Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-06


@ such materials in the
!: s. ! !: !. !
>M\ NM raw the United States
\MMHNI/r imports $50,o00,oo0
NWKENG worth nu a y,
>NNXNN though it is reckoned
@NZSE&S that one-half of that
M~, quantity could be pro-
SS duced in this country
N> just as well. The
other half Is derived
from vegetable species which could not be
cultivated probably here, climate and soil
oeihs unsuitable. Seeing immense profits
aheao' inventors and capitalists are turning
their attention to the making Of machinery
iof OBTAINING hbers from various plants
winch the farmers win supply as soon as
manufacturers demand them Meanwhile
uncle Sam Is circulating information far
ana wide on the subject, telling what kinds
OF ieaves and stalks will yield the most suit
apie stun for cordage, Irvine and all sorts
of textile fabrics.
fhe pineapple AZ n Fiber Producer.
The fiber bureau at Washington, under
the direction Of Expert Charles Richards
Dodge, has great hopes Of the pineapple as
nper producer In this country, In Florida
the 1ruit Is grown on a large scale, but the
leaves are thrown away-thousands of tons
OF them annually. 1t is a frightful waste
ior they can be made to yield one of the
most valuable fibers known. In India pine
apple nper Is woven into the most delicate
OF all vegetable fabrics-the celebrated
pima. The latter looks like gossamer and
Is SO ilght that it will almost float in the
ar when tossed up. For making IL
.ne noers are laboriously separated by hand,
the ENDS being glued together SO as to make
max. AT the same time, they are wonder
iuiiy strong, and there is record of an inch
rope formed Of them that stood a strain of
o1OO pounds before breaking. The nine.n-
PIE oy the way. is believed to have been
originally a native of the Brazils from
whence 1t was carried all over the world
The Sisal.
The cultivation of another plant-n.me,v
sisal hemp-for the fiber yielded bv its leaves
Is already promising to develop into a great
industry In Florida. Every year we import
from fucatan 100000 worth of this kind
VI noer' which can be produced Just as well
ana OF better quality in the peninsuIar
STATE south of the frost line. The sisaI
grows readily in the poorest and rockiest
SOIL which cannot be farmed profitably for
AWNING else. Apart from its commercial
.aiue't is one of the most interesting plants
~ .ne world. 1t is bush of huge green
bayonet- shaped leaves. When abouf sly
years old II sends up from its middle with
great rapidity a stalk or mast twenty-five
rect high and three inches i'm diameter
FROM the upper half Of this stalk small
branches grow out, each branch hearing
tulp-shaped blossoms The flowers do not
smell pleasantly, their odor being described
as resembling the bouquet of a mouse in
the floor.
How 1t Grows.
Presently the blossoms wither, the petals
drop on, and in their place leaves appear
Within few days, where each flower was
complete little sisal plant has developed
Attached to an extremity of the parent STEM
When mature 1t drops to the ground, and
II II manages to come into contact with the
mother earth. proceeds to take root and be-
come a growth like its progenitor This
method OF reproduction is found in no plant
save the sisal and few of its near rela-
tives. As many as 1000 small plants NAV
De gathered from a single stalk as they
ripen. They are remarkably tenacious of
life and will retain their vitalitys for months
out OF the ground. Plantations of sisaI
practically take care of themselves. The
nber yielded by the leaves is superb mater
ial for cordage, binding-twine and other
purposes. There is an allied species which
looks so much like the ssal as to be easily
mistaken for it. 1t is called the false
sisaL spectators. more ingenious than
honest, have sold large numbers of the false
plants to growers in Florida. They are nj
terly valueless.
How the Fiber Is Obtained.
What are known as the leaf fibers." like
sisa1 and pineapple, are the bones of the
leaves, so to speak, which support and
keep IN shape the feshy vegetal structure.
TO obtain the fiber, the leaves are usually
crushed, beaten and washed in water
thus separating the pulpy parts and leav-
Ing the skeletal system. The skeleton
parts of the leaves of many plants serve
for weaving into fabrics Some of the
most beautiful lace in the world, called
Fayal lace, is made in the Azores from the
1bers of the leaves of the bitter aloe which
Is allied to the century plant. It is man.
ufactured by women, and such q high or
der of skill Is required to produce 1t that
only about twenty-five persons on the is
lands ace able to make it. having practiced
the art from childhood. 1t fetches an enor-
nous price in Paris. Other commercial f.
bers, like rame. are obtained from plant
stalks. The fiber known as cotton is an
envelope which nature provides for the
protection of the seed. BY cultivation the
quantity Of 1t contained in each seed-boll
Is greatly increased.
The Remarkable Ramie.
Ramle Is the most remarkable Of the new
fiber-producing plants. It's cultivation is
likely to become eventually one Of the fore
most agricultural industries Of the United
States All that is required to bring this
about is satisfactory machine for separ-
ating the fiber economically. No contri-
vance that will accomplish this cheaply has
as yet been devised Consequently the
stuff is nowhere produced on a CONNER
cial basis at present except in Japan,
where labor is procurable for next to
nothing. The Japanese separate the fiber
by hand and dry 1t on the roofs of their
houses. One man can thus prepare two
pounds day. The fiber Is worth S1-2
cents a pound here; but the supply is so
limited that no manufacturer could buy
enough of it to go into business with. In
France millions of dollars have been spent
in efforts to render ramie available for the
many purposes to which 1t is adapted. 1t
can be raised in unlimited quantities at
small expense but the difficulty of separ-
ating the fiber is an obstacle yet to be sur
mounted.
The plant belongs to the nettle family
and Is sometimes called the "stingless net
tie" 1t is also known China grass, hav
ing been cultivated in that country from
time immemorial The fiber is in the bark
of the stalk which has a pithy center. 1t
Pal ItpIt gtr ell ,t,1