Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-05-22

Hoor on the earth, adjacent to the seed |
hemp, and by means Of forks and poles ar
ranged along the floor, to set up the seed |
plants in kind Of rick. the butts on the |
ground, and the tops against the pole on
each side.
The former plan is Objectionable, upon
the ground that all the seed which skaters
out before the time of threshing, will be |
lost and also, because of the impossibility |
OF removing the seed hemp from the shocks
to the slide without considerable loss of
seed. The latter plan requires more labor
in preparing the floor, but is much more
economical in saving seed, and should be |
preferred. A sled should be employed to
transfer the seed hemp to the floor. If
sheet be spread on the sled, there will be |
scarcely any loss of seed in hauling, as it |
can be driven so close TO the floor as that
all the seed that may shatter off in hauling
will either fall on the sheet or on the floor
The seed hemp should be suffered to stand
in rick till thoroughly dry. If it should
receive some rain, it will be an advantage
as this will cause the seed to separate more
readily from the chaff, and will facilitate
the operation Of threshing. If the season
should be very wet there may be danger of
the seed sproutng in the rick. This must
DC guarded against, by opening the tops Of
the hemp, (Which will have been pressed
together by the rain.) so as to give it air
and sun, as soon as the weather clears oil.
After much rain the seed may be threshed
out, even when the tops are quite damp,
or even wet, and it should be got out with
out delay, to prevent the seed from sprout-
ing. But if got out when damp, the chatf'
and hemp seed will become warm in a few
hours after it is heaped up. To prevent
Its lnIuring, it should be run through a fan.
on the same day tits threshed, and taken to
the barn or some dry shelter, where it
should be spread out, and frequently raked
or stirred, until it becomes thoroughly drv.
and cured, when it should be again run
through the fan, and put away in barrels
with open heads in house which is dry.
and to which rats can have no access, as
they are very destructive to hemp seed.
a house erected upon posts, four feet high,
is the best security against these trouble
some animals. If the seed hemp get a rain
after ii isset up in rick, it may be threshed
out IN a week or ten days, or sooner if it
begins to sProut. If it get no rain it may
stand longer in rick. The most convenient
mode of threshing is for each hand to have
a plank, about twelve or fifteen feet. and
fifteen or eighteen inches wide. set I'D
against the pole, lat an angle of forty-five
degrees) against which the seed hemp was
ricketed. The operator threshes out the
SEED by taking one, two, or three plants at
time, according to their size, in his hands.
and beating them against the planks. As
the seed comes out very easily, a few blows,
sufficient TO knock all the seed ont, when
the plants are thrown off the floor, in
heaps, where they may be burnt, or NAV
be used for covering shelters for hogs, cat
tie, &c. They are said to be valuable also
for making charcoal for powder manurac-
tories. They are Of no value for lint.
1t is the safest course, even when the
seed hemp is perfectly dry at the time of
threshlng, to haul the seed. after it has been
once run through the fan, to the barn or
some dry shelter, and there spread it gu.
thin, and suffer it TO be come thoroughly
cured before it is cleansed and put away.
This will be a great security against its
heating in the barrels, which would be cer-
tain to spoil the seed. If, however, the
seed hemp has stood long enough in rick,
for the seed to become perfectly cured. the
trouble Of hauling it to the barn may be
dispensed with and it may be run second
time through the fan, at the place where it
is threshed. But to avoid getting dirt with
the seed, it should be run upon sheet. al
the second cleaning, and measured there
into bags.
Old seed will generally not answer for
sewing. During the summer succeeding
the year in which it was reared, it goes
through heat which destroys its vegeta-
ting powers. If, however, it were to be
spread out thin, on a dry floor, before the
commencement of warm weather and kept
thus spread out during the summer, there
can be no doubt it would answer for SOW
ing the ensuing year. But it is always
safest not to trust to old seed without hav-
ing first tested it by planting a certain num-
Der of seeds, and thus ascertaing how ma
ny will vegetate.
The floor for getting out seed should be
prepared before the time for cutting ar
rves. 1t should be as convenient as prac-
tlcable to save hauling. ! usually leave
space along side of my seed hemp, for the
purpose. This may be planted in pump
kins, and cultivated with the plough
Shortly before the seed hemp is fit to cut
the pumpkins and vines arc removed, the
ground is well narrowed and then trod by
horses, until it becomes sufficiently solid
and is then scraped with hoes, to make it
smooth, swept, &c.
The next step in the process of hemp
raising, is to prepare the ground for re-
ceiving the seed. This should be done Nv
thoroughly pulverising the SOIL Hemp