74 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
CULTURE OF HEMP. 
The vast quantities of hemp consumed in this country 
for cotton bagging, cordage and the use of the navy, are 
rendering the production of the article annually of more 
consequence, particularly as the greater part is exported 
from Russia; and so far, we are rendered tributary to a 
foreign power for an article which we are abundantly 
able to produce ourselves. At present, the quality of the 
imported hemp is superior in some respects to the Ame¬ 
rican; but experience in its culture and preparation will 
do away this difference, and render the home article 
equal to the best grown abroad. We were expecting a 
paper from Judge Beatty of Kentucky on the culture of 
hemp, but we regret to learn from him that circumstan¬ 
ces beyond his control have prevented the preparation 
of such an article, and he has referred us to his cele¬ 
brated prize essay on the growth and preparation of 
hemp, which has been forwarded and received, as a full 
account of the manner which has proved most successful 
in Kentucky. From that, and other sources, we shall 
now collect such hints as will furnish the information 
necessary to those who propose attempting the hemp 
culture. 
Seed.— One of the most essential things in the growth 
of this crop is a supply of pure and good seed; and to be 
perfectly certain on this point, every farmer will find it 
to his advantage to grow his own. Hemp seeds, like all 
those containing oil, are very apt to heat and become 
unfit for seed if kept over one or two years, and can 
scarcely be preserved in a state fit for vegetation unless 
spread on a floor and frequently stirred during the sum¬ 
mer months. The best way is to grow in one year the 
seed which is to be sown the next. Judge B. recom¬ 
mends the richest ground for raising hemp seed. High¬ 
ly manured land is better than newly cleared land; and 
old meadows, or land used a long time for pasture, is 
good for this purpose. Where turf land is used, it should 
be plowed in the fall, and if not rich, a dressing of ma¬ 
nure should be given. The ground must be finely pul¬ 
verized by plowing and harrowing, and then the seed 
may be planted in hills, or sown in drills. The first 
method is generally preferred, as the after culture, clean¬ 
ing the ground, &c., is more easily performed when the 
seed hemp is in hills than when it is in drills, and the 
seed is thought to be more, perfect. It is common to 
plant the hills five feet apart, to suffer four or five stalks 
to stand in a hill till the blossom hemp is removed, and 
then to reduce the number of stalks to two in each hill. 
There are other methods of planting; but the great ob¬ 
ject is room for a vigorous seed plant; and whatever 
plan accomplishes this, will succeed. The ground must 
be kept clean by hoeings or plowings. In order to give 
the seed bearing plants room to expand and perfect their 
seed, it is necessary to cut out the blossom or male 
hemp; but this cutting out must not be performed too 
early or too rigidly, as the pollen of these blossoms are 
necessary to the perfection of the seed. Judge B. re¬ 
commends that as soon as the seed hemp has so far ad¬ 
vanced that the blossom hemp can be readily distinguish¬ 
ed, it should all be cut out except one stalk in every 
other hill and every other row. This will secure a suf¬ 
ficient supply of pollen to fertilize all the seed bearing 
plants, and render the seed certain of vegetation. After 
these male or blossom plants have discharged their fer¬ 
tilizing dust, they also may be removed, though this is 
not essential, where only one or two seed bearing plants 
are left in each hill. The seed for plants, from which 
seed is to be grown, should be sown as early as is con¬ 
sistent with safety to the young plants from frost. In 
Kentucky the month of April is preferred; in our lati¬ 
tudes the planting must be later. Planted early, it will 
be fit to gather for seed in September; and in cutting 
the plants, they must be handled or shaken as little as 
possible, as the seeds drop easily. The plants may be 
carefully set up in shocks until dry enough to thresh ea¬ 
sily, which may be done on a tight floor, either by 
striking the plants on a plank, or by beating with a flail. 
The first method gives the best seed. When threshed, the 
seed should be cleaned at once, and then spread out in some 
safe, dry shelter until thoroughly dry, when it may be put 
in barrels with open heads or in bags until wanted. Rats 
and mice are very fond of hemp seed, and these must al¬ 
ways be guarded against. Judge Beatty says—“ Old seed 
will not generally answer for sowing. During the sum¬ 
mer succeeding the year in which it was reared, it goes 
through a heat which destroys its vegetating powers. 
