Vincennes Gazette, Volume 11, Number 40, Vincennes, Knox County, 12 March 1842 — Page 1

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''TRUTH WITHOUT FEX1Z VOLUMK XI. VLCi:.ES? INDIANA, SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH V2, 1812. NO. 10.

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Nature's Music. There's music in the wild winJa rue, A n J in the ravins storm. When the spirits of the tempests sliowf, His dark and awful form. There's music in the thunder-claw, And in the dreadful crash. Which mark the desolation of The vivid lightning's flash. There's muic in the breeze that sihs Alons; : he lonely shore, And stul more deep-toned music in The troubled ocean's roar. Tiiere's music in th worlds that toll In silence through the sky; ln writt. it.' though that music be, 'Tis sweetest melody. There's music in the thrilling laugh Of cheerful infancy, Which bursts from its enraptured heart I'ngagcd iu joyous glee. There's inu-M , melting, soft and sweet, Breathed Iy a kind friend's voice, Whose word fall soothing on the ear, And make the heart rejoice. There's mu-dc in the voice which speaks The Toivq of ardent love, Those words which would not soil the lips Of holy saints above The deep, impassioned, thrilling tones, Which tell of rapture's height, And pour into the ravished heart liitffable delight. There's mu.-dc iu the mother's pliant, Though it be sad and wild, When bending o'er the lifeless form Of her beloved child. There's music when the spirit, bowed Benea'h wtHiction's rod, Submissively pours frth its prayers Before the throne of (iod. From the Kentucky Tarnier. An C3sy on ths cultivation of Hemp. T.,- ,ia : h is ,v -I! 1! ug to l ' done, by a per-DO. t engage in t!e culture of ai:. iv i h-TC iuoerod .MC-ll V. t'jr his future easily injure: crop. . anJ unon 1 so I! as tliat W crop of S ) : turmers tnat v.-u v - v : : w i , '. i i.u us.-if suiiicientlv, I a 1 1 ; 1 1 : a 1 1 irow a? it wii: -u;-i',J m over oMantitv of ,e i n r ; M'r' rot r .i h i obviate,! i 10 hemp gr v.vm. T.H5 is cor 'm. r c?eno. ar. quantity ot of the h .Ti; ro "::,ui will i s ''A :i, tun' ! com or i n i in wrii.M WUL U ;:;ke fro n t'v o tl of t Lie n - ,.ri-jii!ii"nt oiherwi -e have r- cot when the vnlcr-' i iig h c .'U-ei pi-'ii'd v will no'. ;Mg'lt as it u o l d La' i the v o the would n;riid '. vrisii : ; n r.o tr i". 1 otherwise .e;i-. Ile.-.'ies, th;n lorf.on ot tue he n w.ueii lioris:;. wih iva:i n!!.?truo!ion m cutting, -.reading and i.-reaking, wit!i--ut furnish.n '- an !uit. It may, therefore, be laid .S,ov:i a a i-orreot urinci; le, in th e culture ot n em that onSv so much seed should i ) sown i M" a.are as i.a; miu w hi uau to j.erle'etion, or as near itiai tpaauuiv as tiracticable. i! as it is impossible todistribute the see i so as to give ev ery foot of ground i'sd ie proportion, it is more safe to sow rather an over than an under quantity of seed. The foregoing consideration, it is believed, will be suificient to impress upon the cultivators of hemp the importance of raising their own seed. They will have perfect knowledge of its quality, and will therefore know how to regulate the quantity to be sown per acre. They will, moreover. Iu; assured that it is free from other seed, such as foxtail, &c. The rice's: ground is the best adapted t-i rnis'.n r of iiemn seed: and that which ha beenhighlv manured is better than j newlv clare 1 lew , even of the most fertde quality. Land which has been long in grass, an 1 pastured by cattle or sheep, is verv suitable for the purpose. To prep-ire ground for hemp seed, it should be liuelv nulveii.ed bv repeated ploughings; and if gra -stand is intended to be used, it should be ploughed the preceding tall, so that the ground mav be only more com pletely pulverised, but that the danger of the hemp being cut by worms may ue avoided. Timothy meadow, upou which sheep have been long pastured, during the winter, is finely adapted for hemp seed, but it should be ploughed in the fall, and. if notverv rich, should have a dressing of manure. The seed should bo planted as we do com, either in hills or drills. I prefer the former because it admits of easier and better cultivation, as the plough can be used both ways. It is usual to plant five feet apart, each way, and suffer four or five stocks to stand in a hill until the blossom hemp is removed, and then reduce the number eo as not to exceed two stalks in a hill. Thus there would be two seed plants to every twenty-five square feet. It woul 1 be a better practice to make the hills three feet six in :hes apart, each way. r.nd thin the hemp to three stalk in a hill, till the b!o5?em hcuip appears, an 1 at the1

