

92 PREPARATION OF HEMP. 



hours he slept soundly ; and, on his arm being raised, it remained in 

 the position in which it was placed, exhibiting that extraordinary nervous 

 eondition called catalepsy. When raised to a sitting postnre, or his 

 limbs were moved in any position, his body and limbs remained, like 

 a waxen doll, in the exact position in which they were placed. He 

 thus continued for 7 hours, when he suddenly awoke with all his nat- 

 ural powers of motion. Others, on taking it, were excessively mirth- 

 ful and elevated. The effects however have not been so remarkable 

 on persons in London who have taken the powder or extract sent from 

 Calcutta. It has lately been recommended for rheumatism, tetanus, 

 hydrophobia and cholera. The extract is obtained by boiling the tops 

 of the dried stalk in rectified spirits, till all the resin is dissolved. 

 The tincture is then evaporated to dryness in a vessel over boiling 

 water and the extract made into pills. 3 grains are dissolved in a 

 drachm of proof spirit and 3 drops given every half hour for tetanus, till 

 the paroxysms cease or catalepsy ensues ;. for cholera 10 drops each 

 half hour, and for hydrophobia from 10 to 20 grains are chewed and 

 repeated if necessary. The novelty of these effects should induce a 

 trial with our hemp. 



The harvest, with the male plant is soon after flowering, and this 

 should be pulled without disturbing the roots of the females, which 

 are three times more numerous, and which are allowed to remain sev- 

 eral weeks longer to perfect their seed. The seed stalks are too coarse 

 for lint, but make excellent charcoal for gunpowder, &c. The roots 

 of male plants, and female, if used, are cut off as soon as pulled, and 

 the upper leaves beaten off. Seed crops should be sown in drills. But 

 hemp is now much cut just above the ground. 



The process of rotting consists in dissolving the substance which en- 

 velops and unites the fibres. For this purpose the stalks are generally 

 placed in pools of water for from 5 to 15 days, after which it is dressed. 

 The water in which it is rotted becomes poisonous to fish and to all 

 other animals, and it should therefore be removed from all communi- 

 cation. Hemp may be rotted by spreading it upon a green sward 

 during the night, and heaping it during the day. If dry, it may be wa- 

 tered at night. But this process requires 7 or 8 weeks. It may be 

 rotted, likewise, by burying it a foot deep in the soil, after being well 

 watered j but this, too, requires a long time, and is unequal to water- 

 rotting. Steeping hemp in boiling water with green soap has been 

 practised. Snow-rotting bleaches the lint ; and we suspect steam might 

 be advantageously and expeditiously used for this purpose. The brake 

 used in dressing resembles that used for flax, but is longer. A hand 

 breaks from 1 to 200 Ibs. per day, and the price is from $4 to $6 per 

 1000 Ibs. The quantity of net hemp to the acre is from 600 to 1000 

 IDS. This is estimated, while growing, by the number of feet it is 

 high, caculating 100 Ibs. for each foot. Hemp is an article that 

 will always command cash. 



