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

excep, that the blossom hemp will not take so
GOOD root, and will be sonlewha. worse 10
break.
There is sill some difference Of opinion as TO
taa best mode Of securing hsnp after il is rpc.
Pulling is sill p,sctised by some, and it is prob.
able more lint can DO saved in that way than bv
cutting. 1t is certain that by cutting some lint
will DO lost, with the utmost care, two or thu &c
iaches next the ground p,ust be lost. On the
other hand many advantages attend the cutting of
hemp, which will more than over balance this
loss. Cutting is more OK peditious than pulling.
There is considerably less weight to handle in
all the subsequent operations, such as taking up
and binding, ioaAing and hauling out to spread
for ro:ting again taking up and shocking, and
finally, the trouble and expense OF breaking,
tthe price OF breaking pulled hemp being cor.
siderable higher,) Ia all these operations the
roots arc very much in the way, and particularly
so in spreading, aud considerably increase the
time requisite for going through the various man.
ipulaiious the hemp must undergo. lna word,
when hemp is cut, the hemp grower can manage
much larger crop, which will greatly more than
counierhalance the loss by cutting. To this
should be added, that cut henp makes superior
lint and will always have preference over that
which has been pulled, because Of the coarse bark
which comes or that part of the stalk near the
ground forming part Of the lint Of the latter.
Another advantage 10 favor OF cutting, is that the
roots and stubble, when ploughed under have
tendency to render the soil light, and, when de.
composed, forms light dressing OF manure
These considerations should give decided pre-.
ference to cutting over pulling Of hemp With
hemp hooks, lolersbe hands will cut, on an aver.
age, half an acre each; with cradling scythes, wv
l.. Larimore's) an acre may be cut with ease, by
good hands, IN hemp not exceeding six or seven
feet high. II hemp is coarse or taller than seven
feet, it cannot be well managed with scythes.s
This instrument requires smooth bV,.om to do
good work.
When hanp is cut or pulled, it should be
spread on the ground keeping the bnt ends even,
and should be suffered to lie till well cured -
This will require week, or somewhat less, If
the weather is clear and warm. If it get rain,
in the meantime, it will be an advantage, as it
will cause the leaves more readily to leave the
stalks.
There ale different modes Of treating the hemp
crop after it is cut and cured. BY some the
leaves are beat of, and then, without binding il
IN she0vcs, il is put in shocks, tying two bands
round each, one near the top and Inc other about
eighteen inches lower down. In this condition
it is suffered 10 remain ill the proper period for
spreading it on. to rot. By others il is bound in
sieaves, {sonle beat the leaves off and some mott
aud Put up in shocks, where ii is suffered to stand
III there is leisure, when It is put in stocks or
rlcks. laird practice, (aad that Which
deem the best,) is 10 take up The hemp as soon as
il is sufficiently cured, and bind it in sheaves,
without beatine off the leaves. The binders
throw the sheaycs into two row VS., with sufficient
space between for wagon 10 pass. While the
process Of taking up and binding is going on, a
wagon and three hands, (two to pitch and one to
load) is engaged in houling the hemp to The rick
and cking it. The rick should be in central
part, so as to require the hemp to be removed as
short distance as possible. Thus the process
Of taking up, binding, hauling, and ricking all
progress together. Ia this way, five hands will
pu' up stout rick in two days, and cover it.
BY having two wagons and ten hands, it may be
accomplished in one day. 1t is proper to re.
mark, that for making the roof OF the rick, it is
necessary to have long hemp, from which the
leaves should be beat oil. In this state only will
hemp make secure roof. Kicking is preferable
TO stacking, because the loraer secures complete
iy all the hemp from the weather, except tina,
which conPosos the roof while stacking leaves
the bl's exposed. The first practice, above sug.
gesLed, is Objectionable upon the ground that the
cu.sldes OF all the stacks are exposed to the
weather for several mon his, before the time for
spreading errives, and is generally much injured
by ,he weather, especially during wet falls. II
the a'l should be very dry, the outside Of the
shocks will still be partially roted; and rs these
must be spread with the part Of the hemp which
has had no rain or dew, they will be too much
watefed before the balance is fit to be taken up,
and will sometimes be entirely ruined.
The second practice, e0here the leares are beat
of, is Objectionable, because Of the great in.
increase Of labor, the process Of beating off leaves
being very slow and tedious and when the leaves
are not beat of, though there is not much extra
labor, if the weather is favorable, yet there is
danger OF the hemp being seriously injured il
there should be mu.h rain. The rain will grad
u4lly penetrate the shocks to the very centre,
and in consequence Of the leaves being packed
20 closely, the shocks cannot dry without opening
them, and ooseing the tops Of each sheaf. And
while drying there will be risk OF again getting
we, from rain This plan is, therefore, more
objectionable than beating OF the leaves before
shocking. am satisfied, from actual expert
mont, (having tried all these different methods, }
that the best way Of managing hemp, after It is
cut and cured, is to bind and rick it as herein
before described, wiihou! beating the leaves off,
except for the cover.
If the hemp be well cured and ricked when
perfectly dry. many Of the leaves will shatter of
in the process OF ricking. Most OF those re-
naming on the hemp will shake of when il i.
hauled cut and spread. 1t is an advantage t,
have the leaves pretty we'll separated from the
stalks, before or al the time OF spreading out tc
rot. Bat this object will be sufficiently attained
BY the handling Of The hemp, in the different pro