HENEQUEN
In Yucatan,
the fibre henequen is produced from a plant Agave
fourcroydes, which is closely related to the A. sisalana which yields
sisal.
Henequen
fibre is also a valuable export from Cuba. It is often known as 'Yucatan sisal'
or 'Cuban sisal'.
Henequen
Production
and Processing:-
The henequen
plant is very similar to that from which sisal is obtained. The leaves are
prickly and grey-green in colour. They are first cut, one or two at a time,
from plants about six or seven years old. Then, for fifteen to eighteen years,
a few leaves are removed
twice yearly until the plant flowers and dies.
The leaves
are processed in the same way as sisal and the strands of washed fibre are
dried in the sun.
Structure
and Properties:-
Henequen is
very similar to sisal. The strands of fibre, 150cm (5 ft) long, are of good
colour and have an attractive lustre. They are usually finer than strands of
sisal fibre.
The
individual cells of henequen are almost identical with those of sisal.
Denier of
henequen is 362-478.
Henequen in
Use:-
1- Henequen is used in much the
same way as sisal. It provides much of the world’s agriculture twine.
2- Coarse fabrics such as canvas have been made
from henequen in Mexico since prehistoric times.
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