Director' s Annual Report. 5y 



ufadlure is tedious in the extreme. Boehmeria tcnacissima is a 

 tropical variety of the above and its fibre, often confounded with 

 China-grass, should probably more corre(5lly be known as rhea. 

 This latter variety is well suited to the climate of these Islands, 

 and is said to grow well in parts of southern Europe, while Boeh- 

 meria 7iivea is cultivated extensively in more northern latitudes. 

 Of the fibres yielded by these two plants it is difficult without 

 actual experience to determine which is better, although each has 

 its enthusiastic supporters. For the sake of convenience the term 

 ramie or China-grass will be used to include both of these varieties. 

 In many respedts ramie may be regarded as the most remark- 

 able of all commercial fibres. It is almost impervious to moisture ; 

 its strength exceeds that of all other vegetable fibres, and its fine- 

 ness and lustre are surpassed by none. It has been used with good 

 results in admixture with wool and silk, and in some cases is an 

 excellent substitute for either of these materials, to which in its 

 better qualities of manufacfture it has sometimes been compared. 

 Fabrics manufacftured from ramie may be prepared to equal in 

 durabilit}' and pliancy anj^ made from either flax, jute, cotton or 

 hemp. The capacity of this fibre for bleaching and taking dyes 

 is excellent, and it wdll assume any desirable color. A collecftion 

 of ramie manufadlures in the Bishop Museum cover a wide range 

 of uses and show that whatever has been achieved with other vege- 

 table fibres may be equalled or excelled by this. The occurrence 

 of a resinous gum in the stalks of ramie renders the separation of 

 the fibre very difficult and requires abundant cheap labor. The 

 producftion of the fibre has in consequence been limited to coun- 

 tries where such can be procured. Attempts at the manufacture 

 of ramie in Egypt, Italy, France and America have never gone far 

 beyond the experimental stage. The successful production of this 

 fibre in commercial quantity has in consequence in these countries 

 depended upon the invention of an economically practical decorti- 

 cating machine, and the absence of such a device has brought the 

 manufacture of ramie to a standstill. It now appears certain that 

 the problem of successfully decorticating ramie in large quantities 

 has been solved by a well kuowai French engineer, w4io has in- 

 vented a practically automatic and entirely successful machine. 

 The decortication is said to be thorough without injury to the fibre. 

 A field of ramie has been planted near Einioges (France) and the 



