The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
AGRICULTURAL

Having just returned from a trip through Kentucky where l went to look up the claims made for the hemp industry, I will, according to promise, give our readers an outline of what I saw and learned of the industry.
 I will first notice the machine for break ing hemp as here is where the whole se- cret of success seems to hinge. In the matter of a machine for breaking hemp I was somewhat disappointed for I had been led to believe that a machine had been perfected for this work but 1t now seems that all machines are, as yet, in an experimental state. Thousands of dollars have been spent in trying to perfect ma- chimes for breaking hemp and yet none of them seem to be just what Is needed, all though MT. Sam Benaker of Cynthiana, Ky, has a machine that is doing good work, breaking from 600 to 5000 pounds per day The trouble in handling hemp Is It's inclination to catch and wind up on the cylinders: the least bit of a rough place on the cylinders will catch the fiber and wind it up. But, MT. Benaker is so con- fdent that his machine, with some changes, will do the work that he Is will ing to contract with farmers for planting a large acreage of hemp next year.
 Soil.
 found that the hemp plant is not so choice of soils as l had expected. The growers tell me that it is not exhaustive to soil but rather improves 1t and say that their best wheat corn and tobacco crops are those grown in the rotation with hemp. Of course, I am hardly ready to believe that such a condition or rotation could hold out long for plant that pro duces such a heavy growth must necessa- rily require a large amount of plant food. As the plant is not allowed to seed, but cultivated for the fiber 1t seems that in order to get profitable results that vast quantities of both nitrogen and potash would be needed Some growers even claim that the plant Is legume, that it performs the same office of enriching the soil as does the COW peas and clovers.
 I found a much larger acreage growing than I had expected to see and the crop was looking fine. The acreage would be even much greater if the rent of the land was not so high. Many growers are pay ing as much as $15 per acre cash rent Tor land on which to grow the crop. Even at this price the growers that l talked to all seemed very well satisfied with the pro fits, claiming that they made out of last years crops from $50 to s100 per acre clear
 
 for this year. One of the advantages or the hemp crop is that bad seasons like the present one do not interfere in the least with the growth of the crop; in fact such a season seems to suit 1t and to bring out the best qualities in the plant, which of course is the fibre.
 Tall Plants.
 The idea in growing hemp is to pro- duce az long or as tall plants as possi- ble. The average height is now about ten feet which, of course, gives a long thread or fiber.
 The profits of the crop as well as the price of the fiber depends largely upon it's length and besides this the long. straight stems or stalks which should be free oi branches or limbs give less loss in what Is called tow; the seed are there fore sown thick with a drill made espe- cially for the purpose and which works to perfection. sewing exactly the amount of seed required so that with thls sys- tenn of seeding the plant grows up straight with but few branches and is not allowed to seed. Machines for har- vesting the plant have been perfected Thousands of dollars were spent in eX- periments with drills for seeding and with machines for harvesting before these were perfected.
 Now that tbara no longer any troiI-