<)n the Culture of Hemp. 37 



that is properly performed by the skin coulter plough, and it 

 is frequently cultivated on the same piece of ground for many 

 years, without any other kind intervening. When the crop is 

 put in, the greatest care should always be taken to keep birds 

 from devouring the seeds, which they are very fond of. In 

 the cultivation of this crop, it is necessary that the field con- 

 tain both male and female plants ; it is the latter sort thai 

 affords the seed. 



As soon as the crop is ripe, which is shown by its havii 

 whitish yellow colour, and the leaves beginning to fall from 

 the steins, it should be pulled. The male kind ripens r our or 

 five weeks before the female. The female is ripe when 

 flowers fade, and the stalk turns yellow, and the male when 

 the stems become pale. Both are less injured by being pulled 

 too soon than too late. When the one is pulled, care must be 

 •taken that as little injury as possible may be done to the 

 other. The operation of pulling is performed by taking 

 small parcels at a time out of the ground with the hand, 

 shaking off the mould well from them before the handfuls are 

 laid down; it is usually done 13 or 14 weeks after sowing. 

 After being pulled it is tied up in small parcels. But when 5 

 crops are intended for seeding they are of course to stand till 

 the seed becomes in a perfect state of maturity, which is easily 

 known by its appearance. The stems or stalks are then 

 pulled and bound up into bundles, being set up in the same 

 manner as grain, until the seed becomes so dry and firm as to 

 shed freely ; it is then either directly thrashed out upon large 

 cloths spread for the purpose in the field, or preserved, to have 

 it done at some future period when more convenient. In the 

 execution of this sort of business, great care should be taken 

 in pulling not to shake the stalks rashly, otherwise much of 

 the seed mav be lost. It is advised that after pulling the seed, 

 hemp may be set up in shocks of five sheaves to dry the seed ; 

 but in order to prevent any delay in watering, the seed pods 

 may be cut off with a chopping knife and dried on canvas 

 exposed to the air under some shed or cover. The last method 

 of drying the seed will prove of great advantage to the hemp, 

 as the seed and pods when green are of such a gummy nature 

 that the stems might suffer much by sun burning or rain which 

 will discolour and injure the hemp before the seed can be 

 sufficiently dried upon the stalks ; besides, the thrashing out 



1 seed would damage the hemp in a considerable degree. 



In the preparation of hemp for the uses of the manufacture' 



are two modes adopted, termed bleaching and watering. 



In the latter mode, which is more general and expeditious, the 



hemp is all taken up and bound in small bundles with bands 



at each end to such a bigness as can bo grasped with both 



: d to a pond of standing water (if a cl 



