184 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



and as it rises it must be widened so as to make the top 

 courses shelter the bottom ones, and after getting up about 

 twelve feet high, then commence for the roof, by laying the 

 bundles crosswise, within a foot of the edges of the rick, 

 building the top up roof-shaped, of a slope at an angle of 

 about forty-five degrees. This finished, for the covering of 

 the roof lay up the bundles at right angles to its length, the 

 butt ends down, and the first course resting on the rim of the 

 rick as left all around, one foot in width. Lap the bundles in 

 covering the roof in courses, precisely as if shingling a house. 

 The first shingling thus finished, commence the second by re- 

 versing the bundles, placing the top ends down, and then go 

 on lapping them as before. The third course of shingling 

 begin with the butt ends down again, letting the first course 

 hang at least one foot below the edge of the roof, as eaves to 

 shed off the rain well from the body of the stack. Unbind 

 the bundles, and lay the covering at least one foot thick with 

 the loose hemp, lapping well shingle fashion as before, and 

 for a weather board, let the top course come up above the 

 peak of the roof about three feet, and be then bent over it, 

 towards that point of the compass from which the wind blows 

 least. If the work has been faithfully performed, the rick 

 may be considered as finished, and weather proof, and it re- 

 quires no binding with poles or anything else. The rick 

 should be made when the weather is settled and certain, for 

 if rain falls upon it during the process, it will materially in- 

 jure the hemp. There ought always to be a sufficient num- 

 ber of hands in the field to gather, bind the shocks, and finish 

 the ricking in a single day. 



TIME OF DEW ROTTING. The best time for spreading 

 hemp for dew rotting, is in the month of December. * It 

 then receives what is called a winter rot, and makes the lint 

 of the hemp a light color, and its quality better than if spread 

 out early. But where a farmer has a large crop, it is desira- 

 ble to have a part of his hemp ready to take up late in Decem- 

 ber, so that he may commence breaking in January. To ac- 

 complish this object, a part of his crop may be spread about 

 the middle of October. It would not be prudent to spread 

 earlier, as hemp will not obtain a good rot if spread out 

 when the weather is warm. The experienced hemp-grower 

 is at no loss to tell when hemp is sufficiently watered. A 

 trial of a portion of it on the break will be the best test for 

 those who have not had much experience. When sufficiently 

 watered, the stalks of the hemp lose that hard, sticky ap- 



