The Opelousas courier., 1883-03-24
Jute Culture.

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
! to Is feet high and very straight,
branching toward the top; It's stem is
from | to 2 inches in diameter, growing
gradually thinner towards the top end
its bark is the fbrous substance which
is very fine, and used all over the globe
for innumerable commercial purposes,
snch for instance, as making wrapping
and writing paper, ropes, gunny cloth,
gunny baggipg, mattiDgs, and carpets;
It is mixed with cotton, WOODEN, and
even silk goods. The cultivation OF
lutte in Bengal during the last % years,
has attained gigantic proportions.
The money value of the imported
raw and manufactured jute to the Unit
ed States must be over $l0,0O0,OOO 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 on intelligent effort to raise jute.
Our wants for that article are enormous,
and yearly increasing. We need it FOR
our cotton crops, of 6,500,O0O bales this
year, with prospects to reach 7,O0O,00o
or 5000, 900 of bales the next two or
three years and every bale of cotton
requires z yards of 2 to % lbs. each
ward. We need it for our breadstuffs,
fnr shinment to Europe, and for innu-
merable purposes al above stated.
But the question comes now, is oul
soil. climate, etc., suitable to the growth
of jute, and Il we compete With the
cheap labor of India, where o hand 10
satisfied With 10 to Is cents a day and
finds himself too; can we raise a Jute
crop that will pay us? :.
As to our soil and climate, we could
not wish for anything better, and my
experiments of the last four years in
raising lutte, enable me to state that jute
grows m the Southern States as luxu-
~riantly as it does in India, If not better.
This is o fact beyond q shadow OF
doubt, and / dare say there are many
here amongst you that have seen at my
plantation at BrookhaveD, my last
years jute crop of about Is acres, and
who can testify as to the correctness Of
nv statements. Our Commissioner Of
Agriculture, who has seen it, will, / am
sure, give you all the information you
may need on the subject.
This question once settled sa~tisfacto-
rily, the next one arises al to whether
We can compete with India's cheap la
Dor, etc. This question seems to be
surrounded with serious difficulties, and
if we had to depend entirely upon man
ual labor, those difficulties would have
been q great block in our way but,
luckily, this continent is inhabited by
class of people whose inventive genius
is as wonderful as its energy 10 remark.
able and as great and diversified as the
~immensity of this big country. The in,
Renuity of our people who have solved
60 many problems and infused such life
In all our industries and accomplished
such wonderful results, is ready now Il
place at the disposal of the jute industry
a dec~orticating machine, which, like thu
cotton gin of Whitney, 10 destined t.
promote a new industry and add enor
mously to the immense resources of thu
South, and to the prosperity of its peo'
pie. Y We compete with India il
raising cotton, in spite of her cheap la
Dor, and the time may come when VI
shall monopolize the raising of tina
crop. The West began to compet'
with her in raising fax seed, which W
used to import in considerable quantities.
and two years ago we exported some t.
the old country. I don't consider l
presumptuous to say that VIZ shall rails
our lutte crops too, and not only for on
own wants, but we shall also expor
largely, and our crops worked NOR
intelligently, will produce far bette
qualities and higher prices than tn
crops of India.
/ Soil for jjute and Instructions for plant
ing II.
Jute grows better ON soil mixed wit
clay or sand, or sand combined with al
luvial deposit-but except the gravell.
soil, all eur lands of the cotton bell
which are we'll drained, are suitable 70
the growth Of East India jute of cours
the best soil produces the richest har
vest.
Preparing the ground.
The land should be frst deeply an
closely ploughed by q double pillow {
j l2 to l6 inches, early in the fall, 80 tha
all vegetable matter turned unde
should have time TO decompese and ad
to the fertility of the soil early
April, when fears of frost are passei
! the land should be ploughed again q
above, narrowed carefully, so that til
! soil DO completely pulverized. III
roWY should be marked and seed SOW
thinly with a dividing machine.
j, Planting.
Planting can be done from beginnin
of April, when fears of frost are passet
to the middle of June, but the earl
planting is the most advantageous, fl
the reason that the crop natures at
time when all other crops are laid b,
and the plantation hands are free |
r save the jute fibre, and thus bring !
money much earlier than either corn |
cotton. In India they prepare ii
: ground by repeated plowings, and pu
. .verize the soil as for wheat cr0ps the
d they plant broadcast, and allow Il
lutte crops to take care Of themselves,
we do wheat, oats and such other crop
We recommend thoroughly small expe
iments Of jute raising on the broadca
+ plan, but until taught by experience
the contrary, our frst crops must
|, grown on the following plan: AS SOC
as the ground is prepared to receive IL
! crops, the rows should be marked tu