RAMIE, RHEA, CHINA GRASS, OR NETTLE FIBRE. 



APPENDIX A. 



The following are extracts from a paper on the "Cultivation and Manufacture 



of Rhea Fibre," read by me: 



The growth, production, and quality of ramie 

 vary very much, according to climate, soil, 

 mode of cultivation, and treatment of the fibre. 

 There are, therefore, many elements of uncer- 

 tainty such, for instance, as the cost and the 

 weight of the crop grown per acre, the number 

 of crops that can be obtained annually, and 

 the percentage of fibre contained in the stems. 

 My figures must be taken as representing a 

 general average, liable to modifications, accord- 

 ing to circumstances. 



Ramie, called in India " rhea," and when 

 grown and prepared in China known as " China 

 grass," belongs to the family of nettles 

 (Urtica), and to the sub-division Boehmeria. 

 There are many varieties of the plant, but the 

 two which have been proved to be the best 

 fibre-bearing species are B. Tenacissima, often 

 called the green-leaved ramie, and B. Nivea, 

 often called the white-leaved ramie, on account 

 of the silvery appearance of the under side of 

 its leaves. The Nivea species is mostly culti- 

 vated in China and Formosa, and the Tenacis- 

 sima in Jav, Sumatra, Borneo, Malacca, In- 

 dia, Mexico, and other tropical countries. 

 Many attempts have been made to successfully 

 cultivate ramie in temperate zones, and at 

 one time great expectations were raised as to 

 the possibility of successfully growing the fibre 

 in France, Holland, and other countries en- 

 joying a similar climate, but these expecta- 

 tions have not been realised, as the plants are 

 not able to resist winter cold, unless protected 

 to such a degree and at such an expense as to 

 cause their cultivation to be too costly. At 

 one time it was expected that the cultivation 

 of rhea in India would prove of immense bene- 

 fit, but careful study and experience have 

 shown that something more than a merely 

 tropical climate is required. 



Warm moisture is the first requisite to the 

 soil for cultivation, but anything approaching 

 stagnation of water on the land, even 

 for a short period, is the ruin of an estate. 

 Plenty of water always in the soil and yet 

 ready absorption of all that falls are true essen- 

 tials in ramie land. This implies friability of 

 surface soil to soak in the moisture and 

 porosity of the subsoil to absorb the excess 

 of water or heavy rains. The land must be 



sufficiently elevated to run no risk from floods. 

 Moisture and warmth in the land depend 

 largely upon moisture and warmth in the 

 atmosphere. Therefore, a plentiful rainfall is 

 indispensable, coupled with a high and even 

 temperature. The rainfall must not only be 

 plentiful but it must be well distributed 

 throughout the year. The greatest enemy of 

 ramie after stagnant water is drought. Dry 

 heat burns it up ; drought kills it outright. 

 What ramie requires is a naturally rich deep 

 soil, plenty of rain, and no extremes of tem- 

 perature. 



It was at one time generally supposed that 

 the whole of India is suitable for growing rhea. 

 Such, however, is not the case. Districts in 

 India, the climate and soil of which are in 

 accordance with the above requirements, can 

 produce any quantity of rhea, and if the 

 authorities will foster and protect the culti- 

 vation, India will doubtless become one of the 

 most important producers of rhea fibre. It is 

 a perennial, giving from two to five crops an- 

 nually, and when well established on the land 

 yields its crops for a succession of years. The 

 roots became stronger and stronger each year 

 as they spread through the soil, and the plant 

 becomes more and more productive. It yields 

 a crop the first year, if grown from seed. If 

 planted from root-cuttings it can give two 

 crops in the first year. Owing to the quantity 

 of tannin in the bark it is singularly free from 

 insect pests and fungoid diseases. An estate 

 of 500 acres of ramie under good cultivation 

 and favourable circumstances ought to produce 

 yearly from 7,000 to 9,000 tons of green stems, 

 calculating four crops per year, of which about 

 5 per cent, is fibre. 



The leading qualities of ramie fibre may be 

 summarised thus : 



(a) It is the strongest fibre known. The 

 comparative tensile strength of some of the 

 leading fibres may be known as follows : 

 Assuming the strength of ramie to be 100, the 

 strength of hemp is 36 ; flax, 25 ; silk, 13 ; 

 and cotton, 12. 



(6) It is the longest of all textile fibres. Its 

 filaments range in length from 2^ in. up to 

 18 in. The filaments of flax vary in length 

 from % in. to 2^ in. 