proper time cut out the blossom or male hemp, and, if necessary a part of the seed hemp, so as to reduce the latter to ono stock in a hill. If each hill should contain one stalk, there would be seed stalks for each twenty-four and a half square feet. This will give a greater number o seed stalks per acre than planting five feet each way, and leaving two in a hill. According to this plan, each seed plant should stand by itself, and, having ita appropriate space of ground, can spread its branches without obstruction. According to the other plan, two seed plants, standing together will obstruct each other, in putting forth lateral branches, and can scarcely be expected to produce twice as much seed as the singlo stalk. The ground for hemp seed, having been well prepared by at least two ploughings, and a number of harrowing, sufficient to pulverise the ground, it should be laid off as above directed, and planted in the same manner as corn, except that the seed need not be covered more than an inch or an inch and half deep. Twelve or fifteen seed should be dropped in each hill, which should be somewhat scattered to prevent them from being too much crowded in the hill. Though good hemp seed is certain to come up, yet it is prudent to plant about the number suggested to guard against casualties. Soon after hemp seed comes up, a small shovel plough should be run through both ways, once in a row. If the ground is not foul, the ploughing may be delayed till the hemp is a few inches high, which will enable the ploughman to avoid throwing the dirt on the tender plants. The hoes should follow the second ploughing, and clean away the weeds, if any, in or near the hill, and thin out the hemp to seven or eight stalks. These should be the most thrifty plants, and somewhat separated from each other. The ploughing should be repeated, from time to time, so as to keep the ground light and free from weeds. And when the

plants are about a foot or a fxt and a half high. the hoes should again go over the ground. a:iei careiuuv cut uown anv weeus or grass which mav have escaped the plough. The plants should bestill further thinned out. at tiiis time, leaving but four in a hill, and sonic fine mould drawn arcun 1 the plants, so as to cover up any small weeds that may have come up around tuem. Afte r see d hemp ha? attained the height of about a fcot an I a h: If, it will soon be too large to plough, but it ought to have one ploughing after the last hoeing. Tho grouu 0 time. will have ee so much shaded by the hemp plants i re vent vc is i roiii growing. etui to no more injury, and n.taing more j need be done but for a boy to follow the uid , i , iU Jii, mm i it oiiee juiu a nail illi uc i, the iistance of t!ie hills r.;art) re. luce the nmnher of plants invariably to ttnc, ta.iing care to r. -move those wnich ino last ploughing may iiave broken or iiijured, by the treading of the horse or otherwise. The next operation will bo to cut out the blossom or male hemp. This, according to trie opinion of some farmers, should lie done as soon as the blossom begi is to show, iu order to make more room for the seed he mo to grow and spread its branch es. This opinion must bo taken with some allowance. The farina or pollen of the male hemp is necessary to fertilize the seed-bearing plants. The seed of the latter wouhl be wholly unproductive, if the ivhole of the male hemp should be cut be fore its pollen has been thrown out. If those farmers who cut their blossom hemp at the first moment it can be distinguish ed from the seed-bearing plants, do not entirelv destroy their seed, it is because many blossom plants escape, in consequence of their not having shown their sex at the time the blossom hemp is cut, or because adjacent hemp fields may have furnished a sufficient quantity of pollen to fertilize, at least in part, the seed-bearing plants. It is important to cut the male hemp as soon as it has performed its of fice, because much room is thereby afforded to the seed-bearing plants to spread their branches. The following course might be pursued w"J advantage. When the seed hemp is so far advanced as to enable one readily to distinguish the male from the female plants, let all the blossom hemp be cut out, except one stalk in every other full and every other row. This would leave one stalk of male hemp for every four hills. These, together with the stalks which should hereafter blossom, would be suificient to fertilize the seed-bearing plants, and secure a crop of perfect seed. After the blossom plants, thus left, have been permitted to remain until they have pretty well discharged their pollen, (which can easily be ascertained by dust ceasing to flow from them when agitated,) they, also, should be cut down. Some farmers top the seed plants when five or six feet high, to make them branch more freely, but this is not necessary when but one or two seed-bearing plants ore sunered to remain in each hill. Hemp seed should be planted early in the month of April. Karl' planting succeeds best. If the grounel is in proper condition, it may be planted even as early as the middle of March. Hemp is a hardy plant, and will not. as i3 supposed by some, be iiijured by frost. It is also an error to suppose seed hemp should not be cut before it receives a slight frost. If planted early, it will be fit to cut from the first t) tha fifteenth of September, and

