Culture aud Water-Rotting of Hemp. 
lo the Editors of the Tennessee State Agriculturist ; 
On a late visit to Missouri, the gieat nemp 
region ol the tVest, I had the pleasure to meet 
with David Myerle, Esq., the author of ihe en- 
closed treatise on the culture rind waler-rotting 
of Hemp. His attention, for some years, as a 
Government ao-ent, and with a view to its use 
by our o vn Navy, nas been elicited to this sub- 
ject; and by inserting his treatise in youi paper, 
you will no doubt render a service to many of 
your readers. Very respectf ully, 
Nashville, 1844. Jno.’M. B-iSS. 
W.<sHiN'GfoN City, Jan. 8, 1844. 
The following Treatise on the Culture 
of Hemp and W ater-roiting, is submitted to the 
larmers ol Missouri and the adjoining States: 
The land best adapted to the culture ol hemp, 
is that which has been timberea with black wal- 
nut, buckeye, hackberry, and a reasonable pro- 
portion of white oak; or rich bottom lands an- 
swer well. The land should be plowed deep, 
and well harrowed before seeding. If sod land, 
it should be plowed down in the fall to receive 
the winter hosts ; and when time for seeding, 
(which is from the 1st of April to the lOth oi 
May,) it should be well plowed, harrowed, level- 
led and smoothed. 
The seed should be sown broad-cas'., one bu- 
shel and a hall to the acre. When the blossoms 
begin to fall, (which is from the middle of July 
to the 1st of August.) it should then be cut. 
Hemp left standing too long, injures the staple, 
and proGuaes a harshness and weakness. It 
should be cut before it is ripe, which is before 
the blossoms begin to fall. By attending to this, 
particularly, you will find the lint heavier, as it 
will retain its oily substance, (what is termed 
essential oil,) which, by being left standing un- 
til ripe, the action of the atrnosphere, as it ri- 
pens, causes to leave it, whicn produces a light- 
ness and harshness in the lint, and deprives it, 
in a certain degree, of its elasticity; conse- 
quent! v, when the hernp is applied to the hatch- 
el, the staple breaks into small fibres, which are 
converted into towq and when the tar is applied 
to it, and converted into cordage, it becomes 
stubborn and brittle in frosty weather, and con- 
sequently not so durable. Any chemical pro 
cess, or any other mode to p.-^oduce a rapid so- 
lution of the gum, extracts the oil, weakens the 
staple, and produces the former injurious ef- 
fects. 
The instrument for cutting is similar to the 
point at an ordinary scythe ; it is about two feet 
long from the point, with a soclcet standing at 
right angles with the face of the blade, and ang 
ling to tbe edge to prevent the person when cut- 
ting from bending too muvh, as it is neee.ssary 
for him to stand upright as much s possible, to 
keep the hemp from tangling, Thehempshould 
be cut as cl 'se to the ground as possible, and, 
for watering, it shouki have the tops cut off a- 
far as the seed ends, and thrown in the shade or 
kiln dried. The drying in the shade retains it^ 
natural color, and causes the essential oil to be 
retained. The kiln drying has tne same effect, 
but a more rapid process. The sun produces a 
harshness when rotted, and the dew discolors U, 
and produces less weight Pulling hemp is not 
recommendable ; it injures the soil as well as 
the quality ot the hemp — more particularly that 
of water-rotted. When cutting, all the large 
hemp should be laid to itself; it should be bound 
u;) into bundles with tv o bands on them, about 
the size oi six or eight inches through in the 
butts. When too large, they are awkward to 
handle, which wastes the hemp. Also, place 
sticks in the centre ol each bundle, about one 
inch in thickness, or more; it prevents the hemp 
Irom breaking and tangling, when rotted, and 
will assist to facilitate the wmrkmen in handling 
it — the same sticks will answer for a w-hole 
crop. If your pools are prepared, commence 
filling them, and be particular in selecting the 
size of hemp, placing the la.''ge it; a pool by it- 
s-'lf, and the small also in a pool by itself, as the 
large undergoes a more rapid solution when im- 
me sed. The hemp placed in the pools should 
be carefully packed down with narrow plank 
laid on the points and butts, and with .'’ock or 
timber to weigh it dov^n; rock is preferable. 
• No hemp less than 5 feet should be water-rot- 
ted. Sizes under this may be dew-rotted It 
depends upon the temperature of the weather in 
what length of lime it produces rnaceration. In 
the month of August it takes 4 or 5 days; Sep- 
tember, 6 to 8; October, 10 to 12; December, 3 
to 4 weeks. After the 4th or5lh I'.ay in August j 
and September, the 6.a or 8ih day in October 
and November, and the 3d week in December, j 
or less lim , it should be carefully examined, to 
ascertain when it has full}’ come to its solution, j 
You w'i'l di-sccver that the stalk has a roughness 
on the surface previous to its being placed in ; 
the pools. When the solution has an i ved to its j 
extent, by drawing a few stalks out of the bun- ; 
dies in ihs centre, promiscuously, and passing ; 
your hand along the stalk, y u will find t.be j 
roughness has left it, and that it is smooth to the | 
touch. The hemp is then finished; lake it out I 
immediately; spread it on the ground, and when ! 
perfectly dry on one side, turn it over for the 
other — say two or three times, until you find that 
the pith has hardened. If it should receive se- 
veral rams, it does not injure, provided you at- 
tend to turning it. The rains wash off the gum 
which lies on the surface of the lint, and when 
applied to the brake, it producer a clearer staple, 
cleans easier, and makes Hss tow. 
