HORACE jE 279 



growing regions; and to the greater use of other fibers in the 

 manufacture of products formerly made of hemp. 



Kentucky began to raise hemp in 1775, and that State now 

 leads in hemp production. Kentucky now furnishes the 

 seed for nearly all of the hemp grown for fiber in the United 

 States; the hemp from this State is mostly of Chinese 

 origin. The chief hemp-growing States are Kentucky, Cali- 

 fornia, Nebraska, Indiana, New York, and Wisconsin. 



Preparation of Hemp for Market. — Harvesting Hemp. — 

 In some places, hemp is still harvested by hand with a reaping 

 knife or hemp hook. However, in most hemp-growing dis- 

 tricts, sweep-rake reapers, mowing machines, or self-rake 

 reapers are used. 



The hemp stalks, usually 8 to 14 feet long, are bound into 

 bundles about 10 inches in diameter, and shocked. They 

 are allowed to stand in the shocks for ten to fifteen days, or 

 until they are dry enough to be stacked. 



There is an advantage in stacking hemp, in that it rets 

 more quickly and more uniforiply than hemp that is taken 

 directly from the shock. Furthermore, the stacking of 

 hemp improves the quaUty and yield of the fiber. 



Retting. — This is a process in which the substances sur- 

 rounding the bast fibers are partially dissolved, thus allowing 

 the fibers to be separated from the wood ("hurd") and thin 

 outer bark, and from each other. This separation is due to 

 the decomposing action of bacteria, in fact the retting organ- 

 ism has been isolated and grown in pure cultures. There are 

 two commercial methods of retting: dew-retting and water- 

 retting. The former is the common method in this country. 

 The hemp stalks are spread out in thin, even rows on the 

 ground, where they are exposed to alternate freezing and 

 thawing, or to cool, moist weather. The process of retting is 

 complete when the bark separates easily from the woody 



