378 



HEMP 



HEMP 



not be sown very thick, because in thinning itself 

 it will crowd out many plants and the size of the 

 hemp stalks will not be uniform. The best fiber is 

 obtained from stalks about one-half inch in diam- 

 eter ; if a thin 

 stand is se- 

 cured, the 

 stalks fre- 

 quently will 

 grow to be 

 three-fourths 

 of an inch in 

 d ? a me t e r . 

 Hemp drilled 

 in gives a 

 much more 

 uniform stand 

 than when 

 sown broad- 

 cast, because 

 all of the seeds 

 are placed at a 

 depth to have 

 sufficient mois- 

 ture to insure immediate germination, and the 

 young plants get an even start. Repeated experi- 

 ments have shown that it does not pay to till hemp 

 that is intended for fiber. 



The earlier the seed is planted in the spring the 

 more assurance there will be of a good crop. 

 Hemp requires a large amount of moisture and 

 should be high enough to shade the ground and 

 thus conserve all water that may fall in the early 

 summer. The average time of planting for eight 

 years at the Kentucky Experiment Station was 

 April 25. The young plants began to come up in 

 about one week's time. 



It has been found by long experience that the 

 seed that gives the best results is secured from 

 China. The Kentucky Experiment Station has 

 tested the value of a number of Japanese varieties, 

 but none has given as good results as those from 

 Chinese seed. The first year the imported seed is 

 planted the yield is much less than it is in succeed- 

 ing years. Growers say that after the Chinese hemp 



Fig. 568. Hemp; staminate flowers indi- 

 cate time for harvest. 



hemp grown in America for seed purposes. About 

 two quarts per acre are sown. This is often planted 

 in hills, seven feet apart, in rows six to eight feet 

 apart. About four stalks are permitted to grow to 

 the hill. This hemp is carefully cultivated and 

 kept free from all weeds and grasses. The seed is 

 used in the making of oils for paints, for bird and 

 poultry food, and various other purposes. The 

 yield of seed is fifteen to thirty bushels to the acre. 

 As much as forty dollars per acre is often realized 

 from hemp seed. The seed must not be stored in 

 bulk or it will heat. 



Fertilizers. — The Kentucky Station has experi- 

 mented for a number of years on the use of com- 

 mercial fertilizers on hemp, and the results show 

 that, by the use of 160 pounds of nitrate of soda 

 per acre, three to four hundred pounds more fiber 



V 



^ 



** 



lf^* i ' P^i 



^***^*^&'M\^i^ 



Fig. 569. Shocking hemp. 



has been grown for a number of years it degener- 

 ates and they seek newly imported seed. There are 

 no well marked varieties. 



Seed -growing. — The hemp that is planted for 

 is sown on the river-bottoms. A narrow strip 

 along the Kentucky river produces nearly all of the 



Fig. 570. stack of hemp. 



can be grown to the acre than on unfertilized land. 

 When 160 pounds of nitrate of soda and 160 

 pounds of muriate of potash are used together, at 

 least four to five hundred pounds more fiber are 

 secured than on the unfertilized areas. Acid phos- 

 phate does not show a material increase. Nitrate 

 of soda gives better results than does sulfate of 

 ammonia or dried blood. The prime requirement is 

 for nitrogen, and it should be furnished by apply- 

 ing commercial fertilizers, or by barnyard or green- 

 manures. A leguminous crop can be alter- 

 nated with the hemp, and in parts of the 

 South this can be done in the same year. 



Gutting and handling. 



The first blossoms appear about the first 

 week in July, and hemp sown April 25 will 

 be ready for cutting about the first of Sep- 

 tember. Most of the hemp grown in Ken- 

 tucky is still cut by hand by means of a 

 knife made especially for this purpose. 

 However, much has recently been cut by 

 especially designed machinery. The yield 

 from the handout field is greater than that 

 from the machinery-cut field, and some farmers 

 maintain that there is enough difference to make 

 up for the greater expense. The heaviest fiber is 

 found on the internode next to the ground, and if 

 the stubble is left any length, a great quantity of 

 fiber is lost. It usually costs about one dollar per 



