JUTE. Two species of plants yield the jute of commerce, Corchorus capsularis and C. olitorius. They are tall shrubs, 8 to 15 feet high, the fibre being produced in the bark, and known as bast fibre. Supposed to be indige nous to India, where the species grows wild, cultivated to a limited extent by other Eastern people, as the Chinese and Malays, C. olitorius is naturalized in all parts of the tropics to the shores of the Mediterranean. Jute was intro duced into the United States by the Depart ment of Agriculture in 1870 (consult various articles in Monthly Reports of department 1870-75), and was found to be adapted to culti vation along the line of Gulf States from Texas to South Carolina. It should be noted that the China jute of commerce is not jute at all, but a similar bast fibre derived from Abutilon avicennor. This plant was experimented with in New Jersey 25 years ago, though unsuccess fully, the fibre being wrongly called American jute. In India many kinds of jute are rec ognized, all being known under local trade names, which are unimportant here. The value of jute as a textile lies wholly in its fineness, silkiness and adaptability to spinning, low cost of the raw material being another advantage. Several American fibre plants classed as weeds yield a better, whiter and stronger fibre, though they cannot be utilized for economic reasons. (Consult special report on bast fibres, No. 6, Office of Fibre Investigations of Department of Agriculture). The fibre of jute, compared with other textiles, is quite inferior, the bleached filasse soon losing its whiteness and becoming a dingy, dirty brown, while its strength rapidly deteriorates. Nevertheless it may be regarded as one of our most useful fibres— too useful in certain directions, as its fineness lustre, as well as cheapness, adapt it most readily pur poses of adulteration, and as it takes colors easily it can be stained or dyed to imitate many of the other fibres, though such frauds can be readily detected. The uses of the fibre are many, and it enters into all classes of textiles from woven fabrics of great beauty to coarse ropes and bagging. In the manufacture of fabrics it goes into curtains, chair coverings, and other forms of upholstery, carpets, webbing, burlap and bagging (especially cotton bagging), and it has been employed for imitation silk fabrics, although for this purpose the fibre re quires a special treatment in order to subdivide it more finely and render it more glossy. The fibre is also made into all kinds of cordage, either honestly, as jute, or as an adulterant, con siderable quantities having been used in past time for the manufacture of binding twine. It is largely employed for fine and coarse twines, small rope, sash cords, etc., and where cheapness is a desideratum it fills the demand. The commercial use of jute dates back less than a century, the first exports in noticeable quantity (about 18 tons) having been made, to England, in 1828. By 1850 the exports had reached 30,000 tons; in 1871, 310,000 tons. Now some 3,500,000 acres are cultivated in jute in India. Both high and low lands are employed
for this culture, although the larger part of the crop is produced upon the "churs° or lands of recent alluvial formation along the rivers In this country the "river would be favorable for the culture, in localities of the South, where the requisite conditions of heat and moisture prevail.
Twelve to fifteen pounds of seed is the aver age quantity sown per acre, though Spon gives nearly double this amount. In India the yield is about 400 pounds of fibre per acre. Little or no cultivation is given the crop save thinning out where overcrowded. The plants mature in three months and the crop is harvested with a bill hook and sickle at the time when the flowers have begun to show and the seed has not yet ap peared. If the plants are allowed to seed, the fibre will be stronger and heavier, but harsher. In some districts, after harvesting the stalks are stacked in the field until the leaves drop off, while in other localities stacking is not prac tised. The stalks are sorted as to length into three sizes, and made into bundles that one man can carry. The extraction of the fibre is accomplished by steeping the bundles in stag nant water, covering them with jungle plants, clods of earth or cow dung. When the setting is completed the ryots go into the water waist deep, and by thrashing the surface of the water with the stalks, assisting the loosening of the bark with the fingers, the fibre is separated from the wood. Afterward it is wrung out and hung upon lines to dry. It is next made into drums of 70 or 80 pounds. If for exporta tion, it is pressed into bales of 300 pounds or over. Little may be said regarding jute cul ture in this country. At the low prices which prevail for the imported jute, it is doubtful if it .could be made a paying crop. The plant is adapted to cultivation in the United States and produces a superb fibre, but it would not be able to compete with India jute at PA to 2/2 cents per pound. Jute is treated by processes similar to those employed in turning flax into linen. Special machines are used for the vari ous processes, such as heckling, spreading, draw ing, roving and spinning. Hand looms have long 'been used in India for weavingjute. Since 1857 a great number of jute mills have been fitted with modern textile machinery. There are now over 60 such mills in India, em ploying over 200,000 hands. The production of fibre is about 4,215,000,000 pounds annually. In 1914 the United States imported 242,711,237 pounds of jute and jute butts, valued at $12, 273,422. Jute bags were imported to the value of $4,250,000, and other jute fabrics to the value of $38,000,000 in the same year. There are about 33 establishments manufacturing jute products in the United States. These employ 7,000 hands and turn out a product valued at $11,000,000 annually. Consult Special Report (No. 8) office of Fibre Investigation of Depart ment of Agriculture;