, 1842-10-01
Water.ROtted Hemp.
WASHINGTON, 18th June, l849
u~;es;oners of fhe Manu-

C0HWtSStOHGS " tne @'oOy
GENTLEMEN: My last was under
date of e7I of May, at Cleveland
Ohio; since which time, | have been
to the Southwest part of this State
and from thence to Chiliicothe and
Slubenville; the region Of country
through which | passed, is the princi
pal hemp producing part OF the State
The soils well adapted to its cultiva
ton, and there is every facility fol
u~ater.rotting; still, there is not. from
what | could learn. SO much alien
ton given to its cultivation as former.
". In the vicinity of Chrllicothe, !,
is almost abandoned, and the atten.
ton of the farmers given to other
branches Of agriculture. saw no
water-rotted hemp il this State; the
dew-rotted. which examined, was
Of an excellent quality, the fibres he,
ing strong and soft, AID cleaned in d
sk,llul and worknan.ike m,nner: had
it been w~ater-rotted. and The like al.
tention paid TO cleaning 1t, it would
have been very snpe. lor and have
passed inspection.
Here. as in every other State.
which | have visited, it has been nv
endeavor to impress upon ag~ricnitur-
alists the importance nj water rnt,ing,
with a view 10 the best beng used
for Naval and Mercantile purposes.
Here. as elsewhere. much iLnorInre
prevails on this really simp'e subject.
The manner in WINCH | have tra,ell-
ed. made it Impossible i,r m. t. see
all, WIN are interested in li,S hnSI-
ness, | therefore caused 10 be publish
ed in several ~agrr.r!tnrll ani other
papers. ny plan fr water ro't,1g; |
pr misei that runl.nG N-ir, WIS IN
d~isprn>ih'e 10 w1lerr"ttrng, N 20
sGiiatle manner.
Where there IS n spring, branch or
stream of water build 4 dun across
with 4 foo gate; where the brook or
stream is >6iallow. excavate t. the
depth of 8 or 9 feet. making the
banks gently slipping. 10 the bed OF
the stream, place strong timer sledS.
with a frame or stakes I" hold the
straw-hemp; fill the sleds w'th thu
straw hemp. placing stones uprn 1t
to keep it under water. thea shut the
gate ard overflow the hemp. In
warm weather. SIX nr seven days will
be sufficient To wate:rot-the colder
the atmosphere, the lon-er time will
il require. Any u 1T all center
SAINT with ~dew.r"ttIng. can tel whan
it is sufficiently w~ater-rntted; it *
when the lint or fibre will start freely
from the wood. When ihi, is the
case. lift the gate and let off the wa
ter; then draw the s,cis. with strong
team to the upland. where 1t is in
tended 10 dry the straw; it will be
then 50 we'll drained us not 10 Wet
the lab employed n spreading.
Where it is difficult 10 eXcnvate. watts
can be made Ia rot in. but ia nil cases
the water should be let OF. As far
as my information extends. the pre-
vailing opinion that ii is injurious t.
health, is altogether erronenns; where
the water is let off, indeed there i
not so much of an offensive smell. rs
from dew.retting. This plan is so
simple that it can be adopted by any
hemp grower.
If the right spirit prevails, in the
vicinity of every hemp growing re-
gion, factories sinil IT to Mr.. Orcutt's.
at Newport, Kentucky, will be erect.
ed.
In a communication of he 29lh
March, gave you my opinion and
vie VS. respecting thu mole of pre-
pairing hemp. +! should say. all things
considered, il is the best way "f wa
ter-rotting hemp. A unifnrni,y in
the quality of hemp, The mode a.
packing, &C.. will he thus obtained.
which cannnt be had bv the vlri us
hemp growers throughout the diff
ent States, or TIL an m>prctInn Is eS-
tablished by the State Governments,
similar to the tobacco inspection Is
established by the State GnvernmrntS,
similar 10 the tobacco inspection.
] have reason to believe thai Or
cults PLAZA "ill be ad'p'ed imneir-
afeIv in Kentucky and Missouri
The estimated cost of m establish
ment Of the kind Is $4,000. In such
an establishment three hundred tons
of hemp a ne mad per annum. tn
king it from the straw and packed in
bales, and fit I o be taken into the
spinning room without further pre-
paratiou.
The cost Of thus preparing a ton
Of hemp, does MT exceed thirty dol.
lars per ton. which mast yield 4 very