The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-12-01
ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT.

ures OF the ArkAnsAs e4HlOlt 1t lDt
st. Louis exposition, none received
more attention than her collection o.
textile fibres. Ii is claimed for Ark
ansas that every textile fibre used In
the arts can be produced in the state
and from the showing made there can
be no doubt il is true While the con-
ditions are so favorable it is TO be
regretted that so little attention has
been given by the south to an in
dustry so important TO the civilized
world. The fibre that for the past
few months has claimed and is now
claiming the attention of the cotton
producers and consumers, is jute used
for bagging and shipping of cotton
A large majority of this plant is pro-
duced in India and not only used for
bagging but enters extensively into
many of our fine and costly fabrics
principally combined with silk. .
This plant las a tesD has been found
to produce itself in various parts OF
the south with all the best qualities
of that grown in India. The Arkan-
sas exhibit showed the plant and fibre
which were examined by Prof Water
house of the Washington University
St. Louis, Missouri, and pronounced
by him of equal quality with the
India grown fibre. Within the past
few years this gentleman has devoted
much valuable time TO this plant with
a view to it's economic production In
the south. He visited India that he
might study the climate, soil and mode
of culture: he also went to Scotland
where the fibre is most largely manu-
featured, returning to the United
States fully satisfied that we possess
all the conditions favorable for Its
production, and when our attention ID
given to the subject our inventive
faculties will enable us TO produce
machinery that will. more than COM
pete with the cheap labor of Europe
We regret our space will not permit
us to make full extracts from the re-
port of Prof. Waterhouse made to the
u. S. department of agriculture on
the Importance of jute culture, but in
the near future we hope to place be-
fore our readers much valuable infor-
nation regarding the textile fibre in
dustry for which our state possesses
- many favorable conditions.
We cannot discuss this subject OF
textile fibres without calling attention
to the valuable fibre found in the cot
ton plant. Some two or three years
hence a gentleman Eve are not able to
recall his name) living in Cambridge
Mass, asked us to send him a few
cotton stalks to experiment with for
the fibre in a short time he returned
to US the beautiful result, which re-
sembled the finest linen, and saying
he had no doubt a valuable fibre could
be economically extracted from our
wasted cotton stalks, but we heard
nothing further from this gentleman
On the eve of our leaving st. Louis al
the close of the exposition 9 copy OF
the following letter was kindly sent
US by Prof. Waterhouse, knowing the
interest we felt in utilizing southern
products. The letter is of great inter-
est not only to the cotton planter, but
&c the world as a new and cheap source
of textile fibre:
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY,
ST. Louis, Oct. 90 1883
John A. Brown. ESQ.,. As B'Say, New York City
DEAR SIR: the specimen of cotton deTiv cd
from the stalk of the plant IL n textile sur
prise. The excellence OF it's qualities 10 ~
remarkable as the novelty of it's source. The
Wilderness nneness and strength OF the nbre
adapt IL to q wide range of use. The utIliza
tion of the ibre of the cotton stalk is a fresh
illustration OF the Midas touch with which
inventive talent transmutes the com 81
materials into gold. and awakens profound
regret that throughout all the ages OF human
history 80 vast q textile wealth has been
squandered. Very truly yours,