In China the staple summer crops are those which yield textile fibres. Jute is grown to a very large extent, and is used in the manufacture of sacks and -bags for holding rice and other grains; .1 gigantic species of hemp (Cannabis), growing from ten to fifteen feet in height, is also a staple summer crop. This is chiefly used in making ropes and string of various sizes ; such articles being in great demand for tracking the boats up rivers and in the canals of the country.
Boehmeria nivea yields the well-known rheea fibre. In strength it exceeds the best hemp, and in fineness it rivals the superior kinds of flax. Its culture is well known to the natives of Assam, and in the districts of Rungpur and Dinajpur, being called kunkhoora. It is known in Burma, and is the pan of the Shans, the ramee of the Malayas and of Java, and the caloee of Sumatra, Its culture succeeded in Tenasseritn, and is followed in Siam, as in other eastern countries and islands. It is identical with the highly valued article of commerce known by the nanie of China grass, the Chu-ma of the Chinese, and from which the famed grass-cloth of China is manufactured. Manure is useful and moisture essential to quick growth, as well as shade and some protection from storms,- in order to allow it to grow to the height of eight feet, from which a six-foot fibre may be separated. Hence it is most common and succeeds best in the districts along the foot of the hills. It is grown from the separated roots, and may be cut down several times in the year, so that four or five crops may easily be obtained during the year, and the aggre gate produce of an acre of ground be about twelve maunds. The different crops vary in strength wad fineness, the earlier being the stronger and the latter finer. The culture is perfectly understood, and it is susceptible of easy and rapid extension. The expense seems to be about five rupees a rnaund. Various attempts have been made to bring it into demand as au article of commerce. Dr. Roxburgh obtained four plants from Bencoolen in the year 1803, and wrote that it was one of the strongest fibres he had met with. In 1811, Dr. Buchanan sent three bales of the fibres to Messrs. Sharp of Mark Lane, who reported that a thread spun of this fibre bore 252 pounds, whereas the weight required to be borne by Russian hemp of the same size, in His Majesty's dockyard, was only 84 pounds. The
Society of Arts, in the year 1814, awarded a medal to Captain J. Cotton of the East India Company's service, for the introduction of this fibre, and medals and honourable mentions were awarded to several exhibitors from India and Java, at the Exhibition of 1851, for specimens of sailcloth, ropes, cables, finer kinds of cloth, and tablecloths ; and it is used by the natives of the countries which have been mentioned for making nets and fishing lines ; also stout cloth and some of finer fabric.
A plant, known to the people as Ban Rheea, or wild rheea, is very common in all parts of the Assam province in most of the forests. k By proper management any quantity of young shoots can be obtained, and as the divided roots afford numerous shoots, and the plant can be propagated by slips as. well as by seed, its cultivation for its fibre might be carried on with facility: It is cultivated largely by the hill tribes on the north-west of Yun-nan, and by the Singpho and Dhounnea of the north-east frontier to a small extent only for a coarse cloth, but chiefly for nets. It is the Leepeeah of Nepal. Thompson & Co., rope makers, of Calcutta, said of it that it is all that can be desired for either canvas or lines, and only requires to be known to be generally used for that purpose. It was valued as being worth about £35 a ton in England. When made into a five - inch rope at Mes.srs. Huddart's works, it absorbed 1.7 of tar, and did not break until it bore nearly 9 tons weight.
Clean samples of the following fibres were taken, of equal weights and firmly tied at their ends, so as to be of equal lengths, and their strength tried in the India House Military Stores, 16th December 1853.
Petersburg hemp broke with . . . 160 lbs.
Jubbulpur hemp, from Mr. Williams, . . 190 Wuckoo-nar fibre, Travancore, . . . 175 Mudar or yercum fibre, common all over India, 190 China grass, Boehmeria nivea, . . . 250 Itheea fibre, the same from Assam, . . 320 Wild rheea, Boehmeria species, from Assam, 343 Kote Kangra hemp, (no breakage at) . . 400 Dr. Royle gives the following tested strength of certain fibres : Wuckoo fibre, small cord, broke at . . 86 lbs.