The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1919-07-29
MARKETING HEMP.

Almost a Gentry and a half ago
the farmers in the Bluegrass of Ken
lucky 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 very small
acreage was sown this season. John
R. Humphrey, of the Experiment
Station, has just completed Bulletin
No. 221, Marketing Hemp" This
bulletin takes up the history OF
hemp growers in Kentucky and out
lines the expansion Of hemp growing
in other States during the past eight
or ten years. The bulletin shows
that during the. period of hemp pro-
duction in the United States innum-
cradle patents on hemp breaking ma
chinery and methods of treating
hemp fiber have been issued.
1t seems that all of the hemp
breaking machinery used in the fields
has been more or less Of a failure,
but hemp breaking plants at central
points have proved very successful,
both in wisconsin and Indiana. In
describing these central plants the
bulletin has the following to say:
"a hemp breaking plant capable
of breaking $4,000 pounds of hemp
fiber per day, requires an investment
of from $4,000 to $4,000, and
should be located in the center Of a
hemp-producing area where the
fields are within radius of Is
miles of the plant. The plant is con-
structed with ample storage space
for supply of hemp stalks, dry
kiln for conditioning the hemp for
breaking, a machine room and stOr-
age house for baled fiber. The ma
chinery consists of a hemp brake of
ample strength and capacity and
power scutchers, balers, conveyors
and other minor machinery, all of
which are protected from wind and
weather, two of the greatest hinder
ances to open air power hemp-break-
ing. 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
thuss done away with by the ability
of power breakers to break out hemp
of any degree of retting." 49,.
A plant of the type described above
would solve the labor problem for the
growers of hemp. At the same time
lit would produce standard fiber of
very much higher quality so that a
stable could be secured.
Cooperative marketing is suggest
ed by the bulletin as a solution for
the fluctuating prices which the Ken
lucky grower has secured in handl-
ing his crop. Experiments in coop
erative have been tried quite sue
cessfully and the bulletin has the fol-
lowing to say concerning some of
them:
AN experiment was carried out
during the selling season of 1917
with the intention of testing out
the comparative advantages of CO.
operative sales of hemp beaween the
farmer and the manufacturer. Farm
ers' hemp associations were formed
in ten counties for the purpose of
grading, baling and storing the fiber
at local points. Each of the ten
counties then elected a representative
to a central association, the duties of
which were to inspect and sell the
fiber Investigations of the Expert
ment station in the terminal markets
produced considerable information
respecting methods of sale and avail
able outlets. 1t resulted that the
mills were not in favor of buying
hemp directly from the individual
farmers on account of the added ex-
pense entai1ed and the lack of relia-
bic information regarding the ship
per. Hemp being a product. which,
up to the present time, has been
bought mainly upon inspection back
ed by the integrity of the seller,
the mills were not willing to make