CHAPTER IVABACA“Manila hemp,” as it is so commonly called, is not really hemp at all, but a plant closely related to the banana and so strongly resembling it that some persons are unable to tell the difference. The correct name for this is abaca (ä′-bä-cä), and it is probably the most important crop produced in the Philippine Islands. Nowhere else in the world does it grow so well, and in southern Luzon where Francisco lived, the soil is especially well suited for its cultivation.Cutting AbacaCutting AbacaFrancisco’s father had a good many acres devoted to it, and his crop yielded him a good income. A field is planted by setting out, at regular intervals, shoots from old plants. Three years are required for these shoots to grow to maturity, and a planter must therefore be willing and able to wait a long timebefore he can harvest his crop. An abaca plant grows to a height of ten feet or more, bearing long fanlike leaves that wave gracefully in the breeze and shut out the sun’s rays so completely that noontime in an abaca field is like twilight. The stem consists of crisp, juicy, green leaves rolled tightlytogether around a central stalk. These stems are often eight or ten inches in diameter, and it is from the tightly rolled inner leaves that the fiber which constitutes the crop is secured.Stripping Abaca PlantsStripping Abaca PlantsWhen the proper time comes, the men go out into the field with their sharp bolos (bō′-lōs̝), heavy knives much like corn knives, and cut off the abaca plants close to theground. They tear away the leaves and the green outer part of the stem, which they leave on the ground for fertilizer. The white inner part comes from the plant in long strips and is drawn through a machine that presses out the water and pulp, leaving only the fiber, in long white strands. These are hung up in the sunshine to dry and bleach, after which they are tied into bundles and hauled in carabao carts to market. New shoots grow out from the old stalk so that a plantation constantly renews itself.The planter usually sells his abaca to a shipper who has a baling machine and large warehouses in some seaport town, with his own wharves for loading the freight on steamers bound for Manila or foreign ports.During the shipping season these warehouses present scenes of busy activity. Outside is a large courtyard crowded with carabao carts piled high with fresh abaca which men are weighing and sorting as it is unloaded. From within can be heard the rattle and rush of the baling as men and boys, urged by the shrillcommands of their foreman, run around a circular track turning a great wheel that puts the pressure upon the bales. Extending from the warehouse to the vessel is a long line of noisy taos (tä′-ōs̝), or workmen, carrying the heavy bales out on the wharf and over the side of the steamer to be stowed away in the hold.Hauling HempHauling HempHemp WarehouseHemp WarehouseAll kinds of rope, from the heavy cables used on board ship to the small ropes used onthe farm, and even string and thread are made from abaca. Carpets are woven from the fiber. In Paris, hats of the finest quality are made from it; and in the Philippines similar uses are made of it. Many Filipino households have their own looms on which they weave sinamay (sĭn′-ä′mäy̆) and pinalpog(pï′-năl-pōg), beautiful and durable cloths which are used for making men’s shirts, and also women’s waists and dresses. It is woven into handsome patterns in various colors. Sinamay is of rather coarse texture, while pinalpog is as fine as linen,having a glossy sheen which is secured by pounding the fiber in a mortar before weaving. Sometimes threads of silk are woven in with the abaca fiber and the cloth is then called jusi (ho͞o′-sĭ).WeavingWeavingFrancisco’s grandmother, whose house was not far away, made her living by weaving abaca; and she wove a number of very handsome patterns from which Maria’s bestdresses were made. The women of the Philippines wear waists, with open flowing sleeves and very large collars that fasten like a scarf in front and extend in a V shape from the shoulders almost to the waist line. It is a custom among Filipinos to decorate the sleeves and collars of especially nice dresses with hand-painted designs. Maria had some artistic skill and had so decorated two of her waists, one with a cluster of flowers and the other with a small view of Mayon Volcano.Philippine WomenPhilippine WomenIt is easy to see that abaca, with the many uses it is put to in the Philippine Islands and the many articles into which it is manufactured abroad, is of great importance among Philippine products. As American enterprise extends its cultivation, and introduces new and improved methods of harvesting and transportation, its importance as a source of wealth is sure to increase.
