up, and set up loose in stacks about the size of corn-top stalks in the field, and when sufficiently dry, which will soon be the case, you may proceed to break it through the coarse break, which is carried from stack to stack for that purpose, and the hemp, thus rough broke, is carefully carried in each evening and laid away in the barn till you proceed to break it over in the fine break, and dress it for market. The coarse break is made in the form of the common flax breaks, about 4 feet 4 inches long, the slats are placed 7 inches a part in the back and 5 in the front, and the common flax break will answer for the second operation. With respect to the method of clearing the hemp of the shives, that is performed with a wooden knife, similar to that used for clearing of flax, but the shives are rather shook out with the point of the knive than by striking it hard, as that would tend to waste the hemp, and not expedite the business. After it is properly cleared of the shives, and rolled up in handfulls, like dressed flax, the loose ends are laid together in bundles from 50 to 100 weight, and then well bound round in three or four places with strong cords made of the hemp tow, and so sent off to market. The produce of an acre of land is estimated at from 4 to 600 weight; and good land, completely cleared, may be put out for one half of the crop, prepared for market, for the use of the land, which will often neat a profit of from 15 to 20 dollars the Our lands appear inexhaustible; some have been in constant use upwards of 20 years, and yet

acre.

R

produce well. If we find they begin to fail a lit tle, by scattering over from 20 to 25 bushels of ashes to the acre, they appear to produce as well as ever; and some persons are in the habit of sprinkling over from 10 to 20 bushels of ashes yearly, where the lands do not appear to fail, as they say they are amply compensated in the superior quality of the coat of the hemp.

THUS, Sir, I have endeavored to answer your several enquiries, and to give as perfect an account as I am able at present of the kind of land, and the mode of draining, clearing and sowing it; and of cutting, rotting, clearing and putting up for market, the hemp raised in this part of the country. Yet, I don't hesitate to say that, in my opinion, many improvements may be made. I have no doubt, that where a person has a conveniency for erecting a small dam, and could let the water in and out at his pleasure, it would be to his advantage to water-rot his hemp, in preference to rotting it in the common mode. The water-rotted hemp is of a lighter color, and perhaps stronger; however, it is preferred by the rope-maker, perhaps because he ean bury more tar in it in the manufacturing of it into cordage, which he sells by the pound at the same rate. But where a person has not the convéniency of erecting a dam, as above described, the extra. labour it would take to water-rot it, would make the common mode the preferable, while labor remains as high as it now is. I am also of opinion, that a great saving

might be made, by erecting a mill or some proper machine for breaking of hemp; the common mode is not only laborious, but slow; and I believe, by breaking the stalk short in the common break is apt to injure the coat. I should suppose, if it could be mashed or bruised flat in the first process, would be much preferable.

I HAVE not the least doubt, that the flats on the Genesee and Tioga rivers, and many other tracts in the western country, would produce hemp of the first quality, and in great abundance, provided it was not injured by the overflowing of the rivers after the hemp had started. Should the people of the western country go largely into the raising of hemp, they would find their account in it to erect rope-walks, and manufacture it into cordage, as they would find it much safer and more convenient to transport the cordage to market than the hemp, as hemp is soon injured by wet, and very difficult to dry when wet, besides the manufactures could be supported at half the expense in a country abounding in provisions.

I am, with great esteem,

Your humble servant,

W. THOMPSON.

ON THE CULTURE OF HEMP.

In a letter from JAMES GEDDES, Esquire, of ONONDAGA COUNTY, to E. L'HOMMEDIEU, Vice Pres. of the Society.

ONONDAGA, March 6th, 1803.

SIR,

ACCORDING

the

CCORDING to your request, I send you result of my observations and enquiries on raising hemp.

SOIL. The soil must be very loose and light, and of the very first quality, or it will not, in its natural state, produce good hemp. And it oughtthen (though new) to be prepared the season before, with a good crop of turnips, potatoes or Indian corn. There is a great deal of land in the lake country, which has the appearance of a good hemp soil; and our warm moist seasons, which we call good corn years, will be likewise good hemp years. The humidity of our atmosphere will, if we can have a sufficient degree of warmth with it in the months of May and June, be very favorable to the growth of hemp. Notwithstanding the similarity of hemp to flax in every other respect, it differs from it in growing well on the same ground, for several years successively, without manure, if the soil be good. As to a soil for hemp, "It is wor"thy of observation, as a fact established by much "experience, that under proper clover and plaister

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management, the poorest soil, if not too wet and

heavy, may be improved into the best hemp "lands, much to the profit of the cultivator: The

produce will leave in his hands a very high com"pensation for his labor and expense, and a ten"fold increase in the value of his land. But it "must be observed, that the best methods of in"creasing manure, by stabling and littering cattle, "must be attended to."

PRODUCE. Hemp in length from 6 to 8 feet, with many and small st lks, is considered the best growth, and will, in some extraordinary cases, yield 1000 lb. per acre; 500 lb. is a bad crop; 700 or 800 lb. are good crops.

CULTIVATION.-After having received the preparation the year before, as above, and all the intended manure, if any is bestowed, the ground must receive a very late ploughing in the fall, another ploughing very early in the spring-soon after well harrowed-ploughed again in the first and second weeks of May, and then sown-From a bushel to a bushel and a half of seed per acre-The best soil the most seed.. If too much seed is sown on the ground, "there is no other disadvantage than the "loss of a part of it; for though too large a growth

may start, a part of it will immediately fall back, "and after a few good growing days cannot be dis"cerned." Cne-third of an acre of the best hemp is a great day's labor in pulling. The earth should Each hand pulls a

be well shaken from the roots.