The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-02-22

known as the most splendid
textile fiber on earth, and which
for thousands OF years has bal
fled mans effort to find a prac-
teal way of separating it from
the stalk. Martz, determined to
find a way TO produce ramie fib-
er in quantities sufficient for the
modern textile industry.
The ramie plant looks a great
deal like the common bloodweed
Of the south, which grows in
damp places and is a familiar
sight even in cities where it over
grows vacant lots in jungle-like
thickets. Probably it stems OF
tie same chronological genus.
II grows in most of the warm
countries of the world.
The dead pharoahs of Egypt
were wound in ramie bindings
when they we're sealed in the
pyramids. Archaeologists have
found mummy wrappings in
fair condition after three fhous-
and years. The cloth has
been produced in China for
thousands Of years. Chinese
coolies scraped the fiber un-
der water 10 separate il from
its gummY casing. and ever in
modern times ramie cloth in
small commercial quantities
has been produced in the ORR
emf and East Indies. But so
tedious was the process that
only coolie labor made its pro-
ducfion possible. or slave la
Dor in the days of Egypt.
Unlike cotton, the ramie fib-
er grows in the stalk of the
plant itself rather than in bolls
on branches convenient for pick.
ing. The outer surface of the
bark is scaly and woody; be-
meath this is the camium layer
of growth cells, the inner greer
layer of all plants which is the
thin sheath of creative life ly-
ing beneath the dead bark anc
the dead wood or pith centers 0,
trees and plants. The rar1ie fib.
ers are long, fine, hollow fibel
running the length of the plant
and imbedded in the gummS
Icamitim layer of living cells. II
separate them from the gum il
the battling technical problem
Ramie has been getting an in.
creasing amount of publicity ir
recent years, particularly in the
South, where is can grow proli.
fically. The general newspaper
reader by now familiar will
many of its virtues-he ha.
heard, for INSTANCE. that it !!
twice as strong as SIR, that il
does not mould or mildew, tina
it is stronger wet than dry. thai
for beauty, finish, wearing quail
tiles il is nat approached by cot
ton, silk or artificial textiles
But the layman who gets
chance to examine the raw fiber
itself is amazed at what he finds
Mrs. Martz went out 10 the
LITTLE setd-plot where they Keep
their special strain of ramie
growing. and Brought in a
young fender-looking green
plant. Their contemporary
crop was immature. With a
kitchen knife she scraped off
some of the bark. caught up
a few strands of the inner
layer under the knife point
and peeled them out of the
stalk. They were a foot or two
in length. They looked like
any ordinary peeling from a
green. fibrous weed.
l. wrapped them around my
fingers and Started to pull. She
cried out suddenly to stop ME.
"You will cut your finger to
the bone if you do that" she
said. She told me this had hap
pened to another visitor, Test
ing the fibers gently, / could
see them bite into my fingers
without any sign of breaking.
The strand l had was the thick
ness of Number Eight cotton
thread. But it would Stand
enough pressure to cut literally
to the .5dne before it would
snap.
There have been many chem
zeal processes developed" Martz
said, speaking in his slow, intent
fashion, Ito dissolve and remove
the gum from the ramie fiber.
It is not difficult to do so with
chemical solutions. But the chem
ical method is useless. II ruins
the fiber itself. Unlike cotton
and silk. and other fibers, the
ramie fiber is hollow. The lit
tie tubes fill up with the chem
ical solution. and when dried
the chemicals return to their
crystalline state. No matter how
long the fiber is soaked or wash
ed, the crystalline residue can
not be completely removed from
the fiber. and it becomes brittle