85 
U.S. Department of Agricultnre (Washington, 1895), the distinctions 
between China grass and Ramie are not so clearly kept in view as could 
be wished. Practically the former only is dealt with. But the name 
Ramie or Rhea is unfortunately se! pete to it. It is probable that China 
grass Bohne nivea) is the more common plant under SH at 
the present time, but it is possible also that, where Ramie or Rhea 
(Behmeria tenacissima) is grown, sitfficient emphasis i is not Tid on the 
fact that it i t the ordinary China grass of commerce. As pointed 
out by M. Charles Roux in Notice sur la Ramie, * this error has crept 
“into many publications and has been extremely preitidioial to the 
“ development of this culture. It has been represented that Ramie 
i “ (Bæhmeria seee Heeel is successfully grown in France, but well 
‘ organised experiments e proved that this isa mistake. Ramie is 
“ essentially a plant of warm ea- The plant chiefly cultivated in 
France, and possibly in tk ort is China grass (Behmeria nived). 
The fibre at present kno ommerce as China ee is the Pona 
of B. nivea, prepared ankay. by et th To in China. The stems are 
ape stripped and the epidermis remo y scraping ae washing, but 
good deal of the gum is still left in perce with the fibre. This has 
pk tonipem a to be removed by chemical means in Europe. The 
T eg 4 of this China gras En available is somewhat limited. It 
forms, however, the chief paata of the raw material used for China 
ish y Erihs hitherto produced in i de country and the Continent. 
amie in commerce is a term applied indifferently to the produce of 
either B. nivea or B. tenacissima. Its chief use in Trade Reports 
appears to be to distinguish between machine-prepared fibre (“ Ramie id 
and the hand-cleaned fibre of the Chinese (“China grass”). The 
machine-cleaned fibre in commerce consists of (1) ribbons or sirip 
which are merely the cortical layer removed from the stems and dri 
or (?) the grey, brown, or whitish fibre in a more or Jei cleaned 
Neonat freed from wood, and from the epidermis and gummy 
matters, 
The use of the term China grass we arene o the hand-cleaned fibre 
shipped from China is free fron objection. It is really re Bidet of 
B. nivea, and no confusion oe like o arise. The m should, 
however, be applied to all fibres, whether cleaned by hand k ie Y ticki 
if originally derived from B. nivéa. The latter might be called 
ne-cleaned China grass.” On the other hand the term Ramie 
should be strictly limited to the ihia of B. anaren A 
classification of the hand- and machine-ċleaned fibre appoi in 
commerce (showing oie hepa! origin) might he adopted a follows 
1. Commercial Chi 
na). Produced from the China 
: grass plant, Behmeria 
nivea 
we 
i?) 
ZA 
pi 
3 
fon 
mn 
n 
E 
o 
o 
=) 
m 
© 
e$ 
~ 
a 
= 
g 
& 
DH 
(hand- or machine-cleane 
| China grass raw fibre 
. (machine-cleaned). 
oe 
1. Ramie or R $ Po or lanieres Send usb fn he Raie 
j iewer -Gr echinie crear) or Rhea plant, Boone 
med Rhea'ra tenacissima. 
(machine-cleaned). 
The completely cleaned and bleached fibre or filasse could be easily 
PE E as China grass filasse or Ramie or Rhea filasse, according 
| to the plant from aiden ae it was orignally obtain 
Parag the last five years more interest appears to have been taken 
in these fibres in the new world than in the old. 
PENRE ET T ET PA A 
