The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-07-11
Yucatan Variety Found inferior to Hawaiian
Product tone Hundred Bales
to Coast

tured into rope for local and export
use.
1t will be well to emphasize the uses
of sisal fiber. It has its principal use
in the making of small rope for farm
use, binder Irvine, lariat rope, ETC., but
! is not adapted for ships use.
/, very large percentage of sisal fbeT
is used in making binder Irvine. The
great mistake has been in trying to use
sisal rope for the running rigging of
ships; the salt water has a deteriorat-
ing effect on this fiber and is therefore
i not adapted for work of that kind.
| In Mexico the juice of a plant, SINH
! lar to the Hawaiian variety is used
for making soap, while another plant,
slightly different, furnishes a juice
| which, being allowed to ferment,
makes the famous Mexican drink called
| pulque. Still another variety furnishes
a juice which, when fermented and dis
titled, makes the liquor called mescal.
| It is estimated that fifty million bot
| ties of this liquor are consumed yearly
| in the city of Mexico.
Two plants most commonly seen here
| in the gardens of Honolulu are species
of the variety Agave Americana. These
are commonly called the century plant
from the supposition that they send up
their flowers about once in century,
while in reality the plants send up their
flowers and then die within a period of
about fifteen years. The most common
of these species is a large plant with
feshy leaves of a dark blue color, the
leaves beautifully curved and with lat
eral spines. The sister to this plant
has exactly the same characteristics,
hot
yellow ribbons of different widths run
the length of the leaf
PROSPECTS OF THE FIBER IN
DUSTRY
In these islands are thousands of
acres of land lying idle which might
be used for the cultivation of fibers
The good price the steady demand and
the excellent quality of fiber produced,
certainly point out that the fiber indus
try here is one of coming Importance.
We will consider the fibers adapted
to this country. OF such is the SAN
sevieria zylanlca, most remarka BILE
fiber, very much resembling the pine
apple fiber. 1t is slong and round in
structure, has a decided sheen and is
very strong. AT present this fiber is
not used as a cordage fiber, being too
fine and too expensive, but could be
used for making fabric. which would
be equal to the celebrated pima silk
the value of which is so we'll known
A fiber industry of this kind could be
established here and in conjunction
with it a textile mill could be built for
the working up of this product.
This would create a new industry
here in the line of manufacturing
There is no doubt as to the adaptability
of sansevieria to this climate The
plant is seen growing all over the is
lands and profusely in the gardens of
Honolulu. In a period of from two to
three years, it is ready to be cut. It
multfplies very rapidly and is easily
harvested and mfIled. When one con-
siders the many things in favor of this
fiber, it seems remarkable that it has
not been turned into a commercial en-
terprise before this
One of the other fiber-yielding plants
that grows very we'll here is the fru-
craia gigantea. This plant grows wild,
and is said to be Indigenous The Ha-
waiian name is malina, which is the
of the natives to say Manila.
a fiber with which they must have been
familiar. This plant produces a fiber
called pita, which is a long fine fiber |
but does not have the strength of sisa1