AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 267 



Subjects for next meeting — Grape-Houses, Grape Culture, and 

 Insects in Wheat. The Club adjourned to June 5th, at noon. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary. 



June 5, 1855. 



Present — Messrs. Prof. J. J. Mapes, George Bacon, Paul Still- 

 man, E. Pardee, Solon Robinson, Dr. Austin Church, Mr. Knox, 

 Dr. Waterbury, Prof. Geo. E. Waring, Mr. Vail, Orange Judd, 

 Messrs. Chilson, Russ, Fisher, Moore, John D. Howard of Jersey 

 city, Dr. Poole of Newark, Adrian Eergen of Long Island, Secre- 

 tary Leonard, John W. Chambers, &c. — 42 members in all. 



Austin Church, M. D., in the chair. Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The Secretary read the following papers, translated or j»repared 

 by him, (viz:) 



[Revue Horticol, Paris, May 1855.] 



Translated by H. Meigs. 

 RAMIE — URTICA-UTILIS.~(JVe«; Textile Plant.) 



Ten years ago (April 1845) I published in the Journal of Prac- 

 tical Agriculture a note on the importation of this plant for cul- 

 ture in our southern provinces and colonies. It has been culti- 

 vated in China from time immemorial on account of the fineness 

 of its fibre, the solidity, w^hiteness of wliich is equal to tlie most 

 beautiful flax. I obtained some seeds and planted them at the 

 Museum. They grew about seven feet high in the open air. 

 Plants were also sent to Algeria. In 1852, Mon. de Jussieu, 

 Professor of the Botanical Museum of Leyden, and Mon. Dueos 

 Minister of Marine, sent it to the south, particularly Guyana. 



This plant is of the Ortie (nettle) family. It is known as China 

 grass — is cultivated in China in small garden plants for lamily 

 use, along the rice field borders. In Java it is called Ramie. In 

 Queen Elizabeth's time, some clothes made of it were imported 

 into Europe ; and it was specially valued in Holland where stuffs 

 were made of it preferred to those of flax. It obtained th,e name 

 of Netel-Dock, a name still given to muslin. This name is formed 

 of nettle and dock, a stuff" (i. e.) nettle stuff" or duck! This fibre 

 is more durable in wet, &c. than flax or hemp. Messrs. Craw- 

 ford and Raffles observed this of the nets of Java, &;c. Marsden 

 called it Calovie. Our canvas for land and sea service have been 

 unhappily injured by using with hemp the Calcutta Jupc (Cor- 



