Mr, Fitzgerald’s Experiments, &c. 47 
of the feeds had vegetated Arongly, and grown to an amazing 
fize, feveral of the plants meafuring in height more than four- 
teen feet, and feven inches nearly in circumference, by the mid- 
dle of O&ober following, at which time they came into bloom. 
There were from thirty to forty lateral branches on a plant ; 
thefe were fet off in pairs, one on each fide of the ftem point- 
ing horizontally ; the others at about five or fix inches diftance 
from them, pointing in different directions, and fo on to the 
top, the bottom branches of fome meafuring more than five 
feet, the others decreafing gradually in length towards the top, 
fo as to form a beautiful cone when in flower, which were 
unluckily nipped by a few nights froft that happened to be 
pretty fharp towards the end of the month ; and the plants 
began to droop at the beginning of November at which time I 
had them pulled up by the roots. 
As 1 was but little acquainted either with the cultivation of 
the feed, or preparing the plants afterwards for the production of 
hemp, and as thefe plants were very different in their fize from 
any I had ever feen, the belt method that occurred to me was, 
that of fteeping them in water, where I let them remain for a 
fortnight, and then placed them in an upright pofition againft 
a fouth wall to dry and bleach. 
On trying whether the hemp could be eafily feparated from 
the woody part, I was agreeably furprifed to find, that on 
peeling a few inches longitudinally from the root, the whole 
rind, from the bottom to the top, not only of the Item but alfo 
of all the lateral branches, ftripped off cleanly, without 
breaking any one of them. The toughnefs of the- hemp 
feemed to be extraordinary, and upon drying and beating divides 
into an infinity of tough fibres. The plants when dripped are 
quite white, and when the lateral branches are cut off, appear 
5 ' 
