278 



BOTANY OF CROP PLANTS 



Varieties. Nearly all hemp grown in this country is of 

 Chinese origin, 'i'he Japanese hemp is identical, or very 

 similar, to Chinese hemp. European varieties (Piedmont, 

 Neapolitan, Hungarian, and Russian), often termed Smyrna 

 types, dififer from the Chinese and Japanese ones in that the 

 plants are shorter, the growth is more compact, the seeds are 

 in denser clusters and earlier in maturing. 'J'he best Cjuality 

 of hemp liber comes from Italy. 



Fig. 109.- Cutting hemp, Kentucky. {From Essenlials of Geography, 

 Second Book. Copyriglil, 1916, by Albert Perry Brighain a>id Charles T. 

 McFarlaiir. American Book Company, Publishers.) 



The Hemp Industry in the United States.— Since about the 

 year 1906, there has been a slight decline in the domestic 

 production of hemp. This falling off has been due to the 

 difliculty of obtaining laborers to do the work of retting, 

 breaking, and preparing the liber for the market; to the lack 

 of development of labor-saving machinery; to the fact that 

 greater profits are derived from raising other crops in hemp- 



