National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-27
TIE JuTE INDUSTRY.

An Interesting Report From Consul
Wood at Dundee. the Center of the
Trade.
Consul Wood, ut Dundee, has furnished
the Department Of State with an exhaustive
and very interesting report concerning the
trade In jute and It's fabrics. This is the chief
industry OF Dundee, and It may be said that
Dundee is tho jute center OF the world. OF
the SG,000,000 Of exports to the United
States during 1885, over Upper cent. were Of
jute and its manufactures.
The 1ute plant is native to almost every part
OF British India, but IL is chiefly grown In the
province Of Bengal. 1t belongs to the cor
chorus family, OF which there are two sorts,
which are closely allied, and In their growth
and products there is but very little differ
ence. Both are herbaceous animals, and
range In growth from five to ten feet In
height, according TO soil and mode OF Guilt
walton. The plant blooms IN the rainy sea-
son, and is said to be still used In Egypt
and Syria as a pot herb, aud its young
leaves as kind OF spinach. The antiquity
Of its use In this respect, and as an article
Of manufacture and commerce, is known to
very great.
For the cultivation OF jute, high lands
and those not liable to overflow are usually
sought. The seeds are sown in April or
May, and the growth is made mostly dur.
ing the rainy season. A fine and well
MANFRED soil is required aud careful cul-
tlvation, very similar In most respects, to
that employed with flax.
The greater part Of the supply OF jute for
commercial purposes is grown, as has been
said, in Bengal. Apart, however, from the
quantity exported, and that used In the
mills at Calcutta and elsewhere in India,
the spinning Of the yarn and weaving Of
cloth constitute the great domestic manu-
facture OF the eastern part OF that territory.
1t extends itself among all classes and Is
found In every household OF the Hindoos-
but not among the Mussulmans, who spin
cotton only. The manufactured jute mate
riul is OF various qualities, and includes the
clothing Of the family, especially women,
who seldom wear any other material. But
1t Is also made into coarse fabrics, US bed
ding, rice and sugar bags, sacking, pack
sheeting, sc.
In 1888 there were only l, 1876 tons of jute
imported into Dundee, while in 1885 over
| H., eco tons were imported. These figures
show wonderful development Of the trade.
In 1870 there were "a, $40 persons employed
In spinning and weaving jute In Scotland,
and In 1885 there were 225,390 persons,
while In the United Kingdom there were
spindles In the United Kingdom In 1885
was 1,024, Of which 10000 were In Scot
land. In 1885 12,O3O looms were in opera
ton, employing 41,674 hands l0,S56 OF
these looms were In Scotland.
The jute fabrics, especially gunny-bags
and iute cloth, manufactured In India find
their principal market on the Pacific coast,
but In some measure also in Australia. Up
to about 1875 Dundee had enjoyed the
monopoly In the California market for jute
bags, and many millions OF them were an.
nually shipped hence directly to San Fran
cisco and other Pacific ports, but 1t has now
so entirely lost control Of the trade through
the competition Of the Indian manufactures
that scarcely an invoice Of such goods now
leaves Dundee, the Indian goods having
completely absorbed the market.
The foregoing are few Of the interesting
facts contained In this very able report
which would be Of great value to all in,
terested In the production Of jute aud fax
In this country, could they obtain full
copy Of the same.