Pineapple Fiber

the fiber yielded by the leaves of the pineapple plant. In China and the Philippines the fleshy surfaces of the long leaf are cut off with a plane. The fibers are then removed from about the middle of the leaf by hand. They are steeped in water, washed, dried, and bleached. Pineapple fiber is long, white, and silky, and is one of the strongest of vegetable fibers. A small strand tested against an equal quantity of flax sustained a weight of ninety pounds more than that sustained by the flax. It is prepared readily for spinning. The individual filaments are flexible, fine, and of regular size. In Europe pineapple fiber is used in the manufacture of novelty fabrics, and in mixtures with silk, wool, and cotton. In China a coarse cloth resembling grass cloth is made from it. In Central Mexico it is used in making ropes, twine, thread, hammocks, and bagging. In the Philippines the famous pina cloth is made from the fiber of the wild pineapple. Pina cloth is thin, soft, of delicate texture, and great durability. Efforts have been made to utilize the fiber from the leaves of the Florida pineapple, but with indifferent success. A ton of pineapple leaves yields from forty-five to sixty pounds of fiber. No practicable machinery has yet been invented for extracting the fiber from the leaves.