396 



NEW ENGLAND FAR3iER. 



July 4, 1828- 



CULTURE OF HEMP. j 



The hemp is a plant of equal antiquity with the 

 flax. It is supposed to be a native of India, or of 

 .some other Asiatic country, being too tend<T to be 

 even naturaUzed in Europe. It is one of the few 

 plants employed in British agriculture, in which 

 the male and female flowers are in different plants, 

 a cu-cumstance wliich has some influence on its 

 culture and management. It grows to a great 

 height on good soils, sometimes to six or seven 

 feet in this coimtry, but in Italy generally higher ; 

 and Crud states that he has seen it fifteen feet 

 eight inches high in the Bolognese territory, and 

 a frierid of his, eighteen feet six inches : in both 

 cases the fibre being of remarkable beauty. This 

 luxuriance of the hemp in warm countries may be 

 one reason why it has never been cultivated in 

 England. In Axliohne, in Lincolnshire, it has been 

 cultivated from time innnemorial, and also for 

 centuries in Suffolk, but chiefly for local manufac- 

 ture. The culture, management, and uses of 

 hemp, are nearly the same as of flax. When ' 

 grown for seed it is a very exiiausting crop ; but 

 when pulled green, it is considered a cleaner of i 

 the ground, and is said to have the pi^operty of j 

 preserving from insects any crop which it may 

 surround. The objections to this crop are, that j 

 its coming in the midst of harvest is embarrassing ; 

 and that the attention it demands in every state 

 of its progress is too great, where it is only a sec- 

 ondary consideration. 



The soils most suitable for hemp are those of 

 the deep black putrid vegetable kind, which have 

 a situation low, and somewhat inclined to moist- 

 ure, as well as the deep mellow loamy sandy sorts. 

 But the quantity of produce is in general much 

 greater on the former than on the latter ; though, 

 according to some, of an inferior quality. Mellow 

 rich cla}'ey loams do well ; and nothing better than 

 old meadow land. 



The preparation of the soil, and place in the ro- 

 tation, are the same as for flax. , 



The season of sowing is towards the end of A- 

 pril, when there is no longer ai:y danger of frost 

 injuring the rising plants. The quantity of seed is 

 from two to three bushels, according to the quali- 

 ty of the land. In quaUty the seed must be fresh, 

 heavy, and bright in color. Broad-cast is iWe uni- 

 versal mode of sowing, and the only after-culture 

 consists hi keeping off birds wlien it is coming up; 

 in weeding, and sometimes in supporting the crop 

 by cross rods or lines, as in the case of flax. 



In taking the hemp crop, two methods are in use 

 according to the olyect in view. When the crop 

 is grown entirely for the fibre, it is pulled w'len 

 hi flower, and no distinction made between the 

 male and female plants. But as it is most com- 

 monly grown, both with a view to fibre and seed, 

 the usual practice is to pull the male plants as 

 soon as the setting of the seed in the females 

 .shews that they have effected their purpose. As 

 the female plants require four or five weeks to ri- 

 pen their seed, the males are thus ))ulled so long 

 before them. 



In the operation of pulling the males, the pullers 

 walk in the furrows, between the ridges, and reach 

 acros.s to the crown of the ridge, jjuUing one or 

 two stalks, at a time, and carefully avoiding to 

 tread down the female plants. The male stalks 

 are easily known by their yeflowish hue, and fad- 

 ed flowers. They are tied in small bundles, and 

 immediately carried to the watering pool, in the 

 manner of flax. 



The operation of putting the females commences i be stronger in proportion, as there is more hemp 

 when the seed is ripe, which is known by the and less tar in it, provided there be a suflicient 

 brownish or greyish hue of the capsules and fad- ' quantity of the latter to unite the fibres. An oi) 

 ing of the leaves. The stalks are then pulled and ; is extracted from the seeds of hemp, which is us- 

 bound up in bundles, being set up in the same i ed in cookery in Russia, and in this country by 

 manner as grain, until the seed becomes so dry | painters. The seeds themselves are reckoned a 

 and firm as to shed freely ; great care should be good food for poultry, and are supposed to occa- 

 taken at pulling not to shake the stalks rashly, sion hens to lay a greater quantity of eggs. Small 

 otherwise much of the seed may be lost. It is ad- birds in general are very fond of them, but they 

 vised, that, after pulUng the seed, hemp mai" be should be given to caged birds with caution, and 

 set to stand in shocks of five .sheaves to di-y the mixed with other seeds. A veiy singular effect 

 seed ; but in order to prevent any delay in water- is recorded, on very good authority, to have been 

 ing, the seed-pods may be cut off with a chopping sometimes produced by feeding bulfinches, and 

 knife, and dried on canvass exposed to the air, goldfinches, on hemp seed alone, or in too great 

 under some shed or cover. This last method of quantity ; viz. that of changing the red and yellow 

 drying the seed will prove of great advantage to on those birds to a total blackness, 

 tfie hemp, as the seed and pods, when green, are | Tlie hemp has few or no diseases. — Encyc. of 

 of such a gummy nature, thai the stems might Agriculture. 



suffer much by sun-burning or rain ; which will ' 



disc^or, and injure the hemp before the seed can ' ^"'"'^ trial.— \n important trial has lately tak- 

 be sufliciently dried upon the stalks. Besides, the *'" •'''^''^ '" ^«'"' ^ork, for an uifnngement of Dr. 

