The Tupelo journal., 1904-04-22
MISSISSIPPI
Items Of Industrial Interest G1eanc1 From All Over the State.
Notes and Comments.
BY n. E.

The last legislature provided a spe-
cial provision for the exemption OF
factories that turn out the finished
product to be built before the 1st day
of January. 1910. This provides that
all plants below enumerated be ex-
empt: Factories for working cotton,
jute, ramie. wool, silk, furs, minerals
and in making cements, cement plas-
ter or lime, or metals, factories for
manufacturing agricultural 1mple-
ments, machinery, implements or
articles of use in a finished state and
ready for consumers use without adj
ditional process of labor; factories Tor
making wagons, carriages, bugg1es,
clothing or shoes complete; factories
for making barrels or boxes com
plete, whether coopered or loose, ready
for transportation, and creameries.
The provision Of the law is very lib
eral toward manufactures, and we
expect to see great activity in this
line during the next few years. Mu-
inequalities are also empowered to re-
lease plants enumerated above for a
term of ten years if SO desired.
The writer has heard of the plant
ramie for some years, but had little
conception of what it was, where it
grew and for what it could be used.
Last week a travelling salesman was
in Jackson with samples of a very
fine underwear. 1t was a lovely piece
of goods, fine texture and soft as silk.
He explained that it was made from
the ramie plant, that grew wild all
over the State of Mississippi, but his
particular garments were manufac-
tured from plants grown in India and
carried to Sweden to. be prepared and
woven into cloth. He asked for a suit
of underwear made from this material
the sum Of $3.50. Who would have
thought that a despised weed would
produce a fibre SO valuable? The
fibre from the ramie plant is as long
as the plant is high, and, when prop
erly prepared, is eight and a-half
| times as strong as cotton and seven
times as strong as silk. When woven
into a mesh suitable for underwear
it is soft and fine, and above all, ex-
tremely durable. 1t is used for a num-
Der of purposes, and the lasting quail
ties make it desirable, as well as the
sanitary qualities it is said to possess.
This weed grows wild in the State
and is very prolific, on good land at
tanning a height of several feet. That
it might be cultivated with profit we
believe. If India can cultivate it, send
to Sweden and have it woven into
cloth and then to the United States
and made into wearing apparel and
used, why not do the whole thing
here?
List of charters recorded during the
past week:
Bank of Pittsboro, Pittsboro-Capi-
tai, $40, 900; general banking.
Virgins Canning Co., Virgins
Capital, $4,000; caDuery.
Robinsonville Brick, Tile and Light
ing Co., Acknowledgment, $1O,-
600; build brick and tile factory and
electric light plant.
Memphis, Indianola & Gulf Ry, In
dianola-Capital, $1,000, 900; to build
railroad from Memphis to Jackson via
Indianola.
Lawrence Norman and Industrial
High School, Monticello-No capital;
educational.
Bostic Lumber Co., Sandersville.
Jones county-Capital, $4,000; own
and operate saw mills, planning mills,
etc.
Goodman Fruit and Vegetable Co.,
Goodman-No capital; to promote
and encourage the raising of fruit and
vegetables.
Peoples Drug Store, Braxton-Capi-
tai, 5 5000; retail drug business.
Some interest has been shown in
| the suggestion made last week for the
| lifforant counties tn nrnnarQ man,
phlets descriptive of the land, health
and other matters of interest for dis.
tribution by the Mississippi depart
ment at the fair. Such would cost
| but little and might be the result OF
much good to the State. We need
| good people to come here n develop
| our Inc to get them inter-
| ested, we must put these facts before
them in the very best light possible.
| The occasion offers an opportunity
| for us to get before thousands at a
| cost that is hardly worth considering,
| and 1t is to be hoped that several
| counties will take advantage OF the
| opportunity.
An appropriation was made by the
last legislature of $4,000 and given
to the A. & M. College for use in fight
ing the boil weevil. The weevil has
greatly damaged the cotton crop in
Texas during the past few years, and
if there was a probability of being
| able to check the ravages of the pestif-
| erous little fiend, this would have
been all right, but as the weevil is
distributed by a bug that flies as well
as walks, it would have seemed just
as sensible to try to check the i'm
portation of the house flies or June
bugs.
When O write your friends in
| other States do not forget to mention
| the advantages of Mississippi n the
| wonderful development now being
made. Twill not cost you anything
and might bring another good family
| to our midst. Never let the opportun-
| ity pass to say a good word for your
town and community.
Up in Kentucky there is a factory
that makes furniture from hickory
poles and sells it for a fancy price to
wealthy people desiring a rustic effect.
| Why could not some man do the same
lin Mississippi? There are enough
| hickory poles in the State to run a
| dozen factories of this kind for a
hundred years. What Is needed are
men who will take advantage Of just
| such opportunities and make them
successes.