CHAPTER IVABACA“Manila hemp,” as it is so commonly called, is not really hemp at all, but a plant closely related to the banana and so strongly resembling it that some persons are unable to tell the difference. The correct name for this is abaca (ä′-bä-cä), and it is probably the most important crop produced in the Philippine Islands. Nowhere else in the world does it grow so well, and in southern Luzon where Francisco lived, the soil is especially well suited for its cultivation.Cutting AbacaCutting AbacaFrancisco’s father had a good many acres devoted to it, and his crop yielded him a good income. A field is planted by setting out, at regular intervals, shoots from old plants. Three years are required for these shoots to grow to maturity, and a planter must therefore be willing and able to wait a long timebefore he can harvest his crop. An abaca plant grows to a height of ten feet or more, bearing long fanlike leaves that wave gracefully in the breeze and shut out the sun’s rays so completely that noontime in an abaca field is like twilight. The stem consists of crisp, juicy, green leaves rolled tightlytogether around a central stalk. These stems are often eight or ten inches in diameter, and it is from the tightly rolled inner leaves that the fiber which constitutes the crop is secured.Stripping Abaca PlantsStripping Abaca PlantsWhen the proper time comes, the men go out into the field with their sharp bolos (bō′-lōs̝), heavy knives much like corn knives, and cut off the abaca plants close to theground. They tear away the leaves and the green outer part of the stem, which they leave on the ground for fertilizer. The white inner part comes from the plant in long strips and is drawn through a machine that presses out the water and pulp, leaving only the fiber, in long white strands. These are hung up in the sunshine to dry and bleach, after which they are tied into bundles and hauled in carabao carts to market. New shoots grow out from the old stalk so that a plantation constantly renews itself.The planter usually sells his abaca to a shipper who has a baling machine and large warehouses in some seaport town, with his own wharves for loading the freight on steamers bound for Manila or foreign ports.During the shipping season these warehouses present scenes of busy activity. Outside is a large courtyard crowded with carabao carts piled high with fresh abaca which men are weighing and sorting as it is unloaded. From within can be heard the rattle and rush of the baling as men and boys, urged by the shrillcommands of their foreman, run around a circular track turning a great wheel that puts the pressure upon the bales. Extending from the warehouse to the vessel is a long line of noisy taos (tä′-ōs̝), or workmen, carrying the heavy bales out on the wharf and over the side of the steamer to be stowed away in the hold.Hauling HempHauling HempHemp WarehouseHemp WarehouseAll kinds of rope, from the heavy cables used on board ship to the small ropes used onthe farm, and even string and thread are made from abaca. Carpets are woven from the fiber. In Paris, hats of the finest quality are made from it; and in the Philippines similar uses are made of it. Many Filipino households have their own looms on which they weave sinamay (sĭn′-ä′mäy̆) and pinalpog(pï′-năl-pōg), beautiful and durable cloths which are used for making men’s shirts, and also women’s waists and dresses. It is woven into handsome patterns in various colors. Sinamay is of rather coarse texture, while pinalpog is as fine as linen,having a glossy sheen which is secured by pounding the fiber in a mortar before weaving. Sometimes threads of silk are woven in with the abaca fiber and the cloth is then called jusi (ho͞o′-sĭ).WeavingWeavingFrancisco’s grandmother, whose house was not far away, made her living by weaving abaca; and she wove a number of very handsome patterns from which Maria’s bestdresses were made. The women of the Philippines wear waists, with open flowing sleeves and very large collars that fasten like a scarf in front and extend in a V shape from the shoulders almost to the waist line. It is a custom among Filipinos to decorate the sleeves and collars of especially nice dresses with hand-painted designs. Maria had some artistic skill and had so decorated two of her waists, one with a cluster of flowers and the other with a small view of Mayon Volcano.Philippine WomenPhilippine WomenIt is easy to see that abaca, with the many uses it is put to in the Philippine Islands and the many articles into which it is manufactured abroad, is of great importance among Philippine products. As American enterprise extends its cultivation, and introduces new and improved methods of harvesting and transportation, its importance as a source of wealth is sure to increase.
