FIBER PLANTS 



FIBER PLANTS 



283 



the top. The basal lobes of the leaves of both spe- 

 cies terminate in slender points. The seed-pods of 

 G. capsularis are nearly spherical, while those of C. 

 oUtorius are prismatic or nearly cylindrical. 



Fig. 393. Jute, left Worchorus capsularis); right, Nalta 

 Jute (Oorchorvs olitorms). Branches with seed-pods. 



The best fiber is produced by C. capsularis, and 

 this species is more extensively cultivated. The 

 cultivation of G. olitorius is confined largely to 

 the warmer and wetter regions near the coast. 

 Several horticultural varieties are recognized in 

 India, the most important of which are the follow- 

 ing : "Serajganj," "Narainganj," "Dacca" and 

 "Desi." These names are from towns or centers of 

 jute cultivation north of Calcutta in the Bengal 

 Province. 



By far the greater part of the jute fiber imported 

 into this country is of the Serajganj variety, usu- 

 ally known in our markets as "Seragunge." This is 

 of a creamy yellow or light buff color, finer and 

 softer than hemp. The Dacca fiber is very similar, 

 and also the Narainganj, except that the latter is 

 somewhat coarser. The Desi fiber, obtained from 

 nalta jute, is finer in texture and of a dark gray 

 color, the difference in color being due chiefly to 

 different methods of preparation. 



Jute grows best on alluvial or clay loam soils 

 retentive of moisture, and where the air is warm 

 and moist during the growing period. It will grow 

 well on second bottoms or on low lands not subject 

 to inundation. The land should be well plowed and 

 harrowed to induce a rapid and uniform growth of 

 the seedlings and thus prevent their being over- 

 topped by weeds. The seed is sown in spring, 

 broadcast, at the rate of twelve to twenty-five 

 pounds per acre. Plants from thick seeding pro- 

 duce finer but weaker fiber. 



The crop is harvested when in flower, about three 



months after sowing. The stalks are cut with a 

 knife or sickle, or pulled by hand. They are cured 

 in gavels or shocks, or often taken immediately to 

 be retted in ponds or slow-running streams. The 

 retting process, lasting one to three weeks, requires 

 close watching to prevent over-retting. The fiber 

 is stripped by hand from the wet stalks, cleaned by 

 drawing it through the hands and whipping it on 

 the water, washed, dried, and then packed in bales 

 of about 400 pounds each for market. The coarse, 

 flaggy fiber from the ends of the stalks, five to 

 fifteen inches long, is often cut off and baled sepa- 

 rately, and sold as "jute butts." The yield of fiber 

 ranges from 700 to 3,000 pounds per acre. 



The jute crop of India, chiefly in the province 

 of Bengal, occupies 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 acres 

 each year, and the annual product amounts to 

 2,000,000,000 to 3,200,000,000 pounds. The prices 

 in New York in ten' years ended December 31, 

 1906, have ranged from three to six and three- 

 fourth cents per pound for long fiber, and one to 

 three cents for jute butts. The importations of 

 jute, including jute butts, in these ten years, have 

 ranged from 50,000 to 140,000 tons, valued at 

 $1,500,000 to $6,500,000. In this period there 

 has been a general tendency to increased acreage 

 in India, increased importations, and an upward 

 tendency in prices. 



Jute is used most extensively for gunny sacks, 

 wool sacks, cotton bale covering, grain sacks (es- 

 pecially on the Pacific coast), for wool twine and 

 wrapping twine, and either alone or with other 

 fibers in carpets and rugs. It is the cheapest, most 

 easily spun, and most extensively used of the soft 

 fibers. It is not so strong as flax or hemp. Its 

 most important defect is its rapid deterioration. 



Repeated experiments have demonstrated that 

 jute can be grown successfully in the south Atlantic 

 and Gulf coast regions, but until mechanical 

 methods have been devised for preparing the fiber 

 it is not likely that the cultivation could be prac- 

 ticed with profit in this coulitry. 



China jute. 



China jute is a rather coarse grayish white, soft 

 fiber imported in limited quantities from China. 

 It is derived from the bast of the Ch'ing ma, 

 Abutilon Avieennm, an annual malvaceous plant 

 native in Asia and cultivated in eastern China. The 

 plant has become widely introduced in the United 

 States, where it is regarded as a troublesome weed 

 and is called Indian mallow, velvet-leaf and butter- 

 print. It grows three to eight feet tall, and has 

 large heart-shaped, velvety leaves and small yel- 

 low fiowers. 



In China this plant is sown broadcast on upland 

 or alluvial soils, and the fiber is prepared by ret- 

 ting the stalks in water, then breaking and clean- 

 ing by hand. The fiber is similar to jute, but 

 slightly stronger and coarser, and as commonly 

 prepared, more flaggy, making it more difficult to 

 spin on machinery. It takes dyes very readily, a 

 quality of importance in jute rugs, but owing to 

 the difficulty of working it, and its rapid deterio- 

 ration, there is little demand for it. The prices 