If, however, it were to be spread out thin on a dry floor 
before the commencement of hot weather, and kept thus 
spread out during the summer, there can be no doubt it 
would answer for sowing the ensuing year. But it is 
always safest not to trust to old seed, without having 
first tested it by planting a certain number of seeds, and 
thus ascertaining how many will vegetate.” 
Preparation of the Ground— There are few crops 
grown that require so complete a tillage and pulveriza¬ 
tion of the ground as hemp. It must be as thoroughly 
reduced, and made as fine and as clean as possible; and 
the hemp grower may usually expect his crop will be 
in proportion to the care and labor bestowed in fitting 
the soil for the seed. The grouncj intended for hemp 
should be plowed deep in the fall, or very early in the 
spring, that it may have the benefit of the frosts in pul¬ 
verizing the soil; and no animals should be allowed to 
go upon it, as all pressure or compactness is injurious. 
When the time for sowing arrives it must be again 
p.owed and harrowed; and these operations, particularly 
the latter, must be repeated or continued until the sur¬ 
face is perfectly fine and level. The seed must now be 
sown and harrowed both ways, and then if rolled, the 
equal germination of the seeds will be greatly advanced, 
and the surface left smooth and even for the better ac¬ 
tion of the hemp cradle. In late sowings, or when the 
ground is destitute of the moisture necessary for germi¬ 
nation, it will be safer to plow in the seed with a shal¬ 
low furrow, or with shovel plows. This depth of 
covering will insure their coming up, unless the ground 
is very dry; in which case, it will be best to wait for 
rain before sowing. In Kentucky, the usual rate of seed 
per acre is one bushel and a peck; but where the ground 
is in first rate condition, and the proper degree of mois¬ 
ture to insure germination, Judge Beatty thinks from his 
experience that one bushel and one-eighth of seed will 
be sufficient. This is much less than has been generally 
used in this country, or recommended in the hemp dis¬ 
tricts of Europe. From two to three bushels of seed is 
the quantity most commonly preferred; but there is no 
question, that where the seed and the soil are both of 
the right kind, the quantity proposed by Judge Beatty 
would furnish as many plants as could grow on an acre. 
Experience shows that freshly manured lands do not 
produce as good hemp as those in which the manure 
has become fully decomposed and incorporated. Newly 
manured lands give a coarse stock and lint, which tho¬ 
roughly prepared soils will not do. Old meadows 
turned over in the fall, that the sod may be partially de¬ 
composed, or pastures that have been used for sheep 
walks, are found to be excellent for hemp, the vegetable 
and animal matter in such soils being in the proper con¬ 
dition to insure its action on the plants. 
Succession of Hemp Crops. —Hemp is one of the 
few plants which will admit of sowing for a number of 
years in succession on the same soil or field. This is im¬ 
portant, as it enables the grower to keep his hemp fields 
much more easily clean, and in good order, than if a ro¬ 
tation was followed, or new fields annually taken for that 
purpose. There is another advantage. As the field 
when the hemp is taken off is destitute of all vegetation, 
there is no excuse for allowing animals to run in these 
fields, and consequently they are more easily kept light 
and mellow. Experience proves that hemp is a crop that 
deteriorates the soil in but a slight degree if at all. The 
Farmers’ Guide states on good authority, that thirteen or 
fourteen successive crops were taken from the same field 
and that the last was the best; and Judge Beatty adds— 
“ I have no doubt of the correctness of this statement, be¬ 
cause it conforms to my own experience. A field con¬ 
taining 12| acres, upon which nine or ten successive 
crops have been grown, produced last season 9809 pounds 
of hemp, equal to 789 pounds per acre. This was quite 
as good a yield, taking into consideration the unfavora¬ 
bleness of the season, as I have ever had from the same 
ground.” It is evident, however, that unless hemp soils 
are originally exceeding rich in nutritive matter, or this 
matter is renewed by the overflowing of streams, as it is 
on some bottom lands, exhaustion and a consequent fail¬ 
ure of the crop must eventually take place. To prevent 
this, some hemp growers apply, every second year, a 
dressing of compost manure to their hemp lands. 
