The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-04-26
Hemp Culture.

L uc IcouCI uCCu uOG ItcI didIuou az VIC
suggestive heading. 1t has no connection
whatever with the demand which, accord
ing to some of our sanguinary Republican
friends, has so recently sprung up for the
fbrous material for hanging purposes but
it merely concerns the culture Of Hemp in
this State, as one of the undeveloped re-
sources of our agricultural wealth. A
friendly Boston correspondent, whose letter
has been lying upon our table for some
weeks, says, in endorsing the following COM
munication -" send you few facts on
the subject of Hemp, induced by recent
editorial article in your paper. 1t was
prepared some time ago for another use. l
hope it will provoke an expression of as
sent or dissent from some of the Minnesota
farmers who have raised Hemp in Ken
lucky, Illinois, or New Hampshire. have
sent some seed l obtained from Russia, to
Mr.. SToDDER, of st. Lawrence, Scott
county, and perhaps he will be able to show
you some Minnesota Hemp next year"
The communication is as follows -
To the Editors ofthe Pioneer and Democrat:
The following suggestions on the raising OF
hemp are taken mostly from English authori-
ties but probably their mode would not differ
much from ours:
Hemp en- be grown on either sandy, grav'
ely, clayey, or peaty soil, but they mnst be
deep and fertile. and deeply ploughed and
finely pulverized. Very rich lands in which
cerials would run to straw are best In the
irrigated lands of Tuscany. that have been in
grass for ten or fifteen years previously, it is
luxuriant crop. 1t grows seven or eight feet
high, and is known, near the mouth of the
Danube, to attain the height of eighteen or
twenty ieet. The land should be plOughed in
the fall at least six inches deep, and must be
clear of stagnant water. Hemp is unprofta-
BILE unless grown in soil and climate that
will force it rapidly in its earlier stages, as, if
checked, then it will become smutty, and the
fibre worthless. The time for sowing, in the
north of England, is about the beginning of
May, and it should not be sown earlier than the
18th April, nor later than the 18th May. Sow
ing later causes the fibre to be thin and weak.
Hemp like fax is very scourgirg when grown
for seed, but quite non-exhausting otherwise.
From two to three bushels per acre should be
sown, and ought to be minimum when
strong fibre for ropes is wrnted, and maxi
mum when the fibre is to be suitable for woven
fabrics, but in consequence of the crop being
liable O injury when thickly sown, the aver
erage should be from two to two and half
bushels per acre. The best seed is obtained
from Russia or Tuscany. The seed should be
bright and heavy, of gray color and bold ap
pearance, and should not break when rubbed
together. If the seed is bitter it is worthless
for use. When sown by the 18th of May, the
hemp is fit to pull soon after the 18th of August
The seed is ripe when the capsules turn brown
or grayish, and when the leaves fall off, about
the beginning of September. If the four lower
seeds, called elbow seeds, are dark grey
color, and firm inside, the husks turning a lit
tie yellow, the hemp is fit to pull The seed is
sown broadcast, or in drills, and lightly har-
rowed in. Hemp in England is pulled like flax
out of the ground when in flower, but when
grown for seed the male plants are ready to
pull four or five weeks earlier than the female,
female the male plants have done their work,
and will yield the maximum of fibre. The male
and female plants would be greatly intermiXed
and can be distinguished by the male carrying
more flowers than the female, which hang in
clusters and are generally more delicate. Fe.
male plants terminate in tufts. Water rotted
hemp is worth more than dew rotted, as when
the latter brings from 800 to SIPS per ton,
water rotted brings 5000, but costs much more
to prepare it, as it is necessary to have tanks
of warm water provided, through which rum
ming stream is sent in order to carry off the
gluten that arises. Dew rOtted hemp is either
pulled or cut like grain, and after standing in
the stock two or three days to stfen, is spread
over the ground Casually a newly ploughed
feld) and turned constantly for five or six
weeks, and sometimes left for several months
exposed to the rain, sun and dew. The rotting
is complete when pink spots occur on the stem,
showing that then the woody parts can be sep
arated from the fibre between the wood and
bark, which is the hemp. This is done by ma
chinery, or by hand, putting the hemp over
sort of bench with holes in it, and beating it
SO that the wood drop below. After being
thoroughly cleansed and combed, it is tied up
in heads of about fifteen pounds, and packed
in bales of about four hundred pounds for mar
ket. From five to seven tons of the plant will
make one ton of hemp, yielding from four to
six hundred weight per acre. The crop is not
considered in England as remunerative, but on
the cheap, fertile soils of Minnesota it will
doubtless be far different as it can be grown
in larger or smaller quantities on grain farms,
giving employment in winter in its prepare
ton, and going into the ground after the time
has passed for grain.
WISCONSIN ARM1NG.-Both branches of
the Wisconsin Legislature have passed
bill to place the State on war footing. 1t