The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-29

The Coming Rival of the Great King
Cotton.
Interesting Facts About this Valuable
Plant.
A Grand Opportunity for the Southern
States.

| Correspondence of the st. Louis Republican.
LONDON, Aug 5, 1851 have been detained
here far longer than anticipated when left st.
Louis, but can see that which hope and believe
will result largely to my advantage These Lon
doners do not work more than two-thirds as
many hours as st. LOuisans do, and cor sequently
have had provokingly large share of leisure
| forced upon me. This have in part employed
in picking up scraps of information which | sup
posed might some day be useful to st. Louis and
our country in general, well as myself, and it
is about one of these that now address you.
ABOUT THE RAMIE PLANT.
AS England derives large part of its wealth
from the manufacture of textile fabrics, the
question of procuring the best and cheapest
staples receives great attention from many of its
citizens. Foremost among these is the learned
and interchangeable superintendent of The India
museum, John Forbes Watson, NJ. D., who is
directing special attention just now to vegetable
fbres. Among the many of this class which
have been brought to bis notice cultlvable in
British territory
/ believe he gives the preference to the rheea
ramie, plant which was lately introduced
into our country at New Orleans. The extreme
tneness, length, strength, silky gloss and dura-
bility of this article, along with the abundance of
the crop that may be grown, entitle it to the
very first rank among vegetable tibres. The
great difficulty attending it has been, and is, in
separating the fibre from the woody III >tter with
which, like hemp and flax, it is connected. In
India, whence it is chiefly procured the separa
ton is done while the plant is in its green state
and by rude m inual labor.
No machine has yet been invented that will do
this work at once we'll and economically It seems
pro oable, however, that if the plant can be sub
jected like hemp and flax to the process SEES Of wet
ting and drying, the separation may be done rap
idly by machinery with little or no deterioration
of suaity. If this should prove practicable it is
likely that the ramie will become an important
product of our Southern States, the soil aud eli
mate of which are admirably fitted for it.
| have been favored by Messrs. Gabriel Hugon
< Co.. 73 Great Tower street, London, with de-
scription-whch find herewith-of machinery,
lately invented in France by Messrs T. Carbon
4 Co., which it is said operates well on flax |
Made on larger scale it would probably operate |
equally well on hemp and rame. have advised |
the inventor, through Messrs. Hugon & Co., to |
send a set OF the machines to st. Louis in time
to be exhibited at our Fair.
There seems to be difficulty in culvating |
5he ramle. enclose paper which proposes to |
explain the cause and the means of overcoming |
t. For this also Fam indebted to Messrs. Hugon |
/ Co.
l hope you will be able to CLEAN from all these
statements something that will prove of value
o the readers of the Republican, and help to es-
ab!ish what, sooner or later. is sure to become
source of great income to the South and West.
BY mail sample post | have sent you speci-
mems OF the "China silk grass "-ramie, as it is
tut on this market-one stalk, grown here in he
Duke of Wellington's garden, and not "a prim-
n9 to what can be grown IN our cOuntry-some |
f the fibre, as prepared ready for the SPINNER,
nd two pieces of the cloth made of it.
A great variety Of cloths, many of which would
9 mistaken for silk, are made here from the
annie, by Messrs. Hogard & Co., 26 Lawrence
lane, city, the only manufacturers believe in
his country. The limited supply of the staple
the only reason why its uses are so few-its
xcellence for a thousand purposes is undoubted.
THE JETTIEs.
The announcement in the Times on the Sd inst.
lat Capt. Eads will have the South Pass open in
year for the largest vessels is received here
it'll great pleasure. If he should succeed. it ]
ould not be difficult to have his statue erected
| London or Liverpool in honor of the achieve
tent. Yours truly, NJ. s. FIFE.