Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-10
PROBLEMS OF AMERICAN FARMERS.
Fiber Production as IA substitution For
Unproft,bie Interesting fos.i-
bilities.

In times of depression. or wher compe-
tit.on has grown too heavy, the cultiva-
ton of certain staples may cease to be
re munerative. and the unfortunate produ-
Ger is compelled to diversity his dgricul.
ture, or adopt some other means OF liv,-
hood.
Just such Il misfortune has overtaken
many farmers in the United States within
the past few years. Within two years. in
fact, wheat has been n drug in the market
while corn has been cheaper in some Sec
tons than coal, and cotton is now so low
that it hardly pays TO grow 1t, without
considering the necessity. for the South
ern farmer, of competing against the
seVcnty-Iivc thousand bales of Egyptian
cotton which our ports in a year. Con-
fionted with these conditions, there never
has been a time when farmers were more
anxious to discover new paying crops.
Among the possible new rural industries
thai have attracted the attention of the
aSricultural class is that of fiber produce
ton, though the growth of certain kinds
of fihcrs in past time has been a source of
income to the country. Already there is
Il widespread Interest N the subject
throughout the West and South. and
farmers are only seeking information re-
garding the particular practice involved
in the cultivation of flax. ramie, and other
hbcrs, cost OF production. market, etc,
but many are asking where the proper
seed can be secured with which to make
Il start.
one of the most interesting problems of
the day in the utilization OF the new fiber
material. and one that Is attracting the
attention of all civilized countries, is the
Industrial production of that wonderful
substance known in the Orient as China
grass, in India as rhea, and in Europe and
America as ramie. The money spent by
governments and by private enterprise
throughout the world. in experiments and
inventions. in the effort to establish the
ramic industry, would make up the total
of n princcly fortune. obstacle after OBJ
staCle has henc overcome in the years Of
persistent effort, and now Ne stand before
the last barrier, batfied for the time. but
still hopeful, and with efforts unrelaNed.
The difficulty may h, stated in a few
words: Ramle culture will only become
a paying industry when an economically
successful machine for stripping the fiber
has been placed on the market. hundreds
of thousands of dollars have been spent
in efforts to perfect Il machine. but no
Government fiber expert in the world re-
~cognizes that we have such "A machine az
the present time. though great progress
has been made in machine construction.
The worlds interest in this fiber began
In 1864. when II reward of five thousand
pounds was offered by the Government Of
India for the best machine with which to
decorticate the green stalks. The first ex-
hibition and tria! Of machines took place
in 1872, resulting in utter failure, The re-
ward was again offered, and in 1879 Il Sec
ond official trial was held. at which ten
machines competed, though zone filed the
requirements. and subsequently the offer
was withdrawn.
Pineapple culture is already a flourish
ing industry In the Sisal hemp region. n
pineapple plant natures but one apple In
n season, and after the harvest of fruit
the old leaves are of no further use to the
plant and may be removed, The leaves
have the same structural system as the
agaVes-that Is. they are composed of IA
cellular mass through which the ibers eN-
tend, and when the epidermis and pulpy
matter are eliminated the residue is "A son
silklike filament the value of Wmcn has
long been recognized. Only fifty pounds
of this aber can be obtained from a ton
of leaves, but, as the product would
doubtless command double the price of
Sisal hemp, its production would be pro-
ftable. How to secure this fiber cheaply
is the problem. The Sisal hemp machines
are too rough in action for so fine a fiber.
and, at the rate &C ten leaves to- the pound
working up a ton of the material would
mean the handling of over twenty thou
sand leaves To secure perhaps three dol
lars worth of the commercial product.
Were the fiber utilized in the arts, how
ever. and its place established, IL would
compete In a measure with flax as spin
ming fiber, for its flaments are Invisible
to the ten-thousandth of an inch, The
substance has already been utilized to u
slight extent in Eastern countries (beinS
hand-preparedl IN the manufacture of
costly, hlmy cobweb-like fabrics that will
almost float in the ARC. X. Dodge, in
the Popular Science Monthly.