Rhea or Ramie Fibre.

Feilding Star, Volume XIX, Issue 146, 20 December 1897, Page 2

Rhea or Ramie Fibre.

The cultivation of the rbea or ramie plant, wbicb is advocated by the Government of New Zealand, is also being brought under the notice of the Aos» tralian colonies, especially Queensland. For many years it has bee* grown in the principal pnblic and private gardens in Australia, but more from an ornamental than an utilitarian point of view tboneh its valae as a fibre plant was well known to most persons who took an interest in botany. It is a perennial, and once planted will last for Beveral years, tbns it differs materially from hemp, flax and jute, which need to be sow a every year and yield only one crop. One established plant will throw up sevsral stems from one root to a height of five to seven or more feet according to the richness of the soil and suitability of the climate, In China the plant yields three crops of stem in a year, and in Java and India four and sometimes five. Jtaiuie growa to perfection over nearly the whole of the eastern portion of Australia, and while it will thrive under a variety of conditions, it appears to grow best on rich alluvial soils bordering rivers and creeks in the coastal districts. The plant is easily propagated by seeds, by cuttings, and by division of the roots. The latter is the most expeditious way and th« one generally adopted. The advantages of ramie, from an agricultural point of view, are — (1) it is easy of cultivation, yet produces one of the moit valuable fibres known; (2) it is a perennial, therefore it does not require to be planted or sown every year like flax, . hemp, jute, &c. ; (8) it is of robust and rapid growth, so that weeds arc soon overpowered by it and give little trouble aftar the ramie bus become well established ,* (4) in an ordinary season it Yields from two to four crops of stem* a year. All writers on ramie fibre have eallpd attention to, its brilliant lustre, which excel* that uf any other (ibrc and almost equals silk. Mot only is it much stronger, finer and more lustrous than any other fibre, but it is lighter than flax, which it most resembles, and as much as one fourth more cloth can be made from the same weight of yarn. It is also claimed that there is leas loss in the different processes of manufacture as there is no refuse from it, and iv bleaching, which can be done in a few hours, it loses no more than 2 per cent. The waste or tow of ramie is found to ba as good as the long fibre and will sp|n as valuable a yarn— what it lacks ia length being compensated by its extra fineness. It is claimed therefore that ramie fibre is worth 50 per cent more than flax of the same fineness without counting its greater strength and lustre which are its more striking advantages.