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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 569, 12 February 1891, Page 2

The cultivation of sisal in the Bahamas, a group of islands in the Atlantic, lying off North America, threatens to ruin the market for phorminm tcna.v. The islands are British possessions, and are occupied by about 14,000 whites and 34,000 descendants of liberated slaves. The soil is prolific, and the climate salubrious. Its suitability for the growth of sisal recently atttacted attention, and 120,000 acres of Crown land have already been disposed of, and other applications pending amount to another 200,000. This land is being rapidly cleared and prepared for the cultivation of sisal. In about two years’ time the new fields will be coming into bearing, and the exports of the colony, which now average about 600,000 dollars, will soon be into the millions. In six years’ time even the land taken up ought to produce fibre to the value pf fifteen million dollars. Such a wonderful increase of prosperity has been truly said to read like a fairy tale, but the statements are deduced from reasonable figures. The fibre is said to be quite as suitable for all uses to which the New Zealand flax is put, and it is cheaper in production, requires very little dressing, and has the advantage of being close to the great markets. It has been suggested that the attention of New Zealanders should also be directed toward the production of sisal, and these facts are not likely to be lost upon those who would keep abreast of the times. If the machinery used in the production of fhormium tenax can be improved, that would possibly enable this colony to cope with the new and formidable rival in the trade.