146 EEMP. 



fibre from the woody part of the hemp, and at the same 

 time cleanses it from the mould and filth which hangs to 

 it. After having repeated these knockings of the hemp 

 on the water for three or four times, the workwoman 

 seizes the bunch by the little end, and driving it through 

 the water in the opposite direction, thereby causes the 

 fibre to be detached from the lower extremity of the stem ; 

 then, rolling the bunch in the water, she causes the sepa- 

 rated fibre to twist itself round the bunch, with the object 

 that, when the hemp is set out to drain and dry, the fibre 

 may not come in contact with the soil. All the steeping- 

 ponds are surrounded by pasture-land, to serve at the 

 proper season as drying-grounds for the hemp. After 

 having washed each bunch in the way we have just 

 described, the workwoman throws it on the green turf ; 

 a workman seizes it and sets it on its big end. It sup- 

 ports itself by leaning against the other bundles. In that 

 position the hemp drains. Every day's work commences 

 with the operation which I have just described. About 

 one o'clock in the afternoon, the women come out of the 

 rouissoir, dress themselves in dry clothes, eat their dinner^ 

 and then proceed to drying the hemp. 



" The women, now, if they have not done so before, 

 push, to the upper end of each bunch, the band with 

 which it was tied round the middle ; and opening every 

 bunch at the bottom, they spread the stalks that are 

 standing on the grass with their heads aloft and leaning 

 together, almost in the same way as a pile of muskets. 

 The hemp is thus perfectly exposed to the sun and air ; 

 nevertheless, even when no rain happens to fall a cir- 

 cumstance greatly to be desired, especially to preserve 

 the beauty of the fibre, it takes two days at the very 

 least to dry it completely. If high wind comes on, 

 the bunches out drying are often blown down, and 

 must be set up again as quickly as possible. Towards 

 evening, the hemp which has attained the necessary 

 degree of dryness is loaded on carts, and carried to the 

 hemp-barn, mostly without the workmen taking any rest, 

 except just to eat a morsel. 