there is no necessity to wait for frost.

On the contrary, it is better to cut before it receives any frost because the seeels drop out by handling much moro easy after it has received a frost than before, and consequently there will be greater waste. In cutting the seed plants, care should be taken to agitate them as little as possible, as the seeds dropout very easily when they are ripe. A sharp hemp-hook, of a circular form, is the best instrument for cutting hemp. The operator should grasp the stalk in one hand, and bend it gently towards him, and with the other should place the blade of the hemp-hoak against the stalk, about a foot from the ground, and by a gentle pull the stalk will be cut transversly, with but little agitation. The stalks should be laid gently on the ground, so as not to shatter out the seed, four hills in a heap. This operation should be performed in the morning, uhild the dew is on the hemp, as the seeds will then be less liable to shatter out. There are two modes of managing seed hemp after it is cut. One is to set the stalks up in open shocks, until they are sufficiently dry to thresh out. and then haul them on a slide to a dirt floor, prepared for the purpose, and there thresh out the seed. The other method is to prepare a large floor on the earth, adjacent to the seed hemp, and by means of forks arranged along the floor, to pet up the seed plants in a kind of a rick, the butts, on the ground, and the tops against the pole on each side. The former plan is objectionable, upon the ground that all the seed which shatters out before the time of threshing, will be lost; and also, because of the impossibility of removing the seed hemp from the shocks to the slide without a considerable loss of seed. The latter plan requires more labor in preparing the floor, but is much more economical in saving seed, and should be preferred. A sled should be employed to transfer the seed hemp to the floor. If a sheet be spread on the sled, there will be scarcely any loss of seed in hauling, as it can be driven so close to the fliior as that ail the reed that may shatter off in hauling will either fallen the sheet or on the llor. The seed hemp bhould be sudercd to stand in rick till thoroughly dry. If it should receive some rain, it will be an advantage, as this will cause tue sed to separate more readily from the chalf, and will facilitate tiie operation of threshing, If the season should be very wet, there may be danger cf the seed snrouting in the rick. This must be. guar led ag.--.inst. by opening the lops of the hemp, (which will have been pressed to xl.ier bv tue ram.) so as to give it ;er und sun, as soon ai the weather clearsclf. After much rain the seed may be thresh ed out, even u hen the tops are quite damp. ir even wet, and it should be got out withi , ... i ... i Iout uelav.to prevent tnc see i irom spruurmg. Hut, if gr't out when damp, the chaff and hemp seed will become warm in a few hours after it is heaped tip. To prevent its injuring, it should be run through a fan on the same day it is threshed, and taken to the barn or some dry shelter, where it should be spread out, and fre quently stirred, until it becomes thorough ly dry, and cured; wnen it should be again run through the fan, and put away in barrels with open heads, in a house which is dry, and to which rats can nave no access, as they are very destructive to hemp seed. A house erected upon posts, four feet high, is the best security against these troublesome animals. If the seed hemp get rain after it is set up in rick, it may be threshed out in a week or ten days, or sooner if it begins to sprout. If it get no rain, it may stand longer in rick. The most convenient mode of threshing is for each hand to have a plank, about twelve or fifteen fept long, and fifteen or eighteen inches wide, set up against the pole, (at an angle of forty-five degrees,) against which the seed hemp was ricked. The operator threshes out the seed by taking one, two or three plants at a time, (according to their size,) in his hands, and beating them against the plank. As the seed comes out very easily, a few blows are sufficient te knock all the seed out, when the plants are thrown off the floor in heaps, where they may be burnt, or may be used for covering shelters for hogs, cattle, &c. They are said also to bo very valuable for making charcoal for powder manufactories. They are of no value for lint. It isthe safest course, even when the hemp is perfectly dry at the time of thrashing, to haul the seed, after it has been once run through the fan, to the barn or some dry shelter, and there spread it out thin, and suffer it to be cured before it is cleaned and put away. This will be a great security against its heating in the barrels, which would be certain to spoil the hemp seed. If, however, the seed hemp has stood long enough in rick, for the seed to become perfectly cured, the trouble of hauling it to the barn maybe dispensed with, and it may be run through the fan, at the place where it is threshed. But to avoid getting dirt with the seed, it should be run upon a sheet at the second cleaning, and measured there into bags. Old seed will generally not answer for so win-'. During the summer succeeding the year in which it was reared, it goes through hear, winch destroys its vegetating powers. If, however, it were to be spread out thin, on a dry floor, before the commencement of warm weather and

