GATHERING THE CEOP. 133 



rner passing away, the inconveniences of autumn may 

 succeed, with its cold and damps which hinder the work. 

 But in case that the nature of the climate, or the chilli- 

 ness of the season, prevents you from conveniently steep- 

 ing your hemp, refrain from putting it into the water, 

 and keep it till another year, when the heat of the sun 

 in the month of May or June is favourable to the pro- 

 cess. At that time of year, your hemp will steep exceed- 

 ingly well, provided it has been kept all that time in a 

 dry place without the least humidity. Both the male 

 and female hemp is treated in this way. But to give 

 the female plants longer leisure to ripen their seed, they 

 are drawn from the ground later, and put later into the 

 water ; which is done after they are stripped of their 

 seed. Being taken out of the water, they are carried to 

 dry in the sun, and are finally sorted for the diverse 

 employments to which they are destined, and according 

 to them are beaten, combed, carded, spun, and converted 

 into cloth and cordage. 



" Land does not tire of bearing hemp several years in 

 succession, as it does of almost every other thing, pro- 

 vided there is no spare of ploughing and manuring, by 

 means of which it may be made to continue this service 

 as long as you choose. The strong smell of hemp chases 

 from the ground many noxious herbs and troublesome 

 animals; a very useful thing in gardens. "When they 

 are attacked by these nuisances, hemp is grown in them 

 a couple of years successively, which thus ameliorates 

 and renovates the soil, to the great benefit of such herbs 

 as affect fresh ground." 



Our good old author herein comprises the principal 

 details in the culture of hemp, besides his rude econo- 

 mical hint to sow a root-crop amongst the plants as they 

 are gathered. It is our part to fill up his skeleton with 

 a few more precise particulars. 



The hemp crop is not all gathered at once, the male 

 plants being always pulled a few weeks before the female 

 or seed bearers. This usually occurs towards the middle 

 of August. Their ripeness is known by their turning 



