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THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  t,  1892. 
rapRal  is  £120,000,  in  5,000  Bix  per  cent  cumulative 
preference  shares  of  £10,  and  7,000  ordinary 
Bhares  of  £10.  The  company  is  formed  to  take 
over  the  Allynugger  and  Chatlapore  plantation  in  S5I- 
het,  and  other  properties.  The  directors  are  Messrs. 
Thomas  MoMeekin,  W.  L.  Watson,  and  Sir  Alexander 
Wilson. — H.  and  C.Mail,  Nov.  4. 
-e- 
THE  AMSTERDAM  CINCHONA  AUCTIONS. 
Amsterdam,  Nov.  3. 
At  todaj’a  auctions,  3,761  bales  of  Java  bark  were 
sold,  leaving  about  a quarter  of  the  supply  undisposed 
of.  The  market  was  a trifle  easier,  the  average  unit 
being  6Jcents  (equal  to  Dot  quite  ljd  per  lb.)  Manu- 
facturing bsrk  in  chips,  quills,  und  shavings  sold  at 
9 to  6G  cents  (equal  to  ljd  to  12d  per  lb)  ; ditto 
root  at  17  to  41  cents  (equal  to  3d  to  7Jd  per  lb); 
manufacturing  bark  in  quills  and  chips  at  18  to  54 
cents  (equal  to  7Jd  to  lOd  per  lb);  nnd  ditto  root  at 
9 cents  (equal  to  ljd  per  lb.)  The  principal  buyers 
were  the  Auerbach,  Brunswick,  Frankfort-on-Maine, 
and  Mannheim  factories. — Chemist  and  Druggist. 
TEA  TRADERS’  TALK. 
The  variation  in  new  season’s  tea  as  compared 
one  year  with  another,  indicates  of  how  little  value 
is  the  established  trade  grading  as  an  indication 
of  quality.  'This  is  particularly  true  of  China 
teas.  Superior  Formosa,  for  instance,  may  menu 
one  thiDg  this  year,  another  last,  ard  so  on  through 
•II  the  gradings.  In  Japans  there  is  a closer 
adherence  to  grade.  Good  medium  is  pretty  nearly 
the  same  thing  from  year  to  year.  This  variation 
cannot  be  overcome,  except  when  a careful  selec- 
tion is  made  by  experts,  who  match  the  style  of 
leaf  and  cup  quality,  and  place  thereon  a private 
brand.  Tastes  differ  just  as  much  with  tea  brokers 
as  consurners.  If  all  the  shippers  in  China 
should  get  together,  examine  each  lot  of  tea  and 
grade  according  to  an  established  standard  recog- 
nized and  adhered  to  at  overy  shipping  port,  then 
reliance  might  be  placed  upon  invoice  or  line  grades. 
Tea  and  coffee  are  like  all  other  vegetable  pro- 
ducts, influenced  temp'rature.  climate,  soil  and 
methods  of  caring.  The  first  two  are  beyond 
man's  control,  and  hence  uniformity  of  tea  from 
any  one  district  is  not  to  be  expected,  and  can 
on'y  be  secured  by  a careful  comparison  and 
grading. 
It  is  amusing  to  note  how  exports  differ  es  to 
the  value  of  tea.  We  had  three  values  placed  on 
a sample  of  fancy  Formosa  by  three  experts,  there 
being  a difference  of  25  cents  per  pound  between  two 
of  the  estimates. 
A broker  distributed  a sample  inio  seven  parts, 
and  upon  each  part  the  expert  placed  a different 
value. 
An  English  saleman  of  high  repute  made  re- 
peated tests  oE  tea,  naming  the  district  in  China 
where  grown  and  its  value,  viz.,  32  cents.  The  tea 
was  a Japan  Congou,  which  cost  18  cents  in  the 
auction  room. 
Every  retail  grocer  should  diaw  teas  and  familir  z 
himself  with  style  of  leaf  and  flavour,  and  become 
so  expert  as  to  be  able  to  match  teas  and  keep 
grades  uniform.  This  should  be  carried  on  with 
the  aid  and  assistance  of  an  expert  buyer  of  large 
experience  and  one  in  whom  confidence  can  be  placed. 
Then  it  will  be  possible  to  mantain  any  established  grade. 
— American  Grocer,  Oat.  12. 
RAMIE  AND  ITS  CULTURE. 
The  following  communication,  recently  published 
in  the  Pacific  Rural  Press,  will  be  read  with  interest, 
as  it  contains  much  valuable  information : — 
To  the  Editor-.  In  writing  this  article  on  the  very 
important  subject  of  raime  for  this  country-,  and  the 
great  State  of  California  in  particular,  at  your  re- 
quest, please  pardon  me  if  I confine  myself,  in  a 
homely  way,  closely  to  the  important  information 
on  the  subject  closest  to  the  people’s  interest.  I 
shall  endeavour  to  give  the  most  important  facts  in 
the  fewest  and  plainest  words  possible  to  make  it 
understood,  interesting  and  most  useful 
Ramie  is  a species  of  nettle,  but  thornless.  There 
are  three  different  varieties  all  suitable  for  this  cli- 
mate ; but  they  vary  in  excellence  in  the  market 
from  two  to  four  cents  a pound,  the  best,  which  I 
recommend,  being  worth  six  cents  a pound  here  in 
the  rough  as  it  comes  from  the  decorticators,  dried 
and  baled. 
