The Opelousas courier., 1874-01-24
Culture and VHanufact cture of
Ramie and Jute.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PLANTERS

We have received from Hon. Fredk Watts
Commissioner Of Agriculture, Washington, D.
c., treatise ON the culture and manufacture
OF ramie and jute in the United btates, by E.
Lefranc, ESP, of New Orleans, from which we
make the following extracts, to which we call
the attention Of our cotton and sugar planters.
Mr.. Watts introduces the treatise with the
following predatory remarks:
Within the last few years the. Agricultural
Department has taken much interest in the
subject of ramie and iutc, the seeds OF which
were originally introduced by it into the
country and extensively distributed i'll the
Southern States. The effect OF this has been
to make the impression that the cultivation
of these plants is about to become one of the
most Important industries, and especially val
liable because it will give a profitable employ
ment to the planters and lands of a portion of
the country where larger production OF cot
ton SO lessons the price as to make any new
production desirable.
Experiments lately made in the State of
Louisiana in the cultivation and preparation
of both ranlie and jute seem to settle the Ques
tion that it is both practicable and profitable.
The Department has sought to gather all the
information which can be gained Oh the sub
Ject aud. at its instance, treatise has been
prepared by Emile Leiranc, of the southern
Ramie-Planting Association whose expe-
rience. both in the cultivation of these plants
and preparation of their tibers, enables him to
speak confidently of the success that con-
pany has met with.
Although it is the purpose Of the Depart
1nent to publish this information, with plates
and drawings Of the machinery used. in tlN
forthcoming annual report, yet the Commits
sioner deems its earlier publication SO impor-
tant. IN anticipation OF the approaching plant
ing-seas0n iii the Southern States, that he
tnL thS ,unIn nfr mt int, rho
sion Of planters who may be disposed to pros
ecute this industry
Of the value and uses of ramie, Mr.. Le
franc says:
The crude ramie-staple is worth Eos to GO
per ton i'll Europe, but American manutac
turers offer 20 or % cents pound for it, pro-
vided large supply be secured. On account
of the aforesaid difficulty of decortication by
machinery, it has hitherto been impossible to
comply with this condition, and consequently
the cultivation of the plant has remained sta
tionary i'll America. This impeachment Is now
about to disappear, and a hourishing trade
Will, no doubt, be soon inaugnrated. Then
there will be reason for continuing the value
of the fiber to what it is worth i'll its crude
condition. Properly ungumlned and bteached
by the process hereafter described, rarnietiber
acquired double and triple market value.
| Then, if dressed and combed smoothly, it has
the beauty and value of a lustrous staple
which is ctassed next to silk for strength and
brilliancy. The tissues called japan silk, ,
Canton goods" grass-cloth,7 "Nankin lin
en- and many other varieties of dry goods,
are generally made OF ralnie material, more or
less mixed with other fiber
Regarding the manner of its cultivation Mr..
Lefranc gives full particulars, preceded by
the following remarks:
The successful cultivation of the ramie is
not exactly an easy task, as many suppose 1t
to be, nor can the plant adapt itself to any
kind of soil indiscrlminately, as it has been
reported. Experience has demonstrated that
Il durable stand requires a judiciouS choice OF
land and situation, also intelligent and atten-
tive labor at the outset. Bearing in mind that
ramie is perennial growth of great produc-
tiveness, which can last for years and years.
it will logically be admitted that a selected
and well prepared soil is Indispensable to Sc
cure the benefit Of frequent cuttings and d
heightened stand.
Mr.. Lefranc states that ramie was first in
trodueed in this country in 1867 when few
hundreds of sickly rattoous, transplanted from
Mexico, where a dozen roots had been pre-
vionsly imported from Java, rapidly produced
millions of plants, but that Louisiana is pro-
badly the only spot where the propagation of
the plant was maintained. He closes his re-
marks on ramie as follows:
However, there may be one objection to ra-
mie enterprise i'll the present financial embar-
rasslnent of the country. 1t lies in the capi-
tai required to start regular plantation.
The root-seed costs from $50 to $.J Il thou
sand, and at least 5000 roots are required for
each acre.
That condition may not be accessible to
many. At this juneture. We have another
new, profitable, and cheaper industry to re-
commend as being within the reach of the i'm
poyerished millions OF our planting districts.
That is the cultivation of jute, SO warmly ad-
vocated during She last few years by our wor-
thy Department of Agriculture.
From that portion of the treatise relating to
the culture and manufacture of jute, we make
the following interesting extracts:
Jute is o native of Hindostan, and has been