined against the pro-
ducers of the West and the consumers
of the East, there would have been no
trouble, and farmers would have
been supplied with Irvine at the
usual price. We do not think
there is any combination against
the farmers by the cordage companies,
but the trouble grows out of the greedy
competition in efforts to buy up all the
hemp from each other. But probably
they will learn lesson this year. In
articles of food pools and trusts can be
formed and sustained, for when they
get a corner on products for food, they
must be had, no matter what the price.
But the farmers can and will do with
out Irvine when it goes above what the
price of grain juStifies them i'll paying.
Bnt in Sisal and Manila hempS we are
dealing with slow countries and slow
growth plants, and they will not keep
up with the American march of de-
mand. Manila is also on the other side
of the globe, and it cannot be reached
short of six months, as no steamers run
from here TO there, but reliance has to
be had On sail vessels. We have thought
these facts and items of use to farmers
Just at this time.
EVERY drop of blood in the system
passes through both the kidneys and
lungs many thousand times in each
twenty-four hours. This explains why
50 per cent OF the patients in the Bromp-
ton Hospital for ConSumptives. London,
England, have unsupported kidney
disorder. If the kidneys were in a
healthy condition they would expel
the waste matter or poisonous acid