THE extensive usefulness of Hemp, the little interference of its culture with the other work of farmers in America; and when water-rotted, the ease with which it is produced and prepared for rope, as well as the general certainty of the crop with a good price, led me to admire it in preference to other uncommon articles of crop.^*

Much is said of the cultivation of Hemp; and the [...]e appears a considerable variety in the modes of management [...] My practice was simple. Ground, level and rather low, not wet, and a mellow loam, whether of the sandy or clayey sorts, was preferred. These soils are not cold; and when well cleaned and prepared by [...] plowings and a due quantity of manure, [...] are in condition to yield many repeated [Page 2]crops of Hemp; a little manure being now and then added.^†

Farmers without experience, if not also without thought on the subject, say their lands will not bring Hemp. Most kinds of soil will yield good crops of it, if not wet. If poor, manure them. Every husbandman can manu [...] and cultivate land enough for giving him rich [...]ops of Hemp. The plowings for reducing ground to a mellow garden-like state should be many, preceding the first sowing. Every time that young weeds appear, plow them in re­peatedly. When the ground is thus well cleared of the seeds of weeds, then sow Hemp-seed, and repeat it year after year on the same ground; giving it a little manure and two autumnal plowings; and the like plowings with harrowings in the next spring, imme­diately before sowing. If to cultivate an acre thus highly should deter the farmer, let him at first try a fourth of it; which would give him more than he would want of traces, leading lines and other rope. The spinning and working of it up would be mere play: but, as is seen below, making as much Hemp as he can for market, would yield him a good income.^*

April, when the ground is moist, clean and mel­low, in garden-like condition from plowings and harrowings is the time for sowing [...] The [Page 3]plants then soon appear, and rapidly cover and shel­ter the whole surface of the ground; whereby we [...]ds are kept under, and exhalation is greatly prevented My Hemp never suffered materially from drought but once, and that of a sowing in May. It was never found necessary to weed what was sowed for a crop: but only such as was sown thin for producing seed. Sometimes seed was saved from the margin of the field, where the plants had room to branch and were coarse.

When the male or impregnating plants shewed maturity by some change in the colour, and by the farina or dust flying off from the blossoms, all was pulled up, both male and female: and the pulling of every day was put into a salt water cove, in the evening of the same day, bound up in small bundles, and sunk 4½ feet in the water, in a thick square bed. On the third day it was inspected; and from the third to the fifth it was enough rotted, as it is called. In examining it, with finger and thumb some of the roots were broke. If they bent or were tough, it was not enough: when they snapt off short like glass, it was enough: but the bark also was tried. The Hemp was then taken out of the water, and the heads laid sloping down to drain 'till morning; for it was usually taken out in the evening. In the morning it was spread, and whilst drying once turned. In a few [Page 4]fair days it was dry, and then carted to an old tobacco house, where it was bulked up 'till the hurry of se­ [...] [...] [...]ops was over. It was broke and swingled in the next winter. Some of it was made into ropes for my farms; the rest sold to rope-makers, from the swingle. The rope was bright and strong, and said to [...]e of a quality enti [...]ling it to the bounty then offered for water- [...]ed Hemp.

A small part of one of my crops of Hemp was dea rotted: which was sufficiently disguisting to forbid a repetition or that mode. It was a redious while on the ground. Winds blew it about and entangled it. It rotted partially: not the whole of the same fibre alike. Here it was strong: there weak.

Where there is only a stream of water, it might be proper not to place the Hemp in the stream; but, digging a deep oblong receptacle, let a sufficiency of the [...] pass through it, when full, on one side of the natural current. There rot the Hemp in clean water; which should constantly be coming into and passing through the pit, in a degree of plenty for preserving the water from corrupting or being stag­nant: but not so rapidly as to fret off its bark.^*

After pulling the Hemp, weeds grew up: which [Page 5]were reduced, and the ground was left in clean con­dition 'till the spring, by plowings.

