286 



are very small in clusters along a branched stalk, and both male 

 and female flowers occur on the same plant. 



Varieties — Ramie is the Malay name for the variety native in 

 the Malay Archipelago, which is greenish on both sides of the 

 leaf. It has been cultivated in Assam for long periods, and is 

 there known as Rhea. This variety is distinguished by the name 

 tenacissima. The variety with the whitish under-side of the leaves 

 (nivea) is a native of China and has been conveniently designated 

 the Chinese White Nettle. The fibre prepared from it, and 

 imported into England, is known under the inappropriate name of 

 China Grass. 



China grass fibre generally obtains double the price in London 

 of Rhea. Some writers state that the variety tenacissima produces 

 the strongest fibre. 



Introduction into Jamaica — The white-leaved variety was intro- 

 duced into Jamaica in the year 1854 by Mr. Nathaniel Wilson, 

 Island Botanist, and was grown with great success in the Botanic 

 Garden at Bath. Plants were distributed from that centre as early 

 as the year 1855. In 1884, Sir D. Morris, at that time Director of 

 Public Gardens and Plantations, issued Instructions on the Cultiva- 

 tion of Ramie, and also discussed the subject in a Public Lecture at 

 the Jamaica Institute on " Native and other Fibre Plants." Shortly 

 after the delivery of this lecture, the late Hon. Dr. Phillippo deliver- 

 ed another Institute Lecture specially devoted to the subject of 

 Ramie, giving results of his own experiments as well as general 

 nformation on the whole subject. Dr. Phillippo had already in 

 1881 introduced the green-leaved variety into the Island from 

 Haiti. At this time and for 3 or 4 years subsequently, it was 

 confidently e.xpected that the Favier-Fremy process had solved 

 the difficulty of preparation of the fibre. 



CULTIVATION. 



Climate — The Malayan Ramie is essentially a native of an 

 equatorial insular climate, with an equable temperature all the year 

 round, and abundance of moisture. It has not succeeded well in 

 India, except in the south, where a company is growing it, because 

 in summer it is subjected to long-continued droughts and in winter 

 to cold weather. In Jamaica there are no great extremes of 

 temperature, and therefore wherever there is a sufficiency of fresh 

 water for the roots. Ramie will flourish. Even in localities where 

 the annual rainfall does not exceed 50 inches, it would succeed 

 with irrigation. 



The Chinese White Nettle is a continental plant, and apparently 

 more accommodating as regards moisture and drought than the 

 Malayan variety. It has grown luxuriantly in Jamaica from sea 

 level up to 5,000 feet, and there is no reason to suppose that there 

 would be any difficulty in cultivating it at the highest elevations. 

 In America, it is said that the Chinese variety is the more success- 

 ful. 



