208 
Mr. Tarte should have the tree photographed at once, so as to 
show the several clusters of young nuts of different stages. It 
would be interesting to know the length and girth of one of these 
extraordinary spathes. Mr. Tarte says he has often seen 1,000 to 
1,200 nuts on a tree. It will be of much interest if he will give the 
average yield of, say, 1,000 trees in full bearing on his plantation.” 
— Ed. Tropical Agriculturist. [ Tropical Agriculturist , Vol. XXII.. 
p. 707.] 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
Cultivation and Production of Ramie. 
The Editor, 
The Agricultural Bulletin. 
Dear Sir, 
On page 61 of your February number you publish Mr. 
Anderson’s criticism of my little article which appeared in last 
October’s Bulletin. Mr. Anderson finds that I have been growing 
the wrong kind of ramie and urges planters to give up the “ Black 
Ribbon ” in favour of the “ China Grass ” variety. 
I have never lacked advice from my spinning friends on the 
agricultural side of the question but it is the first time I have met 
an authority who recognised the botanical distinction between the 
two forms of product. 
It is as if one should say to Towkay Loke Yew or any other of 
our mining magnates — “ Give up delving for the ‘ watering can ' 
variety of tin, let us have nothing but the photograph frame kind in 
future.” 
“ Ribbons ” is the name I have always heard applied to the fibre 
as it is taken off the stem, all the bark and gum b^ng shipped with 
the fibre. If it has taken long to dry it is called “ Black Ribbons ” 
because it looks black. If the drying has been more rapid it will 
be called “ Brown Ribbons ” because it looks brown. 
“ China Grass ” which may be produced either by hand or by 
mechanical means, is a more ambitious product. The bark and 
most of the gum is removed, and when this product reaches the 
spinner it is straw-colored. It is possible to extract either product 
from either variety of Boehmeria Nivea - I say it is possible, 
because I have done it. 
The two varieties of the plant which I allude to are cultivated 
in the Singapore Botanical Gardens, and a few plants of each on 
many estates and native holdings all over the Peninsula. 
I gather from Mr. Curtis’s covering letter that the large kind is 
the variety vdiich Mr. Anderson condemns. However, my own 
coolies, who have cultivated it in China, point to this as the kind 
from which “ China Grass ’’ is produced in their districts. 
Mr. Anderson misquotes my results. I obtained per cent, 
of Faure fibre (produce similar to China Grass, not “ Ribbons,”) 