kept thus spread out during the summer, there can be no doubt it would answer for sowing the ensuing year. Hut it is always safest not to trust to old seed without having first tested it by planting a number of seeds, and thus ascertaining how many will vegetate. The floor for getting out seed should be prepared before the time for cutting arrives. It should be as convenient as practicable to save hauling. I usually leave a space alongside of my seed hemp for the purpose. This may be planted among pumpkins, and cultivated with the plough. Shortly before the seed hemp is cut, the pumpking and vines are removed, the

ground is well harrowed, and then trod by horses, until it becomes sufficiently solid, and is then scraped with hoes, to make it smooth, swept, ccc, The next step in the process of hemp raising is to prepare the ground for receiving the seed. This should be done by thoroughly pulverizing the soil. Hemp, more than most other crops, requires that this should be done in as complete and perfect n manner as possible. Tho hempgrower may always expect his crop to be increased in proportion as this operation is well performed. This can be best accomplished by ploughing the ground intended for hemp the preceding fall, or early in the winter, so that it may have the benefit of the winter frosts. It should be ploughed deep, and left in a rough state, without harrowing. Not a hoof should be suffered to go upon it. Shortly after sowing, it should again be ploughed and harrowed. The latter is necessary to level the ground, in order to prevent the seed from rolling into the sinuosities and thus render hemp uneven. It should now be sowed and harrowed both ways, or harrowed one way and then rolled or brushed the other way. This is preferable, as it will lay tho surface of the ground more level, an ! will facilitate the cutting operation, enabling the workmen to cut closer to the grouiK in 1 thus U This is the. most advisable course for early sowing, when there is always a sufficient quantity of moisiurein the ground to bring the seed up. Hut if ihere is any doubt about there being suificient moisture in the ground to cause all tho seed to vegetate, it is moro safe to plough the seed in with shovel-ploughs. These will cover the seed to such a depth as will insure their coming up. unlei',.s the ground should be very dry. I'.) that case there is iu alternative, but to wait for rain before you sow. Ditferent opinions prevail a-3 to the proper quantit v of seed to bo sown per acre. Aiv experience, which has been considerable, convinces me that the quantity of good seed, upon well prepared ground, and sown when there is in :; ture enough in it to bring it all up, need not exceed one bushel and an eighth per acre; but, as the most skillful sower cannot scatter the shed so hs to gi veeverv portion of ground its due proport-on, it would be rdvisabio to sow a bushel and a peck per acre. .MillUIIUU gl U'JiiU Of.M ilOi ail'- U Ul SO V, ,'1 forheinp, the fu st year, a3 that winch has been laving louo- in grass. If recently and highly manured, it is apt to make the hemp grow too coarse. Land which has been several years in clover, (if it had not previously been too much reduced by bad husbandry.) is well adapted to hemp; but it is sometimes seriously affected by tho cut-worm and other insects. To guard against these, clover should always be ploughed the previous fall or early in the winter. A still greater safeguard is to sow clover ground late in the month of May. Hemp may be sowed upon the same ground many years in succession, to great advantage; and as, after the first year, the cut-worm is not very troublesome, there will be a necessity of taking the precaution of sowing late only one year. Land which has long lain in blue grass, especially if pastured by sheep, is finely adapted to the growth of hemp. Hut to make it produce well the first year, it is essential that the sod should be well turned over the preceding fall, so that it may have time to decompose, and become thoroughly pulverized. Newlv cleaned land is not so good for hemp as that which has been in cultivation a year or two in corn. Hut if sowed after corn, tho stalks should be cut close to the ground the previous fall, and the roots of the corn should be turned under with a plough, so that they may have time to rot. They will be somewhat in the way, in cutting hemp the first year, but will be no trouble afterwards. It is very important for the hemp-grow er, to have his ground for hemp set apart in fields, in which nothing else grows. These may be kept for hemp a great length of time without any change, and consequent!' there will be no necessity tor suffering any kind of stock to go upon the hemp ground. The soil will thus bo kept light and mellow. As soon as the hemp of the previous crop is off the ground it should be ploughed deep, turning all the hemp stubble and roots under. If this can be done in time to have the benefit of the spring frosts, so much the better. It should not be harrowed (if ploughed early enough to have the benefit of the spring frosts.) till the time for sowing. With one harrowing before, and two after, the crop wi'd be pitched. If, in consequer.ee of heavy iain the ground should have become baked, it would be better t plough

