The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-07-18

Event Becomingly CeIebrated-GOv-
ernor Francis, of Missouri, and
Others Speak on the Occasion-Rare
Souvenirs in Foreign Buildings -
The Best nidway Ever Seen at an
Exposition-Refined and High Class
Attractions Which No Visitor Should
Miss-A Handsome Present.
Especial Correspondence of the Gold Leaf }
Buffalo, n. Y, July 10, 'Ol.
An interesting exhibit Of ramie
fibre is displayed in the Louisiana
State pavilion in the Agriculture
Building at the Pan-American Expo
siton. Ramie was first introduced
into the United States in 1855 from
Japan. 1t will grow in any soil
where the winters are not too severe.
a temperature Of 81 degrees, how
ever, will Kill it, The yield is from
fifteen TO twenty tons to the acre.
The fibre is made from the inner
bark which is cut in strips four feet
in length. Samuel b. AllisiOn, of
Galveston, Texas, invented and built
the only machine for separating the
inner from the outer bark. This
machine was taken to Galveston by
Mr.. Allison and was DESTROYED with
its inventor during the disastrous
storm Of last Fall, with all data re-
garding the specifications of the in
vention. The outer bark which is of a
rssinous nature in Japan is separated
from the inner bark by hand, each
stalk being handled separately and
the two layers Of bark separated with
a knife All the fibre now used in
this country is procured from Japan,
Louisiana having no machinery to
produce the fibre and labor being too
expensive to compete with the cheap
japanese labor. Ramie can be made
into cloths of various textures and
will take any dye. 1t has a silky
appearance and when interviewer with
silk it is next to impossible to dis
cover the ramic fibre. The sails Of
the Shamrock and Constitution and
nearly all the racing yachts are made
from ramie fibre. Ramie is the
strongest and longest vegetable fibre
known. very superior grade Of
plush is made from it. The reed
grows profuse throughout Louisiana
without any cultivation whatever. 1t
grows to the height of from four to
eight feet, four feet reeds being the
most desirab bic for use. 1t is of pid
growth, sometimes producing as
many a. five crops a year. The
Louisiana Commissioners say that
State produces enough ramic to
supply the United States, and are
anxious to interest capital in the pro-
duction of it.
Louisiana is rich in woods. The
long and short leaved pine, water
elm, pecan, the Southern hickory,
bitter pecan, blackberry. persimmon.
red oak, water oak, sycamore, beech,
willow, magnolia, thorn locust.
locust, red maple, box elder, red gum,
black gum. tupelo gum, blue ash,
white ash, bass wood, cedar ash.
prickly ash. red haw, wild plum,
cotton wood, yellow poplar. cypress
and the Usage orange or bOis dare
Bots dare is an exceedingly hard
wood, bright orange in color, and is
used extensively for paving blocks
and fence posts. This wood is also
used as a substitute for box wood in
making roller skate wheels and
rollers for pulleys. The cypress is
used extensively for making posts
and railroad ties, shingles, splints
and it is bought largely by brewers
Tor cooperage purposes. Cypress is
more durable and lasting than cedar.
Samples of all the woods mentioned
are exhibited in the Forestry Build
ing. at the Pan-American FIX position,
the cross and the quarter sections
being shown. Cypress knees arc here
shown, peculiar formation growing
from the roots of the cypress tree in
low sections. They serve as areators,
carrying air to the tree roots in
places where the water covers the
roots The lumber buyer in the South
uses these as indication Of the sound
ness OF the tree, tapping the kneef in
testing his timber rather than the
body of the tree to determine if the
tree be hard or solid, If the knee is
solid 1t is 4 sure indication that the
tree is so. In the Agriculture Build
ing at the Louisiana exhibit are shown
twenty-four varieties of the pecan
nut, ranging in size from the ordi-
nary pecan, which we can buy in our
to variety much larger
than the ordinary pigeons egg.
Nearly al! these varieties are pa0er
shelled and can be easily broken with
he hand. Turpentine, tar, tar oil.
'reoSote, pyroligneouS acid (wood
wood alcohol are produced
Louisiana from fat or refuse pine.
he broken and fallen wood of the
Dlne which has lain waste in the for
'sts is cut into foot billets. put into
copper still and heated, dry distilla-
ION being used. 1t first produces a
gas, then the wood alcohol, creosote
md turpentine, which is afterward
separated. next tar oil and pvroli-
'eneous acid or wood vinegar. lastly
ar. The charcoal derived from this
Try heat process is of superior
,rade very solid and heavy and burns
much longer than the ordinary char
oal and gives more intense heat.
his IS entirely new process of distil |
alton. the old process of tapping the
rec being more expensive and ia king
nore time
State Senator O'Brien from Florida |
here. He is very much pleased with |
he exhibits the Southern States have
made, especially his own. He saws.
Every Southern State that failed 70
lake an appropriation for this Expo-
ltlon made seriou. missake. The
Meet OF which will be felt for wears"
The dedication Of the bnildinc
rected by the Louisiana Purchase
COMMISSION was one of the most not
Die events OF the past week. The
penlng speech was made BY Cover
or francis. He was followed by the
:ayor of st. Louis, who gave brief
istory of the famous purchase from
aPoleon Bonaparts. There were
'Feral other oratorsi including Con-
ressman Robinson from IouiS;a,.