RAMIE, RHEA, CHINA GRASS, OR NETTLE FIBRE* 



(c) Ramie fibre has a brilliancy or lustre 

 superior to that of all other textile fibres.' In 

 this respect it may be compared with silk, 

 which it almost equals. In certain classes of 

 goods only an expert can distinguish between 

 silk and ramie. When properly degummed, 

 prepared, spun, and woven, this lustre is not 

 affected by the processes, but shines forth as 

 brightly in the woven piece as in the fibre. 



(d) Ramie resists atmospheric influences 

 better than any other fibre. Air and water 

 have little influence on it, however long a time 

 exposed. This has been amply proved in the 

 case of fishing nets made of ramie, which have 

 lasted far beyond any other material that has 

 ever been used for the purpose. 



(e) It mixes easily and freely with silk, 

 wool, cotton, and flax, and the combinations 

 thus obtained are very valuable in point of 

 colour, durability, and economy. 



(f) It takes colours freely in dyeing, and 

 the very best effects of colour are obtained 

 without affecting the lustre. 



One of the difficulties that has impeded the 

 spread of the cultivation of ramie has been 

 the planting. It has been assumed for many 

 years that the best way to propagate ramie was 

 by means of stem or root cuttings. In order 

 to obtain these cuttings, plants have been pro- 

 cured with great difficulty and risk, and at 

 great expense. Many people have been dis- 

 couraged by the difficulties and the expense, 

 and in many cases it has not been possible to 

 obtain plants. Sowing has been tried in a few 

 cases, but has resulted mostly in failure ; hence 

 the idea that ramie is best propagated by cut- 

 tings. 



From a friend of large experience in the 

 East, I have quite recently obtained special 

 information, which points to the fact that pro- 

 pagation by sowing has been rejected through 

 ignorance of the proper method of sowing. I 

 cannot do better than make known the result 

 of his practical knowledge and experience : 



" It is commonly said that an ounce of practice 

 is worth pounds of theory, and it may not be 

 amiss to give here the results of my own ex- 

 perience in ramie propagation by seed. 



"It requires great care, but if the seed be 

 good, the results obtained are an ample reward 

 for the trouble taken. My first attempt ended in 

 failure. One month later I sowed some seed 

 on a bed made of fine sifted earth with 'a slight 

 admixture of well rotted cow dung : the bed 

 was well sheltered by a lallang roofing, and, in 

 fine, every precaution was taken to ensure 

 success. The result was far from satisfactory ; 



little patches of green here and there showed 

 that germination had partially taken place, but 

 the sowing was practically a failure. I then 

 referred to the precepts given by ' The Im- 

 perial Treatise of Chinese Agriculture ' on -the 

 subject of the rearing of the plant. This work 

 says : 



" ' For the purpose of sowing, a light sandy 

 soil is preferred. The seeds are sown in a gar- 

 den near a river or well. The ground is dug 

 once or twice, then beds are made, and after 

 that the earth is again dug. The ground is 

 then pressed down with the back of a spade. 

 When it is a little firm it is slightly raked, the 

 beds are watered, and again loosened with a fine 

 rake, and finally levelled. After that a ching 

 (a measure) of moist earth and a ho (a meas- 

 ure) of seeds are taken and well mixed to- 

 gether. After having sown the seed it should 

 not be covered with earth ; indeed, earth on 

 the top prevents germination. Cover with a 

 slanting roof of matting. Before the seed be- 

 gins to germinate, or when the young leaves 

 first appear, the beds must not be watered. 

 By means of a broom dipped in water the roof 

 of matting is wetted so as to keep the ground 

 underneath moist. When the plants are about 

 two inches high the roof may be laid aside. If 

 the earth is dry it must be slightly moistened 

 to a depth of about 3 inches. A stiff er soil is 

 now chosen and formed into beds, to which the 

 young plants are to be transferred.' 



" I followed the Chinese method in all its 

 minuteness, with the most gratifying results. 

 I have, therefore, no hesitation in stating that 

 of the three modes of propagation open to the 

 ramie planter seed, stem, or root cuttings 

 the first appears to me to be the most prac- 

 tical, the cheapest, and probably the quickest 

 in the case of a large estate." 



Although one cannot go far wrong in ad- 

 hering closely to the Chinese text, I think, 

 for the sake of conciseness, the following may 

 be substituted for it : Germinate the ramie 

 seed in open boxes in a roofed house. Fill the 

 boxes with earth ; for top soil take a light loam, 

 and pulverise it thoroughly by passing it 

 through a \ in. sieve ; a slight admixture of 

 burnt earth or dung will keep it moist without 

 its being necessary to water it for some days. 

 Mix a small quantity of the seed with one 

 basketful of the prepared soil. Sprinkle this 

 soil over the earth in the boxes. Do not water 

 until after five or six days (sometimes ten 

 days), when the seminal leaves begin to appear. 

 When watering, use a very fine rose. When the 

 young seedlings are from 2 in. to 2^ in. high, 



