24 FARMERS' BULLETIN. 



that it may be stripped from the bark at one motion. The bark is the 

 stripped of its leaves and a second .jerk detaches it from the root. By 

 this method the leaves and stalks are left in the field, which are of great 

 advantage to future crops. The ribbons of bark are kept straight and 

 piled up in a shed to ferment slightly. When the epidermis is in a 

 suitable state to peel, the operator takes a few ribbons at a time in the 

 left hand, and with the right hand, the thumb of which is armed with a 

 small metal scraper, the epidermis is stripped off. The fiber is then put 

 out to dry. In China and Japan most of the fiber is exported in this 

 state. That which is retained for local use is submitted to a treatment 

 of alkali in order to remove the gum. This renders the fiber more pliable 

 and it can be more finely separated. In Europe the process of degumming 

 and combing is carried to a high state of perfection, so that a fiber is 

 produced which is suitable for mixing with silk or linen. I do not know 

 that the process of degumming is practiced at all in the Philippines. 



The uses to which ramie may be put are quite as general as the uses 

 of cotton, the cost of production alone preventing it from entering into a 

 more extensive consumption. That which is produced in the Islands is 

 used for the most part for mixing with abaca, silk, and the pineapple fiber 

 in the manufactur? of a great many varieties of fabrics, but the produc- 

 tion does not supply the demand. In 1900, 563 pounds, valued at $39, and 

 in 1901, 8,308 pounds, valued at $415, entered the port of Iloilo. This 

 shows a considerable increase in quantity for 1901, but according to the 

 figures the price dropped almost two cents per pound. 



PLANTING AND CULTIVATION. 



Inasmuch as the ramie plant has a perennial root and does not require 

 to be planted every year, it is quite necessary that the land chosen for the 

 plantation be put in good tilth by deep plowing and thoroughly fining 

 the soil. The plants, have to be set so thickly in order to prevent branch- 

 ing and to cause the stalks to grow stright that after cultivation is not 

 an easy matter. This deep plowing is quite important also that the soil 

 may drain well, as the plant will not thrive in a wet soil. For climatic 

 conditions, this plant requires a humid atmosphere, with frequent rains 

 or irrigation and a warm temperature so that the growth may be rapid 

 and luxuriant. Vast areas in the Philippines possess just such character- 

 istics of soil and climate as this plant desires, and every effort should be 

 made to promote its cultivation. 



The ramie plant may be propagated by seeds, by cuttings, or by divi- 

 sions of the roots. The last is the best method when it is convenient, as 

 the seeds are sometimes not produced in abundance and the seedlings 

 require some care. Propagation by cuttings requires longer to mature a 

 crop. When it is necessary to plant seeds they should be sown in loose 

 loam and lightly covered with fine soil. The seed beds should be shaded 

 with nipa or a bamboo matting to protect the young plants from the direct 



