AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 279 



May si: ill e t Ky. 1848.) The value of American hemp, however, is said to 

 be rapidly increasing, owing to greater care and experience in preparing 

 it for market. In 1845, the Navy Department decided that &quot;American 

 water-rotted hemp when made into cordage without the application of 

 tar proved lo be greater in strenth than Russian ; a-nd the application of 

 tar proved to depreciate its strength to that of Russian.&quot; Large quan 

 tities of Western hemp are annually manufactured into cotton-bagging 

 and bale rope. In 1845 the quantity so consumed was estimated at 

 40,000,000 Ibs., sufficient to cover, 2,600,000 bales of cotton. 



619. The best land for hemp is that which has been tim 

 bered with black walnut, buckeye, hackberry, and white oak ; 

 or rich bottom lands. If sward land, plow in the fall, and again 

 in the spring ; if fallow, one deep plowing, well harrowed, in the 

 spring is sufficient. In Missouri, 1^- bushels of seed are sown 

 broadcast per acre, from the 1st of April to the 10th of May. 

 When the blossoms begin to fall, (from the middle of July to 

 the 1st of August,) the hemp is cut. If left later, the quality 

 is injured. An impliment similar to the point of an ordinary 

 scythe, is used for harvesting. The plant is cut as close to the 

 ground as possible, and the tops are lopped off as far as the seed 

 ends, and the stalks are either thrown into the shade, or kiln- 

 dried. While cutting, the stalks are assorted according to size ; 

 and bound up into bundles, 6 or 8 inches in diameter at the 

 the butts, with two bands. A stick an inch in thickness, is placed 

 in the center of each bundle, to facilitate handling. The bun 

 dles are then placed in properly prepared pools, or cisterns for 

 rotting. Hemp, less than five feet in length, is reserved for 

 dew-rotting. After a proper period, the bundles are withdrawn 

 from the water, dried and stacked. After this, the mechanical 

 operations of breaking, &amp;lt;fec, succeed. (For a full account of this 

 subject in all its aspects, see Pat. Of. Rep. 1845 and 1846, 

 and the other volumes.) 



620. A species of wild hemp, resembling the Manilla, is said to be 

 found in St. Louis county, Missouri ; but it does not appear to be de 

 scribed by the Botanists. (Pat. Off. Rep. 1846, p. 261 .) A &quot; Centen- 



