H4 HEMP CULTIVATION 



" bhang," the dried leaves and flowering shoots of 

 either or both the male and female plants ; and 

 " hashish/' a Turkish preparation of the leaves. 



The term " hemp " has unfortunately been applied 

 to various fibres which differ greatly from true hemp ; 

 and this has led to great confusion, especially in 

 statistical returns in which commonly no descriptive 

 prefix is attached. Among the commoner fibres which 

 bear the name of hemp may be mentioned Bombay, 

 Sunn or San hemp (page 122), Deccan or Ambari 

 hemp (page 146), Manila hemp (page 156), Sisal hemp 

 (page 166), Mauritius hemp (page 181), bowstring hemp 

 (page 185), and New Zealand hemp (page 187). 



The common hemp plant is an annual, growing to a 

 height of 4 to 10 feet or even more. The stem is erect, 

 the flowers are small, yellowish-green and incon- 

 spicuous, and the fruit is a smooth, brownish-grey 

 achene containing a single seed. The plants are of 

 two kinds, one bearing male flowers and the other 

 female flowers. 



Hemp is cultivated for fibre in most European 

 countries, and especially in Russia, Italy, Austria- 

 Hungary, Servia, France and Germany. The plant 

 occurs on both the east and west coasts of Africa. 

 In the United States of America, it is grown in Ken- 

 tucky and the neighbouring States, and it is also cultiv- 

 ated in Chile and Mexico. It is of common occurrence 

 in India and is cultivated to a limited extent in 

 Kashmir and the Himalayas, and is also grown largely 

 in China and Japan. 



CLIMATE AND SOIL 



The hemp plant requires a mild climate and a 

 humid atmosphere, and grows best on rich, loamy 

 soils containing a large quantity of humus. The 

 sub-soil should be fairly retentive of moisture, or 

 otherwise, in case of drought, the crop is liable to receive 

 a check and the fibre consequently becomes harsh 

 and woody. Light sandy soils and heavy clay soils 

 are quite unsuitable. 



