condition of the soil or weather requires it. The seeding may 

 be done with a hand seeder, confining the seed to the alternate 

 lands. Cahoons' hand seeder or the wheelbarrow broadcast sow- 

 er are both good tools for this purpose. You will soon be able 

 to distinguish male hemp plants from the female — the male 

 plant growing three times taller than the female. 



When the male plants Have blossomed and shed most of 

 their fertilizing polen dust and their lower leaves begin to droop 

 and turn yellow, they are ready to cut with a strong, sharp 

 knife. 



You will note here that you have marked off your hemp 

 field into six feet wide lands, consequently you will have hemp 

 growing only on the alternating plats and the others bare fallow. 

 When the male plants are ready to harvest (remember sowing 

 the seed in the first instance commence your sowing on the sec- 

 ond) following the even numbered plats, 4, 6, 8 and so on, and 

 leaving odd numbered fallow 1, 3, 5, etc., without seed. WHY? 

 Because, when the male plants are in proper condition to yield 

 their fiber in the best possible condition without injury to the 

 female plants, it can be secured in the manner following: When 

 the male plants have shed most of their polen and the lower 

 leaves are beginning to turn yellow and droop, drive you wagon 

 along bare land (No. 1) and with a suitable sharp spud-like V- 

 shaped tool cutting upwards with the bevel of edge on the upper 

 side, place the sharp side of the V-shaped edge of the spud at the 

 far side of the male hemp stalk, close to the ground, jerk it to- 

 wards you with a quick action, when the Kemp stalk will be 

 cut off; with a quick action grasp the hemp stalk in one hand 

 near the top, with the thumb up, and with the other hand strip 

 all the leaves from top downwards and let them drop on the 

 ground under the wagon as you progress. On this first trip 

 on No. 1 you will cut all the male hemp stalks that grow three feet 

 from edge of land No. 2. You will now have lot 1 with a lot of 

 stripped foliage lying scattered on wagon track and land No. 

 2 with one-half the male hemp cut, and all the female hemp un- 

 disturbed, turning down bare lot No. 3 you will have No. 2 on 

 one side with still half the male hemp stalks uncut, and on the 

 other side of wagon lot No. 4 as yet untouched. On this trip 

 (No. 3) you will cut male hemp on both sides of wagon and 

 strip leaves as before, dropping them under wagon. When wag- 

 on is loaded with stripped stalks of male hemp they should be 

 hauled convenient to retting tank until all male stalks are har- 

 vested and ready for retting. From this stage the female will 

 continue their growth for about three weeks to mature their 

 seed, when the seed reaches the dough stage, at which time the 

 female plants will require to be cut and tied into stocks and set 

 up to dry the seed. 



Under this system of hemp culture you will observe male 

 plants, if carefully handled, will yield their highest grade of fiber 

 and first shipments will have been made and returns in transit 

 and the crop of female hemp fiber and seed ready for manipula- 



21 



