The Parker post., 1913-01-25
RAISING RAMIE
NEW INDUSTRY
BLYTHE RANCHER EXPERIMENTS
WITH PLANT AND FINDS CON-
DlTIONS IDEAL FOR SUCCESS
Full GROWTH.
(PaIo Verde Valley Herald.)

Growing ramie may prove profit
able industry to farmers of the Palo
Verde valley within the next few
years. Experiments have already
proved it a success in this district
and recent inventions of machinery
for cleaning the ramie fiber have
made it possible for American farm
ers &c compete with the Chinese who
supply the country at the present
time.
Fred Springer has been experiment.
ing with the plant ON his ranch near
Blythe and after a test lasting three
years reports that the quality of
fiber and the size of the stalk rails
ed have proved the local conditions
are ideal for it's growth.
Members of the Janss party, while
in the valley last fall saw the patch
of ramie on the Springer ranch and
after examining it declared it was OF
unusual quality and predicted that
CAAC P1clIAC PlONC q pay ALS MI
dustry here in the near future.
Dispatches from Washington have
the following to say regarding tht
future of the industry in this country
and in California in particular.
THE United States Department O.
Agriculture is convinced that for
tunes will be made in this new in
dustry. The only question is, to
quote the words of the Department.
expert, Can the American farmer
produce this raw material at a cost
permitting it to compete with the
hand cleaned ramie fiber from China
when the fact is taken into considers
ton that the yield is scarcely more
than per cent of the weight of the
green crop, or 800 to $500 pound
per acre"
Ramie is at present being exten
sively used in this country in the
manufacture of millinery goods, knit
underwear, dress goods, for mixing
with silk and for shoe thread. 1t is
suitable for dress goods, plushes, up
holstery materials, pOrtieres, table
napery, incandescent mantles, and
nearly ALL lines OF goods now made
from silk or linen yarns.
1t is distinctly different, however,
from silk or linen, and is especially
suitable for goods in which strength
non-elasticity, absorbant propertiec.
and luster are required.
The plant is a perennial, belong
ing to the nettle family and is G
native of eastern Asia. Herbaceou,
stalks, from two to six feet in length
grow up each year from the peren
nial root. 1t has none of the poison
GUS properties of the nettle anC
when cut during the growing season
new shoots grow up.
China grass, which is ramie fiber
cleaned by hand in China, can be de-
livered in San Francisco or New Yot |
at = to 10 cents pound. 1t is rough
ly estimated that the importations OF
China grass now amount to nearly !, ;
100000 pounds annually, besides CON
siderable quantities of yarns and
some degummed fllasse prepared in
Europe. No regular market for ramie
has been established in this country,
and it is not listed with American
quotations of other fibers.
The outlook for the ramie Industry
IN this country appears promising
At least five different companies are
operating mills for degumming, comb
ing and spinning ramie The manu-
facturers of ramie yarns, shoe thread.
dress goods and incandescent ga
mantles have become established i'm
dustries. Increasing quantities O.
ramie goods are being offered under
the name ''ramie," so the purchasing
public may soon learn to recognize
the merits of this superior fiber. In
some instances its reputation has
been injured by goods made of bad
ly degummed fiber wearing out quick
ly In the laundry, by goods made of
noils sold to compete with the bet
ter grades made from tops and worst
Of all, by cheap jute goods sold under
the name ''ramie.''