A report on the leaf fibers of the United States detailing results of recent investigations relating to Florida sisal hemp, the false sisal hemp plant of Florida, and other fiber-producing agaves; bowstring hemp, pineapple fiber, New Zealand flax, and bear-grass . e is nothing specially new to re-cord, the ground having been fullycovered in the former report. A singu-lar abnorm al habit of the plant, noticedon Indian Key and in other locations,is worth recording. The accompany-ing illustration (Fig. 2), made from aphotograph, shows a sucker which,with leaves barely a foot long, hadthrown up a
A report on the leaf fibers of the United States detailing results of recent investigations relating to Florida sisal hemp, the false sisal hemp plant of Florida, and other fiber-producing agaves; bowstring hemp, pineapple fiber, New Zealand flax, and bear-grass . e is nothing specially new to re-cord, the ground having been fullycovered in the former report. A singu-lar abnorm al habit of the plant, noticedon Indian Key and in other locations,is worth recording. The accompany-ing illustration (Fig. 2), made from aphotograph, shows a sucker which,with leaves barely a foot long, hadthrown up a slender pole to a height of8 feet or more, crowned with fullyformed blossoms, which in time wouldhave given pole plants. I was inform-ed by residents on Indian Key thatthis premature blossoming of a youngplant or sucker while yet attached tothe parent root is of not uncommon-c 0 e i i- ,a • 7 occurrence. Fig. 2.—Sucker, poling (Agavesisalana). WORK AT THE DEPARTMENTS EXPERIMENTAL FACTORY. The Department was extremely fortunate in securing use of suchportion of the plant of the Biscayue Bay Manufacturing Company, atCocoanut Grove, as was necessary for its operations, this being thenearest available power to the sources of supply of the leaves, although,. 19 80 miles by sail from Indian Key. The Van Baren cleaning machine,previously purchased by the Department, was shipped to Florida andset up on my arrival. With ample space on the main floor of the build-ing, and with a Large loffc in which to hang the cleaned fiber after ithad been partially dried in the sun on the long factory wharf, the equip-ment was all that could be desired. Mr. Ealph M. Munroe, the super-intendent of the Biscayne Bay Manufacturing Company, placed hisschooner yacht Micco at the disposal of the Department, which enabledquick transportation of leaves, so essential to the success of the exj>er-iments. I may state that both the gathering of the leaves and the fac-tory work were done under my personal su
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherwashingtongovtprin
