ON RAISING AND PREPARING HEMP. 159 



gome time longer. This trial must be repeated from lime to time, 

 till the husk separates, when the hemp must be taken out of the 

 water, and suspended to dry, as directed before, on its being taken 

 cff the ground. 



The hemp is now made into the two sorts, distinguished by the 

 names of Sprvig and Winter hemp ; the former being dry and ra- 

 ther of a withered appearance, the latter more moist, and of a fine 

 brownish green color, containing more of the vegetable oil, and, 

 therefore, the most apt to heat, though, if not shipped at St. Peters- 

 burg or Riga, before September, there is not much risk of its heat- 

 ing any more on board the ships, especially on short voyages, as to 

 England, and are the best fit for cables. If it be intended that the 

 hemp should be early ready for the market, it is made into Winter 

 hemp by the following process : On being taken out of the water, 

 it is left suspended in the open air for about a fortnight, when it is 

 put into the kiln for twenty-four hours, after which it is broken by 

 means of a hand-mill, and the husk is then beaten off by striking 

 the heads obliquely with iron and wooden instruments, of the shape 

 of a large two-edged knife ; lastly, to unravel it, it is drawn through 

 a wooden comb, or card, with one row of wide wooden teeth, fixed 

 perpendicularly. 



The hemp is then laid up or suspended in sheds, and is fit to be 

 sorted, bound into bundles, and loaded into the barks. 



The hemp, to be prepared as Spring hemp, is allowed to remain 

 suspended, and exposed to the weather the whole Winter, until it 

 be dried by the sun in the Spring, when it is broken and cleaned 

 in the same manner as the Winter hemp. 



As the greatest part of the Summer elapses before it can be made 

 fit for the market, none of this hemp reaches St. Petersburg until 

 the following Spring, that is, two years after it was sown. 



The hemp is sown in the same manner as linseed, rye, or wheat y 

 land, of a sandy soil, may also be employed for it, but it must be 

 strongly manured, otherwise it will be too short, and a flat country 

 should always be preferred. 



One chetwirt of seed commonly yields 25 loads (upwards 36 

 pounds English) of hemp, and twelve chetvvirts of hemp seed. 



[From the American Fanner, vol. 5.] 



Hemp is a very hardy plant, resists drought and severe frost, is 

 easier cultivated, less evliausting, and more profitable than many 

 other crops, with which this does not interfere in its cultivation, 

 (except the tobacco crop ;) it is sown before, and gathered after, 

 corn, and requires no attention when wheat is sown, harvested, oi 

 thrashed. It will grow, year after year, on the same ground, oii 

 which, if sudiciently rich, it is the surest crop. It is liable to no 

 diseases, and injured by no insects. 



The Soil. — The soil should be deep, clean, dry, rich, and mel- 

 low. The plant has a tap root, which descends to a considerable 

 depth, and therefore the soil should be deep, and be thoroughly 

 mellowed by deep and frequent ploughings. Fall ploughing, and 