CHAPTER IVABACA
“Manila hemp,” as it is so commonly called, is not really hemp at all, but a plant closely related to the banana and so strongly resembling it that some persons are unable to tell the difference. The correct name for this is abaca (ä′-bä-cä), and it is probably the most important crop produced in the Philippine Islands. Nowhere else in the world does it grow so well, and in southern Luzon where Francisco lived, the soil is especially well suited for its cultivation.Cutting AbacaCutting AbacaFrancisco’s father had a good many acres devoted to it, and his crop yielded him a good income. A field is planted by setting out, at regular intervals, shoots from old plants. Three years are required for these shoots to grow to maturity, and a planter must therefore be willing and able to wait a long timebefore he can harvest his crop. An abaca plant grows to a height of ten feet or more, bearing long fanlike leaves that wave gracefully in the breeze and shut out the sun’s rays so completely that noontime in an abaca field is like twilight. The stem consists of crisp, juicy, green leaves rolled tightlytogether around a central stalk. These stems are often eight or ten inches in diameter, and it is from the tightly rolled inner leaves that the fiber which constitutes the crop is secured.Stripping Abaca PlantsStripping Abaca PlantsWhen the proper time comes, the men go out into the field with their sharp bolos (bō′-lōs̝), heavy knives much like corn knives, and cut off the abaca plants close to theground. They tear away the leaves and the green outer part of the stem, which they leave on the ground for fertilizer. The white inner part comes from the plant in long strips and is drawn through a machine that presses out the water and pulp, leaving only the fiber, in long white strands. These are hung up in the sunshine to dry and bleach, after which they are tied into bundles and hauled in carabao carts to market. New shoots grow out from the old stalk so that a plantation constantly renews itself.The planter usually sells his abaca to a shipper who has a baling machine and large warehouses in some seaport town, with his own wharves for loading the freight on steamers bound for Manila or foreign ports.During the shipping season these warehouses present scenes of busy activity. Outside is a large courtyard crowded with carabao carts piled high with fresh abaca which men are weighing and sorting as it is unloaded. From within can be heard the rattle and rush of the baling as men and boys, urged by the shrillcommands of their foreman, run around a circular track turning a great wheel that puts the pressure upon the bales. Extending from the warehouse to the vessel is a long line of noisy taos (tä′-ōs̝), or workmen, carrying the heavy bales out on the wharf and over the side of the steamer to be stowed away in the hold.Hauling HempHauling HempHemp WarehouseHemp WarehouseAll kinds of rope, from the heavy cables used on board ship to the small ropes used onthe farm, and even string and thread are made from abaca. Carpets are woven from the fiber. In Paris, hats of the finest quality are made from it; and in the Philippines similar uses are made of it. Many Filipino households have their own looms on which they weave sinamay (sĭn′-ä′mäy̆) and pinalpog(pï′-năl-pōg), beautiful and durable cloths which are used for making men’s shirts, and also women’s waists and dresses. It is woven into handsome patterns in various colors. Sinamay is of rather coarse texture, while pinalpog is as fine as linen,having a glossy sheen which is secured by pounding the fiber in a mortar before weaving. Sometimes threads of silk are woven in with the abaca fiber and the cloth is then called jusi (ho͞o′-sĭ).WeavingWeavingFrancisco’s grandmother, whose house was not far away, made her living by weaving abaca; and she wove a number of very handsome patterns from which Maria’s bestdresses were made. The women of the Philippines wear waists, with open flowing sleeves and very large collars that fasten like a scarf in front and extend in a V shape from the shoulders almost to the waist line. It is a custom among Filipinos to decorate the sleeves and collars of especially nice dresses with hand-painted designs. Maria had some artistic skill and had so decorated two of her waists, one with a cluster of flowers and the other with a small view of Mayon Volcano.Philippine WomenPhilippine WomenIt is easy to see that abaca, with the many uses it is put to in the Philippine Islands and the many articles into which it is manufactured abroad, is of great importance among Philippine products. As American enterprise extends its cultivation, and introduces new and improved methods of harvesting and transportation, its importance as a source of wealth is sure to increase.
