New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-11

note and writing papers. China has cultivated
rarnie for centuries; 1t was known In Egypt as ohs
ago as 1900 years. From specimens or the woven
cloth found in old Egyptian tombs, It is certain that
the ancient Egyptian, well as the Chinese. un1er-
stood the cheap process of degumming lost In mod
ern times until Samuel b. Allison. Of New-Orleans.
after working fifteen years continuously. hnally
brought his cheap degumming process to perfection
less than year
Tho attention Of the textile world has been drawn
10 this wonderful yarn only within the past quarter
Of a century To-day 1t is exciting more interest
than ever before but ever since 1855 the United
States Government has been urging Southern
planters to cultivate ramie a profitable diversified
ton from cotton and other crops Indigenous 10 the
South. Ramle cam 1t be grown north OF the frost
line A few planters have acted upon the advice
OF Professor Charles Richards Dodge in the last few
wears and have succeeded in making great progress
in It's culture and dey eopment. There are al pres
ent perhaps 5000 under cultivation In the South
but Jus, number Of the new process
mills are in operation many wealthy Southerners
who have for some time been experimenting In
small way will begin Its production extensively.
ADVANCES IN MACHINERY.
In 1898 a St Louis inventor succeeded in inventing
decortcating machine for the separation Of the fibre
of the plant from the stalk. 1t was the first
mercialy successful machine OF its kind ever
patented and the Inventor has already found sale
in Europe and some South American countries.
where ramie yarn has for the last years been
produced.
Another machine, one for successfully weaving the
yarn followed this invention. so that gradually the
way has been cleared step by step for the latest Inn
provement, that of chemically "degummng," the
fbre AT an expense hitherto unheard Of.
A GREAT SAVING IN PROSPECT.
In speaking OF the company's plans recently,
Mr. Parmenter who is interested In the new venture
said:
tbo fou,
weeks and will then be ready to give the details Of
the business Now do not want to appear TO be
working extravagant claims, but when say that
nearly ALL IL not all. textile fabrics can be manu-
featured at a much cheaper price than from
cotton wool or fax. with our process as OASIS
I am only stating what can be scientifically ana
mechanically demonstrated TO every textile fabric
manufacturer In this country. Allison uses oniy
simple chemicals that can be purchased cheaply'
and do not inture the strength Of the fibre in any
vav The few European processes, on the othe'
hand are much more expensive. ana reduce mate
rally the tensile strength OF the yarn. Inc we"
York chemist whom we have with us has already
perfected a process by which the by or waste
product can be utilized for making fair quality Of
laundry soap and other products so that prdctcaiy
we can produce the yarn ready Tor sp'""'"e '''
nothing.
Il am not ready 10 give exact hgures lo' pIo-
ducng but you can get fair IDEA Oh inc pio"',
when tell you that one mill In Germany re.u'"e
$4,000 from $50 tons of rame In ls9i one rem,
factory IN 1895 produced 400 tons OF yarn ha,
manufacture Of which they expended uo"o'e "a
| , con nroduce n for The raw product can no"
he laid down in New-York from China ior gov
ton. When tho South raise enough hDre 'o' .,l'
thousands of silk wool and fax looms IN ,ne more
the producing cost will be .essehea sV Gov coats
ton. Recent quotations show that IL H Now
cog, ron 10 Law down Russian max III New , "a
SxSi,e the Holland Belgium and Irish vareues "a, :
worth more than double that amount dulles paid
! ptoae 10 thirty cents q pound. Ranie nuio
cheaper 1t far superior to max IN ever nxppress
nd In the opinion of all those qualned 10 eAPe
themselves II has been sufficiently shown sw,cien;
when ramie fibre can be produced In suncied, IT,
uan,,ties IL will entirely supplant flax ana s.9p i h
cultivation IT, for instance rame r ysrn of aoS the
nroduct would be 80 per cent The Ang io-na' ~
Ramie Fibre and Paper Company 'S prepAi'"S
Last year 10000 pounds were neun T. which
ano; uat looms would alone take II they cou,o
ret rel IT, Twelve hundred acres IN one farm arc ~