198 



HEMP, RAMIE 



been established along the coast, with factories for treating 

 the fibre. The soil, temperature, and rainfall are admirably 

 adapted to the growth of the plant. The leaves attain 

 a length of five to six feet; the yield and quality of the 

 fibre are both considered excellent.' Nyasaland, too, has sisal 



plantations in the neighbour- 

 hood of Blantyre, and now 

 that the railway to Blantyre 

 from Port Herald is com-, 

 pie ted, most probably more 

 plantations will be made. It 

 is also grown in Papua ; and 

 many other places, such as 

 Fiji, Mauritius, Queensland, 

 and Jamaica are considered 

 promising for its cultivation 

 in the future. 



RAMIE (Malay zami) is 

 a plant in many respects 

 like the stinging nettle, 

 though it does not sting. It 

 grows from three to eight 

 feet in height, and has large 

 leaves (almost white on the 

 underside), and little insig- 

 nificant, pale-green flowers 

 arranged along a slender stalk. 



It is valuable for its fibre, which occurs under the outer 

 covering of its stems, but it is difficult to obtain, as it is 

 united to the bark by a very sticky gum, which has to be 

 removed. This fibre, however, is one of the strongest known 

 fibres in existence, and, when satisfactory machinery has been 

 invented for decorticating the stems, the plant will be even 

 more widely cultivated than it is at present ; for, given a fairly 

 equable rainfall, it is easy to grow, and its strong fibre i& 

 useful for a variety of purposes, besides the manufacture of 



RAMIE 



