RAMIE GROWING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3739, 10 January 1907, Page 4

RAMIE GROWING.

A movement is on foot to form a ramie-growing association at Staines, England, with the object of fostering the growth ot ramie throughout the Empire. Ramie is a fibre which it is claimed is without a rival for general utility. Those interested in the formation of this association are forwardingcirculars to the various Australasian colonies which give in detail arguments in favour of ramie cultivation. The association intend popularising knowledge concerning ) its value and uses ; also to supply j information, seeds, and assistance to planters desirous of erabarkflfg in ramie growing. Members will be enrolled for the purpose of cooperation. At the present time ramie is grown largely in China and in smaller quantities at different points throughout the British Dominions. Experts claim that it provides one of the best of clothing materials, being a non-conductor of heat, and, consequently, cool in the sun’s rays and warm in winter. It is stated that it is equally suitable for ropes and cordage, nets, tent cloth, and all forms of coarse material for which hemp or jute are now ordinarily used. It is felt that encouragement alone is needed to induce planters in the British colonies to adopt it on a large scale, and from every quarter letters and correspondence indicate that the colonist, more particularly in sub-tropical countries, is alive to the possibilities of this fibre, which can be produced profitably at a ton. To-day the best cleaned samples are fetching ,£37, and even more, per ton.