PREPARATION OF HEMP 117 



tended for the manufacture of fine textiles should 

 therefore be retted more than that for coarser goods, 

 whilst fibre for cordage purposes should be retted 

 least of all. The progress of the operation can be 

 readily ascertained by drawing the thumb-nail along 

 a stalk from the root-end to the top ; when the fibre 

 readily strips off the stem, the retting, has proceeded 

 to a sufficient extent. If the fibre is over-retted it 

 is rendered weak and brittle, and it is therefore of the 

 utmost importance that the stalks should be with- 

 drawn at the right moment. For the accurate 

 determination of this point a good deal of experience 

 is necessary. 



Water-retting is practised in Italy and in parts of 

 France, and may be effected either by still or running 

 water. Soft water gives the best results. Water 

 containing iron must on no account be employed, as 

 it causes the fibre to assume a rusty colour. The 

 duration of the process depends on the temperature 

 of the water, the state of the weather, and the quality 

 of the hemp stalks, but is roughly from one to three 

 weeks. If the atmospheric temperature is very high 

 it is well to run off some of the water and replace it 

 by a fresh supply. The retting water should not be 

 used more than once if the best results are to be 

 obtained ; but if it cannot be changed, and has to be 

 used for a second or third retting, its retting power 

 is diminished, and the resulting fibre is usually of 

 inferior quality and has a green colour. In some 

 cases the retting is carried out in pools or ditches, 

 3 or 4 ft. deep and of varying length and breadth. 

 The bundles of hemp are laid at the bottom of the 

 pool, covered with straw or sods, and loaded with 

 stones or logs of wood. Standing water is said to 

 yield softer fibre than running water ; the colour of 

 the product in the former case is inferior, but it can 

 be improved by subsequent treatment. In some 

 hemp-growing districts the process is conducted in 

 basins situated at different heights, so that a small 

 stream constantly trickles down from one to another. 

 In certain of the larger undertakings in Italy the 

 ordinary pools or ditches are replaced by special 



