The Opelousas courier., 1883-03-17

MI. C. Menelas, of Brookhaven, Miss,
the father Of jute culture in the United
States, is the author of the following
paper:
Jute.
Jute is an annual plant, cultivated
principally in Bengal. 1t grows from
IL to Is feet high and very straight,
branching toward the top; its stem is
from | TO Q inches in diameter, growing
| gradually thinner towards the top end;
its bark is the fibrous substance which
is very fine and used all over the globe
for innumerable commercial purposes,
such for ~instance, as making wrapping
and writing paper, ropes, gunny cloth,
gunny bagging, mattings, and carpets.
Ii is mixed with cotton, wooden, and
even silk goods. The cultivation OF
iute in Bengal during the last 20 years,
has attained gigantic proportions.
The money value of the imported
raw and manufactured jute to the Unit
ed States must be over $4,000 900 an
nually-an item, very large even for
this great country, and which we may
easily save, in a few years, if we only
make an intelligent effort to raise jute.
Our wants for that article are enormous,
and yearly increasing. We need it for
our cotton crops, of 6,5OO,O0O bales this
year, with prospects to reach 7,OOO,Ooo
or 5000, 900 of bales the next two or
three years and every bale of cotton
requires 2 yards of to 81 lbs. each
ward. We need it for our breadstuts,
for shipment to Europe, and for innu-
merable purposes as above stated.
But the question comes now, is u
soil, climate, etc., suitable to the growth
of iute, and can we compete with the
cheap labor of India, where a hand is
satisfied with l2 to Is cents q day and
finds himself too; can We raise a jute
crop that will pay U.S.
As TO our soil and climate, we could
not wish for anything better, and my
experiments of the last four years in
raising iute, enable me to state that jute
grows in the Southern States as luxu-
~riantly as 1t does in India, if not better.
This is a fact beyond a shadow of
doubt, and ] dare Say there are many
here amongst you that have seen at my
plantation at Brookhaven, my last
years jute crop Of about Is acres, aud
who can testify as to the correctness OF
ms statements. Our Commissioner OF
Agriculture, who has seen it, will, am
sure, give youasail the information you
mas aeed on:the subject.
This question: once settled satisfaeto-
rily. the next one arises as to whether
We can compete with midas cheap la
boz, etc. This question seems 60 be
surrounded with serious difficulties, and
if we had to depend entirely upon man
ual labor, those difficulties would have
been Il great block in our way but,
luckily, this continent is inhabited BY a
class Of people whose inventive genius
is as wonderful as Its energy is remark
able and as great and diversified as the
immensely Of this big country. The in-
genuity of cur people who have solved
80 many problems and infused such life
in all u industries and accomplished
such wonderful results, 10 ready now to
place at thedisposal of the jute industry
a decorticating machine, which, like the
cotton gin Of Whitney, is destined to
promote q new industry and add enOr-
moualy to the immense resources Of the
South, and to the prosperity of IT'D peo,
pie. = !" We compete with India in
raising cotton, in spite other cheap To-
Dor, and the time may come when We
shall monopolizs the raising of that
crop. The West began to compete
with her in raising fax seed, which VIC
used to import in considerable quantities.
and two years ago We exported SOHO e
the old country. I don't consider il
] presumptuous to say that we shall raise
our jnts crops too, and not only for oul
own wants, but we shall also export
largely, and our crops worked more
intelligently, will produce far bettel
] qualities and higher prices than chi
crops of India.
Soil for juts and Instructions for plant
ing 1t.
Jute grows better on soil mixed will
clay or sand, or sand combined with al
luvial dsposit-but except the gravelll
{ soil, all eur lands of the cotton belt
| which are well drained, are suitable fol
; the growth Of East India jute of coura,
the best soil produces the richest har
( vest.
Preparing the ground.
The land should be first deeply ani
closely ploughsd BY q double pillow o
l2 to l6 inches, early in the fall, SO tina
all vegetable matter turned nnde'
should have time to ~decompose and add
to the fertility of the soil early il
April, when fears of frost ars passed
the land should be plcughed again Al
above, narrowed carefully, 50 that the
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