1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



26* 



woods, but immediately on their being cleared l as far south as the southern boundary of Virginia; 

 away, either by fire or otherwise, it takes posses- | beyond that, the climate is too hot lor it; every 

 sion of the ground; which should prove that it j where to the north of this, in every waste .spot, 

 was natural to it; that the seed lies there, butcan- hemp grows spontaneously, with a luxuriance I 

 not vegetate till the ground is cleared: but again I never met with elsewhere: I have seen single plants 

 I have been told, that by some tribes of Indians it upwards of \cn feet in height, with branches in 



is called white man's fool grass; from an idea, 

 that wherever he has trodden, it grows; which 

 should prove at least, that it had not been known 

 in the country longer than the white man. 



"Timothy produces immense crops in America: 

 would it not be worth while to try some uf the 



ever} direction four or five feet in length, and with 

 a stem more than four inches in circumference. I 

 do not mention this kind of growth as an excel- 

 lence in the hemp, because such branching would 

 be injurious to it, but to show how congenial the 

 climate and soii is to the plant: such excess of ve- 



seed in England, and to sow it on the same kind getation would be prevented in cultivation, by the 

 of soil?" - closer growth of (he plants. 



Timothy grass* is extensively- cultivated in the Kahn. in his travels in America, remarks the 

 middle and northern states of the American luxuriant growth of wild hemp, particularly about 

 Union, and I apprehend it to be the same as the the remains of Fort Saratoga, (by which I sup- 

 phleum pratense, eat's-tail grass, of European bo- pose he meanl Fort Hardie, formerly built by 

 tanists, I have frequently seen extraordinary crops j the French at Saratoga;) at that very place, up- 

 of it, growing thick as it could stand on the ground, wards of forty years* afterwards, I saw hemp at 

 3 or 4 feet in height, and in some instances coarse i least eight feel in height growing wild, which pro- 

 as wheat straw, however, in this state, as it is cut bably had annually shaken its seed, and annually 

 before maturity, and as in the climate of America grown from that time to the present. 

 hay isalways well cured, however succulent at the Notwithstanding tins natural inclination in the 

 time of cutting, horses preterit to every other kind soil to produce hemp, next to none is cultivated; 

 of hay, ami thrive better upon it. I cannot there- | lh - is probably arises more from the indolence of the 



tore but think it worthy of some fair experiments 

 in this country. No other grass approches il in 

 produce; and it is particularly useful when mixed 

 with red clover, in preventing it from falling too 

 close to the "round. 



"Clover seed from America ought to be tried, 

 particularly on ground that is tired of English or 

 Dutch clover seed: can such be procured? 



Clover, growing With such remarkable luxu- 



people, than any othercause. Hemp affords much 

 labor in the winter, on which account it would be 

 particularly valuable to an industrious people; but 

 here, particularly the reverse. Winter is the sea- 

 son of frolic and dissipation, With which nothing 

 must interfere. These habits do not appear likely 

 soon to be eradicated, and till that change takes 

 place, no hemp will be cultivated-. American hemp 

 is said to be peculiarly soft, silky, and pliable; and 



riance as that in America, must produce good seed,' I therefore better adapted than any other, for the 

 and such may prove an useful change. ".Seed has i running rigging ol ships, and it is used lor that 

 frequently been sent from America to England: I purpose in most American vessels. 



probably will be sent in future without any partic- Hemp is said to be much improved in its bright- 

 uiar demand; and will hereafter be certainly sent, ness and silky quality, by being rated [rotted] in 

 whenever ordered or required here. The price at | brackish water, which is always the case in Ame- 

 Ncw York in the autumn of 1794. was about 7d. | rica when possible: experiments of that nature, 



per lb. 



"Might not Great Britain be supplied with hemp 

 from America?" 



No supply of hemp can be drawn from the Uni- 

 ted States, since the quantity grown there is very 

 inconsiderable, near the whole of their consump- 

 tion being imported from the Baltic. No country 

 seems better calculated ibr hemp than the states. 



* ( 1799.) I have cultivated the American Timothy 

 grass, and English cat's-tail grass, in my garden for 

 three years; and I find not the least difference between 

 them, except that the timothy is about a fortnight ear- 

 lier than the cat's-tail; the ettect of the change of seed 

 anil climate. They are the phleum pratense of the va- 

 riety g. nodosum of Withering. This variety, I find, is 

 not well founded, as the bulbous root is acquired both 

 in the timothy and cat*s-tail, by luxuiiant growth; and 

 the bulbs or knots on the roots become larger and more 

 numerous by age; young plants, and those stinted in 

 their growth by a poor soil, have them not. The bul- 

 bous cat's-tail, is not common in meadows, at least in 



liiiirlit in many instances be tried in this country, 



While the United States were under the domin- 

 ion of Great Britain, bounties were offered for the 

 raising and exporting of hemp, but I believe with 

 little effect: and are at this time continued by the 

 state of Massachusetts, but with so little tendency 

 to increase the culture, that the bounty for not 

 more than one hundred tons, has been claimed in 

 a year. 



"Might not immense quantities of oil-cake for 

 manure, and the feeding of cattle, be got from 

 America?" 



The only oil-caket used for manure is the resi- 



* Not ha\ ing Kalm's Travels by me to refer to, I do 

 not know the precise date. 



f (1799.) In consequence of the above recommen- 

 dation, the importation of oil-cake was allowed by ;j<j 

 G. III. chap, cxiii. entitled, "An Act for allowing the 

 importation of arrow root, from the British plantations, 

 and also of linseed cakes and rape cakes, from any fo- 

 British built ships, owned, navigated. 



reign country, 

 this part of England; but where found, is in patches in | and registered according to law. without payment of 

 most rich ground, and is always productive of anheav- ■ duty. ""But this act has had no effect as far as relates to 



ier crop than any other part of the field: and I do not 

 find but that cattle eat that part, as close as any other. 

 This grass appears to thrive in the garden; but should 

 it grow when cultivated in the field with American lux- 

 uriance, I should doubt of an English sun being able to 

 cure the hay to American perfection. 



the importation of linseed cakes and rape cakes from 

 America; probably from a mistake in the wording of the 

 act, which confines the importation to British ship! 

 alone. To import arrow root, the produce of the Brit- 

 ish plantations, it is requisite, according to the naviga- 

 tion laws, that it should be imported in British built 



