RAMIE FIBER PRODUCTION 7 



TIME AND METHODS OF HARVESTING 



Although the first crop of ramie is usually obtained the second 

 summer after the field has been established, there are records where 

 as many as four crops have been taken during the summer following 

 a fall planting in the Southern States. Under favorable conditions 

 ramie may be expected to yield from two to four crops each year 

 for a period of 10 years or longer. The productive period and yields 

 will depend upon the original fertility of the land and the care 

 taken to maintain the fertility by addition of fertilizers. 



Harvesting should begin when the growth of the stems has 

 stopped, which usually will coincide with formation of staminate 



Figure 3. — Bundles of ramie stems before leaves have been stripped. 



inflorescence. This stage of development often is a better index to 

 follow than the turning brown of the lower half of the stems, which 

 may be delayed. The timely cutting of the first and second crops 

 may make it possible to harvest three or more crops each year. 



In China all ramie crops are harvested by hand. This may be 

 done by cutting ; or the bark, which includes the fiber, may be peeled 

 off the standing stalks in ribbonlike strips. Before cutting or peel- 

 ing, the leaves should be stripped from the stalks. This is accom- 

 plished by hand in China where the plots are small, but this pro- 

 cedure would not be practical in handling large tonnages if ramie 

 were grown on an extensive scale in this country (fig. 3). 



