San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-11-30
Uses for Jute.
Prairie Farmer.

Prairie Farmer.
An Eastern commercial paper, re-
ferring to the use of jute bags Tor
shipping flour, remarks that there IS
nothing new under the sun, there are
certainly notifications of ancient
customs; and it instances the fact that
within the past few years there has
been complete revolution in the
manner of shipping flour to Europe.
It has not been long since all ship
ments were made in barrels or cotton
sacks; but some one conceived the
idea of substituting jute sacks. Ex-
detrimental shipments proving satls-
| factory this method was quickly adopt
ed by other exporters, and such de-
mand sprang up for the jute bags
that the factories in this city and Mil
waukee were taxed to their utmost
capacity to turn out the goods as
rapidly as required. The journal re-
ferred to states that in "the exporta-
ton of flour the barrel and cotton
sacks are no longer employed, the
jute bag proving preferable in many
notably in the saving in cost,
which, it is claimed, is something like
one-half as compared with cotton
cloth. The greatly-increased demand
for the article led some Eastern par
ties to attempt the manufacture OF
a substitute, and a factory was estab-
ished at Utica, N. Y, for that pur.
pose. Flax was the substitute, and
large quantities Of the product of that
mill went to the West to be used in
baling hops, but it did not possess the
requisite strength. More recently at
tempts to raise jute in the Southern
states have been made, and in the
case of Louisiana and Florida with
success. Jute is native of India,
from whence are exported annually
from 100000 to 1,75O,OOO bales"
The cultivation of jute in the ex-
IRENE Southern states has been tried
with gratifying success. If the
experiments that has been made,
prove, as they seem to have done
the adaptation of those states to jute
culture, it promises to become a great
industry. The demend for jute and
jute butts is rapidly increasing. A
British official at Calcutta forwarded
a memorandum regarding it which
was published not long since in the
Dundee ADVERTISER, Scotland, the first
paragraph of which shows how rapid
ly this demand is increasing. 1t is as
follows:
"The trade in jute is one of the most
expansive in the world. During the
last quarter of century it has pro-
crossed steadily and rapidly until, in
the year 1866, the reports of jute
together with jute reflections and cut
tings, reached 648,908 bales; while in
1871 it amounted to 1,644,311 bales.
Last crop exceeds that in quantity,
and it will all be required. At the
present time jute goods cannot be pro-
duced fast enough to meet the de-
mand; mills and factories are being
increased in Great Britain and India,
and are also being erected in Austria
liza, America, and the Continent of
Europe. At the end of the coming
decade, the wants of the whole trade
will likely reach four to five millions
of bales annually"
The subject is attracting the atten-
ton of the British Government, as
well it may, for the already vast and
rapidly increasing Importance of the
trade cannot be overlooked. But
what are we doing in this behalf? Our
consumption of jute and jute butts is
by no means an inconsiderable factor
of the British trade in these articles,
nearly all of which We obtain
through British channels of trade. If
we can grow this plant successfully
in Florida, Louisiana and Texas, we
should do so by all means.
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