470 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



over a large stone or block, or by the use of the flail. The latter is the best method of hand- 

 shelling, but a good threshing-machine is necessary where large crops are cultivated. The 

 process of removing the heads with the comb, as previously described, is called rippling. 

 After being threshed from the heads, the seed should be winnowed or otherwise cleaned, to 

 separate it from the seeds of weeds and other foreign material. Flax is at present cultivated 

 in this country principally for the seed. 



HEMP. 



THE cultivation of hemp for its fiber was formerly practiced to a certain extent in some 

 of the &quot;Western States, where it proved a profitable crop; but as the labor of har 

 vesting it is much greater than that of most products, and it is also very exhausting 

 to the soil, especially when the seed is ripened, it has never been a favorite crop with farmers. 

 It can be more profitably cultivated in other countries, where labor is cheaper than it is in our 

 own. The fiber of hemp is similar to that of flax, although it is much stronger and coarser. 

 Like flax, hemp is cultivated both for its fiber and seed, the latter of which is used for feed 

 ing stock, and also for the oil which it furnishes. It is generally considered more wholesome 

 and nutritious when cooked, before being fed to animals. The ripening of the seed causes 

 more exhaustion to the soil than the production of the fiber. 



Hemp belongs to the nettle family, having the fruit-bearing and sterile flowers upon 

 different plants. The stalk is rough and angular, and, like flax, branches considerably when 

 growing alone, or with thin sowing, yet is quite straight when crowded. Hemp will grow 

 almost as rapidly as Indian corn, and will attain the height of ten or twelve feet in a rich 

 soil, but the average height is from six to seven feet. It generally blossoms in June, if sown 

 sufficiently early, and ripens its seed in August. 



The demand for hemp in this country exceeds, at present, the supply of the home 

 product, and we doubt if it ever becomes a leading staple in the United States. The culture 

 of hemp, like that of flax, while drawing largely from the soil, imparts nothing to it; hence, 

 large quantities of plant- food are extracted, which require that a rotation of other crops shall 

 intervene before its cultivation shall be repeated on the same soil. 



Cultivation. A deep, mellow soil of more than moderate fertility is required for 

 hemp. Well-prepared sward land of a clayey nature is excellent for the production of a 

 good quality of fiber. &quot;When such soil is used, the ground should be plowed in the autumn 

 and again in the spring, before sowing the seed. The soil for hemp should be moist, but not 

 wet. It is necessary that the land be carefully prepared, and the soil well pulverized. 



The seed should not be sown until the ground is warm and rather dry; still, it is well to 

 get it started as early as practicable. The sowing is sometimes delayed until the middle of 

 June, but this is rather late to obtain the best results from the crop. From the middle of 

 April to the middle of May is better. It is necessary that the seed be fresh, that which is 

 old not usually germinating satisfactorily. In England, from two to three bushels of seed 

 per acre is frequently used; but in that country it does not generally attain the height that it 

 does in our own. In this country it is the practice to sow from five to six pecks per acre, 

 scattered broadcast over the field, and harrowed in. When drilling is practical, a less quan 

 tity will be required, from three pecks to a bushel being sufficient. 



The ground should always be rolled after sowing the seed, to hasten its germination. 

 It is covered to about the same depth as flax. When the soil is moist at the time of sowing, 

 it will not be necessary to cover as deeply as when it is quite dry. In the latter case, it will 