the seed in with shovel ploughs, so as to render the ground light. And in all cases

where there is a doubt whether there is a sufficient quantity of moisture in the ground to bring the seed up by harrowing, tho shovel plough should bo substituted, as it will cover the seed much deeper, where it will find moisture to make it vegetable, If harrowed in when the ground is very, dry, that which is covered to some depth ' will sprout and come uo, btrt that portion of the seed which lies near the surface will not vegetate till it rains. If there be only one week between the coming up of

Uia first and last portion, of the seed, the ( it in sheaves, without beating off the mer will be so far behirfcie other as to leaves. The binders throw the sheaves be always what is called undeing hemp, j into two rows, with a sufficient space beand will be of no value, whilst tfflfh which ( tween for a wagon to pass. While the came up at first will be too thin, and wilf process of binding is going on, a wagon consequently grow very coarse. This 'and three hands, (two to pitch and one to should be most carefully guarded against. ;load.) is engaged in hauling the hemp Hemp may be sowed at any time be- to the rick and ricking it. The rick tween the 10th of April and last of May, should be in a central part, so as to require tchen the ground is in a proper state fori the hrmp to be removed as 6hort a dissowing, that is neither too wet nor too dry. tance as possible. Thus the process of Early sowed hemp generally produces the taking up, binding, hauling, and ricking

best crop. It would be best to sow not later than the 20th of May, if it can be avoided, but hemp sowed the 10th of June will make itself before frost, though in general the crop will be light. To give time to cut a large crop of hemp before it becomes too ripe, it should be sowed at different times so as to allow four or five weeks between the first and last sowing. Some seasons hemp mav be sowed as early as the first of April. Frosts will not destroy it, but if sowed too early, its growth may be considerably checked by a succession of cold frosty weather, after the hemp gets up. This will have the effect of preventing it from attaining the height to which it ought to grow, and will considerably reduce the yield per acre. There is, however, not much danger of this, if not sowed before the 10th of April. If the last sowing be on the 20th of Mav, there will be a period of forty days between the first and last sewing. This will produce such a difference in the period of ripening as to give sufficient time fur cutting and ricking. The time for cutting or pulling hemp is indicated by the leaves of the male hemp becoming ytUuw, and most of them dropping off. I'p in a close examination about this period, it will be found that some of he :j!o soni stalks will have entirely shed their h aves, and begun to turn of a dark Ca color, having lost their yellow hue. When this discovery is made, no tune should be lost in cutting or pulling the hemp. Hut it may stand a week longer without any very material injury, except that tho b'osom htenp will not take so g d a root, and widbe somewhat worsp to brea.. There is s'.il some difference of opinion as to the best mode of securing hemu after it is ripe. Pulling is still practise. some, ari l it is probate hmt e lint :I1 i . saveu m :.:at way lat.n iv cutting, a is coi tain that by cutting, some lint will be lost, as with tho utmost care two or t! ree inches next the ground must be lost. On the .hand, mr;nv advantages attend tho cutting of hemp, which will more than overbalance this loss. Cutting is more expeditious than pulling. This is considerably less weight to handle in all the subsequent operations, such as taking up and binding, loading, and hauling to the rick or stack, loading and hauling out to spread for rotting, again taking up and shocking, j and finally, the trouble and expense of breaking, (the price of breaking pulled! hemp being considerably higher.) In all these operations the roots are very much' in the way, and particularly so in spreading, and considerably increase the time requisite for going through the various manipulations the hemp must undergo. In a word, w hen hemp is cut, the hemp grower can manage a much larger crop, which will greatly more than counterbalance the loss bv cutting. To this should be added, that cut hemp makes superior lint, and will always have a preference over that which has been pulled, because of the coarse bark which comes off that part of the stalk near the ground forming a part of the lint of the latter. Another advantage in favor of cutting is, tha? the roots and stubble, when ploughed under, have a tendency to render the soil light, and, when decomposed, forms a light dressing of manure. These considerations should give a decided preference to cutting over pulling of hemp. With hemp-hooks, tolerable hands will cut, onan average, half an acre each with cradling scythes, (W. L. Larimore's) an acre may be cut with ease, by g.xxl hands, in hemp not exceeding six or seven feet high. If hemp is coarse or taller than seven feet, it cannot be well managed with scythes. This instrument requires a smooth bottom to do gojd work. When hemp is cut or pulled, it should be spread on the ground, keeping the buit ends even, and should be suffered to lie till well cured. This will require a week or somewhat less, if the weather is clear and warm. If it get a rain, in the mean lime, it will be an advantage, as it will cause the leaves more readily to leave the stalks. There are different modes of treating the hemp crop after it is cut and cuied. Tr. I.fuirnore has recently ma.Ic rn improve ment on his cradle. The improve.! cradle, I hne learned can be used to advantage in cutting hen.jj of any height, if not too o-ir .c tt,tl!:ed, which should always he truarded atrainst bv fowir:cl enough seed on the groui.J when in a pr-per state.'

