154 THE PLANT WORLD 



tioned are exhibited iii the Forestry Building, at the Pan-American Ex- 

 position, the cross and the quarter sections being shown. 



In the Agriculture Building at the Lousiana exhibit are shown 

 twenty-four varieties of the peca,n nut, ranging in size from the ordinary 

 pecan, which we can buy in our markets, to a variety much larger than 

 the ordinarj^ pigeon's egg. Nearly all of these varieties are paper- 

 shelled and can be easilj' broken with the hand. Turpentine, tar, tar 

 oil, creosote, pyroligneous acid (wood vinegar), and wood alcohol are 

 produced in Louisiana from fat or refuse pine. The broken and fallen 

 wood of the pine which has lain waste in the forests is cut into foot bil- 

 lets, put into a copper still and heated, dry distillation being used. It 

 first produces a gas, then the wood alcohol, creosote and turpentine 

 which afterward separate, next tar oil and pyroligneous acid or wood 

 vinegar, lastly tar. The charcoal derived from this dry heat process is 

 of a superior grade, very solid and heavy, and burns much longer than 

 the ordinary charcoal, giving a more intense heat. This is an entirely 

 new process of distillation, the old process of tapping the tree being 

 more expensive and taking more time. 



Ramie Fibre. 



Bamie fibre is displayed in the Louisiana State pavilion in the 

 Agricultural Building at the Pan-American Exposition. Ramie was 

 first introduced into the United States in 1855 from Japan. It will 

 grow in any soil where the winters are not too severe. A temperature 

 of 32 degrees, however, will kill it. The yield is from fifteen to twenty 

 tons to the acre. The fibre is made from the inner bark, which is cut 

 in strips four feet in length. Samuel B. Allison, of Galveston, Texas, 

 invented and built the only machine for separating the inner from the 

 outer bark. This machine was taken to Galveston by Mr. Allison, and 

 was destroyed with its inventor during the disastrous storm of last fall, 

 with all data regarding the specifications of the invention. The outer 

 bark is of a resinous nature and in Japan is separated from the inner 

 bark by hand, each stalk being handled separately and the two layers 

 of bark separated with a knife. All the fibre now used in this country 

 is procured from Japan, Louisiana having no machinery to produce the 

 fibre, and labor being too expensive to compete with the cheap Japan- 

 ese labor. Ramie can be made into cloths of various textures, and will 

 take any dye. It has a silky appearance, and when interwoven with 

 silk it is next to impossible to discover the ramie fibre. The sails of 

 the Shamrock and Constitution and nearly all the racing yachts are 

 made from ramie fibre. Ramie is the strongest and longest vegetable 

 fibre known. A very superior grade of plush is made from it. The 

 reed grows profusely throughout Louisiana without any cultivation 

 whatever. It grows to the height of from four to eight feet, four foot 

 reeds being the most desirable for use. It is of rapid growth, some- 

 times producing as many as five crops a year. The Louisiana commis- 

 sioners say that State produces enough ramie to supply the United 

 states, and are anxious to interest capital in the production of it. 



