192 



ON HEMP. 



the Kemp be pulled too green, the bark being still of an herbaceous 

 nature, there is a good deal of waste, as the fibres have not attained 

 a sufficient degree of strength. 



4thly, The mode of sowing; for if it be sown too sparingly, the 

 bark will be thick, hard, knotty, and woody ; while, on the 

 contrary, Hemp sown sufficiently close, produces fine bark or 

 fibres. 



5thly, On the preparatory processes which it undergoes, viz. 

 Braking, Beetling, Scutching, and Heckling. Du Hamel. 



Lay it in some deep stagnant water ; and in six days' time, it 

 will be found properly watered. However, a deal depends upon 

 the season and nature of the water. M l Donal$s Essay. 



The operation of water-steeping or water-rotting Hemp is per- 

 formed by placing the Hemp, which had been previously made up 

 in bundles about the thickness of a man's thigh, after drying it in 

 the air, in a pond, containing about five or six feet deep of water, 

 and free from mud. The bundles of Hemp should be laid therein 

 across each other, and close together, part of the heads one way, 

 and part the other ; the whole covered with water, and kept un- 

 derneath it by stones, weights, or levers, till properly steeped, 

 which may be known by taking out a bundle and washing it. If 

 the leaves come off freely, the coat opens, and easily separates from 

 the rind or stalk, it is enough ; if not, it must lie longer, under 

 careful observation, till ready. When the Hemp is found to be 



sufficiently 



