Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1919-07-29
TO HELP BLUE GRASS
HEMP GROWERS
Instructive Bulletin Issued By
John r. Humphreys, of Lex
ington, on History of Crop

Hr..,1r.
Almost a century and half ago
the farmers in the BluesGrass of Ken
tucky began to grow hemp. Since
that time the growers. of this crop
have had their fat years and their
lean years. Lately the huge prices
paid for Burley tobacco and the acute.
shortage of labor have pushed hemp
into the background and a very smaif
acreage was sown this season. John
X. Humphrey of the Experiment
Station has, just completed Bulletin,
No 22i, marketing Hemp. This.
bulletin takes up the history of hemp.
growers in Kentucky and outlines the.
expansion of hemp growing in other
States during the past eight or ten
year The bulletin shows that dur
ing lie period of hemp production in,
Unit. States innumerable patents;
on rtmp breaking machinery and;
methods of treating hemp fiber have,
issued.
Field Machines Fall
It GEMS that all of the hemp,
bresa ng plants at central points
have proved very successful both in,
Wisconsin and Indiana. In describ-
ing these centeral plants the bulletin
has the following to say:
"a hemp breaking plant capable of
breaking $1,000 pounds of hemp fiber
per day, requires an investment of
from 5000 to $4,000 and should be
located in the center of a hemp pro-
ducing area where the fields are with
in radius Of Is miles of the plant.
The plant is constructed with ample
storage space for supply of hemp
stalks, dry kiln for conditioning the
hemp for breaking, a machine room
and storage house for baled fiber.
The machinery consists of a hemp
brake of ample strength an capaci-
ty and power scutchers, balers, con-
veyors and other minor machinery, all
of which are protected from wind and 4,
weather, two of the greatest hind
RANGES to open air power hemp
breaking. Power is furnished by
steam produced by using part of the
hurds for fuel. With this equipment
hemp fiber of very high quality is
secured and the dangers of over
retting are thus done away with by
the ability of power breakers to break
out hemp of any degree of retting."
A plant of the type described above
would solve the labor problem for the
growers of hemp. At the same time
it would produce standard fiber Of
very much higher quality so that a.
stable could be secured.
Cooperative marketing is suggested
by the bulletin as solution for the
fiuctuating prices which the Kentucky
growers has secured in handling his
crop. Experiments in cooperation
have been tried quite successfully and
the bulletin has the following to, say
concerning some of them:
Cooperation Helps
"An experiment was carried out
during the selling season of 1917 with
the intention of testing out the COM
parative advantages Of cooperative
sales of hemp between the farmer
and the manufacturer. Farmers
hemp associations were formed in ten
counties for the purpose of grading
batting and storing the fiber at local
points. Each of the ten counties
then selected representative to a
central association, the duties OIL
which were to inspect and sell the
fiber. Investigations of the Expert
ment Station in the terminal markets
producing considerable information
methods of false and avail
able outlets. 1t resulted that the
mills We're not in favor of buying
hemp directly from the individual
farmers on account Of the added ex-
pense entailed and the lack of reliable
regarding the shipper,
Hemp being a product which, up to
the present, has been bought mainly n
upon inspection backed by the integri-
5y of the seller, the mills were not
wiling to make purchases on sam
Dles from the farmers. To avoid Il
This difficulty several local hemp as
sociations agreed to sell their hemp
thru single agent upon commits,
sion basis, the agent to be response
Die for the grading, selling and COL
ection.
Brought More Money
"The experiment was successful in
hat it produced an added revenue of
several thousand dollars to the farm.
ers participating, but the extent to
which the experiment was carried out
S not sufficient to establish coopera-
i've hemp sales upon a permanent
,asis. Only two counties out of ten
sold practically all of their hemp by
his arrangement; the other eight,
,rofting by stabilization of prices
Produced by the association eventually
old their hempto local dealers. In
my event, under the existing circum-
stances, it became impracticable to
ell all the hemp produced in Kentuc-
~ thru the association unless the
association was equipped with facili-
les for dressing hemp and tow, a
ondition which did not exist at any
ime during the year. Hence the
ales of hemp which were made were
arried out on basis of raw or un-
ressed hemp. The experiment was
hiefly valuable in its indication of
he possibility of profitable hemp
which might be brought
bout by proper stabilization of
.rades and Standardization of pro-.
esses of preparing fiber for mar
.et."
Every grower of hemp in th Ne.