Decortication  of  itself  is  of  a very  simple  nature, 
being  to  strip  or  peel  the  bark  from  the  wood,  to 
knock  out  tbe  inner  wood,  which  must  be  done  as 
fast  as  leafed  and  cut,  or  on  the  same  day  of  cutting. 
It  can  be  done  to  play  by  flail,  treading  with  horses, 
or  flax  break,  and  shaken  out ; or  more  properly  in 
these  days,  with  a machine  run  by  horse  or  steam 
power,  and  with  four  to  six  men  working  two  acres 
a day  easily.  One  machine  will  run  through  120 
acres  in  two  months,  and  keep  a gang  of  men  busy 
all  the  summer  through.  Ramie  will  grow  in  about 
that  time  if  well  supplied  with  water,  irrigation  or 
natural  moisture. 
Ramie  should  be  cut  green  when  about  four  or 
five  feet  high,  and  when  it  first  begins  to  brown 
at  the  bottom  of  the  stalks.  Ramie  will  not  rot 
like  flax  or  hemp,  and  thus  must  be  broken  green 
before  the  gum  or  glue  sets  to  the  stalk.  It  should 
be  run  from  the  decorticator  on  an  endless  wire 
carrier  through  a drier  and  baled  at  the  exit  for 
shipping  to  the  factory,  where  it  is,  by  a process, 
ungummed  and  prepared  for  carding  and  spinning. 
It  is  excellent  to  knit  or  weave  iuto  goods  of  superior 
quality,  pure  or  mixed  with  wool  for  cassimeres, 
woollen  and  worsted  fabrics. 
Ramie  fibre  is  of  a very  firm  texture  and  of  un- 
even length,  from  two  to  six  inches.  It  is  a flat, 
hollow  ribbon,  and  thus  takes  dyes  in  all  shades  of 
the  brightest  colors,  as  well  as  for  black  silk.  It  is 
not  of  such  a glossy  nature  as  common  silk,  but 
partakes  more  of  what  is  called  dead  silk  in  black, 
which  all  ladies  know  is  most  desired  in  expensive 
goods.  Silk  is  wound  off  the  cocoons  from  80  > to 
1,000  yards  long  and  doubled  in  the  winding  seven 
strands,  while  ramie,  being  short,  must  be  carded  and 
spun  like  raw  silk  or  broken  silk,  and  therefore  is 
not  mixed  with  line  silk  in  the  way  sometimes  spoken 
of,  but  after  made  into  thread  is  used  to  mix  in 
the  body,  the  strongest  parts  needed,  for  the  waFp 
or  filling,  and  sometimes  for  the  body  of  the  goods 
when  silk  may  be  used  for  the  raised  glossy  figures 
of  flowers,  giving  a beautiful  contrast  and  exquisite 
shading.  In  wool  mixtures  it  can  be  cut  or  graded 
to  the  even  lengths  and  carded  and  spun  as  a com- 
pleted mixture,  benefiting  the  wool  by  its  superior 
strength,  gloss  and  finish,  the  wool  making  the  nap 
and  warmth,  the  ramie  alone  being  porous  and  cool 
for  summer  wear. 
Ramie  fibre  being  smooth,  tough  and  strong  like 
silk,  makes  a splendid  worsted  line  of  goods  pure, 
such  as  fancy  braids,  binding,  linings  and  dress  goods, 
or  mixed  with  long  wool  in  the  more  expensive  and 
intricate  varieties  of  cassimeres  and  worsteds,  up- 
holstery, plush  and  other  goods.  In  tapestry  and 
curtain  goods  and  rugs,  it  cannot  be  excelled  by 
Oriental  importations,  as  it  is  most  durable  and 
fast  in  colors.  For  fish  lines,  nets,  hammocks,  yacht 
sails  and  any  uses  exposed  to  moisture,  where  strength 
and  durability  are  desirable,  it  is  not  to  be  equalled. 
Ramie  is  not  adapted  to  be  worked  on  linen,  hemp, 
cotton  or  j ute  machinery.  It  is  estimated  that  some 
§30,000,000  to  §70,000,000  worth  of  worsted  alone, 
and  of  wool  and  woollen  goods  worth  many  more 
million  dollars,  are  imported  into  the  United  States 
annually.  Ramie  fibre  that  can  be  grown  in  this 
country  can  take  the  place  of  this  and  excel  in 
durability  and  fine  finish,  besides  for  all  other  pur- 
poses in  ramie  goods,  pure,  mixed  silk  and  other 
ways,  I have  no  doubt,  to  amount  to  much  more. 
