Year: 1878

The following letter, from Sylvester
Waterhouse, Of the Washington Uni
versity, St. Louis, Mo-, to Governor
Cochran, on the cultivation Of jute,
will probably be Of much interest to
those Of our readers who are engaged
in agricultural pursuits. If, by exper
iment, it should be satisfactorily proven
that this fiber can be grown with sue
cess in this locality, it would open a
field for the farmer which might prove
far more remunerative than any crop
to which he now gives his attention
Since corn has sunk to a price which
no longer pays an adequate return for
the growing Of it, this would seem a
most auspicious time for the introduce
ton of some staple which the farmer
can grow with a prospect Of being paid
for his labor. The writer of the letter
given below is Of the opinion that jute
would do well in the Middle States
therefore, it might be well for farmers
to experiment with it in small way,
and test the probability Of its success
fuI culture in Delaware and Maryland


Directions for procuring seed are
given in the appended communication,
and specimen Of the fiber can be
seen at this office.


WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY,


st. Louis, Mo-, March 5, 1878.
Hon. John p. Cochran, Governor Of the


State Of DelaWare


Dear Sir: My interest in the indus
trial welfare of the country induces me
to address you upon subject Of great
economic moment.


Personal investigations in India
have fully convinced me that Jute can
be naturalized in the United States.
The conditions of soil and climate in
our Southern States and in California
are suited to the growth Of this plant.
The commercial Importance Of Jute
is now immense. The culture of this
staple now adds scores of millions an
nually to the productive wealth of In
dia. Amid all the vast and diversi-
fed productions Of that fruitful land,
only cotton, opium and rice exceed
lutte in mercantile value. In 1872, be-
sides all the domestic consumption Of
iute, 100000 pounds were export
ed to foreign countries. The United
kingdom now annually manufactures
more than 300,000,000 pounds of this
fiber.


The range of its uses is broad. 1t
now enters into the manufacture of al
most every kind Of fabric from the
coarsest gunny-cloth to the finest satin.
It is claimed that the culture of jute is
less exhaustive to the land and more
profitable to the cultivator than that
of sugar-cane or cotton. The plant
grows with great luxuriance. Some
times the yield per acre is $500 lbs.


The cheapness of native jute for bags
and baling would facilitate the move
ment of our crops and the revival Of
cur domestic commerce. The fertility
Of our soil, the economy Of our agri-
cultural machinery, our skilled labor
and scientific supervision, and our su-
perior chemical and mechanical pro-
cesses of treatment will assuredly ena-
bic Americans successfully to compete
with the rude manual industry Of In
dia in the cultivation and manufacture
of this important staple.


Planters, chemists and entors
may proftably direct their attention to
this new source of personal ttsfftdl ttsfftdl public fsttbsliie
wealth. Improvements in methods OF
cultivation, in processes of sleeping the
plant, and in mechanical facilities for
removing the bark would open to the
ingenious minds untrodden paths to
opulence.


Perhaps the Middle States also are
adapted to the growth of Jute. Even
in the case of failure, the experiments
would involve no serious loss while,