8 



CIRCULAR 5 8 5, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



It is difficult to understand how a ramie industry could exist in this 

 country if ramie had to be cut and peeled by hand. A number of 

 years ago a self-rake reaper was used experimentally in California in 

 harvesting ramie. The machinery that has been developed for cutting 

 and binding hemp in this country would probably be the best to use 

 experimentally in handling ramie. In the Orient the ramie peelings 

 are worked while green and moist when preparing the China grass. 

 No successful method has been developed to process this material in 

 the United States. It has been suggested that ramie be shocked and 

 dried in the field or artificially dried before preparation. Shocking 

 may be successful in some regions of the United States, but the crop is 



Figure 4. — Ramie. First crop in background, growth (G 1 /^ feet) from April to 

 July 23, at Washington, D. C. ; second crop in foreground, 16 inches high, 10 

 days after the first crop was cut over. This growth was under ideal condi- 

 tions on a moist, rich, sandy loam soil. 



one that is very apt to heat and mold, so that natural drying en- 

 counters difficulties, and artificial drying involves expense that can 

 hardly be justified. Eamie mowed and allowed to lie on the ground 

 has dried well during periods of low humidity and sunshine. 



After cutting, the ramie must be removed from the field as quickly 

 as possible, because the succeeding new growth develops surprisingly 

 fast (fig. 4) . A new growth of 30 inches may follow a cutting within 

 2 weeks. Although this may not be common, it does serve to empha- 

 size the necessity of removing the cut ramie quickly, so as to allow the 

 new growth to develop. 



