A 1900 Harper's Weekly article promoting the abaca (Manila hemp) industry of the Philippines as an investment for American capital. It describes how the plant is grown, harvested and hand-stripped with a bolo on a bamboo bench, then baled, graded, and shipped through Manila, Cebu and Hong Kong. It also covers prices, the Chinese and English role in the trade, and the failure of stripping machines and of transplanting abaca abroad. Brief mention is made of woven abaca and piña cloth, and three illustrations show drying, unloading and baling hemp.