The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-02-11
USEFUL PLANT WHICH GROWS
HERE READILY.
The Invention Of Machine Is An
nounced Which viii Make it Pro-
htable Crop-Its Worth


these Islands is so much discussed has
just been received here from she Ma
tiOnal Fibre Company of San Francisco.
The object of the pamphlet is primarily
to call attention to machine to decOrl-
cate Ramie and Hemp fibre. By way of
introduction IL says:
THE object of this pamphlet Is to
present to investors, farmers and others
i'm this State the advantages TO be oh
tained by growing aud manufacturing
Ramie and Hemp 1bres In connection
with a machine for their preparation,
for the product of which there is al
ready an assured market at very remu-
nerative prices.
"A perusal of same will be found ad-
vantageous to all interested i'm diver
sifCatiOn Of the crops and manufactures
1--WE earnestly request farmers in this
State and Southern Arizona to put IN
crops of Hemp and Ramie without de-
lay 1t will pay them much better than
anything else they may grow, as they
require much less labor, and we need all
the fibre that can be grown"
As to the growth of ramie in Hawaii
there can be no doubt. Experiments on
a large scale have been made which
abundantly prove it. w. r. Castle,
some years ago made extensive and eX-
pensive experiments. From the purely
agricultural standpoint the experiments
were a great success. The plant grew
rapidly and abundantly. The difficulty
was, there was no market for it because
there was no machinery for economical
ly handling it. This want this San
Francisco Company now CLAIMS to have
supplied. Ramie is growing wild now
in many parts of the islands.
Ramie is the raw material Of the
grass cloth and grasslinens so much
sought after for ladies' apparel and so
| largely imported from the Orient, where
| the ramie is prepared by the old, crude,
laborious processes of hand labor.
Underwear made from the ramie fibre
I by the processes of this new machine
are on exhibition at McInery's.
OF the nature cultivation and Com
mercial uses Of ramie, the pamphlet in
/ question says:
This plant belongs to the Nettle
| family. 1t grows to a heigh of from FIVE
to eight feet, and requires an equable
moist temperature. 1t thrives lux
uriantly in California from sea-level up
| to as high as 5000 feet, requiring a sandy
| lOam from twelve to fifteen inches deep,
and good drainage. 1t is pTopagated
! with some difficulty from seed, but easl-
| ly from cuttings from the stem, and
very quickly by division of the roots,
| Being a perennial plant it does not re-
quire replanting, but sends up new
| shoots. Three crops are Obtainable
| each year and in some places four. 1t
! is generally understood that Ramie can
! be adVantageOusly grown in any eli
mate, but this is an error, as climatic
! conditions affect its length, tineneSS and
| strength on which it's value depends,
more than any other fibre. 1t has been
! extensively grown and has given ad-
mirabe results as regards cultivation
i'm this State but through lack of suit
| able machinery for the decOrtication OF
! the stalks, its cultivation has been to
a large extent abandoned.
| Although strong and resisting, the
fbres of the Ramie plant are finer and
stronger than those of flax, and 1t has
the additional advantage Of possessing
in a considerable degree a silky lustre
| which ii permanently retains. Another
point of great Importance is its resist
ance to moisture, and this quality com
bined with it's lightness and greater
strength makes it a most valuable sub.
stitute for Curdage in ships sails and
riggings, and other purposes where
these qualities are essential Other cases
i'm which its superiority is clearly shOWr
are those of umbrellas, shoe Innings, eCC
where it's imperViOusness to water anC
it's durability are of great advantage.
Amongst the hbres which already
enter largely into textile manufacture
hemp is the one which possesses Iht
most extended range of applicati IN
from the toughest canvas and cOrdaS'
to the finest laces, yet the range o.
Ramie is even greater This Is due
partly to the superlative degree Il
which it possesses certain qualities sucr
as fineness strength and lustre no
usually associated in the same perfCC
ton in any single fibre, and partly Il
the curious intermediate position whicl
it holds between the usual vegetable
and animal tbres.
In manufacture it has been spun Ol
] # a 81
used in connection with cotton, hemp
flax, wool and silk, and can be employ
ed to advantage as a substitute in Ger
tain forms of manufacture of all thOs
textiles. In England France Germ5ny
Austria and Sweden, and to a. small eN
tent in this country, it has been wOVel
into a great variety of fabrics, such a
n lace, lace curtains, handkerCnieis, dres
3 goods, mems and wOmen's underwear
d table covers, napkins plush carp ars, an
goods suitable for clothing; but the dif
hculty in obtaining regular and sufh
Cient quantities of fibre, on account O
the present supply being obtained itOr
} China and India, where IT is eXCraCte
by hand labor. has deferred a grea
many manufacturers from continuing
its manufacture. one of the most i'm
pOrtant manufactures in operation a
present is the Ringheim Ramie Manu-
. featuring Company of CarlskrOna
Sweden, manufacturers of Ramie hois
cry and mems and WOmen's underwear
which has an office and salesrOom at l
SansOme Street, San Francisco, wher
information regarding the merits o
Ramie as Undertaking may be obtain
ed.
"Thc only obstacles which have here
lO prevented its more extensive intro
duction as q textile material have bee
tine cost of the raw material and IN
|lIuiCulty of obtaining a regular am