The comet., 1882-11-11
MACHINE A SUCCESS
More T,rofIiable 'Than Cotton.

place OF MIR. u. Menelhus two miles
from Breokhaven. The inventor is
Mr.. T. Albee Smith, Of st. Louis,
whom we found to be most agree-
able gentlemen. and thoroughly
conyersant with the cultivation
and manipulation of nearly all the
fibres outside of the jute. He has
been for long time engaged in the
fax business, and this makes the
second machine he has patented,
the second an improvement upon
the first.
1t has been known for some years
that jute could be protitably raised
in the Southern States, provided
q machine WAS invented TO take out
all the woody material and leave
the fibre ready for the rotting pro-
cess. Unless a machine could be
furnished for this purpose 1t would
be impossible to compete with In
dia, where labor is so much cheaper
than in the United States, and from
which country most of the jute is
now received. Several machines
have been patented during the last
few years, and large sums of money
have been offered TO the person who
would invent one that would sue
cestully do the work.
We think Mr.. Smith has won the
prize which will not only in the
end prove very profitable to~the in
ventor, but should receive the
thanks and appreciation of the en-
tire people of the South for the un-
firing energy and zeal he has man
ifested towards enabling our farms
ers to utilize a product more valu-
able than cotton; or anything else.
they can plant.
The machine will work up about
10000 pounds of jute per day, pcr-
forming the labor of go hands.
Prof. Waterhouse of st. Louis, who
is a very scientific gentleman, and
has paid great deal of attention
to iute, visiting India and seeing
the modo of manipulation thore,
,Droro,,oooc - n sOooaso NTp Put
nam, the largest planter of jute in
Louisiana, has been up to see the
machine, and thinks that it will do
the work. There will also be gen
tlemea interested in the culture of
jute. from virgInia, North Carolina
and Other States who viii come
down for the purpose Of seeing the
maohine work
If Il proves 4 sncccs, which, no
doubt, twill as il is already 4 sue
cess, thousands will embark il this
business in preference to the un-
certain and unproftable:crop of cot
ton, which is altogether IN the
hands Of spectators, and instead 81
proving blessing, has been acurse.
Jute can be more easily cultivated
while the profits per acre ares about
twice as much. The seed ean be
planted in April and daring the lat
ter portion of June, when the plant
begins TO blossom, and u ready for
the machine. Mr.. Monelas has
planted this year about twelve
acres, which will yield about 1000
pounds per acre, and is worth four
cents in market now, making eighty
dollars per acre, or the value of
two bales of cotton.
On better land it can be made to
produce twice as much. It is more
easily cultivated, more easily pro-
pared for market, and is worth
more than cotton.
Flax lands in Kentucky are con-
sidered very valuable which pro-
duce 1000 pounds of clear fibre per-
acre. Which, according to Prof.
Proctor, who has written a valua-
BILE work on this subject, nets about
S29 per acre. Jute will net twice
this amount.
India has one million acres plant
ed in jute, and don't supply the de-
mand. But tho raw material is too
Ear away from the bagging facto-
ries.- When the material can be
nearer home it will stimu-
late capitalists to increase the mum
ber of factories The demand is
also increasing. A new demand |
Is now springing up for msterial
among the self binding and reaplng
machines of the West. During last
season 20, coo tons of twine tor
those binders were imported from
the Philippine Islands at a cost Of
IL to II cents per pound. BY mix
lure with some other material jute
can meet this new demand.
Besides being profitable it will
add to the diversity OF our new
industries, causing tho people to
forsake the old exploded idea that
cotton is sill king. tits true to-
Jay, but a sad truth to the Southern
people that while middling cotton
r selling for nine cents meat is