Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-09-15

bound t0gether by a resinous substance which
Is moro difficult to dissolve than that con-:
tanned In fax and hemp. and from this circum-
stance the retting of the ranch plant Is more
laborious than hemp and max, though the
hatcheling OF the stems is less arduoue.
The propagation of the ranch can be effect
ed in every manner, either by seeds. Myers. or
cuttings, but the reproduction from seeds;
being slow and uncertain prOcese II Is better
to have recourse to slips or layers.
The ranch is perennial, not, like hemp
and fax, an annual, and its strength and fer
tility increase with its age With equal energy
| it withstands both drought and damp, but
frosts are injurious to it. Even after frost,
however, 1t is only the first cuttings which
are lost, since the roots, which penetrate the
ground to depth of thirty centimeters, are
seldom affected and soon put forth new shoots.
It's growth is unusually rapid, and even in
this climate it attains annually height OF
! from two to two and one-half meters, In its
home, however-China and Bengal-it attains
height OF five meters. . 3 Ss3 s
By cutting the stems when they have at
tanned height of one meter several crops
and finer fbers are obtained, the plant renew
ing its shoots continually. ~ ., s..s,f
The leaves when dried are valuable for the
manufacture of that tough Chinese paper
which is so much admired, whilst the green
ones afford excellent cattle fodder
On account of Its luxuriant growth, good
manuring is requisite. Chemical manures
are especially valuable, particularly nitrate of
soda (stickstoffsaure soda), lime, and the va
r Gus kinds of potash. apa J..
With the exception of the care necessary in
manuring, the cultivation of the ranch is of
the simplest kind. With due care for frost,
it can be planted at any season. The best
manner is to plant it in burrows, IS cent?
meters deep and meter apart, the plants be-
ing set out at intervals of l meter. Hoeing
and digging are only necessary the first year,
the plant growing afterwards with such lnxu-
/ rance as to smother all weeds. In the spring,
and:after each cutting, hoeing is advisable;
and at the approach Of winter the earth should
be up about the roots to protect them from
| frosts. sflf5 ,r6alaE n,aiiiiW 81.
The stems increase rapidly in number, the
first growth yielding from 8 to 4, the second
from 6 to 8, the third from 10 to IL, the fourth,
| but only in warm climates, from 16 to 90
stems. Since at each harvest as many cut
| tings are obtained as there are stems, it is
plain that the extension of its culture is a
most easy and rapid procedure, .r.,s
PecunIarily, the results thus far obtained
are most satisfactory. 1t is maintained that
the ranch plant will yield a crop worth from
$3.50 to $3.50 per hectare. Assuming that
three cuttings are annually obtained, there
would be a yield of from "a 900 to 5,006 kilos
of leaves alone, which would cover all the ex-
pense of cultivation. In addition to this,
there would be from $500 to 1900 kllos OF
fbers, from which 1,200 to l 500 kilos of white
hacked linen can be spun. s, 1856 +
At present English and Belgian manufactu-
rers purchase ranch, which is imported from
China, at S5 cents per kilo, selling the same,
after hacking, bleaching, and spinning, for
81. 40 to 81. 80 per kilo, according to the num-
Der of the thread. From this it will be seen
\ ., -
| to be source of wealth for Southern Europe.
| The tenacity of the ranch fiber is 30 per
cent greater than that of fax, and expressed in
| figures bears the proportion of 125 to 50.
In consequence of this tenacity the plant has
for many years been used in China IN the man.
ufacture of many articles, whose sOlidity we
have admired without recognizing the mate
rial from which they were made. In China
from fibers of this plant the coarsest nets are
woven, and fabrics which surpass IN gloss and
delicacy the finest batriste.
The use of the ranch plant explains the
establishment of SO many travellers at the uni
versal employment of silk both in the clothes
of the laborers and the sails of ships. As
with flax and hemp, the first operation is to
| separate the fibers from the resinOus sub
stance which unltes them. This is effected by
sleeping in water, and as has already been
said, is more ardous than with fax. At the
and on account of the exhalations from the
fermenting watts, unhealthier.
| The Belgians have, however substituted for
The old new, more rapid, and healthier pro-
cess, which produces an excellent CONNER
cial result. Large square cemented watts are
used. In these the stems are laid, then water
is poured on and held, for fax and hemp, at a
temperature of twenty-five degrees centigrade
| for one or two days, and for ranch from i've
to six days. To the bath one-half per cent.
of the weight of the stems of pulverized char
coal is added, and the same quantity of car
Donate of soda or potash, and throughout
the process the watts are kept carefully closed.
In this manner decomposition takes place
slowly, and the fibers are protected from the
| injurious effects of the exhalations of sui
phureted hydrogen.
| After the gluten is dissolved from the fibers
they have only to be separated from the woody
tissue. This is effected by hacking, which,
| formerly slowly and arduously done by hand,
is now performed by machinery in the simplest
manner. The stems are passed excessively
through four pairs of rollers which destroy
the woody tissue; then the hacking is done
by two pairs of grooyed cylinders, which, by
| different movement back and forth, rub and
cleanse the fbers from all impurities; third
machine, which consists of hollow cylinder
Enclosing an axle, does the combing This axle
is provided with number of whips, which
beat the fbers continually. The fbers, enter
the cylinder at at opening in the side, the dust
is removed by ventilator, and the stems, re-
duced to the finest fbers, leave the machine
perfectly cleansed, and after bleaching are
ready for spinning.
In conclusion, it should be remarked that in
consequence OF the silky character of the
fiber, it is necessary to fasten the warp well to
prevent its being pulled out when weaving.
Special attention also must be paid to the dye
ing to insure fast colors.
Recently, under date of October 80, 1880,
Mr.. Leger has written that the culture of the
| ranch plant makes great progress in Southern
France, Corscia, and Algiers; that q practical
process has been discovered for separating the
fibers from the stems, and that spinners have
worked up the new material in a satisfactory
manner. He recommends the spinning works
of Mr.. E. Batilly, in Nay, Lower Pyrenees,
France, especially, and says that manufacturers
make as yet secret of the process, though
he Ueger) believes that the fax-spinning ma
chimes are used without any alteration.
The only secret is the manner of preparing
the fiber and the more or less perfect solution
of the gluten. The removal of the gluten Is
the difficult point, for If insuficleniy cleans
ed the fbers become brittle, and If too much
SO, they lose large portion of their tenacity.
Mr.. Leger knows of way of deglutenizing
which is not Injurious, but gives the fibers
the condition required by the fax-spinning
machine. E3LtGs
In France measures have been taken for the