HEMP. 185 



poarance or feel, which they retain till the process is com- 

 pie ted. The lint also begins to separate from the stalk, and 

 the fibres will show themselves somewhat like the strings of 

 a fiddle-bow attached to the stalk at two distant points, and 

 separate in the middle. This is a sure indication that the 

 hemp has a good rot. 



SHOCKING AFTER BREAKING AND ROTTING. When 

 hemp is fit to be taken up, it should be immediately put in 

 shocks, without binding, of suitable size. If it is dry, the 

 shocks should be immediately tied with a hemp-band, by 

 drawing the tops as closely together as possible, in order to 

 prevent the rain from wetting the inside. If carefully put up 

 and tied, they will turn rain completely. Each shock should 

 be large enough to produce from fifty to sixty pounds of lint. 

 If the hemp should be considerably damp, when taken up, the 

 shocks should be left untied at the tops until they have time 

 to dry. If shocks are not well put up, they are liable to 

 blow down by a strong wind. To guard against this, it is 

 desirable, when commencing a shock, to tie a band around 

 the first armful or two that may be set up, and then raise up 

 the parcel so tied, and beat it well against the ground so as 

 to make it stand firmly, in a perpendicular direction. The 

 balance of the shock should now be set regularly around the 

 pail as herein directed. If hemp be carefully shocked, it 

 will receive little or no injury till the weather becomes warm. 

 In the mean time it should be broke out as rapidly as possi- 

 ble. If the operation be completed by the middle of April, 

 no material loss will be sustained. If delayed to a later pe- 

 riod, more or less loss of lint will be the consequence. Cool, 

 frosty weather is much the best for hemp-breaking. In that 

 state of the weather, if the hemp is good, first-rate hands on 

 the common hemp-break, will clean two hundred pounds per 

 day upon an average. Two of my best hands, during the 

 past season, for every day they broke, favorable and unfavor- 

 able, averaged one hundred and eighty-six pounds. Two 

 others, who are young men and not full hands, averaged one 

 hundred and forty-four pounds. The ordinary task for hands 

 is one hundred pounds.' Bcatty. 



HEMP BREAK. The hand hemp-break is made pre- 

 cisely like that for flax, only much larger ; the under slats on 

 the hinder end are 16 to 18 inches apart, at the fore-end they 

 approach within three inches of each other. The slats in 

 the upper jaw are so placed as to break joints into the lower 



