Show new element in commerce ramie a species 0 gigantic nettle produces directly beneath its outer bark a fiber that can be woven alone or in conjunction with either wool or cotton and gives to the cloth into which it Is woven a beautiful silky finish Is being produced in china at the present time to an extent that promises to make it an imbor tant element in the world s commerce unlike cotton it is not an annual crop once planted it will produce for a dozen years it does not rlyn evenly and as soon as one crop Is pulled the plant goes on producing again occasionally in tropical coun tries and it la only in a very warm that it can be grown one plant will give four crops in a year A good stand of plants will run two to three tons of fiber per acre |