Eyre, J.C2015-08-132015-08-131937Eyre, J. C. (1937). Notes on Trials of Ramie in Tanganyika Territory. The East African Agricultural Journal, 3(3), 176–179. https://doi.org/10.1080/03670074.1937.116637530012-8325https://kalroerepository.kalro.org/handle/0/9404Ramie was introduced many years ago into Tanganyika Territory. There are now a number of small acreages in the Tanga and Moshi districts, but the only planting of any size is one of some thirty acres near Pongwe in the Tanga district, and a smaller one on an estate in the Nguu Hills of Handeni. There has been no recent extension of planting in the Tanga area, and the planter who laid down the large area now considers conditions on his estate to be unsuitable for this crop. The variety mainly planted was Boehmeria nivea; B. utilis is only being grown on a very small scale owing to lack of planting material.: There is no very noticeable difference in the response of these two species; B. utilis produces a somewhat longer but proportionately thinner stem. Observations have been made on the crop planted in both good and bad situations. It usually flourishes during the first year or two, providing there is sufficient rain, after which it very rapidly deteriorates. The stems become progressively shorter and thinner, and harden up very much more quickly, while at the same time the number of stems on a given area rapidly increases. Often, however, ramie shows poor growth even in the first year or two, like that on the Sisal Experiment Station at Ngomeni. From observations it appears that to make an economic success of the crop—apart from marketing considerations—it will be necessary to find some means of controlling the increase in the number of stems aridprobably also to manure. The cost of establishing 36 acres in the Tanga district amounted to Sh. 5,323/50, which included the cost of clearing the land of fairly heavy rubber and also of cleaning a part of the area for three years. On another estate the cost of clearing, planting and cultivating up to the time of the first cutting was said to be approximately Sh. 50 an acre. The accuracy of the figures is, however, doubtful. The cost of maintaining a plantation is not available, since both estates have allowed their areas to revert partly to, bush. It is thought, however, that the cost of upkeep, even without manuring, would be high, since the land would have to be clean cultivated and the number of growing stems controlled. No accurate figures of yield are available, since on each occasion that any quantity of material was harvested the area had to be searched for sufficiently long stems and only these were cut. On a good site and under favourable conditions, stems up to six and seven feet high are Obtained in the first year, but in, the third year or when the rainfall is insufficient the average height is not moze than three and a half feet..enhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Journal ContributionFicus utilisCropsPlantingBoehmeriahttps://doi.org/10.1080/03670074.1937.11663753