There is also another mode, when the stalk 
will break off short, and free itself of the lint; 
but the former is the m )st certain. The hemp 
as it is dried, should be thrown into shocks or 
ricks well secured from the weather penetrating j 
the. r centre. If the weather penetrates the cen- i 
tre, it will injure the staple by reducing its i 
strength. In breaking the hemp, it should be 
broke in small hands, about one-third of the or- i 
dinary siz^. In ail my experieu' e, I find our ; 
hemp requires to be properly hatcheled, to .stand : 
the test the Government requires. This is en- 
tirely owing to the different mode oi handling 
the Llussia hemp; but by breaking in small 
hands, it relieves ir.self of sheaves, and produces 
less tow, and comes nearer to the quality of 
R,ussia Riga R,hine, which quality ot homp the 
Government uses lor the Na’vy. It should not 
be applied to the brake too often, nor the breakers 
suffer 'd to practice the habit of breaking dew- 
rotted hemp, by beating it oyer the brake to relieve 
it of the herds. It should be thrown up loosely 
into the atmosphere, to let the air pass through 
it. In drawing your hemp, you should uraw" it 
from each end, so that the staple will draw clear 
and have an even hand. See particularly that 
the butts of the staple be even, and that all the 
drawings be handed to itself, and not placed in 
the prime hemp, as it is the habit of doing in 
I dew-rotted. All hemp with the drawings se- 
cieted in the centre, will not pass inspection. 
The hemp must be perfectly clear of sheaves, 
and that must be effected not by little breaking and 
: beating across the brake, but by plenty of sha- 
‘ king. I have had the strongest evidence, in all 
i my operations, that hemp broke in small hands, 
say ten or twelve stalks at a Lime, will yield less 
' tow in haicheling by 20 to 30 per cent., if the 
i hemp is properly rotted. Also sculcheling 
j hel| s the hemp greatly, and causes it to yield 
less tow, and straightens out the staple. 
This process is very indispensable toproduce 
a merchantable article. The instrument lor 
sculcheling is a flat wooden or iron knife in 
the form of a paddle. The hemp is placed on a 
board upright, about four feet long; one-half of 
the length ci' the hemp is held by the Isft hand 
at the top ot the board, and the right applies 
the knife, which, when properly applied, re- 
lieves the hemp of the small sheaves which ad^ 
here to it, and strengthens the staple for the 
hatchel, which adds greatly to the value of the 
article, and consequently produces less tow. 
If the farmer has a desire to ariive at that 
stage in their staple to be equal to Russia, it is 
indispensable for them to adhere to these in- 
strnctiens. There is no more labor attending 
w aier-rotied hemp, it properly prepared for ope- 
ra-.icn, than o’ew-roited. Hemp water-rotted 
judiciously, and handled properly, will gain 
irom 10 to 15 lbs. on the hundred on the dew- 
rotted, which more than amply pays for the dif- 
ference of labor or expense in preparation, 
This has been proven to be the fact by those 
who have tested it at one of my pools in Ken- 
tucky, and also by an experienced farmer in 
Missour:. Hemp that is darkened by the dews, 
or colored water, which is pn.duced by ll.e 
blackness ot the soil, will not meet with a fa- 
vorable demand in the eastern market; it par- 
takes ot the character and price of dew-ro.ted 
hemp. To avoid tliis, immediately alter your 
hemp is cut, place it under shelter, or shield it 
with inferior hemp, that the dews or rains will 
not affect it ; and also let your pools be made of 
plank, or otherwise place them at the side of 
the stream, and dam it sufficient in height, that, 
in case the stream should he disturbed by rain 
or freshet, it does not pass through your pool. 
The construction of Pools is as lollows; 
Small spring branches dug down two or three 
feet; a levee thrown up around them, and small 
fl' jod- gales at each end, made simply out of four 
pieces of boards, a foot wide and two leet long. 
A waste gate around them to let the water pass 
around, and not into the pool ; if so, it produces 
an uneven temperature ot the water, and the 
hemp becomes irregular in its solution. The 
pools can be made of plank; and the wafer 
pumped into them, supplied through a small 
leaden pi, re by an ordinary lifting pump. A 
pool 40 bv 60 leet, 2j feet deep, will receive 3 
to 4 acres ot ordinary hemp. The pools must 
not be over 3 feet deep ; it will produce an irre- 
gular solution, owing' tc the uneven temperature 
of the water. To water-rot in ponds or large 
streams, is not so commendable; particularly 
running streams. The hemp becomes irregular 
in its solution, and loses its lint. The prepara- 
tion necessary is to have two saplings; pin 
them at each end vith cross-bars, forming a 
raft, with uprights at each end; their length to, 
be the depth of the water, These form a raf;,' 
