148 HEMP. 



lays the bunches on the block may continue that task 

 without interruption, the woman who brings him the 

 bundles of hemp takes care to place them ready to his 

 hand. The fibre often comes out of this operation com- 

 pletely divested of the woody stem throughout the whole 

 of its length, except at the extremity which the workman 

 held in his hand. Two other scutchings or beatings take 

 place with smaller tools. At the last one, the workman 

 is not content with beating the fibre ; he pulls it while it 

 is pressed with his tools, to soften it and clear it from 

 any knots and bits of chaff that may still remain adhering 

 to it. The fibre is then folded in two, and packed in bales 

 to be delivered to the merchant." 



To this very complete description we can only add a 

 few judicious words from the Abbe Rozier, relative to 

 the sanitory precautions desirable to be observed with 

 steeping-ponds. 



" Whether the water is stagnant or running, and in 

 whatever spot the routoir may be situated, it is essential 

 to plant rows of trees around it. Poplars are preferable 

 to any others. One of the grand agents which nature 

 employs for the purification of the atmosphere, is the 

 vegetation of plants and trees. They feed upon the im- 

 pure air given out by steeping-ponds, appropriate it, and 

 in return give back pure air to the atmosphere. But 

 even with this resource at hand, it will be seen that the 

 establishment of routoirs in the vicinity of dwelling- 

 houses is an extremely unhealthy and imprudent practice, 

 since the trees cannot entirely absorb the enormous mass 

 of mephitic air which escapes from hemp in a state of 

 putrid fermentation. Spots ought to be selected which 

 are exposed to the wind and open to violent currents of 

 air. 



" It is useless to make steeping-ponds too broad ; at 

 least they are very inconvenient. I should prefer ex- 

 tending them in length, whenever required, particularly 

 if they are to serve for a community of hemp-growers. 

 In that case, every individual finds his own place, without 

 disturbing that of his neighbour ; and a smaller quantity 



