574 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



native flax tow is the best, though there is less competition in tliis form 

 of flax than any other. Canada flax by some mamifactiirers is consid- 

 ered finer and softer than much of the American, but even here there is 

 room for improvement in growing, and in manipulation. 



It is chiimcd that the only foreign hemp which comes into direct com- 

 petition with American is that imported from Eussia. American hemp 

 possesses greater flexibihty than Kussian, though the latter is of more 

 equal length, as has been explained, and through its less flexibility is 

 prefeiTed for stays and shrouds. On the contrarj-, Russian hemp can- 

 not be dressed so fine as the American, and on account of the greater 

 cheapness of the latter, with equal strength, the Eussian has been 

 nearly driven from the market. Boulogne or Italian hemp has also great 

 flexibility with great strength, though coarser and inferior qualities of 

 this hemp find their way to our market. Owing to the i^resent scarcity 

 of the American i)roduct manufacturers have been importing largely 

 from Eussia again. There is a consequent demand for Kentucky hemp, 

 and it is stated that a much larger area has been planted than in many 

 previous years. Large contracts are said to have been made for the 

 crop of 1880 at $5 per 112 pounds. Seed was purchased at $3 per bushel 

 and even higher, and land rented at $10 to $12 per acre. With a very- 

 large crop prices may be depressed and some hemp cidtivators may not 

 realize all their hopes, though the quality of American hemp has been 

 so greatly improved in late years by better methods of softening the 

 fiber, and through improved processes in spinning, that it will take a 

 higher grade of manufacture, and new sources of demand will be created. 

 Fine-dressed American hemp is too good for standing rigging of vessels, 

 and can be better employed than in the manufacture of bagging. It is 

 very fortunate at this time for the fiber industry that twine binding is 

 coming into vogue in the grain fields, in place of wire binding, to which 

 there have been serious objections. Enormous quantities of twine will 

 be required by the grain-binders, either of flax or hemp, and doubtless 

 the new industry will open many mills throughout the West and North- 

 west. 



PRICES. 



Price is such a relative thing, it is impossible to give figures in a re- 

 port of this nature that can be quoted at the time of publication. So 

 much depends upon the state of the market, with changes in the domes- 

 tic and foreign supply, that the price of a product can only be given in 

 general terms. A majority of the replies to the circular were received 

 in February of the present year (1880), and the quotations may be under- 

 stood to apply to that time. In the case of hemi?, however, at the date 

 specified, the American supply was short, there was a demand upon the 

 foreign markets, and for a time everything was so unsettled, quotations 

 coidd only be given from day to day. During March American hemp 

 rose in price perceptibly, and is now somewhat higher than the following 

 quotations given as the ruling prices in Kew York on the 8th of January : 

 Undressed American hemp, $140 per ton ; single dressed, $185 to $190 

 per ton ; double dressed, $205 to $210 per ton ; Eussian hemp held at 

 $265 per ton for the best Eiga ; best Italian, $300 per ton ; medium, 

 $200, and inferior, $175 per ton, aU of 2,240 pounds. Water-rotted 

 Italian hemp seUs in i^ew York for about twice the price of dew-rotted 

 Kentucky hemp. 



Eegardiug the home market for Kentucky hemp, I can only give fig- 

 ures from the Lexington Gazette of about the 1st of March, where the 

 statement is made that the produce of 300 acres had been bought at $6 



