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

ble about machines for sowing the seed or for cutting the plants the difficulties yet to be overcome are the breaking of the hemp and the degumming.
 The soil for hemp should be very finely prepared so that the plants may be cut low, close to the ground, thereby saving all the bark or fiber possible. The diff ference between the close cutting and having to cut the plants three or four inches above the ground makes the latter very undesirable. as this three or four inches represents that much clear loss to the grower
 Rottlng or Degumming.
 The old way of degumming was to lay 1t out on the ground and wait for 1t to rot so that the bark would leave the stalk fin breaking. This plan is prac- ticed largely yet, but recent experiments haze shown that there are other proc esses by which the plant may be de- gummed; one of the most successful of these and one that now promises to rev olutionize the hemp industry Is the treat ing of the plant by the use of the waste crude oil from our oil refineries. Large vats C." tanks are used, these are filled with this refuse waste from the refinery and which costs only the price of the barreling and freight. The hemp is dipped into this oil. taken out, dried and Is then ready for the breaking machine. The fiber from this treatment Is much brighter, stronger and besides there is much smaller per cent of tow and this bright, clean fiber brings two or more cents per pound than the weather-stained fiber.
 Usefulness.
 Thsrs are now many valuable products made from the hemp fiber, such as cord age, ropes a large line of twines, Includ- ing binder twine and cloths of various kinds. Fine carpets and large line Of toweling are now being manufactured from 1t. Last year, 1906, we imported into this country s80000,000 worth of hemp products. Now, if our Kentucky hemp growers are correct in their estimate of what can be accomplished in hemp grow ing we should be producing every pound of hemp that we need right at home.
 History of the Industry.
 Before the civil war a few sections of Kentucky and several counties in Mis- souri were growing nearly all the hemp produced in the United States. This hemp was all broken by hand labor, the negro slaves doing most of the work. Since the freedom of the slaves has be- come too high and hard to procure for this work, so the industry died out, or nearly so.
 However, a few of the hemp growers of Kentucky have been growing tho plant at intervals and as stated above have teen for years spending time, brains and money in trying to get machinery for handling the plant, just as our other crops are handled These Kentucky hemp growers now feel that their pa tence, toil and experiments have been rewarded and that now the machinery that they have warrants them in again embarkng In hemp production. How well they have and will succeed time alone will tell From what I could learn and see of the business l feel that it Is now passing from the experimental state and that 1t Is going to prove a grand success I believe that the hemp is a promising crop for many sections of our country.
 Results.
 The result of my visit to the hemp dis trict Of Kentucky was that I was able to induce one of the large growers to accompany me on an itinerary through the state of Missouri, where we will con duct hemp campaign of education In the industry. The party who Is to ac- company me will contract with the farm CTS for large acreage of hemp, agree ing to bring his machine to Missouri break the hemp and take every pound at a price that will give the farmer net profit Of from $50 to s75 per acre. Some O. the advantages in introducing the in- dustry in Missouri are, first. the soil and