670 



FARMERS' REGISTER— TOBACCO. 



fjround ran be put in proper order and sufficiently 

 (iry. Fa ordin.iry siisisons in New- Engliuid, it will 

 he rii)o fi>r hiirvcst ^aliout the tirst of Aujiust, the 

 lime iov li;i)'vestin^' 1 eing- indicated by tlie fullin<;' 

 of (lie flowers, ami witherinj^ of tlie leaves. 



Tlie male planls of hemp hear the flowers, and 

 the female })hin(s the seed. A sufficiency of the 

 latter are to he left for seed, and those will require 

 about six weeks further time to ripen, the ripeness 

 beinij; known hy the seed lurninii," brown. 



Tlie seeds may be gently beat oiT the stalks 

 when dried, or they may be taken off hy a coarse 

 comb, made (or the pur[>ose. 



It is said I he female hemp which has stood to ri- 

 pen the seeds, recpiires a longer time to rot, than 

 the male, and wlien dressed is harsher. It has 

 been advised to sow some hemp tliinly hy itself for 

 seed, and then the rest of the crop may be pulled 

 or cut together. In grounds that are smooth the 

 crop is cut close to the earth, by a kind of scythe, 

 made fin- the i)urpose. The usual practice, how- 

 ever, is to pull it in the manner of pulling flax. 



When it is sufficiently dried, which in good wea- 

 ther will be in about one week, it js to be gathered 

 in bundles, bound with straw, and then carefully 

 stacked up so as to be kept in a dry situation. 



Many farmers practice rotting it in the winter 

 by spreading it on the snow, in the early part of 

 winter, so that by being covered with other snows 

 it will be bleached and improved in its color. — 

 When the snoyvs dissolve in March, it will be 

 found sufficiently lotted. 



Wiien sufficiently dry, it should be first broken 

 with a coarse break, and then with the common 

 flax break ; and dressed in the manner of flax, but 

 more gently, as it will waste with hard beating. 



The crop may also be rotted in the fall, in a 

 manner similar to that of rotting flax; or, it may 

 be water-rotted like that crop. When water -rot- 

 ted, the hemp should be sunk completely under the 

 water; and if it be stagnant, the hemp should he 

 turned upside down, when about half rotted, other- 

 wise from the greater degree of heat on the sur- 

 face of such waters than below, the upper part 

 Avill be rotted before the under. 



By water or winter rotting the coat of the hemp 

 blacken much less than when rotted in the fall : 

 and it is observed, that the warmer the weather, or 

 the earlier in the fall the crop is rotted, the l)lacker 

 the coat will be, as is the casea Iso with regard to 

 flax. 



The crop of hemp should be harvested as soon 

 as it is fit for the purpose ; otherwise the male 

 stalks will soon wither and blacken ; after which 

 the coat is of little value. 



Hemp may be made a substitute for flax, for all 

 common purposes. But in that case it is said it 

 must be softened by steaming it over boiling wa- 

 ter or ley, and heating it after it is dried again. 



An excellent crop of wheat has been taken after 

 a crop of hemp, and with very little expense. 



The policy of introducingany new crop, to con- 

 stitute a staple for market, should he adopted with 

 caution. It has been remarked, that it might raise 

 the price of grain, as did the introduction of cotton 

 in the southern States; but is it certain that a rea- 

 dy market and high price for grain, are indicative 

 of the most prosperous condition of a country.? It 

 is not certain that a majority of the citizens of any 

 country would always be ready to give an affirma- 

 tive answer to this question. The great question re- 



specting the policy of raising our own hemp lor com- 

 mercial and naval purposes, rather than i)urchase it 

 of fin-eigners, must dejjend on the elVect it would 

 have on the price of labor. A very large portion 

 of our citizens, who constitute an important j)artof 

 the strength of our country, purchase their bread 

 corn, for which they have to pay in their ser- 

 vices only. The price of those services is not al- 

 ways enhanced in proportion to that of grain or 

 butcher's meat. It should be a predominant ob- 

 ject in the policy of our country, not to attempt 

 the advancement of its general interests by means, 

 which in their operation, tend to depress the con- 

 dition of the jioorer class of citizens. 



TOBACCO. 



From the Farmville Chronicle. 

 3Ir. Editor — It is believed by many, that a sys- 

 tem of lock and dam navigation can be adopted up- 

 on the Appomattox river, from Farmville to Pe- 

 tersburg, which will reduce the freight to one half 

 or perhaps much less than one half, the present 

 freight. It is probable that a leading object of the 

 meeting to take place in Farmville on the 21st inst. 

 will be to turn its attention, mainly, to the subject 

 of adopting some plan for employing a practical 

 and experienced engineer, to examine and sur- 

 vey the river, and to make an accurate estimate of 

 the cost of the work. Should it be found that it 

 can be executed at a cost within the reach of the 

 country interested, and which would leave ample 

 room for profitable dividends to the stockholders, 

 nothing can be plainer than the great importance 

 of executing such a public work, with all conve- 

 nient despatch. 



The boats which would probably be used for 

 navigating the river, ujwn this plan, would carry 

 from 30 to 50 tons burthen ; and perhaps be pro- 

 pelled, or towed, liy steam power: and if so, the 

 trip down and upcan be easily peifbrmed every two 

 to three days at all seasons of the year ; and if so, who 

 can calculate the immense advantages which would 

 result to this part of the State ? 



To say that the commerce of this river, would 

 very soon be doubled, would not only be modest, 

 but, I think, very far below the mark, even sup- 

 l)Osing a coal trade to Petersburg should not be ad- 

 ded to the articles of trade heretofore cariied upon 

 this river. But it is exceedingly probable, that an 

 extensive coal trade would be opened, as coal, of 

 the very finest quality, has been discovered, in a 

 number of situations near Farmville, and there ap- 

 pears to be no reason to doubt, that any quantity 

 can be raised, within a few hundred yards of the 

 river ; and if so, the tonnage trade of this article 

 alone, as well as the tolls thereon, may greatly ex- 

 ceed the whole of the present trade. 



In order to enable those who take an interest in 

 this subject, to form some opinion of the practica- 

 bility of such a navigation, and the j)robable divi- 

 dends to stockholders, I will give a rough estimate 

 of the probable amount of stock which will neces- 

 sarily be created and expended, and the jjrobahle 

 amount of annual tolls, water rents, &c., predica- 

 ted upon an increase of commerce far below what, 

 I have no doulit, it would be, independently of any 

 calculations of a coal trade, as well as many other 

 articles, which would, no doubt, he carried upon 

 this river, in addition to those which now constitute 

 the trade between Farmville and Petersburg. 

 Should a company be formed to construct such a 



