694 REPORT OP THE C0MMISSI02?ER OP AGRICULTURE. 



ing spring as if it "wore in its congenial spliere. This j^rolific and vigorouB growth in- 

 creased in luxuriance and number of etems all the Buramer, especially after each cut- 

 ting. * * A large quantum of minerals, phosphate, and silicious elements in the 

 soil, and oxygon and carlionic acid in the air, account for the superiority of New Jer- 

 sey over other sections regarding that plant, which, unlike cotton, has all its value in 

 the bark, like flax and hemp. Eamie derives its xnincipal food from the air. That 

 explains the possibility of its triple annual cuttings and extraordinary abundance 

 Y/ithout exhausting the soil more tJian any other plant. Three crops of four and five 

 feet each are certain from April to October, after the first season has formed the stand. 

 Being protected against deep frost by a thick coating of leaves, hay, or straw mixed 

 ■with some stable manure, the stand will last isdefinitely and constitute a permanent 

 income. The leaves of the plant itself wiU do very well for that covering and manur- 

 ing; when dried, loaves are non-conductors of cold, and they generate — especially 

 ramie leaves — a certain amount of ammonia, which is a good fertilizer. The ex])eri- 

 ments referrod to were made in ordinary sandy soil, such as is found all over West 

 Jersey. 



The experiments were repeated at Haddoufield and Newark by a num- 

 ber of gentlemen interested in ramie culture. As to yield, wliere the 

 stand is fully established, it is stated that three crops of stalks, 4^ feet 

 in length, will give 8 tons of dried stems and 1 ton of cleaned fiber per 

 acre, or about 12 J per cent. Ten dollars a ton is the most recent figure 

 given as the possible value of the dried stalks bundled. 



As the report of this department for 1873 may not be available to 

 many readers of these pages, I will give a brief extract from the ramie 

 article to which reference has been made, describing the mode of cult- 

 ure, and the manner in which stands are obtained. At the time it was 

 written ramie culture was confined to Louisiana. It is as Ibllows : 



First. Whether for nursery pni'poses or for cultivation, the land must ho sufficiently 

 elevated to receive the benefit of natuial drainage, hoeauee the roots will not live long 

 in a, watery bottom. 



Secondly. The soil must he deep, rich, light, and moisb as the sandy alluvia of 

 Louisiana. Manure supplies the defects in some lands in these respects. 



Thirdly. The fields must be thoroughly clesrcd of weeds, plowed twice to the depth 

 of eight to ten inches, if possible, harrowed as much as a thorough pulverizing re- 

 quires, aud carefully di-ained by discriminate lines of ditches. "W ater must not be 

 allowed to stand in the rows of the plant. 



The land being thus prepared, planting heeomes easy and promising. December, 

 January, and February are the best months in which to plant. Roots, ratoons, and 

 rooted layers are the only available seed. They are generally four or five inches long, 

 carefully cut, not torn, from the mother plant. The dusty seed produced by the 

 ramie stalks in the fall can be sown, but it is so delicate and requires so much care 

 during the period of germination and growth th.'it it seldom succeeds in open land. 



Furrows 5 or G inches deep and 5 feet apart are opened with tbe plow. The roots 

 are laid lengthwise in the middle, cLoso in succession if a tlijck stand of crop is de- 

 eired, but placed at intervals if nursery propagation is the object in view. 



The first mode Avill absorb 3,000 roots per acre, but v/ill save the labor of often fill- 

 ing the stand by propagation. The second mode will spare thi'ce-fourths of that 

 amount of roots, but will impose the obUgation of multiplying by layers. Being 

 placed in the furrow closely or at intervals, the roots are carefully covered with the 

 hoe. Pulverized earth and manure spread over the roots insure an early and luxuri- 

 ant growth in the spring. Wh^n the shoots have attained a foot in height they are 

 hilled up like potatoes, corn, and all other i>lant3 that require good footing and pro- 

 tection from the fermenting effect of stagnant water. The intervals between the 

 rows being deepened by the hilling have also a draining influence, which can be ren- 

 dered atill more effective by ditches dug across from distance to distance, say 15 feet. 



Good crops are obtained by thickening the stands. The stems are then abundant, 

 fine, straight, and rich in fiber. Close planting is then necessary, inasmuch as it 

 prevents the objectionable brauchuig of the stalks. The period at which the pl.iut is 

 ripe for cutting is indicated by a brov.-nish tinge at the foot of the stems. At that 

 early etago the plant, though greenish, yields a fine and abundant filament. The 

 first cutting may be unprofitable on account of the irregujarity and sparseness of the 

 growth ; but if the stand is razeed and manured over the stubbles the ensuing cut- 

 lings will be i>roductive. For that purpose the field must be kept clear of grass until 

 the' growth be sufficiently dense to expel the parasites by its shade. That necessary 

 density is obtai-ied by means of the important laying process. This consists in bend- 

 ing down, right and left along the growing stand, tn© highest e'witchea, and in cov- 



