the tropical agriculturist. 
718 
[April i, 1898. 
— one coolie can attend to each block, as when once 
started he has only to cut a daily supply of stems ; 
no cultivation bjing necessary, beyond returning to 
the land, the refuse consisting of the leaves (which 
are stripped off on the spot as each stem is cut) and 
the ashes from the burnt refuse from the Decortica- 
tors; the daily cuttings, assuming a crop of 70 tons 
of stems, per annum, per acre, would be about nine 
hundred- weights for each two acres. Assuming the stems 
to mature in three months the block would be planted 
in twelve sections occupying twelve weeks, and by 
the time the last section is planted, the first should 
be ready for cutting. Each section, will require weed- 
ing, until the stems have arrived at about 2 feet high, 
after that, no weeding will be necessary, as no weeds 
can grow in the neighbourhood of Ramie, after the 
plant has arrived at that height. 
If regularly cut, the plants will continue to grow 
for an indefinite period, but in consequence of the 
spread of the roots they will require periodical thin- 
ning out — removing every other one for instance— care 
being taken to have other land ready to transplant the 
roots so as to prevent waste. Irrespective of other 
considerations, the system of daily cuttings is impor- 
tant, inasmuch as only ripe stems are cut, and a 
uniform quality of fibre assured, whereas by the crop 
system, ripe, over-ripe, and immature stalks are cut 
indiscriminately, thus preventing any possibility of 
uniformity in the fibre. 
In order to select suitable land for the cultivation 
of Ramie it is necessary to understand the chemical 
careful analysis of the incinerated 
green 
plants 
as follows : — 
Potash 
11 8 
Soda 
2 35 
Lime 
30-87 
Magnesia . . 
7-89 
Ferric Oxide and Alumina 
211 
Oxide of Magnesia . . 
0-17 
Phosphoric Acid 
7-29 
Silica 
33-01 
Chlorine 
2-13 
100-5 
Less excess of Oxygen due to Chlorine O'o 
100.0 
E'rom the above analysis it would appear that the 
Ramie plant exhausts the soil, but inasmuch as the 
whole of the refuse from the decoiticators (consisting 
of bark and wood, and the W'hole of the leaves) is 
returned to the soil, there remains simply the fibre 
which is only 2^ per cent, of the weight of the stems 
without loaves — under these conditions the exhaustion 
is more apparent than real. 
From experiments undertaken by the United States 
Agricultural Bureau, the Mineral ingredients extracted 
from the soil were found to be distributed over the 
whole plant as follows; — Of Potash about three-fifths in 
the stalk, more than one-fourth in the leaves, while 
the bark and fibre contain a little above one-tenth. Of the 
Lime 87 per cent, vvas in the leaves, 10 per cent, in 
the stalk, and 3 per cent, in the bark. .55 per cent, 
of the Nitrogen was found in the leaves, 29 per cent, 
in the stalks, and 15 per cent, only in the bark. So 
tliat all that is actually taken from the soil is an 
infinitesimal amount of the Pota.sh which is contained 
in the fibre. 
In the choice of the land therefore it is necessary 
to ascertain the quantity of the above ingredients it 
contains. A soil not too heavy should be selected, and 
be well but not too deeply drained, as the plant is a 
surface feeder; it grows bettor in the shade; in 
clearing jungle, therefore, many of the large trees 
may be left standing. 
Method of Cultivation — When sufficiently cleared 
the land should be laid out in blocks of three acres, to 
which one coolie can attend, as all he has to do after 
the plants are two feet high i tr cut the stems as 
they ripen and deliver them to the tram line. For 
the convenience of transport the tram should run 
through the eefitre of each block, so that the farthest 
point to which he will have to carry the stems should 
not be more than 250 yards, that is, he will have one 
and a-balf acres on each side of the line, the length of 
each block being roughly 2.50 yards ; the three acres 
should be laid out in beds, 0 feet wide, with a pathway 
between of 3 feet. This will give two acres actu.allv 
under cultivation. The beds should be turned over 
about 9 inches deep, and the earth from the paths 
(which should be about 18 inches below the level of the 
beds, to carry off the heavy rains into the drains), 
thrown on to them, and smoothed over. They are 
then ready for planting. 
Planting.— I f sufficient plants already exist in the 
neighbourhood, an estate may be started with cuttings, 
rooted layerings, or by means of the divided roots. 
If no plants exist recourse w ill have to be had to seed. 
Cultivation from Seed : Sowing. — A piece of any 
light soil, is well dug once or twice, then divided into 
small beds, say six feet by four feet, tbe surface is 
pressed down with the back of a spade and made 
moderately firm, and then racked smooth. The even- 
ing before the seed is to be sown the beds are watered, 
the following morning they are likely raked and 
levelled. The seed, which is very small, is mixed 
intimately with dry earth, say one pint of seed with 
twelve pints of earth, which is sufficient for six beds 
of the size named. This mixture is sown evenlv over 
the beds {not covered with earth) and then lightly 
pressed down with the back of a spade. Light thin 
mats are stretched on sticks about two feet above each 
bed, to keep them sufficiently moist, and to protect the 
germinating seeds from the sun. No water is given 
till the young plants are up, but if necessary, the 
shading mats are sprinkled by means of a broom 
dipped in water. The mats are removed at night, so 
that the young plants may catch the dew, and they 
are laid aside altogether when the plants are two 
inches high. If the beds are dry they are now watered, 
and this is repeated whenever necessary. The beds 
should be kept clear of weeds. As soon as the plants 
are big enough to handle, and before they become 
crowded, they are transplanted to the field— a wet 
day being chosen for tbe purpose ; they are taken up 
with a spade, keeping a small ball of earth round the 
roots of each, and planted about nine inches apart. 
The beds should be kept weeded, until the plants are 
2 feet high, when no further attention is necessary. 
Planting Roots. — When the plantation is started by 
roots, they should be planted 18 inches apart. 
Layerings. — The plants can be propagated by means 
of layering either from the seedling or the root ; when 
the plants are grown for the special purpose of propa- 
gation, they should be arranged three or four feet 
apart, set slantingly, two or three inches of earth 
covering the tops. The ground must be kept clean 
and loose. When the first stalks have attained tbe 
height of about three feet, they are ready for layering. 
The ground then should be thoroughly moistened, and 
the stalks bent gently down, fastened with small 
crotchets, and covered with three or four inches of 
earth, leaving the top, of the layered stalk uncovered. 
Care should be taken to avoid detaching the stalks 
from the parent root. In the course of three or font- 
weeks the layers will have made stalks, which can 
again be layered for the same purpose, and quite a 
number of the stalks can be dug out for transplanting 
in order to increase the plantation. 
Cuttings. — These are prepared by dividing tbe 
stalks into lengths of five or six inches. They are 
set out obliquely, about twelve inches apart, and nearly 
covered with earth, and if the work is done before 
the hot weather begins, they will require neither 
watering nor shading, but mu.st be kept clean of weeds. 
In two weeks they will have rooted. 
Transplanting. — In time the entire space between 
the rows will have become filled with roots unless 
precaution is taken to remove every alternate plant as 
soon as the rows become overcrowded, but care should 
be taken to have other land ready for receiving the 
transplanted roots. 
Even Growth. — The matter of securing an even 
growth of stalk is a very important consideration ; 
by even growth is meant not only even length and 
size of stalk, but uniformity of growth. A efent t>( 
