LEAFLETS FOR FARMERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 6

LEAFLETS FOR FARMERS.

No. 42.- ' MEMORANDUM ON THE CULTIVATION 01? THE EHEA.- OR EAMIE PJbANT. . G<»iPii.Ei)* r lteosi Da Watt's Dictionary op the Economic Products 'of India, and j Otheb Soukces. j Boshmeria nivea. Hook, aud Am. [ Boehtneria nives, var. TenacUsims, Gaud, i Villebrur.ea integrifolia, Gaud. Viikbrunea appendiculata, Wcdi. Syn. Urbica ravta, Liurs., v&r. eandicans, Wedd.,-DC, Prod., xvl., 1., 207; B. tenacii6iina, Gaudich ; B. eandicans, Haask ; Urtica candicaue, Burm. ; U. ten&ciasima, Roxb., Fl. Ino\ Vun. tchou, or achu. or fcohou (ihe plant), achcti-nia (fibre of the schou), China ; tsjo, sirt, sotnao, karao, akaso, Japan ; klooi, calo«e, ghoni, Siam aud Sumatra ; kankhura, Bengal ; rhea, bac-rhe», Assam ; poah, lipic, lipiah, Nepal ; goun, Burmah. Hab. — A shrub indigenous in China, Japan, India, and the Indian -Archipelago. It has also been cultivated, in Natal, Mauritius, Algeria, in the Island of Corsica, South of France, the Channel I&land?, even iv Gceat Britain, and in Jani&cia and Mexico. The Boehcoeria Nivea, having the uudcrsurfaee ci the leaf silverv^whifce, is said to grow be&t in a temperate climate, such as that ot the nocth c rn parts of China. Tho B. Tenacissinaa and Villebrunea are tropical plants. Ib has not been definitely j ssbvled whn.!. is mean!; by ban-rhea (wild rhea), I which prows in Assam, aud is said to produce a fibre even stronger than the best Chinese plant ; | the B. Nivea. j The Government of India have, however, the I nae*.ns of instituting a. thorough investigation j iolo the subject, as all the varieties grow in one j part or another of India. GENERAL REMARKS ON CULTIVATION, KTC. I There are d-iubtlrso many forms of both Nivea and Ten«.cis?ima, and the intending planter — or, prefer»bly, the Government — woulrl do we'l to. procure from India, China (north and south), the Malay Islands, Java, Borneo, Jabot c, South Africa, Mexico, &c, the difff-reut varieties to experiment with, in order to discover which yields the maximum of I superior fibre under, the conditions of soil and climate psculiar to the localities where ib is intended '.o grow the plant. Ib is obviously" a point of great importance, upon the full appreciation of v/hich depends the future profitable cultivation of rhea, that the qu- sbion as to the form besb suited to the region where cultivation is to bo r) tempted should be settled. S>>il. — Ifc is said that the rhea plant is exceedingly hardy and thrives in a'most any description of soil. In China, the Malay Islands, in such parts of India »>,s Assam, Rungpur, and D nagapur, cne or other form of the rhea has been cultivated for year?, and tha 'fibre utilised by the natives. But preference should be given ,to high land, above inundation Itvel, a rich, light, not too sandy loam, well worked and somewhat: shady at first. In the gaol'ab Nowgong, A'sam, a comparison between a crop of rhea grown in shads and one grown in the saa wasniade, with the result that the plants in the shade refused to grow ; those in the sun did well, and yielded five crops of cuttings in 32 months. The Mibsoil should be good, as thra roots penetrate 12in to 14-iri deep in search of nutrition, if the surface soil be poor. Tie drainage should be good. If the land be verypoor, manure is requisite. An analysis of rhea shows that the most favourable manure should contain nitrate of soda, sea salt, and lime. Climate. — For the tropical or Malay forms a warm, equable climate, moist atmosphere, and fairly good rainfall is required. Cultivation by Seed. — This course must be adopted when the germ of the plant has to be carried over great distances, occupying a long time in transit. The method of sowing adopted in the Kangra Valley, in northern India, waa on a gentle hotbed, under glass, in March and April. The seed was ecattered over the surface, covered very thinly with sifted earth, and carefully shaded from the sun until the plants were about 3ia high, when sunlight was gradually admitted. Woen sufficiently strong they were planted out Ift apart every way. Cultivation by Cutting of the Stems.— The sterna should be spring-grown ones, allowed to ripen well, and nob cut until duly ripe. Then divide the ripened portion of the stem where the cuticle has turned fully brown into shorb lengths, each including three eyes or buds. Cut i"m below the bottom bud and as much | above the top one, and plant with the centre | bud level with the surface. If the' weather be damp and cloudy they will readily strike root ; otherwise they will require shading for a week

