TESTS OF DEPARTMENT SEEDS. 421 



Suppose it were a uew growth of cottou, no ouo ■would. clouLt tho success, or tlie aid 

 needed. Our growth of jute will nearly equal half the cotton-crop. We can cut oft" 

 India supplies, as we have done in cottou. 



The interests of our merchants are so interwoven with India importations that they 

 ■will (as they do) say, "You will never get any quantity grown," and make light of it. 

 But your sample shows that its cultivation is feasible, and it must pay when the mar- 

 ket chauges. All orders to India are stopped now, and the revulsion will bring jute 

 I'.igber here, within the next year, than it has ever been. 



The conductor of experiments at the University of Virginia says, that 

 the Calcutta seed received from the Dei)artmeut v,'as, sown April 30, in 

 drills IG inches apart. In a few days the jilants appeared and grew 

 rapidly. Drought set in and continued all summer. The first frost 

 came on the 12th of October, and cut oft' the plants at the height of 4^^ 

 feet. 



As heretofore noted, Mr. John A. Bassett, of Salem, Massachusetts, 

 in sending specimens of jute-manufacture, says: 



Cotton is haled almost exclusively in gunny-cloth. It requires seven yards to the 

 bale. All this, with the exception of 4,000,000 yards, is imported. The domestic cloth 

 is preferred to the imported, and brings a better price in the market. All the imported 

 cloth is made from long-fiber jute. The use of the butts for cloth-making is the result of 

 improvements in machinery made by Mr. John E. Norfolk, of this city. The value of the 

 importation last year -n'aa something over $5,000,000. The outerbark of the jute-plant 

 is difficult to remove, and nothing has yet been de'vised to supersede hand-labor for this 

 purpose. If the plant is to be cultivated in this country, a machine for this purpose 

 will be indispensable. In India, with labor at a few cents per day, the fiber is produced 

 at less than 1 cent per pound. The average cost of jutc-butts here is 4i cents per pound ; 

 long jute, 6 cents. The cloth weighs 2i to 2i pounds to the yard of 45 inches in width. 

 The price ranges from 21 to !]5 cents per yard, according to the season in which it is 

 sold. In the bagging season it brings the highest price. The imi)orted cloth is always 

 a few cents cheaper. There are probably not over 200 looms in this country producing 

 this cloth. 



The imports of jute-fiber and manufactured articles are not given by 

 the United States Bureau of Statistics in separate form, as distinct from 

 other textile grasses, as will appear from the following 



Statemeut of imports of juic and oilier grassen, and cocoa-fiber, and mannfaclures of, during 

 ihe fiscal years ending, rcsjK'CtivcIg, June 30, ld71, and June 30, 1872. 



Articles. 



1872. 



.Twte ami other grasses, and cocoa-fiber, raw . . .tons. . 41, 851 |2, 666, 479 S6, 450 



Manufactures of, by yard square yards .. ! 185,357 2-5,260 228,873 



tTiinny-eloth, gunny- bags, and manufactures of, u.sed j I 



for bagging ponnds..! 12,137,603 j 505,506 ( 30,124,466 



Other manufactures 1,232,515 j 



1871. 



Total value of imports I I 4, 488, 820 



5^2, 131, 056 

 28, 556 



1, 408, 900 

 1, 734, 474 



, 362, 988 



From other sources the information is derived that the importations 

 of jute into the United States during the year 1871 were 5C,GG7 bales, 

 (almost wholly from Calcutta, direct,) and 113,14G bales of "butts" and 

 "rejections." 



In this country, burlaps, chignons, matting, gunny-cloth, cordage, and 

 coarse house-carpeting are made of jute. 



It is within the scope of the purposes of the Department to recom- 

 mend further experiments in the cultivation of jute, in view of the suc- 

 cess of experiments heretofore made, and of the benefits which will 

 accrue to the country from the naturalization of jute-cultivation upon 

 American soil. 



VEaETABLES. 



During the year, the Department has distributed, in considerable 

 quantities, field and sugar corn, field and garden peas ; and for root-crops 



