THE NEW SISAL FIBRE.

Manawatu Herald, 5 November 1889, Page 3

THE NEW SISAL FIBRE.

I : • The Agent-General has forwards an account of a now fiorp. with sample, to tbe tfov smme- 1 A howewr iii is a very rough fihre, v. only /or matting and corriage cf th coarsest knl, the ala:m fe t by Si D. Bel £ >v our Ph muuiii Tenaa seems to be rouudless. 'lh.eiol ovv ing is the letter:^ — 7, Westminister Chambers. ! London, «. W., 12th -September, 1889Sir— In my letters relating to thi prospects of the New Z aland hem] industry, I have hardly given promi nence enough to the increase whicl is 6hr?ateied in the supply of sisa -fibres'. For some ime past a s?3u. j plant has come into use in Yucatan:

■wilh-very 1-rf c piofi's to th v g rwcra au .its cul haticn is rapidly «x-----t-nilinjr. no only th re, bnb in I lie Ba' amn3. whir© ii w;'S ior a 1 v.g tin.9 ticate I aa a noxious weel. , When ir Ambicso h:a a'.*suxntd j t c Gcverume- 1 of the Bahuums two y uvb i go, h»» f< rcfived the aclvnn • j t >.'63 whicli Ore • xitence of such ; a Hhre p omist d to fch^ Culoiy, aim j \li eruiinpfi t.-» mcnnraije it-* pi'<> diict on, gvnutirga bimity < f n ha Ipn>y prr 1b n its e>p«la'ion Since th n, Lowevir, the iwhis rj h s grown so uiuoh that the b- viii} I hns been abolished. Mr Ambrose is now on a visit to Fngland, and J with hiJTa^rMfeo sJttvffec't^iiehal'Df'e' " kind PTioogh to biing me asamplp 01 th« dressed fibre, wljich I enclqsi , hsi'»with. Tho plant grows' freely ii poor autl roc )>y soils, to the sanv size as the laipe sorts' of phorminu. tena^, .<in,<i! indeed' seemsi to- choose the l^asi . ■ground^ for ; .;iis best prodo6tisn; it" is nnaffe'cterl' by drought, and the leaves of the c 1- , tivatod plant are said to be capable of being cut and the fibre strippi d for 15 yaars in Fuccession, though in its natural s'a'e tlie leaves are destitute of fibve. The quantiy.of dress' d fibre whi- h can be produ ed per acre may be tafcen. at, half a. t»n and as 100 OOO'ncres will be iv euHiyati n, Jhe.flnnnal production of Bah mas alr.ne will amount to ;'>o,ooo tons; t vrh the j»rosi-Gct of'a mil' h larg r exfension in the future, as half a> mi' lion- acres are avnilaW g ihere $ r gmwin? thiV particul.r p'fiiit. The cost of th'fibve, proj orly clresed, so far as i has yet been prove d, h-irdly nn unts to £10 a ton^ either iv Yucatan or B .hamasV while Sir "' mbrbse : t Us me its latest pii^fe < vA N' w \6rk was 12 cen's a lb. He has h-vd applications fmm sjetulalors in ihe TJ ited StatS «n.l nlsewh re for large «re s of land t> grow the plaut. but is encouraging its en - tivuti oi in s-u^ty, patclwi by the*;. b f ack*go s to[%^be mtntS''Tlo we es. Such fa< t3 as tl:esehaye^o,be. : ke^l' in view, 'or if the aWgnrentattW certain to t-.-ke pace in tho supply of Manila and jute is now to be supplemented by wlia* is practi'»a ly a new fib c producible in lar c quan it es, -nith cleap labour, nn«< close to the Umt»d Stat<s naavket. the effect on tlie New Zealand hemp industry can hardly fail to be serious. — Iha>e,&c, .(Siff-ifd)P.D. Bell.