THE CUBA REVIEW 



29 



CUBAN RAMIE FIBER 



Ramie is now being produced in Cuba, 

 and Havana's consulate general is for- 

 warding samples of bleached and un- 

 bleached Cuban ramie fiber to the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. The 

 Compaiiia Cubana de Fibras has been 

 formed to grow ramie on a large scale and 

 decorticate and export the fiber. Ship- 

 ments have already been made to Germany, 

 and it is stated that the product is so satis- 

 factory that the company has received or- 

 ders for many tons of the product. 



It is claimed by the company that ramie 

 plants reach a sufficient growth for mak- 

 ing satisfactory fiber in two months during 

 the summer season when the rains in Cuba 

 are abundant, so that it is possible to raise 

 three crops during the period from April 

 to November. There is not sufficient rain 

 during the winter months to grow the 

 plant. — Report of U. S. Consul General 

 James L. Rodgers. 



The director of the Bureau of Agricul- 

 ture in the Philippines says of ramie as 

 follows : 



"The ramie or China grass fiber is strong 

 and durable and possesses a great resist- 

 ance to moisture. It is said to have three 

 times the length of the European hemp. It 

 can be divided into filaments of the fineness 

 of silk. In certain forms of manufacture 



it can be used as substitute for cotton, wool, 

 or silk, and also in some instances it can 

 be used in connection with those fibers. The 

 "uly drawback to its use for textile pur- 

 poses is its lack of elasticity. This fiber 

 can be easily dyed in all shades and colors, 

 and it can be made to have a luster and 

 brilliancy not unlike that of silk. It also 

 produces a very superior kind of paper, 

 the fineness and texture of its pulp render- 

 ing it particularly valuable for making 

 liank-note paper. 



"The present value of this fiber in the 

 London market ranges between 400 and 

 4.10 pesos per ton. Unfortunately, its sup- 

 ply is not steady and is far below the de- 

 mand for it. A larger supph' will un- 

 doubtedly bring about an increase in the 

 number of uses made of it, and eventually 

 an increase in its value and in the demand 

 for it. 



"The cultivation of China grass or ramie 

 on a commercial basis can hardly be said to 

 have been successfully carried on any- 

 where in the world. The fiber is considered 

 valuable for many important uses, textile 

 and otherwise, but until the present time 

 none of the many machines invented to 

 clean it have proved practicable." 



Consul General Rodgers says a successful 

 machine for decorticating the fibre has 

 been invented in Havana. 



Prevailing Prices for Cuban Securities 



(Quoted bj' Lawrence Turnure & Co., New York) 



BID ASKED 



Republic of Cuba Interior Loan 5% Bonds ^iVi 03% 



Republic of Cuba Exterior Loan o% Bonds of 1944 99% 100% 



Republic of Cuba Exterior Loan 5% Bonds of 1949 98% 99 



Republic of Cuba Exterior Loan 4^ % Bonds 91 94 



Havana City First Mortgage 6% Bonds 10:2 lOS 



Havana Citj^ Second ^Mortgage 69r Bonds ' 97 102 



Cuba Railroad First ^Mortgage 5% Bonds 98 101 



Cuba Railroad Preferred Stock 99 101 



Cuba Company 6% Debenture Bonds 9.5 99 



Cuba Co. 7% Cumulative Preferred Stock 103 108 



Havana Electric Railway Consolidated T\Iortgage o'yc Bonds 91% 92% 



Havana Electric Railway, Light and Power Co. Pfd. Stock 93 95% 



Havana Electric Railwa}-. Light & Power Co. Com. Stock SO 83% 



Matanzas Market Place 8% Participation Certificates TOO 103 



Cuban-American Sugar Co. Collateral Trust 6% Bonds 92 93 



Santiago Electric Light & Traction Co. First Mortgage 6% Bonds dSVi 98% 



All prices of bonds quoted on an "and interest" basis 



HARXARD UNIVERSITY MEN TESTING Fruit and Vegetable Shippers 



At the Soledad sugar mill members of 

 Harvard University experimental school 

 were recently making tests with cane seeds 

 to obtain improved varieties. The work is 

 well advanced, there being more than five 

 thousand trees planted and the experiments 

 are proceeding with much success. 



It will pay you to allow us to handle your account 

 in New York. We make a specialty of Cuban 

 products and sell everything at PRIVATE SALE. 

 We do NOT use the auction. Write for stencil 

 and market information. 



T. PRATT CARROLL. Inc. 



267-269 Washixgton Street. Xew York City 



"The House that Satisfies" 



