HEMP HURDS AS PAPEE-MAKING MATEEIAL. 



water-retted hemp are cleaner and softer than those from dew-retted 

 hemp. 



The fiber is sometimes broken from dry hemp stalks without retting. 

 The hurds thus produced contain a small percentage of soluble gums, 

 chiefly of the pectose series. Comparatively little hemp is prepared 

 in this manner in America. 



Process retting by means of weak solutions of chemicals or oils in 

 hot water is practiced to a limited extent. The hurds from these 

 processes may contain traces of the chemicals or oils and also soluble 

 gums in greater degree than those of the dew-retted or water-retted 

 hemp. 



PROPORTION OF HURDS TO FIBER AND YIELD PER ACRE. 



The yield of hemp fiber varies from 400 to 2,500 pounds per acre, 

 averaging 1,000 pounds under favorable conditions. The weight of 



Fig. 1. 



-Hemp-breaking machine. The stalks are fed sidewise in a continuous layer 2 to 3 inches thick, 

 turning out about 4,000 pounds of clean fiber per day and five times as much hurds. 



hurds is about five times that of the fiber, or somewhat greater from 

 hemp grown on peaty soils. A yield of 2^- tons of hurds per acre may 

 be taken as a fair average. 



HURDS AVAILABLE FROM MACHINE-BROKEN HEMP. 



Hemp hurds are available only from hemp which is broken by 

 machines, when the hurds may bo collected in quantity in one place 

 (figs. 1 and 2). Most of the hemp in Kentucky is still broken by 

 hand brakes. These small brakes are moved from shock to shock, so 

 that the hurds are scattered all over the field in small piles of less 

 than 50 pounds each, and it is the common practice to sot fire to them 

 as soon as the brake is moved. It would be difficult to coUoct them 

 at a cost which would permit iholr use for pap(U' stock. 



Where machine brak(!S are used, the h(unp stalks are brought to tho 

 machine as grain is brought to a thrashing machine, and tho hurds 



