The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-01-19

somewhat on the weather and climate.
and is sufficiently cured, II is run
through breaking machine, which
separates out the fibre. IL this crop
should not become sufficiently cured,
or should be caught on the ground
with the snow, 1t would not be DAM
aged and perhaps would be benefited,
as 1t has been proved that lying on the
ground, under the snow for the win
ter, will produce better grade OF fibre
than If broken out in the fall. How
ever, as 1t is important to get the
ground cleared early for spring crops,
1t would be desirable to have this
broken out or stacked in the fall.
In case 1t is not possible to break
ready developed that will pick this
hemp up of the ground, and bind 1T
so that 1t can be handled the same as
small grain, and stacked and broken
out any time during the next spring
or summer
American Hemp Seed.
As previously stated. seed will per-
haps have to be grown further south,
as it requires longer season for pro-
ducing the seed than fibre. For seed
production, hemp is planted very sim
liar to corn. and given cultivation. The
plants, when SO planted. spread out
with many branches, and consequent
ly a larger amount Of seed Is pro-
duced than in thicl planting for fibre.
At the present time seed sells at about
So per bushel.
In a test Of the amount OF seed to
sow, on our farm last year, as good
one-half bushel per acre, as from
more. We seeded our fields at the
rate Of three pecks per acre, but one
acre was seeded at the rate OF one
half bushel, and another acre at the
rate of one bushel. A hemp expert
from Kentucky visited our fields in
September and pronounced the half
bushel per acre seeding best.
Probable Income from Hemp.
AS the preparation Of land, seeding,
harvesting. shocking, etc., are very
similar to small grain, 1t Is not neces-
sary to indicate this cost. The break
ing Of the hemp with machine brakes
extracting the flbre-is placed at
one and a half cents per pound, and
is very similar operation, and would
correspond to the threshing bill. The
total cost of this crop including seed
should not be over $1,000 per acre,
bound and in the stack. Adding
$12.00 to this for breaking would
make a cost of $4,000 per acre. Baling
the fibre is as easy as baling hay, so
that it will be seen that $500 should
easily cover all expenses. A yield Of
1000 pounds of fibre at 10 cents
pound would leave $500 net income
per acre, Considering the possibilities
Of hemp for cleaning the land, etc.,
gives this crop a most inviting aspect.
Production to be Increased.
The satisfactory showing made by
the hemp on our farms last season
warrants further trials on an in
creased scale. Several thousand acres
will be contracted for. and an effort
will be made to distribute this over
q large area, so as to make the trials
as comprehensive as possible.
There is very little available litera-
ture on the subject Of hemp culture,
but Hemp, 1913 Year Book Separate
No. 628" by Lyster H. Dewey, OF the
Fibre Investigation bureau of the De-
partaent Of Agriculture, Washington,
D. c.. is a very exhaustive trGa;'De
on the subject.
Extracts from Above Mentioned Bull
NIetin.
Soils to be AVoidsd-Hemp will re-
quire for the best development Of
the plant, and also for the production
of q large quantity and gooi quality
of fibre. a rich, moist SOIL having good
natural drainage, yet not subject to
severe drought at any time during the
growing season. A clay loan Of
rather looS0 texture anu CoAtdlhiAS
q plentiful supply of decaying vege-
table matter or an alluvial deposit
of alkaline and not acid in reaction
should be chosen for this crop.
Soils Suited to Hemp-Hemp will not
grow well on stiff, impervious, clay
soils, or on light sandy or gravelly
soils. 1t will not grow we'll on soils
that in their wild state are overgrown
with either sedges or huckleberry
nj DC IIxr NJ
cate acid soils. 1t will make only a
poor growth on soils with hardpan
near the surface or in fields worn out
by long cultivation. Clay loans or
heavier soils give heavier yields Of
strong but coarser fibre than are OBJ
tanned on sandy loans and lighter
soils.
Effect Of Hemp on the Land-Hemp
cultivated for the production of fibre,
cut before the seeds are formed and
rotted on the land where it has grown,
tends to improve rather than injure
the soil. 1t improves its physical con-
dition, destroys weeds, and does not
exhaust its fertility.
Physical Condition-Hemp loosens
the soil and makes it more mellow.
The soil Is shaded by hemp more than
by any other crop. The foliage at the
top of the growing plant makes a
the leaves below the top fall off,
forming a mulch on the ground, so
that the surface of the soil remains
moist and in better condition for :he
action of soil bacteria. The rather
coarse taproots, penetrating deeply
and bringing up plant food from the
subsoil, decay quickly after the crop
is harvested end tend TO loosen The
soil. more than do the fibrous roots of
wheat oats and similar hrOadcaa
crops Land is more easily plowed
after hemp than after corn or small
grain.
Hemp Destroys Weeds.
Very few of the common weeds trou-
blesome on the farm can survive the
If the hemp makes a short. weak
growth, owing to unsuitable soil,
drought or other causes. 1t will have
little effect in checking the growth of
feet rst0 or more moi in height. Will leave the
ground practically free from weeds at
harvest time. In Wisconsin, Canada
thistle has been completely killed and
quack grass severely checked by, one
Vernon county, Wisconsin, where Cam
ada thistles were very thick, fully 95
per cent of the thistles were killed
where the hemp attained height OF
five feet or more, but on dry, gravelly
hillside in this same field where it grew
only two to three feet high, the thistles
were checked no more than they would
have been in grain crop. Some vines,
like the wild morning glory and bind
weed climb up the hemp stalks and Sc
cure light enough for growth, but low
growing weeds can not live in a hemp
field.
Letter from Prof. HI. L. RoIIey ON Hemp
Experiment at the North Dakota
Agricultural College.
Il procured in the early years here,