[...]aving no minute of the quantity of seed sown, I can only recommend what seems best. But, it greatly depends on the slate of the ground, and the purposes for which the crop is intended. A little experience will ascertain the proper quantity. Two bushels of seed to an acre, I believe are a full portion for rope. A little less might be about the quantity I sowed. It is said in a publication by the Boston Committee of Agriculture, that in the common me­thod of sowing by broad cast, "not less than three bushels are usually sowed, and sometimes more, ac­cording to the richness of the soil." They sow a great deal in New England for making linens, espe­cially sail-cloth, as well as for ropes.

If the ground be good and well prepared, no crop is more certain than Hemp sowed in time and when the soil is moist. But, how uncertain is the tobacco crop! Failure of plants from frost, drought, or fly; want of seasonable weather for planting; web-worm, [...], horn-worm; buttening low, for want of rain: curling or frenching, from too much rain; house-burning or sunking whilst cur­ing; frost before housed; heating in bulk or in the hogshead; inspection, culling, &c. Cultivating to­bacco cleans, but exposes [...] soil to exhalation and washing away. It is only about a month that it shel­ters the ground: but Hemp shades it from May 'till about the first of August; and from early August it would be advantageously sheltered with a growth of buckwheat, 'till this blossoms; and then during a temperate [...] of heat, [...] plowed in as a manure. [Page 6]Buckwheat must not run to seed on ground to be sown with Hemp. I have had it spireing up and contend­ing with growing Hemp, 'till the buck has been five feet high.

The heaviest work in procuring Hemp, is the breaking and scutching or swingling it. But as it is the work of leisure winter, and every person who strips Tobacco can break and swingle Hemp: and moreover as hirelings, if necessary, are in that season easily obtained, this bugbear part of the business can assuredly be accomplished, and the Hemp got rid of at market in the spring.

A [...] planter gaining 20 hogsheads of tobacco from 20 acres of ground, value 800 dollars, might expect 12000 or 16000 lbs. of Hemp from the same ground, value 1000 or 1200 dollars. But, if the in­come from the Hemp should be a fourth less than from the tobacco crop, yet I would, on several ac­counts, prefer the hemp culture.

For the country house-wife who [...] in­formation, the following is inserted as what I have read of a method of softning and preparing Hemp, for naking it into linen. The Hemp is laid at full length in a kettle. If the kettle is too small to admit it at full length, the Hemp may be doubled, but without twisting it; only the small end of every hand is twisted a little, to [...]eep the hands whole, and from tangling. Smooth sticks are laid in the bottom of the kettle, across and across three or four layers, according to the size and depth of the kettle; which is for keeping the Hemp from touching the liquor. Then pour lie of middling strength, half the strength of that for soap, gently into the ke [...] 'till it [...]es [Page 7]nearly to the tops of the sticks. The Hemp is then laid in, layer crossing layer, so that the steam may pass through the whole body of the Hemp. The kettle is now covered close as can be, and hung over a very gentle fire to stew or simmer, but not boil, so as to raise a good steam for 6 or 8 hours. It is then taken off, and let stand covered 'till the Hemp is cool enough to be handled. It is now taken out, and wrung very carefully, 'till dry as can be: then hang it up out of the way of the wind, in a garret or ba [...]n with all the doors shut. Here it remains, now and then turning it, 'till perfectly dry. Then pack it up in a close, dry place, 'till it is to be used. Yet at times it is to be visited, and examined if any part has become damp. At leisure, twist up as many hands of Hemp as are intended for present use, hard as you can; and with a smart, round, smooth hand-beetle, on a smooth stone beat and pound each hand by itself, all over very well, turning it round till all is well bruised. Then untwist and hackle it through a coarse, and after it through a fine hackle. Hackling is performed in the same manner as if combing a fine head of hair; beginning at the ends below as these are entangled, rising higher and higher: at last the top of the head is reached. The first tow makes country rope; the second, oznabrigs, sheeting and bagging; and the pure Hemp excellent linen.