or-10 days, the soil being kepb taoiafc. As with - seedlings, they should be put into, the grouad ' khout lft apart. \ " j \ Cultivation by Division of Roots. — This is by j f *r the most advantageous and- ■ profitable | method, and roo.ts may be carried fairly' long distances, as orchids are carried. The plants for this purpose should be three or four ygars , old. After gathering the spring crop, dig up • each plant carefully and remove fch« earth from" the roots. It is as welt to put; the mass of roots into running water for a shoit time ; this cleanses them thoroughly. The tubsrous parts of the roots will be found to show a large number of eyes similar to those on a potatoe. From these carefully separate portions, each containing five or six eyes ; let the cuts be clean, and rejtcb -all fibroaa and decajed matter. Expose these sets to the sun lor a couple of hours to dry the surface cf the , ■wounds, and then plant 6in deep, and at the distance of lft, 2ft, or *ft apart every way. As in some localities the plants grow more luxuriantly than in others, the distances between the plants,- to give the best yield, will suggest itself after a little experience. If, in j . consequence of overcrowding or poorness of the -, soil, the plants appear stunted aDd weak, theo, after having reaped.the available shoots of the first crop after spring, transfer every other plant to fresh ground and manure and hoe the old land. It will' ba found that the shoots from root planting will grow rapidly to a height of 4ft to 6ft, and that- the roots will become stronger evtry year, tie plant being perennial. The first crop raay be ready in two or three months from 'vbe date of plantiag-oub the roots, especially in favourable situations. , Cutting the Rhea ; Gathering tho Crop. — \ gome experience is necessary to decide the right time for cutting. As a general rule, care should be taken to effect the cutting before t£e stems become covered with a hard or ' woody bark, the formation of which is " indicated by the green skin turning brown, " the discolouration ccmmcncißg at the bottom. 'A. 'piacfclcal way of fiud'mg whether the stem ia ' ready for cnttiDg is to pass the hand down the stem from top -to bottom. If the leaves' break eff eiisply, a crop of cuttings may be taken. Dr Forbes Watson says that the plants are ready -for cutting when ' 3i?t to 4ft in hsight. "If -the leDgth of the stem is not more than 2ft the fibre is very fine, but tbe chances are you get more watle." "Experience," saya Mr Theo. Moerman, "has enabled me to establish the fact* that the fibre of ; the second cutting is superior to the first, and ! that in every instance it is preferable to cut the j stalks before the plant flowers, and befere it is completely mature, in order to obtain a finer i and softer fibre." In countries whors there are j no frosts four or even five cuttings or crops j may be obtained in the year. Another gentle- ' man states : "My own expression indicates >that j the seems should be gathered as soon as the ; cuticle shows a clear brown colour for about | one-third of the length. At this stage, if the ' coil be good and the plant healthy, the stems I will be clean from butt to point, and the branch ( buds at the axil of each leaf-stalk just showing, i If gathered earlier than this, I find the connection of the fibres very weak, and that a considerable portion separates in the operation cf scraping the peel. If allowed a further growth the axillary branches wiil have been thrown out, which will cause breakages at every point both in peeling and cleaning." The. continuity of the ultimate fibi'e wiJl be broken at each branch. Each stem should be cut abcu'; 2iu or 3in from the ground and tho soft top portion removed. • Stripping .the, Ribbons. — This is siugularly simple, and consists of steeping the fresh stems for a short period in boiling water and removing the ribbons by hand. Au open galvanised -iroa_ cr block-tin or earthen wsre tank, about 6ft " long, 2ft wide, and about 4-ffc deep, filled with water in which about 21b of crude soda hae been mixed may be placed near the field (or several tanks in a central depot) on bricks or stones, about 18ih from the ground, over an open fire. When the water has reached boiling point throw two rope 3 over the tank near each «nd, and by them lower 100 to 200 stems into it, and (depending on their age and character) leave them in for sto 15 minlues. ,At the end of that time lift the stems out by the ropes and put another lot in. The stems already steeped should at once by taken up by a, couple of workmen and quickly and effectually stripped by hand. The action of tbe boiling water seems to thoroughly loosen the attachment of the cortf x to the wood, producing clean and regular ribbons without lrss of fibre. The tank could be easily moved from place to place in the field, and the wood of the stems, after the ribbons are removed, will probably

furnish most of the fuel necessary. After the ribbons are stripped, and while still wet, they might be passed between wooden rollers, which^would squeeze out much of the moisture, and render the subsequent thorough drying more expeditious. Then the ribbons should be hung on lines in open sheds or in the «un to dry thoroughly. The stems, or the ribbone.in the green or wet state, should never be kept in heaps, because fermentation may be set ■ op, which will destroy the fibre ; or some of • the gum may exude, and the heap will be found to have become a glued mass. Never bale the Jribbons until they are thoroughly dry. . Sometimes the fresh-cut stems are placed in xunning water for a- day or two, or until the cortical bark separates easily from the woody . >; then, the bark on the stalk is split in the centre j two fingers are inserted between the wood and the bark and slipped along the whole. |ength of the stalk, and the fibre is separated - in two strips or ribbons.

