334 CULTURE AND PREPARATION OF HEMP IN EUROPE. 
quirements, but also to the warmth of the soil and the nature of the climate, 
Warm, moist ones require less than cold, whether dry or moist climates. 
In England, Mr. Rowlandson says, the generality of soil will require a dress- 
ing of ten tons of well-rotted farm-yard dung per acre, ploughed and har- 
rowed in early in April. He quotes an extensive grower, who says twenty- 
five tons of well-rotted, mixed stable and feeding-shed manure, should be 
ee per acre. The land should, of course, be in the first instance well 
ploughed and properly drained; also, well harrowed and rolled, to get the 
top-soil into good tilth; and weeds, as horse-mint, or twitch, destroyed. 
The manure must be carefully and evenly spread, and. the plough follow 
close to the spreader. 
Seed.—Of seed, that from Holland is the most esteemed, ripens soon, 
yields abundant crops, and of a fine quality ; but well-grown English seed 
is also of good quality. Indian seed, from external-appearauce, appears fine ; 
but may not be so well suited in the first crop for fibre ; but the Himalayan 
seed, both from its appearance and the nature of its produce, is probably 
inferior to none, and perhaps only requires interchanging with different 
districts. The seed should be of a bright, grey colour, and plump; and 
must not have undergone heating in any way, and therefore the taste, when 
bitten, should be sweet, and not bitter or acrid. 
The quantity of seed may vary from two to two and a half, others say to 
three bushels an acre. The last, if a fine fibre is required for weaving into 
cloth. But the larger quantity cannot be sown on very rich soils. The 
thicker it is on suitable land, the finer it will grow. The fresh-ploughed 
land should be sown very evenly, care being taken to scare away birds. 
The best time for sowing, in England, is from the Ist to the 15th of May; 
but it is sown even in June, as frosts are apt to injure the young plant; 
but late-sown plants are apt to grow thin and weak. 
After-culture—Hemp seed is sown both broadcast and in drills. When 
grown on account, chiefly, of the seed, it is sown thin. Sinclair says, by 
sowing Hemp in drills, a-coarser and stronger bark or fibre, fit for cordage, 
will be produced, and a less quantity of seed is required than by sowing it 
broadcast. This latter mode‘ is. to be preferred, when Hemp is wanted for 
textile purposes. The stems rise slender and fine, according to their prox- 
imity ; but they require to be weeded or hoed out to within a foot of each 
other, and may require a second hoeing, to destroy weeds ; but in general’ 
the Hemp will, itself, smother all weeds, except in the spaces between drills. 
During its season of rapid growth, the plant necessarily requires moisture, 
and therefore, in some countries, irrigation is practised. 
Pulling. —As already observed, Hemp has usually two harvests ; but when 
grown on account of the fibre only, it may be pulled when in flower, and 
no distinction made between the male and female plants. But as it is usually 
desirable to get both the seed and the fibre of both plants, the male plants, 
or white Hemp, are pulled as soon as they have shed their pollen, usually- 
about thirteen weeks after they’ have been sown. They may then be 
easily recognised by their leaves becoming yellow, and the stem of a whitish 
colour, and the flowers faded. Each plant is pulled up singly by the root, 
care being taken not to break or cramp the stem in the hand. The ripeness 
of the female plant is known not only by many of the same signs as those of 
the male, but also by the seeds beginning to turn ofa grey colour, being firm 
inside, and some of the capsules to open. This is generally about Michael- 
mas in England. When the seed has become perfectly ripe, the bark is apt 
to become woody and coarse, and to separate with difficulty. But the seed: 
which is required for sowing, ought to be taken from plants allowed enough 
of room to spread and then to fully ripen their seed. 
Drying.—When the plants are pulled, it is recommended ‘to hold the root 
