i8 



RAMIE, RHEA, CHINA GRASS, OR NETTLE FIBRE* 



machine that it has solved the question which 

 has heretofore been one of the chief difficulties 

 in connection with ramie. 



The grower can now produce ramie fibre 

 from his stems in such a condition that it needs 

 only drying, packing, and sending to mar- 

 ket in order to turn it into money, and as the 

 margin of profit is large, there can be no doubt 

 that the cultivation of ramie will henceforth 

 increase each season. The position of the 

 manufacturer is entirely changed. His raw 

 material will come into the market in regular 

 quantities in a condition in which he can easily 

 utilise it, so as to enable him to be sure of 

 an ample supply. The cost of extracting the 

 fibre from the green stems, drying, and pack- 

 ing it into bales, amounts to about 3s. 9d. per 

 ton of stems treated, or 3 15s. per ton of dry 

 fibre obtained when working with ten 

 machines and native labour at Is. per day 

 including motive power, stores, etc. If the 

 labour is calculated at 2s. per day, the cost will 

 be 5s. l^d. per ton of green stems, or 5 2s. 

 Gd. per ton of dry fibre obtained, assuming 

 that the stems give 5 per cent, of fibre. The 

 cost of extraction is, of course, liable to be 

 much affected by the price of labour, the cost 

 of motive power, and by various local circum- 

 stances. 



The way is now clear and open for great 

 progress in this industry, but it must not be 

 too readily assumed that there is going to be an 

 immediate boom in ramie ; the very nature of 

 the circumstances attending its cultivation pre- 

 vent such an occurrence. Everything points 

 to a certain but gradual development. I do 

 not anticipate that the cultivator will proceed 

 otherwise than cautiously in planting and pro- 

 ducing fibre. As soon as he has thorouhgly 

 realised that there is a ready sale for his fibre 



at good and profitable prices, he will doubtless 

 increase his production methodically and ener- 

 getically. The progress will be steady, and in 

 the proportion in which the increased supplies 

 of the fibre come into the market will be the, 

 enlargement of existing mills, the starting of 

 new mills, and the increased use of the fibre 

 in all manner of goods for which it is adapted. 



The trade is now on a sound and practical 

 basis as far as immediate requirements are 

 concerned. The supplies of China grass, though 

 at times irregular in quantity and quality, and 

 subject to considerable fluctuations in price, 

 have enabled spinners to attain their present 

 position in the market and to show to the 

 manufacturing world what can be accomplished 

 with the fibre. There can be no doubt that 

 the present situation warrants and justifies the 

 encouragement and immediate development of 

 ramie cultivation in all the countries the cli- 

 mate and soil of which are favourable to the 

 growth of the plant. This will ensure regular, 

 ample, and cheap supplies of the fibre from a 

 variety of sources, and free the spinner from 

 dependence upon one channel of supply 

 only namely, China. Visionary schemes have 

 been swept away by hard experience ; our 

 knowledge of the splendid qualities of this fibre 

 and the mode of treating it has grown enor- 

 mously, and we may, therefore, look forward to 

 its manufacture being rapidly increased and 

 freed from speculation and costly experiments. 



In a v recent letter received from a large spin- 

 ner of ramie, I was much struck with an ex- 

 pression he used in relation to this fibre 

 namely, that it is the " noblest " of all fibres. 

 I thoroughly agree with him. It is a true de- 

 scription, and I have endeavoured to show that 

 it is indeed superior in so many respects as to 

 justify its being placed at the head of all tex- 

 tile fibres. 



