41 



Another point of great importance is the superiority of ramie to 

 hemp as regards strength and resistance to water. The greater strength 

 of ramie may make it possible to replace hempen cordage by lighter 

 ramie ones. For manj^ purposes, such as ships* rigging, the increase 

 in lightness is in itself an important consideration, apart from the 

 saving of the material It is this circumstauce which has rendered 

 Manilla hemp so valuable as compared with the ordinary hemp. On 

 all these grounds ramie may be substituted with advantage for hemp, 

 even if it be at a considerably higher price than hemp. The same may 

 be said of its cognate use for canvas and sailcloth instead of flax. In 

 that case also the superior strength of ramie results in the double ad- 

 vantage of a saving in material and of greater lightness, and would 

 enable it to compete successfully with flax, even if this latter were con- 

 siderably cheaper per ton. 



Ramie as Paper Material. — The use of ramie fibre as a paper mate- 

 rial is, of course, not likely to be of any primary importance. Some 

 of the waste, however, may come in for this purpose. Communications 

 from experienced paper manufacturers have been received with respect 

 to the use of ramie as a paper material, all speaking in a hopeful tone, 

 and considering that a certain admixture is sufficient to impart strength 

 and cohesion to very inferior materials. 



Conclusions with regard to the Future Prospects of Ramie. 



By Dr. Forbes Watson. — The foregoing short account of the physical 

 properties of the ramie fibre, and of the various uses to which it has 

 hitherto been put, gives an idea of the wide range of its applications, 

 and leads to several clearly defined conclusions. 



It appears that there hardly exists a fibre which, in virtue of its own 

 inherent properties, can be applied to so many different uses. Amongst 

 the fibres which already enter largely into textile manufactures, flax 

 is, perhaps, the one which possesses the most extended range of appli- 

 cations — from the roughest canvas and cordage, to the finest lace ; yet 

 the range of ramie is even greater still. This is due, partly, to the 

 superlative degree in which it possesses certain qualities, such as fine- 

 ness, strength, and lustre, not usually associated in the same perfection 

 in any single fibre, and partly to the curious intermediate position 

 which it hold between the usual vegetable and the animal fibres. 

 Although a vegetable fibre, its hairiness assimilates it to wool, and its 

 gloss and fineness to silk. The resemblance to wool, ramie shows in 

 common with the other nettles, the Neilgherry nettle, for instance, 

 which is however, so very rough and hairy, that it could never compete 

 with smooth fibres, such as flax, whereas ramie can be rendered fit for 

 either use. Thus ramie combines the whole range of applications of 

 hemp, to which it is superior in almost every respect, with almost the 

 whole range of the uses of flax, excepting, perhaps, its use for body 

 linen, together with certain other uses for which only the animal fibres, 

 wool and silk, have hitherto been employed. 



If, therefore, the extensive introduction of ramie into manufactures 

 depended upon its own inherent qualities, there would be hardly a fibre 

 which had ever better chances of success. The obstacles in the way of 

 such a successful result are the technical difficulties experienced in 

 spinning and weaving, and the high price of the raw material. It may, 

 however, be stated that the price is the only serious obstacle, since 



