Some Minor Farm Crops. 
141 
Of all these only the last named, Cannabis saliva , has been 
grown in this country on a commercial scale as a fibre-bearing 
crop, and it is with this alone that the present article deals. 
Historical. 
The early history of hemp cultivation in England is very 
obscure. The introduction of the crop into Britain, like that 
of flax, was probably concomitant with the visits of Phoenician 
traders or with the Roman occupation of these islands, for both 
these peoples used hemp somewhat extensively for making 
cordage and nets. It is reasonably certain that prior to the 
tenth century coarse garments were made in this country from 
the fibres obtained from hemp and from nettles, and that during 
that period of English history when the manorial system 
obtained and the villages were self-supporting, the women folk 
occupied themselves in the spinning and weaving of these 
fibres into hempen homespun , just as the custom is in the 
remote parts of Russia at the present day. 
Until the beginning of the fifteenth century very little 
information of interest concerning hemp cultivation in this 
country is to be found. In the manuscript “ On Husbandries’ 
written by Palladius about 1420, hemp is frequently referred 
to ; thus, under the month of February we find the following : 
“ Last in this moone eke hemp is to he sowne 
In clounged, fatty, playne, weet, and depe lande ; 
A foote of square in six sedes may growe.” 
In the writings of Thomas Tusser (1557) we find the 
account of September’s husbandry includes the advice : — 
“Now pluck up thy hemp, and go beat out the seed, 
And afterwards water it, as ye see need.” 
“ Some useth to water it, some do it not, 
Be skilfull in doing it, for fear it do rot.” 
The cultivation of hemp, like that of flax, was made obliga- 
tory by law in 1535 ; the penalty for not growing it was 
increased in 1562, and it is interesting that in 1565 a fine of 
10s. was imposed on Thomas Dawson for “ breaking” his hemp, 
7.d., separating the fibre from the bark, in his large open 
chimney on winter nights, a habit which the manor courts 
severely punished owing to the risk of fire, hemp refuse being 
very inflammable. 
From these and other references it would appear that hemp 
was somewhat extensively grown in England at this time. 
During the first half of the seventeenth century the 
agricultural conditions in England were at a very low level, 
and, in company with other rural industries, hemp growing 
declined and became restricted to certain localities only. The 