Time of Sowing. —According to Low, and the Rus¬ 
sian practice, hemp should be sown about the last of 
April or the first of May. Judge Beatty says—“ it may 
be sowed at any time between the 10th of April and last 
of May, when the ground is in a proper state for sowing; 
that is, neither too wet nor too dry.” As a general rule, 
early sown hemp produces the best crop; the plant get¬ 
ting more of its growth, and greater maturity, before the 
hot dry weather of our summer commences. Frosts do 
not often destroy it, though a succession of frosty cold 
nights seriously retards its growth and injures the crop. 
This it does by making the plant shorter than it would 
be under favorable circumstances, and thus reduces the 
weight. The latest sown hemp will be the lightest, and 
afford the least profit, although it will mature in the 
middle states if sown as late as the 10th or middle of 
June. Where considerable quantities of hemp are grown, 
it is found advantageous to have the several fields come 
to maturity in succession, as this difference in ripening 
gives more time for cutting and securing the crop. 
Time for Cutting.— According to Judge B., “the 
time for cutting or pulling hemp is indicated by the 
leaves of the male hemp becoming yellow, and most of 
them falling off. Upon a close examination about this 
period, it will be found that some of the blossom stalks 
will have entirely shed their leaves, and begin to turn of 
a dark color, having lost their yellow hue. When this 
discovery is made, no time should be lost in cutting or 
pulling the hemp. But it may stand a week longer 
without any material injury, except that the blossom 
hemp will not take so good a rot, and will be some¬ 
what worse to break.” Thus, in Kentucky, and we be¬ 
lieve generally in this country, the blossoming and the 
seed bearing plants, or the males and females as they are 
sometimes termed, are all gathered at the same time. A 
different practice prevails in the hemp countries of Eu¬ 
rope. There, the male or blossom plants are pulled as 
soon as the leaves and stalk are yellow and the flowers 
faded, while the females or seed bearing plants are al¬ 
lowed to stand some five weeks longer, thus making two 
hemp harvests. The two kinds are kept separate, and 
the first pulled is usually the first rotted and fitted for use. 
Whether this difference in the time of pulling may not 
produce a greater uniformity in the quality of each kind, 
and increase the value of the whole, we cannot say; but 
it appears probable such should be the result. In Eu¬ 
rope, the practice ±s to pull the hemp; in this country, 
cutting it with the hemp cradle, (an implement like the 
grain cradle, except that the sythe, fingers, &c., are 
stronger and shorter,) is generally preferred. If the 
ground is made smooth at the time of sowing, very little 
lint will be lost, as the hemp can be cut close to the 
ground. Beside, the crop in handling will be much 
cleaner, and cutting is vastly more expeditious than puil- 
ing, which enables the hemp grower, with the same 
number of hands, to greatly increase his crop, without 
danger of its suffering for want of cutting or pulling. 
Curing the Hemp— On this point. Judge B. re¬ 
marks —“ When hemp is cut or pulled, it should be 
spread on the ground, keeping the but ends even, and 
should be suffered to lie till well cured; this will require 
a week, or somewhat less, if the weather is clear and 
warm. If it get a rain in the mean time, it will be an 
advantage, as it will cause the leaves more readily to 
leave the stalk.” Mr. Allen, who was extensively 
engaged in the hemp culture in Lewis county, in this 
state, and who in 1832 received a premium from the 
American Institute fbr the best specimen of hemp ex¬ 
hibited, says—“The hemp when cut is to remain in the 
swath one day, and then is to be turned and remain one 
day, and on the third day to be bound near the butt in 
very small bundles with a small band of the hemp. 
