, 1843-08-26
Correspondence of the Louisville Journal.
HEM p.
BosToN. July s, 1943.

! nave visited me navy yaTu, ana
conversed with several hemp dealers
and hemp manufacturers. and think |
may venture to say that | can COM
municate something of interest and
value TO the hemp grower.
Government makes an annual con,
tract with a firm in Boston for about
700 tons of Riga hemp to be deliver
ed al Charlestown. (near Boston, the
only place where the Government
manufactures hemp. This year the
price paid is S2l5 a ton. the merchant
paying the duty of $40 4 ton. This
Riga is cleaner and better handled
than any other hemp in Europe. and
it is up TO the standard of this Hemp
that American Hemp must come
The Russian, which YOU see quoted
in the prices-current, though excel
len: in fibre. would not be received at
Charlestown, because it would waste
more than the Riga in cleaning and
hacking. With Mr.. Caban. the mas
ter Of the Charlestown rope walk. |
had long conversation. during which
| asked him many questions. In gen
eral il may he stated hat for Ameri-
Il hemp 10 be received al the navy
yard. it is only necessary that It
should not lose more in cleaning and
hacking than the Riga; that is. it
must not contain more than IS per
cent of tow, nor more than 8 per
cent Of chives. II is not necessary
that it should have been hacked, pro-
vlded that it has been broken in such
a way as not 10 produce more than
Is per cent of Tow; and feel per-
tectly certain that hemp cleaned on
The machine of William C. Williams.
near Louisvil e. will pass without
hacking. 1t is the opinion of Mr..
Caban that the Riga hemp is not
hacked. but | have conversei with a
gentleman long a dealer in hemp in
Russia, who states that all the Rus
sian hemp is hacked. The Riga
hemp has Il very coarse fibre, very
oily in feel and appearance, not soft
and towv to the touch-evidentIv
not much watered or rotted. and
seeming never to have been touched
by the hackle. 1t is put W straight
in bundles of about 90 pounds. (calI-
ed heads.) with a band of hemp tied
within Q inches of the large ends OF
the hemp. and the small ends of the
hemp cut of. presensenting in each
head fibres OF equal length. No en-
quiry is made at the navy yard as to
the mode in which the hemp has been
water rotted. Mr.. Caban is deci.
of opinion that the oily matter
should be retained in the hemp, and
that to do this it should be watered
only long enough TO make the harl
part from the stalk. He has not re-
jec,ed any yet for having been too
much rotted though he SAYS he would
any that should appear alto
destitute of oil. The more
hemp has been rotted and freed from
glutinous and oily matter, the more
tar ii will receive, and the more the
hemp grower Iooses in weight. The
more gIutInous and oily matter re-
mains Incorporated in the hemp, the
less tar it will receive, the better it is
for naval purposes, and the heavier it
comes from the hemp grower. The
of using tar upon the rope is
TO prevent it from rotting. but tar
lessons the strength of hemp, and it
lessons it exactly in the proportion
the hemp receives the tar. The
Riga hemp, which will take but little
tar, is but ten per cent. weaker after
tarred: but the strength of the
Kentucky hemp is reduced by tar
from 90 to 80 per cent. Before be-
ing tarred, it is stronger than the Ri
"a, but the rope is weaker than Riga
rope. The difference is altogether
owing to The fact that the Kentucky
hemp is usually too much watered--
hat it does not retain. Incorporated
IT'S texture as part and parcel OF
is fibre. the native vegetable matter
gives it life and pllancy when
worked into rope, and in consequence
/ rereives too much tar. But it must
De observed the less hemp is rotted,
he stronger even before it is tarred.
The private rope makers often prefer
he thoroughIy-rotted hemp, because
1 takes most tar, which is a cheaper
than hemp.
Dew rot,ed hemp is often as strong
IS the water rotted, and Mr.. Caban
kinks from the few specimens he has
zen that it is stronger. The only
why it will not answer Tor
one. is that the glutinous and oily
.l E-o,o tho c,,hcfapca