“Manila hemp,” as it is so commonly called, is not really hemp at all, but a plant closely related to the banana and so strongly resembling it that some persons are unable to tell the difference. The correct name for this is abaca (ä′-bä-cä), and it is probably the most important crop produced in the Philippine Islands. Nowhere else in the world does it grow so well, and in southern Luzon where Francisco lived, the soil is especially well suited for its cultivation.
Cutting AbacaCutting Abaca
Cutting Abaca
Francisco’s father had a good many acres devoted to it, and his crop yielded him a good income. A field is planted by setting out, at regular intervals, shoots from old plants. Three years are required for these shoots to grow to maturity, and a planter must therefore be willing and able to wait a long timebefore he can harvest his crop. An abaca plant grows to a height of ten feet or more, bearing long fanlike leaves that wave gracefully in the breeze and shut out the sun’s rays so completely that noontime in an abaca field is like twilight. The stem consists of crisp, juicy, green leaves rolled tightlytogether around a central stalk. These stems are often eight or ten inches in diameter, and it is from the tightly rolled inner leaves that the fiber which constitutes the crop is secured.
Stripping Abaca PlantsStripping Abaca Plants
Stripping Abaca Plants
When the proper time comes, the men go out into the field with their sharp bolos (bō′-lōs̝), heavy knives much like corn knives, and cut off the abaca plants close to theground. They tear away the leaves and the green outer part of the stem, which they leave on the ground for fertilizer. The white inner part comes from the plant in long strips and is drawn through a machine that presses out the water and pulp, leaving only the fiber, in long white strands. These are hung up in the sunshine to dry and bleach, after which they are tied into bundles and hauled in carabao carts to market. New shoots grow out from the old stalk so that a plantation constantly renews itself.
The planter usually sells his abaca to a shipper who has a baling machine and large warehouses in some seaport town, with his own wharves for loading the freight on steamers bound for Manila or foreign ports.
During the shipping season these warehouses present scenes of busy activity. Outside is a large courtyard crowded with carabao carts piled high with fresh abaca which men are weighing and sorting as it is unloaded. From within can be heard the rattle and rush of the baling as men and boys, urged by the shrillcommands of their foreman, run around a circular track turning a great wheel that puts the pressure upon the bales. Extending from the warehouse to the vessel is a long line of noisy taos (tä′-ōs̝), or workmen, carrying the heavy bales out on the wharf and over the side of the steamer to be stowed away in the hold.
Hauling HempHauling Hemp
Hauling Hemp
Hemp WarehouseHemp Warehouse
Hemp Warehouse
All kinds of rope, from the heavy cables used on board ship to the small ropes used onthe farm, and even string and thread are made from abaca. Carpets are woven from the fiber. In Paris, hats of the finest quality are made from it; and in the Philippines similar uses are made of it. Many Filipino households have their own looms on which they weave sinamay (sĭn′-ä′mäy̆) and pinalpog(pï′-năl-pōg), beautiful and durable cloths which are used for making men’s shirts, and also women’s waists and dresses. It is woven into handsome patterns in various colors. Sinamay is of rather coarse texture, while pinalpog is as fine as linen,having a glossy sheen which is secured by pounding the fiber in a mortar before weaving. Sometimes threads of silk are woven in with the abaca fiber and the cloth is then called jusi (ho͞o′-sĭ).
WeavingWeaving
Weaving
Francisco’s grandmother, whose house was not far away, made her living by weaving abaca; and she wove a number of very handsome patterns from which Maria’s bestdresses were made. The women of the Philippines wear waists, with open flowing sleeves and very large collars that fasten like a scarf in front and extend in a V shape from the shoulders almost to the waist line. It is a custom among Filipinos to decorate the sleeves and collars of especially nice dresses with hand-painted designs. Maria had some artistic skill and had so decorated two of her waists, one with a cluster of flowers and the other with a small view of Mayon Volcano.
Philippine WomenPhilippine Women
Philippine Women
It is easy to see that abaca, with the many uses it is put to in the Philippine Islands and the many articles into which it is manufactured abroad, is of great importance among Philippine products. As American enterprise extends its cultivation, and introduces new and improved methods of harvesting and transportation, its importance as a source of wealth is sure to increase.