RAMIE. 



55 



product, but rather for the manufacture of ships' cables and ropes and 

 the meshes of mosquito netting. The price of the imported article is com- 

 paratively cheap, being only about 15 to 17 yen ($7'50 to $8-50) 

 per 120 Ibs., while Japanese hemp is worth six or seven times, and the 

 native karamushi five or six times that much. Notwithstanding its 

 greater quality, it is being imported into Japan in larger quantities 

 year by year, as is shown by the following table : 



IMPORTS. 



Year. Weight. Yen. 



1892 1,461,536 Kin l 122,431 



1893 2,397,355 185,061 



1894 3,140,934 276,711 



1895 5,141,277 359,664 



1896 4,155,148 376,275 



1 Kin = 1-33 Jib. 



Value. 



United States currency. 

 $61,215-50 

 92,530-50 

 138,355-50 

 179,832-00 

 188,137-50 



Fig. 35. Ramie fibres (magn.). 



There is no prospect of export of the native karamushi. 



The various names used to represent the Ramie, Rhea, and China 

 grass will have to be reduced some day so that commercial men will at 

 once know what plant the fibre is produced from ; indeed the names given 

 indifferent countries are a source of confusion, and it rests with Chambers 

 of Commerce to remove this chaos. 



