Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1843-05-13
II f M P.


HEMP.
Our agricultural friends will peruse with
interest the following article on the ''man-
TIER Of cul,ivating, working and cleansing
water.rot,ed hemp in Russia" The state
ments il contains are, no doubt authentic,
90 they are based on information collected
by the Secretary of the Navy and other
officers of the General Government.
The soil of our State is admirably adap-
ted to the production of Hemp, and
thorough knowledge of the manner Of cul-
,ivating and preparing it for market is all
that is necessary 10 make 1.-THE most prof
liable business our farmers can engage in
MANNEROF CULTIVATING, WORK
ING AND CLEANSING WATER
ROTTED HEMP IN RUSSIA.
The result of a good crop of hemp or
hemp-seed, depends very much on the
choice of proper soil for cultivation. 1t
should be black. light loan, and as rich
as possible Places where old barns or sta
bles, or enclosures where cattle have been
kept for a length of time, are much 10 be
preferred. What is called new land, or
that on which hemp is raised for the first
time, should be such a spot. Newly ma.
nured land il not desirable, and should not
be selected, unless the manure is entirely
decomposed and well mixed with the land
by ploughing during the autumn previous
20 planting, SO as TO give time for thor
.oueh combination with the soil through
fhe winter season.
The land selected for planting hemp,
should in all cases be prepared during the
fall, and some time before frost, of the win
ter previous 10 planting, and should be first
ploughed from six 10 eight inches deep
After a period Of five or six weeks il
should be narrowed as fine as possible, and
some days thereafter -ploughed, and
in that condition left until the following
spring. As soon after winter as weather
and circumstances will allow, it should be
again narrowed, and then left until the
proper time approaches for sowing.
The time for sowing is when night frosts
have entirely ceased aud may not again be
expected. The land should then be plough.
ed as fine as possible, and on the same day
the seed should be sown, and the land again
thoroughly narrowed. The narrowing is
only performed when the seed is sown by
hand, and may be dispensed with if sown
by machine.
Seed should be selected from the crop OF
the previous year--it should be sound and
heavy, and previously tried in the germ.
To obtain good seed, it should be sown ir
drills at least four feet apart, and the seed
should be dropped in the drills at distance OF
eigh, inches from each other. By this pro
cess the stems of the plants will grow stout
and bushy--.ometimes Of one inch in d.
ameier, and from eight TO ten feet in height
They will likewise yield an abundance
of seed. To raise good seed, the plants
should remain in the ground until the seed
on the lower branches will separate easily
from their shells. or will fall out when the
plant is shaken. When this is the case, the
plants should be pulled up by the roots, ant
carefully, without shaking, placed under {
roof in the shade, in an upright position
and there left until the seeds in all parts o
the plant become ripe, so as TO be tit fo
tbreshing and cleansing.
In storing the plants as just described
great care should be taken 10 preserve then
from mice, rats. chickens, &c, as they arr
very destructive, and in a very short TINT
would consume the entire crop.
After the seed has been threshed out, tn
bsanchy stems may be exposed to air AM
moisture by spreading them upon tn
ground to be dew-rotted, as il is termed
and then al some leisure time prepared il
she ordinary way for common use,
To produce good crop of fbrous hemp
il should be sown Gf by machine) in drill
not more than three inches apart, and tn
seed should be not more than one inc
apart in the drills. But if sown by hant
two bushels of seed should be used to a
acre. Sowing thick is the only means
obtain long, fbrous and branches plants
and from such plants only can good guar
.ity OF hemp be manufactured. Whe
sown so thick the plants grow straight, an
are without branches. There is only
crown on the very top containing SON
seed. If the soil sof proper quality an
suitably prepared, the plants will acqui'
height Of from siI TO eight feet.
To obtain clean, strong and fine hemp,
IS of great importance that the male plal
should be separated from the others at
proper time. II is well known TO all hen