Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-20
New Cloth Fibres
BY Frederic J. Haskin

states.
Ramie cloth made from ramie grass,
while an ancient textile in the orient,
| Is almost a new fabric on the Ameri'
can market where 1t Is proving popu-
lar. Unfortunately, however, its repu-
tation for durability is apt to be in
jured by reason of the fact that some
of the goods sold as ramie is actu-
ally made from the ramie noils, a
short byproduct hbre of the same re-
lation to real ramie that spun silk Is
! to silk While made from the same
plant tissue. the ramie noils 40 not
wear so we'll.
Jute, which has largely taken the
place of hemp in the manufacture OF
burlap coarse materials, twines, ropes,
ETC., is an Indian raw product which
has become scarce during the war
The present market prices for 1ute
are just double what they were at the
beginning OF the war, an annoying
factor to American manufacturers who
yearly import over seven million dol'
lars worth of raw jute fibre. Hemp,
which was formerly used In great
quantities is now little grown ana
almost an unknown product IN the
modern textile factory.
| Russia is the greatest fax grower
supplying four-fifths of the fax of the
i world. Austria Hungary. France, Ire
land Belgium and Holland are also
large producers of the raw product,
while France and Ireland compete In
the possession Of the greatest num-
Der of spindles All manufacture OF
linen has been seriously hampered by
the war. which has served to bottle
up Russia's max crop as completely as
| 1t did her wheat While the best lin
ems come from France and Ireland,
these countries are also dependent on
others for the majority OF the raw
product. Hence the price of linen Is
soaring. In the United States we
have three million acres planted IN
seed fax. but only two thousand acres
in fibre flax. the seed fax evidently
proving more profitable.
There are several tropical fabrics
which may be drawn upon by Ameri-
can textile manufacturers In case
market conditions are not bettered in
the course OF time. For instance, the
Filipinos make an attractive fabric
known as pima cloth out OF pineapple
fibre. The pineapple Leaf, from four
to six feet long. is laid out on a board
and scraped with piece of bone until
the pulp is removed and nothing re-
mains but the fibre. The fibre is then
placed in a bag of mortar and beaten
vigorously with pestle, after which
| it is washed and combed out and hung
up on the wall to dry. A Flhpino
woman, seated on the floor. ties the
fibres together. end to end. This prod
uct Is manufactured either IN the
Philippines or Japan into light,
gauzy dress goods especially adapted
| for tropical clothing and worn exten'
sively by the Filipino women.
Many possibilities have occurred to
tAmerican textile, manufacturers as
substitutes for various fabrics now
commanding prohibitive prices and
fast becoming scarce, but there is al
WAYS the handicap Of labor. For ex-
ample. rumor has 1t that the Austrians
are using net.les for bed linen; the
Germans are reported to be using the
fibre Of a variety Of willow rose as
substitute for jute: hops are being
manufactured into dress goods and IN
the tropics the cocoanut fibre 1s en-
ployed In making shoes. South
American is establishing experimental
stations for the testing Of various
jungle fbres. Altogether with the aid
Of modern machinery, the seven mod
ern fabrics may soon become things
!, of the past and our future raiment
may be made out Of pineapples and
cocoanuts.