In Java the natives, after dividing the stalks into halves, lengthwise, remove, the bark by hand. In Upper Assam the native operator holds the italic in both hands nearly in the toiddlo, and pressing the forefinger and thumi> y^botU h»nda firmly, five* i& » peculiar tws6

and breaks through the innoi- path. Then, passing tb'e ' fingers of " his ' right a»d\ left hand rapidly alternately 'towards each en6|, the .pajk with the fibre is completely separated _ from the'Btiilk in two strands. Iv all cases after this simple opera-, tian the ribbons or strands ars.sp&ked in water and scraped with small, knives. This '* is a tedious and costly' operation, as-"" each, strand' has to be carefully scraped separately. For our piotiesa the costly operation of soaping and scraping is not needed. We only want the cortical bark stripped from the woody substance by hand or by a machine, whichever may bo found j cheapest. There are several machines in exiet- i er>ee for stripping, both from the green and the dry stem or «tslk. It is advisable not only to j sort the crop according to leugth of stem, but ; it is further recosomended that the peel or rib- i bons from all stems of sfb atid upwards should ] be divided into two, and the upper and lower ! portions kept distinct, the bales being marked " butts" and " tops " respectively. Baling. — The pressed bales should weigh scwt each. The ribboeff should be free from dust or dirt, and packed parallel, not thrown j in anyhow ; r.or should they be tied' in small, bundles, S3 it sometimes clone, because the labour entailed in cutting the tie of each small bundle, or in straightening a tangled mass of pressed ribbons, for the degumming* process adds appreciably to the cost of the treatment, which cost has to be allowed for iv the price paid for the ribbons. OPINIONS ON RHEA FIERB. Theodore Moerman, in.ibia little book on "The Ramie," says that the annual yield of fibre per acre is five or six times greater than the quantity which the cotton-plant produces in the best seasons and in the most favourable climates. Its fineness has beea demonstrated by t)r Forbes Watson, who showed that "the mean ! diameter of the ultimate fibres of fl&x is about' l-2060if1 ; cf jufcp, l-1900in; of hemp, l-1200in ; of rhea from Assan?, about l-2160ia. The length of tho fibre varies from 2 > 36in to 7.87 in, and tvtn 9 84-ia. r Regarding eilkiness,' jute is the only fibre known commercially which can compete with rhea, but jute ia far inferior to it in strength arid durability. Rhea has, be- . Sides, a high resisting power when submitted to the influence of moisture *nd variations of atmospheric condition. Ia bis more recent lecture before the Society of Arts upon this fibre Dr. Fcrbes Watson says : " Now, what is ihest good for ? It is difficult to say what it is not good for. It is the strongest fibre in nature." , Mr W. Haworth, speaking of tie use of rhe* with cotton, says: "Rhea would make warps of the finest cotton goods, and the wefts could ba made o? Sea Island or.olhev fine cotton, It. could bs used for the flLe.*t materials up to the coarsest." In Assam and Bengal, whera the rhea grows, the use to which it is commonly put is the same as, that for which hemp in Europe is used — i.e., it is employed for nets, fishing lines, and other j purposes for which strength, lightness, and ' power of resisting water is essential. Viewed »a a material for ouch me, rhea figures promi- | nently in its chances of success. Hemp, it is true, is lower priced than rhea, but it suffers I a greater loss in weight in the process of heck- j ling than rhea, while the latter is superior in strength and in resistance to water, and lighter cordage of it would do the same work as heavier ones of hemp. For such purposes as ships' riggiag and sails the increase iv lightness is iisslf an important consideration, apart from tbe saving of material and its greater durability. On these grounds rbea may with advantftge be substituted for fl*x or, hemp, even at a higher price. AccordiDg to the calculations of Mr Hardy, ex-director of the Botanical Gardens near Algiers, a field of textile nettles over a year old, whose stems had reached a height of about 6ft, would produce ,48,0001b per acre of gresn stems with their leaves. In that weight there would -.be 20,4001b oE leaves and 27,600 ib of stems, which would be reduced to 49001b in drying, and would give 14001b of fibrous thongs. Mr Hardy admits that two such crops may be had in Algeria, which would raise the yield of »n acre to 28001b of useful fibre. When all the Bubaoil of the field is permeated with their root 3 the r-hea plant throws out numerous shoots, and a heavy yield of stems is obtained. Ehba-pibrb Tbeatjient Company (Limited). W. T. Bell, Secretary.