The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-03-24
EX-GOVERNOR STONE VISITS
MEXICO.
He and NJ. &. Wetmore Are Interested
in the Culture Of the Ramie Plant.

A friend of Ex-Governor William
J. Stone aud III. c. Wetmore, both
Of whom have been travelling in Old
Mexico, said yesterday that the OBJ
ject of their trip was to make
thorough investigation Of the prices
and Conditions of the lands in the
repu bic with q view to establishing
vast plantations in the State of San
Luis Potosi
They may eren purchase a hacien-
da near the CITY If San Luis Potosi
upon which tho:e is already an e1
tensile y,autaipa of the rsm;e plant,
with the Intention Of extending the
udustry cf rauie culture in climate
aud 90 wa ca 3 said to s1rpass even
that Of CLiHa, here the plant -four
ishes ia is native luxury. Mr, Stone
has been deeply interested in the
possibilities ct r4m'e for some time,
and Mr. Wetmtre, who is q business
man CT the moss practical sort,
thinks that the culture Of the ramie
will have surpassed in extent and
profit within few years anything
ever accomplished by King Cotton.
Mr.. L D Kingslaud OF this city
is believed to be interested with
Messrs Stone and Wetmore in the
organization Of company for the ex
tensive cultivation aud III anufacture
of ramie. It is we'll known that most
of the SO called China silk is fabric
made from the ramie plant By hand
Labor is 81 cheap in China that the
tedious process of stripping the
plants, de cumming the 6ber, comb,
ing and bleaching the produce can
be done at almost q nominal cost.
Southern Texas and Mexico are
found to be es we'll adapted for the
cult sation of the plant as China, but
thus far no machine has been Invent
ed which could compete with the
haudwork Of the Chinamen, both in
ecoacmy and dexterity-
A numbec of machines have been
invented for taking the bark off the
plant economically, rapidly and with
out damage to the fiber within, but
until very recently none of these
contrivancss placed the cost Of its
manufacture low enough to beat the
Celestials. Mr.. Kingsland and his
associates, however, have secured a
machine which is said to handle the
ramie plant from it's rough state, as
cut, into fiber ready for spinning,
which will make ramie silk as cheap
as cotton and open trade possibili-
ties for the culture, treatment and
manufa cture of the silk which will
surpass in a short time the best
grade of American cotton.
It is fact that Louisiana, Texas
and others of the gulf states can
produce the silken plants as gener-
ously Gs either Mexico or China, but
the advantages in favor of Mexico lies
in the fact that the labor is much
cheaper than the States. Mr.. King
land refuses to discuss the ms chine
which he is said to control and which
it is predicted, revolutienize the silk
manufacturing business. There is
no doubt, however, that Messrs,
Stone and Wetmore are interested
in the enterprise, and will formulate
plan for the growth and manufacture
of the ramie SIS soon as they return
to ST. Louis.
There are points in Texas and
Mexico where FIVE crops of this plant
can be raised annually. The plant
itself lives seven to eight years, and
as soon US cut sprouts another crop.
When seven feet high the young
plant is ready for the knife. It is
skinned, the gums extracted and the
fiber appears in long, snow-whits
threads, thinner and stronger than
silk, whittier than cotton, capable Of
being woven into any fabric, from
gossamer lace to carpets. 1t can be
dyed readily and would be taken for
silk by good judges
The cost of producing the plant
has always been extremely low Tie