7« 



THE GEXESEE FARMER. 



western States, where it is a source of large profit 

 to the growers. The Hon. Heiojy Clay gave 

 much attention to its growth; and some of the 

 best practical hints upon growing, gathering, and 

 prepaiing hemp for market, are from his able pen. 



There is in all parts of the country a demand for 

 the seed as food for hoHse birds — a demand which 

 requires more seed than would seem credible to one 

 wlio has no knowledge of the trade. This seed is 

 obtained mostly from Louisville or Cincinnati, and 

 costs there from 80 cents to $1.50 per bushel, ac- 

 cording to supply and demand. That enough could 

 bo grown in the vicinity of large towns, to supply 

 this want, there is no doubt; but that raising the 

 seed to a large extent would prove profitable, we 

 do not believe. Dependence would of necessity be 

 placed upon the sale of the fibre prepared for mar- 

 ket. Upon the manner of rendering hemp market- 

 able, some detail will not be out of place. 



There are two modes of rotting hemp, though 

 <in]y that of dew-rotting is practiced to any consid- 

 erable extent in this country. This is accomplished 

 by spreading the hemp on the ground, as flax is 

 spread for the same purpose. This may be done in 

 autumn or in the spring. Mention is made of win- 

 ter-rotting hemp by spreading it in December, in 

 which case, with northern farmers, it would re- 

 main out all winter ; and some strongly recommend 

 this course. As it would not be gathered before 

 September probably, it would in moat cases be 

 nearly impossible to dew-rot the crop before spring. 

 Where winters are less severe, the rotting may be 

 best performed during those months. Winter- 

 rotted hemp has a brighter color than that rotted 

 in the fall. How the case would stand with spring- 

 rotting, we can not say. After the crop is spread, 

 for which grass lands are best, the length of time 

 necessary to complete the rotting will depend upon 

 the temperature and degree of moisture that pre- 

 vails. In a wet warm spell, five or six weeks will 

 bo enough time. If allowed to remain too long, 

 the fibres lose some of their strength ; and if taken 

 up too soon, they are not so easily separated from 

 the woody part, and the hemp will be harsh and 

 coarse. To determine when the hemp is ready to 

 take up, a handful is dried, broken, and partially 

 dressed out; and as soon as the woody part is 

 easily separated, and the fibres are soft and silky, 

 the whole should be taken up and placed in shocks, 

 or, what is better, stored in sheds until the time of 

 breaking. Hemp should never bo taken up when 

 it is wet, as the fibre will adhere more closely to 

 the wood and the whole is more liable to become 

 tangled and marred, and the hemp, when broken, 



will be rougher and harsher. It is taken up with 

 rakes constructed for the purpose ; and to be done 

 to the best advantage, requires two or three hands 

 to work together. If it is designed to break and 

 dress immediately, it may be leaned against the 

 fence, and exposed to sun and air. 



Breaking can not be done in wet or moist 

 weather. In the hemp districts, February and 

 March are the best months. The work is per- 

 formed out of doors, with a large fire in the vicin- 

 ity, which not only keeps the operator warm but 

 dries the stalks and facilitates the operation. The 

 brake in use is similar to that for breaking flax, 

 only somewhat longer and larger. It consists of 

 two jaws, with slits in each. The under one has 

 three slats, and is immovable. The upper one has 

 but two, which play down between the under ones. 

 The upper jaw is worked by the right hand, the 

 operator holding the bunch of hemp in the left, 

 turning and adjusting it, until the woody part has 

 been broken up and fallen through the brake. 

 With a brake of necessary size, it is no easy task to 

 operate. A good hand, it is said, will not average 

 more than 80 to 100 pounds per day, though some 

 more expert have made 150 to 200 pounds. It is 

 generally tied up in bundles at the brake, and sent 

 thus to market, leaving the future process of pre- 

 paration to the manufacturer. Sometimes it is 

 scutched by the grower, which is a process similar 

 to that known among the early settlers as the 

 swingling of flax^ — a pi'ocess not necessary to be 

 described. 



Hemp is used for so many purposes that there 

 can, we thinkj be very little diflBculty in finding a 

 market for all that may be produced ; and growers 

 will do well to remember that those bundles rotted 

 and prepared with the most care, will command 

 the best prices. The range of prices in years past 

 has been from three to eight dollars per hundred, 

 the general average being not far from five dollars, 

 at which price it is said to compensate well the 

 grower, and be as profitable as most farm crops. 



The quantity produced from an acre varies from 

 600 to 1,000 pounds, according to fertility, good 

 cultivation of the soil, and the season. After 

 reaching six feet, each foot in height to which it 

 grows is claimed to add 100 pounds per acre to tlie 

 crop — as, eight feet high, 800 pounds; ten ieet, 

 1,000 pounds. It produces from 20 to 40 bushels 

 of seed per acre, when planted in drills and prop- 

 erly cultivated, and has often yielded 50 to 60 bush- 

 els on very fertile soil. Choice hemp seed, suitable 

 for sowing, is frequently worth $3 to $6 per bush. 



The best quality of hemp is that known as water- . 



