Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-04-02

which are about the size Of whit,
mustard, are sown broadcast and har
rowed or brushed in, and there is u,
more work necessary until the plan
is ready to be cnt, The proper tim
for cutting is indicated by the bloom
which will appear in two and hal
months. The fibre is at that tim,
best. and becomes harsh IL the plan
il allowed to stand until the seed RI
pens.
II il stated in the United States
Agricultural Reports the yield of Jutt
fibre per acre in India is eight times
that ofcotton on the same quantity o.
land, and that the average height o1
the plant on good land, is six or seven
feet, and that rs early as 1874 India
exported more than 009,M0,00C
pounds of Jute fibre.
Incorporation of the fibre is very
simple. The stalks are bound in bun
dies and thrown into the bayous or
draining canals and bitches where
they are allowed to remain u week,
when the fibre becomes soft and
mushy and is shaken from the stems;
washed and dried in the sun, and is
ready for use OF market
That part which grew nearest the
ground is cut off from twelve to eight
cen inches long and becomes the jute
butts of commerce. The other por-
ton of tho fibre, which is Us long as
the stem, is twisted into hanks, as
sorted and pressed int bales. The
finer fibre is "rottedn underneath
running water, care being taken to
keep it well under the water to pre-
vent discoloration. The fibre from
the upper portion OF the stems is soft
and lustrous like silk and care is nee
essary to ascertain the right moment
when the albumcn and starch of the
bark is sufficiently "rottedn Ucrment-
ed to wash out readily and free the
fibre.
The agricultural report of 1879
states that "The plant can be profit
ably grown wherever in the Southern
States there is n hot, damp climate
and IL moist soil Of sandy clay or al
luvial mold,n but reports of practical
farmers from different parishes of
Louisiana establish the fact beyond
doubt that the climate of the State
and I'LL its varieties of soil are emf
nently suited to the cultivation of the
plant. Indeed, the reports from all
the cotton States from South Carolina
to Texas indicate that it Hourisl,es in
any soil which will grow cotton. In
Louisiana the best reports are from
the alluvial lands where it grew from
twelve to sixteen feet high; but re-
ports from the pine hills and flats and
the prairie and sandy sea coast are
satisfactory. At Covington. III the
parish Of st. Tammany, it grew thir-
teen feet high.
The large area of open land in
Louisiana subject TO overflow from
Grand Lcvec and Bonnet Care ere
vases can be made available bv
planting the ,jutc after the waters
recede. Unlike other crops, it is not
molested by worms and insects which
follow IN overflow and destroy the
young plants as soon rs they sprout
Indeed. there is no animal which will
eat the .iute, and it is less subject to
disaster and nntavorable weather.
than any crop grown in the South.
IT is a mistake, however, to sup
pose that iute should be planted in
wet, marshy ground. While it will
grow under circumstances that would
kill another crop, it does best on we'll
drained soil.
1t is claimed by those who have
planted it in the vicinity Of cotton
that it's rank odor drives away insects
destructive to the crop.
There are other reasons which make
iute valuable adjuncts to the culture
of Southern products.
Planted on the first Of April. in this
climate it will be ready to cut from
the middle of June to the first of July.