 threshing-out the seed would damage the hemp in """'* P"*^''" ""Proved truss. The defendant 

 a considerable degree. ^<^'' "'"^^''^ ""'^''^ ''>' "°*'^>' *>'*' ^y ^^"^ ^^''o 



Hemp is watered (provin. water-retted), tZeacA-' '''«•' ''^'^*' subsequent patents. There were two 

 ed (provin. dew-retted), and grassed in the same g™un<is of defence ;-one, that the trusses sold 

 manner as flax. Grassing is omitted in some '^"^ ilifferem m prmciple irom Dr. Hull's,— and 

 places, and drying substituted ; and in other dis-' '"'•' <"''"' *''^' ^'- "''"'^ ^'''''' °"'y ^" mutation 

 tricts watering is onfitted with the female crop, °* t''"^« "'"^'*' ''>' '^'^^'y ^ ^o. ot London. Dr's. 

 which is dried and stacked, and dewed or bleach- '^''°"' P'^'-km^. Rees, Osborne, and Stearns, testi- 

 edthe foilowuig spring. On the continent hot *''''' '° ^^^ onginahty, utihty, and distinguishing 

 water and green soap has been tried, and here as 1"^>'"'es of Dr. Hull's truss, and that those mad., 

 in the case of flax, it is found that steemng two ^^ '''^'^'y '^"'^ ^^ ^""^ '"'"''' """^tions of them, 

 hours in this mixture, is as effectual in separating The court du-ected the jury that 

 the fibre from the woody matter, as watering and ^^'' usefulness and novelty of th.s mvention 

 grassincT for weeks ^^'^ been cstabhshed by physicians and surgeons 



^ Although hcm/in the process of manufacturing, \f '.''"^ ^'?i'^^' respectabiltt}^ It appears veiy ful- 

 passes through the hands of the breaker, heckler, 'y '" evidence, that this mstrument was of the 

 spiwier, whitester, weaver, and bleacher ; yet ma- \ ^''"'''^^^^ ^'^''''^ '" surgery-had been the means of 

 ny of these operations are frequently carried on r*'''''""^ cures m cases where the art had failed 

 by the same person. Some weavers bleach their heretofore— had enabled persons afilicted with 

 own yarn and cloth, others their cloth only ; some 

 heckle their tow, and put it out to spinning, others 



buy the tow, and put it out ; and some carry on 

 the whole of the trade themselves. 



The produce of hemp in fhre, varies from 3 to 6 

 cwt. per acre ; in seed from 11 to 12 bushels. 



The uses of hemp are well known, as well as it; 



the disease of rupture, to pursue their business 

 and labors without inconvenience, and in fact its 

 invention had formed a new era in the treatmenv 

 of that disease ; that the instruments sold by the 

 defendant, the one known as Mr. Parr's, and the 

 other as 3Ir. Hovey's trusses, and by them patent- 

 ed, are clearly infi-ingeraents of Dr. Hull's patent. 



great importance to the navy for sails and cordage, i ^'''' •'"'■y returned a verdict for the plaintiff, for 

 Exceedingly good huckaback is made from it, for T'"' ^'*'"'' "^^ '''*' articles sold ; ui:rl the court, on 

 towels and common table-cloths. The low-priced ' '"°^""'' "■<'^''^'' '*'«' damages, according to the stat- 

 hcmpen cloths are a general weai- for husband- "'«' ■*''"'> "^"^'s- ^'^^ " ''^"'»* intimated tliat any 

 men, servants, and laboring manufacturers ; the further violation of the plaintiff's patent, would bo 

 better sorts for working farmers and tradesmen in , restrained by mjuuction.— W«^^. Spy. 

 the country ; and the finer ones, seven-eights wide, banker u'orm^.-Many of the orchards in the 

 are preferred by some gentlemen, for strength and .^^^tg,.,, p^..^ ^j- j,,;^ ^„„„t,.,.^ „^g Springfield 



warmth. They possess this advantage ever Irish Rj^ubhcan, appear to be nearly blighted or des- 

 and other linens, that their color improves m wear- „.,ygd ,,y ^^^^^ j^^g^,^ ^he trees look ar, if a 

 ing ; whilst theirs declines English hemp, proper- g,^ ,,gj ^^^^^^ ^^^^ j,,^^^ ^hese insects have 

 ly manufactured, stands unrivalled in its strength j,,^ ^^^^^ (heh- appearance in the vicinity of Bo.s- 

 and IS superior in this respect to the Russian. Con- ,^,„_ Pre, ious to their approach, and where their 

 siderable quantities of cloth are imported from destructive effects arc now seon, the fruit trees 

 that country for sheeting merely on account of its promised an abundant harvest. We have heard 

 strength, tor it is coarser at the price than other j,,^^ „ ,,,i,, fixture of tar, applied to the trunk of 

 men. Our hempen cloth, however, is preferable, ^ j^gg^ .^jy prevent the ascent of the worm to 



being stronger from the superior quality of the 

 thread, and at the same time fighter in washing. 

 The hemp raised in England is not of so dry and 

 spongy .a nature as what we have from Russia and 

 India, and therefore it requires a smaller propor- 

 tion of tar to maniitacture it into cordage. Tar 

 being cheaper than hemp, the rope-makers iircfc".- 

 foreign hemp to ours, becau.se fhcj' can make a 



deposit its eggs 



fine Wool — Jacob Heyser, Esq. of this vicinity, 

 DSt sea.son, cUpped 40 J lbs. of wool ofl'of three 

 Merino sheep. On Saturday last we were shown 

 1 pattern of a fleci'c of twenty-three and a half 



pmrds, shorn from one of his flock tliis season 



Thn sample was the finest tvooI we ever saw, and 

 renter profit in working it; but cordage must j measured <wc/w JTicRw long Pemwrylvania paper. 



