The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-20
OUR MANUFACTURING OPPORTUNITIES.
The Grasses Of South Country Its Best Until Its
Natural Resources Arc Developed"
Cpy NJ. e. FosTER)

Naturdt NesOutSeS
GOV NJ. e. FoSTER)
To the Editor OF The Post.
Bonney, Texas, April l7.--Enclosed please
1nd clipping from the Hay Trade Journal o.
April I, discussing the use OF grasses LOT
'wine. ropes and bsgging- The Posi- Is SOW u-
ing good seed ty advocating factories ior
Houston and South Texas. Grass is the tofc.
most natural raw product OF South Texas ~
world. therefore. rot be out OF place 10 m
vestigate II our grasses can DOT De put 70 nois
Uiasc is used for the manufacture Of more
articles than those mentioned In this clipping.
Our business men have not yet awahoneu "
ne fact OF the amount q our s,a as sba n viii
ttsin to think of ways to turn them into GUM
ncrecal value -.
country is never at it's best until its nAtu
raj resources are developed. AS yet our peo-
ple do not properly estimate the grasses, they
ale irodden under feet, wasted and destroyer
by fires. Respectfully, f. w. meyer,
The article referred to by Mr. Meyer In
the above communication is as follows:
The Northwestern Grass Irvine company has
lust opened a new plant in St. PAU, Mini,
thus adding another large factory to youns
converts the wire grasses OF the west ln.o
strone binding Irvine, which, in turn, can De
manufactured into attractive mating anu
serviceable rope and cotton bagging.
Hundreds OF thousands Of acres OF swamp
lands in Minnesota and Wisconsin are GOV,
cred with a rank growth of wire grass wnicn
| has hitherto gone to waste. But American
genius is turning this waste into useiui
| pi oduct.
Special machinery lays the fbers OF the
grass side by side and winds q thread around
1 them spiraliy. making strong. tough cord
the size of which can be regulated according
| to need
The first product is binding twne. which
Is fast coming into general use among whea'
growers. A twenty-pound ball OF this twint
runs about 5000 feet and works well In any
reaper. Its cost is only from one-half to two
thirds that OF other binding.
The articles made from imported raw ma
tarals which the grass twine completes with
ard their estimated annual cost. are as FOL
lows.
Japanese and Chinese mating, $4,000, O0'
yards $3.50 600: imported binder Irvine, 1000
tons, sS,4ooo00; imported jute for cotton bag AZ
glng average annual consumption io.ooo,Uo'
yards, 81, 900; imported mania ana slsa
fiber used In the manufacture OF rope an'
other cordage, S3,20o.000. Total, s23, 10000.
~
Mr.. Meyer is correct in suggesting thai
the grasses of South Texas are too little
appreciated, and it is certainly interestint
and encouraging to know that this neg
lected product of our waste lands can be
utilized for manufactures.
In this age OF industrial development
men OF brains and energy are forever ex'
perimenting with waste products to fine
a method OF utilizing them, and every
kind. II; the great chain of production
which gives to all classes more for thoir
homes, their stomachs and their backs
than ever before half of the links are BY.
products.
In Texas we have made little progress
. in this line. though we have few strik-
h. ing illustrations OF the utilization of VIVA
: were formerly considered useless prod
ucts. Our numerous cotton oil mills, il
0 which millions are invested. turn the One
despised cotton seed into articles of foo
for man and beast.
/ One of our latest developments III tn
: line OF manufacturing what was formerl
| a waste is seen on the Cunningham suga
plantation, as well as on several plan
= tations In Louisiana. For lining the bar
p rels in which sugar is shipped good
4 heavy brown paper is made out of the fibe
s of the sugar cane, after all the sap ha!
A been pressed out of It. This explains tn
}, locating of paper mill at Sugarland-
4 mill that not only supplies that big cen
Germ with all the paper needed. but whic
makes paper and paper bags for severa
: wholesale firms in this State, all from
"a part of the cane that was for many year
y considered wholly useless.
~
In connection with Mr.. Meyers men
tion of the products of commercial us
!, that can be made from grasses. it may b
well also to note that potato vines VIII b
utilized in the next few years, and wi
show to the world the greatest discover
in the manufacturing line since the In
- PRODUCTION of wood pulp. Both America
u and European experts have succeeded /
making good paper out of these vines
; Ten years hence the farmer will be bal
slipping it off to tie paper factories
n This will put money in his pocket an
10 furnish the paper mills with materla
ID cheaper than wood pulp. A similar ex
d pertinent is being made with cottol
q stalks, and II is believed that paper o
l. some other product will in course Of tim
" be developed therefrom. thus making use
1t full every Part of the Suuth's great plant.
IS There is a manufacturer in New Yor
lie esssesssssssssssssss,ssssss,
- glad TO get Mayor Iones off THAR hand