Then to be set up on the butts in shocks until it becomes 
perfectly dry.” When thoroughly dried, it may be put 
in ricks or stacks to remain till wanted for rotting. At 
the West, ricks are preferred, because in this way of 
putting up the hemp it is all secured against the weather 
with the exception of the roof, (if this is formed of 
hemp,) while in stacking, a portion of the hemp will al¬ 
ways be more or less exposed.,, Some hemp growers, 
after the hemp is cured, sit it up in large shocks in the 
fields, the tops secured by close bands, and butts resting 
on the ground. If hemp stands long in this manner it is 
evident the butts must be partially rotted, and even the 
outsides of the shocks will be more or less damaged. 
These parts of the hemp when spread out for rotting, or 
when put in the vats, will be spoiled before the protect¬ 
ed parts are sufficiently rotted to produce good hemp. 
Rotting and Getting Out. —There are two me¬ 
thods of rotting hemp. One, by spreading it on the 
ground, where it is exposed to rains and dews until the 
lint separates readily from the stem; a process called 
dew rotting. The other is by steeping the hemp in vats 
or pools of water until the same effect of the separation 
of lint is produced. These processes are conducted on 
the same principles, and for the same ends, as the flax 
rotting, with which every farmer is acquainted. Grass 
ground, clean pastures or meadows, have generally been 
chosen for spreading hemp, where dew rotting is prac¬ 
ticed; but some of the most successful hemp growers of 
the West, and among these Judge B., now prefer spread¬ 
ing the hemp for rotting on the same land that produced 
the crop. The reasons assigned for this preference are, 
that the labor of hauling the hemp is prevented, the ricks 
being made on the ground—the manure arising from the 
leaves, &c., is saved, as it will be kept on the ground—the 
hemp rots quicker and more evenly than on grass land— 
the ground is free from stock, and is benefited by being 
covered with the rotting hemp—and lastly, grass lands 
are injured by rotting hemp upon them. The following 
directions for water rotting are from the report of Mr. 
Allen, made to the Institute: “Vats are prepared near 
the mills of about six feet deep and eight feet, wide; the 
length to be varied at pleasure, or the quantity to be rot¬ 
ted. The bundles of hemp are then to be carefully laid 
in lengthwise until the vat is full, and pressed down with 
any sufficient weight to keep it solid. Water is then to 
be let in on the top until the vat is filled, and is to remain 
for two days to saturate the mass, after which it is to be 
drawn off, and a supply of running water to be introduced 
until the vat is filled, which is to run off continually un¬ 
til the hemp is properly rotted. The time will depend 
on the temperature of the water, and will be from six to 
twenty days; the water is then let off, and after about 
eight hours the hemp is to be taken out and set up on the 
butts in the field, after opening the bundles, against a 
fence, or ropes running through stakes fastened in the 
ground for that purpose. When perfectly dry, it is 
bound up and taken to a dry house where it is to be kiln 
dried for about two days, from which it is to be taken to 
the mills for breaking and dressing.” We believe that 
European or Russian hemp is invariably water rotted, 
which gives the fibre a greater degree of uniformity than 
dew rotting can do, and unquestionably is one cause of 
the superiority of the foieign article. In Russia, the 
hemp is rotted in pools formed in slightly running 
brooks, the water of which is exposed to the sun, and 
acquires a temperature favorable to a speedy fermenta¬ 
tion and rotting of the stem of the hemp. Whether in 
pools or vats, the hemp must be wholly covered with 
water, but it should not be so loaded with weights as to 
press it closely upon the bottom. There is little diffi¬ 
culty in knowing when the hemp is sufficiently rotted. 
Judge B. says that when this operation is sufficiently ad¬ 
vanced, “the stalks of the hemp lose that hard, sticky 
appearance or feel they retain till the process is com¬ 
pleted. The lint also begins to separate from the stalk, 
and the fibres will show themselves somewhat like the 
strings of a fiddle bow, attached to the stalk at two dis¬ 
tant points, and separate in the middle. This a certain 
indication that the hemp has a good rot.” 
Hemp is fitted for market by separating the lint from 
the woody fibre, and its value is in no inconsiderable de¬ 
gree depending on this process of dressing. It is some¬ 
times prepared by hand in the same manner as flax; but 
this is a slow and tedious operation, although the quali¬ 
ty of the article is usually good. Various machines for 
breaking and cleaning hemp have been put in operation 
