The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-05-08
The OkRA PLANT.


the Future.
There seems to be II strong DrObu-
blllty that the plant known as okra
(AbclmOSchuS cSculcntllS) will be
made to furnish Il valuable fiber The
plant grows wild all through the
Southern States, and has been known
iOr years to farmers and StOckmcn rs
capable OF producing Il very strong
ilbcr, winch III Texas and other local
ltlcs Is now used for making lariats.
Fen years ago the Department Of
Agriculture had sunplos of the plant
grown III i'll it's green houses. and II
report was made on the ,IlInlity of the
fiber, but nothing seems to have come
OF It, Recently, however, the subject
has been revived, and the Commits
sloncr OF Agriculture of South Caro-
INA, Col. "A. l.. Butler, seems to be
worry confident that II new industry
with vast possibilities is about to be
opened up. A specimen ofahc fiber
winch has been received from Mr..
Butler through the department at
aShngIon shows Il long, strong and
glossy thread SOncnha resembling
hemp. though tl;tlkcr IN color. The
frut Which this okra plant produces
Is priced as vegetable. the nlucila
glnouS pods being used for th;ckcning
soup and to form Il prru!,;u Southcrn
dish called gumbo. Tn. Southern
soil is especially adnptri To growing
the plant, AZ ilIc nban,tDnr,! rice fields
and underlined lnndS yrnrralIv could
be utilized for raising v;tHt 'u,!;,niitirs
or 1t. Okrn IN also II ul,iv,. of the
West lndlrs, notably Cana, v acre it
grows III almost Ill SOILS. and is in
diSrh"uS to Africa. where it grows
Wild 1t Is abundant ON the White
Nile ami near the Victoria NyanZa,
ana has long been n.,turallHrh in IN
dnt, where it is cultivated for it, cdi
Die pods. The fiber which iGt,. i,.,n
pro'luccd abroad is urSrriprl rs lul,r
and silky md generally strong and
plant, its breaking stinin according
to koXburE being seventy nine bounds
dry and ninety five pounds wet. Whr4
well prepared, rs in the Southern
Presidency of lndu /! IS nd,ptrd for
manufacture OF rope. twn,r, S;.cklnr
ANA paprr. 1T Is used to adultrr,,tr
jute IN Drrr;t and Mymrnsing. In
FRANCO the manufacture of paper
from the fiber is patented, and here it
receives only mechanical treatment
and produces paper called bandu.
which Is Saidto be equal to that made
IRON pure lngS.
1t IL clnlmru for the Okru fiber,
that, lnasmuch aS the wood surrounds
the fiber instead OF being mixed with
1t, rs III lutc, and also that the work
OF preparation can be done by ma.
chncrN, the cost OF production can be
reduced to one cent per pound. Jutc
can only be prOtitunly produced in
countries where manual labor is very
cheap, as III India and China. because
no machine has been devised for sep.
aratlng tho wood from the fiber. Vast
quantities OF jutc are imported by the
onltrd States, and it is used in max
ing gunny cloth, cOrdagc. Shrtinw,
coat Innings, and it is extensively en-
ployrd IN mixing with silk, cotton and
WOODEN fnbrlcs, and in paper nukiug.
1T is bclirvcd that okra fiber cam be
substituted for jutc in the cu;tlScr of
these lines Of manufacture, and some
| oven claim that it vii. be found avail
aDlo wherever Jutc is now employed.
1t is easily to be seen from this that
II the Okra fiber stands the test Of
II
important industry will spring into
being. The Agricultural Department
at Washington states it has not vet
been determined how the plant will
bear cultivation and proposition, and
tho department III now gather ing the
seeds and roots to experiment with
next year. As the okra now grows
iuXurinntly i'll all PARTS of the South,
the production of it even in the large
quantities which would BE- required
III ease the tiDcr comes into general
use will not probably prove Il serious
barrier to progress in this direction,
while the we'll known inventive genius
OF Americans can be- depended upon
to devise machinery for preparing the
fiber and to make constant improve.
mrnts upon it.--St. Louis Home
journal.