336 THE HEMP CROP. 



require to be carefully watched while in the field, 

 to save them from the depredations of small birds, 

 all of which are fond of the seed. The seed is usually 

 thrashed out in the field, a large cloth being spread on 

 the ground, in a suitable place for the purpose ; if in 

 proper condition, it is very readily separated, and the 

 stems are then ready for steeping at once, or they may be 

 stacked, and steeped in the following spring. If stacked, 

 great care is needed in thatching, as any rain penetrating 

 through the thatch is sure to do great injury to the fibre 

 produce. The hemp seed, when thrashed out, requires 

 winnowing to separate it from the portions of stem and 

 husks, and should then be spread out thinly on the sheet 

 or floor, and exposed to the action of the air until 

 quite dry. 



The processes by which the subsequent preparation of 

 the fibre is effected so closely resemble those already 

 detailed in the preceding Part FLAX that no length- 

 ened description is here necessary. For the finest qualities 

 of white hemp "dewretting" is commonly practised. The 

 hemp is spread out on the grass, and regularly watered 

 two or three times a day. A slow process of fermentation 

 is set up, and in about six weeks, if the weather be 

 suitable, the decomposition has sufficiently advanced to 

 have effected the desired change in the straw, and the 

 operation so far is complete. 



The ordinary method of preparation, however, is by 

 "steeping." This is usually carried on in pits or ponds, and 

 although the same principles are involved, and the same 

 changes take place as in the steeping of flax, the material 

 is coarser and of less value in the market, and conse- 

 quently receives far less care at the hands of the operator. 

 It generally requires two or three weeks to complete the 

 process, according to the temperature of the water, the 

 exact period being determined by drawing a sample and 



