The Washington herald., 1909-02-21

synonymous with perpetual mou0n-
ID 10 this time no effort in the United
States has beer successful n producing
ramie fiber. yarn. OF cloth in any mer-
chantable quantity at a price that would
make its production an economic posi-
bnity.
Considering the ease of raising the
plant. the great comparative value OF the
fiber. and the readiness with which It
lends itself 70 the production Of almost
all kinds Of textiles. tnat American in
genuity and greed have not long ago
made ramie production one Of the big
industries OF the nation is one OF the Won
ders OF the modern world. Yet there are
Two prime difficulties in the way Of such
an accomplishment which have not YET
been overcome
Ramie Called Boehmeria.
Ranie is a fiber plant whose botanical
name is Boehmeria- II. belongs 10 the
nettle family. has all the hardy qualities
and fecundity Of the wild nettle. and
can be raised agricultUrally on any good
land, producing three crops a year. In
the United States the northern limit Of
lAk -TDNLl ADllQ Uc ola9Lll dliQ AaANtt =
line and the Ohio River.
Ramie produces a fiber directly IN the
inner bark OF the plant. which can be
spun into a great variety Of superior and
beautiful fabrics United with cotton.
silk. linen. wool. and other 6be-s il is
capable Of a wider use IN textile manu-
facture than any other known material
The plant has been grown and used N
Jle textile arts IN China, Japan, Korea,
and the Pacific islands from time inn
memorial IN many Of these places Il Is
the chief source OF material for the man
ufaCture Of cloth
RamIe a Perennial.
Ramie IS not an annual but grows
year after year from the root. and, once
soVn, requires no re-sowing for many
years. It's fber is four 10 SIX inches in
length. as compared with the three
leighths to one inch cotton fiber Owing 10
the length Of the fiber and its strength.
ramie cloth. warn. or other fabric viii
outlast that made from other materials
Its strength makes It specially useful for
sail cloth. and the heavy sails Of the
great racing yachts. almost the world
over. are woven of ramie. usually At
great cost II has been under rdmie sails
that the American yachts have run 10
victory in all the recent International
contests
The difficulties in the way OF the man
ufactUTe OF ramie are in technical proc
esses of decOrticating and degumming
the fiber, otherwise in cleaning il and
making ii ready for spinning and weav-
ing The decoTucating process has been
solved I'm the United States and Il Is on
Ia. So q e.
panieS have been formed and 50 many in
Cipient factories started for its manu-
factUre. Always. 50 far. the process has
either left too much gum in the fiber or
mas bleached the material with acids 10
its partial destruction The proper de-
cumming Of the fiber is d secret well
kept by those who know IL In Oriental
countries The deCOrticatfOn and degum-
ming are carried on largely by hand pro-
cesses with the cheap labor of those
countries
Cannot Produce Ia Here
Up TO the present time It has not been
possible 20 produce ramie fiber in this
country. except at a cost of nearly six
times what IL can De produced for in
China and Japan Moreover. the fmporta-
tiOn OF fiber prepared in Oriental cour<
tries and imported 10 the United States
places the cost Of material in which 1t
Is used AZ too high a cost for economical
competition with other nations. Hence
the failure OF all attempts to this time
to produce It in this country profitably.
The problem has been tried a thousand
times. and the history OF the ramie in
dustry n America is far more interesting
in the romance Of discouragement and
-
beet OF even the flying machine
The only way out Of the combination
Of difficulties with which the manufacture
OF ramie in this country is beset seems
70 be IN a prohibitive tariff on fibers
and yarns which would destroy foreign
competition and permit the use OF home
produced yarns made Of ramie- To this
end hearings have been had by the tar
if committee Of Congress and numerous
interests which the cultivation of ramie
and ramie fiber would benefit have made
strong pun 70 have items inserted in
the forthcoming tariff bin which win
give an opening 70 the industry in this
country
Use II in High-Prieed Cloths
As represented before the tariff com
mittee. It IS the purpose TO lay addi-
tionsI duty upon yarns Of certain grades
which would have the effect Of shutting
Jlem out Of tie United States These
yarns are used for the most part in the
manufacture Of high-priced fabrics, and
Il IS proposed 10 make use OF ramie I'm
the weaving Of such textiles. IN this way
it Is hoped 10 give the industry q start
such as IN time would enable the fiber
10 be used IL the production Of cheaper
cloths
The impression prevails very widely
that ranlie is q cheap thing. useful only
in the lower grades Of textile manufac-
Jure- This impression has arisen through
the extensive sale in this country Of a
kind Of cloth called ramie which has no
ramie in f. The coarse cloth sold under
that name is made of lutte. or coarse
fax. and never has a thread Of real "a
mie in il.
Ramie fiber is best suited 20 the pro-
ductiOn OF higher-priced materials. and
most useful there. PONCE silk is made
OF il by the Chinese. but OrientaIs also
produce from IL a great variety Of fab
rics more costly than any made Of silk.
What the future of the ramie industry
may be in this country no man can say.
L seems, on the surface Of things, that
q plant so useful, raised at one-third the
cost OF cotton and capable Of producing
from three TO ten times more fiber 70 the
acre. ought 10 become a factor in Amer
lean manufacture. but at present il does
not seem possible to start the Industry
without a high tariff upon yarns ard a
period more or less extended OF high
priced cloths while the farmer and manu-
facturer are getting rooted in the soil
which some economists declare produces
only predatory trU-ts.
viii Build n Courthouse.
An estimate of $4,000 has just been
sanctioned Tor erecting an additional
courthouse. judges chamber, and ac-
c0mmOdation for clerks IN connection