The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-02-21

Tnt PRODUCTION OF MmP
Progress Made by the Hs~ s,isn
F,br. Company Outlook for
tirst Crop II Good.

| twenty miles west OF II h9holulu
there Il today an infant industry. COM
paratlyely unknown. which al no very
distant date will probably take lead
Ing RANK In the Industries Of the
Islands.
Last April a company was formed.
with Cecil Brown, president; Mark
Robinson, vice president; w. G. Weed
on, secretary and treasurer; A. II.
Turner. manager. The object OF the
Hawaiian Fibre Co. as II was termed,
was the cultivation and manufacture
of all fibres. Sisal was the class OF
fibre principally thought OF.
Now possibly everybody does not
know what sisal is Sisal Is a fibre OF
tne Agaye family and fiourishes chiefly
in Yucatan and the Bahama Islands.
The Hawaiian Fibre Co, upon its
organization, leased from Jas. Camp
hell 5000 acres of land for the purpose
of the cultivation of sisal. This tract
OF land is twenty miles west OF Homo
lulu, being two miles beyond Eva mill
and ten miles from Pearl city. Il ex-
tends some distance mauka of the rail
road track and on the other side clear
20 the sea.
II has no: been many years
stree the first sisal plant was imported
here with view OF another posi- jble
industry. Joseph Marsden imported
number from the Bahamas about five
years ago and they were planted on
small piece OF land this side of Pearl
City, where Is a pond for one-half the
year and dried mud during the other
half. They did not thrive, and II was
thought they needed more water, as
much as sugar cane. Some were taken
up and planted on one edge OF Eva
plantation, near the railroad track, by
Mr.. Lowrie. This lot forms the nurs-
cry for the present company.
Slsal Is a peculiar plant II will
thrive and flourish where nothing else
will liye; where even a mountain goat
could not live, sisal will grow like a
green bay tree; when 1t gets into soil
that Is rich and has depth, and where
| something else might possibly grow,
| IL Immediately declines and loses
strength. II does not depend on the
soil for nourishment. Given plenty of
heat and sunlight little moisture now
and then, a stretch OF rocky land and
you have your model site for the cul-
| tiyation of sisal.
| The tract selected by the Hawaiian
! Fibre Co. Is admirably suited for the
purposes desired. Ii Is rough, rocky
and about as useless looking piece oi
pround as one could find. II Is not to
be thought of In connection with
sugar
| Today about seventy-five acres OF
land are under slsal cultivation. The
plant on an average Is about three feet
in circumference. that is the bulb it.
self and has no roots to speak OF. The
branches or fronds from which the
hemp is extracted, grow to a height OF
from three and half to five and a half
feet. tapering off TO a small needle like
barb, and in all directions and angles.
The perpendicular fronds are never
taken. They are not ripe. As they
ripen they fall toward the ground and
then they are ready to be cut and
turned into hemp.
While the plant has no roots 10
speak of, 1t throws out numerous
suckers, or feeders, in all directions.
which turn into small plants. These
take the life of the mother plant and
are cut OFF. The small plants are used
Is nursery stock. IL takes about three
years for a plant TO mature. From
thirty-fiye 10 forty fronds can be cut
from one plant twice year, with an
average weight OF one and hall
pounds to the green frond. Take five
per cent of this amount and you have
the amount OF pure fibre obtained from
one plant In year.
The company has cleared and plant.
ed about seventy-fve acres OF land.
comfortable home for the manager hai
been built. Everything Is well con
dncted and prosperous looking.
The main difficulty Is to obtain tn,
fibre from the plant. Extensive ma
lchinery is necessary, but the manage
ment intends To put up the machiner!
in time to reduce the first crop, whicl
: they expect TO take of in about tw,
; years.
: This is one OF the new businesses o
r the Islands. The hemp industry 4
= confined to a few places. 1t now seem
= that IL will not be long before thes
5 Islands will take leading, II not tn,
/ leading place in the hemp industry.
= Specimens OF hemp which have beef
2 worked ont by hand can be seen at thi
Iofyipa