By some the leaves are beat off, and then, without binding it in sheaves, it is put in

shocks, tying two bands round each, one near the top and the other about eighteen inches lower down. In this condition it is suffered to remain till the proper period for spreading it out to rot. By others it is bound in sheaves, (some beating the leaves off and some not.) and put up in shocks, where it is suffered to stand till there is leisure, when it is put in stacks or ricks. A third practice (and that which I deem the best) is to take up the hemp as soon as it is sufficiently cured, and bind all progress together. In this way, five hands will put up a stout rick in two days and cover it. By having two wagons and ten hands, it may be accomplished in one day. It is proper to remark, that for making the roof of the rick, it is ne cessary to have long hemp, from which the leaves should be beat off. In this state only will hemp make a secure roof. Ricking is piefcrable to stacking, because the former secures completely all the hemp from the weather, except that which composes the roof, while stackig leaves the butts exposed. The first practice, above suggested, is objectionable upon the ground that the outsides of all the stacks are exposed to the weather for several months, before the time of spreading arrives, and is generally much injured by the weather, eepecially during wet falls. If the fall should be very dry, the outside of all the shocks will be partially rotted; and rs these must be spread with the part of the hemp which has had no rain or dew, they will be too much watered before the balance is fit to be taken up, and will sometimes be entirely ruined. The second practice, where the leaves are beat cj!', is objectionable because of the great increase of lbor. the process of beating off leaves being very slow and tedious: and when the leaves are not b Ctt. ajf, though there is not so much extra labor, if die weather is favorable, vet there is danger of the hemp being seriously injured if there should be much rdn. The rain will gradually penetra e the shocks to the very centre, and iu consequence of the leaves being packed so closelv, the shocks cannot dry without opening them and loosening the lops of each sheaf. And, while drying, there will be a risk of again getting wet from rain. This plan is, therefore, more objectionable than beating off lii. leaves before shocking. I sm SrtiUfied, from actual experiment, (hav;pg tried all these different methods.) that tha: bet way of managing hemp, after it is cut and cured, is to bind and rick it ns hereinbefore desreribed without besting the leaves off, except for the cover. if the hemp be wtii cured and ricked, when perfectly dry, many of the leaves will scatter off in the process of ricking. Most of those remaining on the hemp will shake off when it is hauled out and spread. It is an advantage to have the leaves pretty well separated from the stalks before or at tiie time of spreading out to rot. But this object will be fufficiently attained by the handling of the hemp, in the different proceses of binding, ricking, hauling out and spreading. There is a difference of opinion, also, as to the best ground upon which to spread hemp. Some choose meadow ground, in preference to any other place. I formerly pursued that practice, but have abandoned it from a perfect conviction that the ground upon which the hemp grows is the most suitable place to spread it for rotting. 1. This saves much time in ricking, as the ricks may always be on the ground on which the hemp grew, and as nearly central as may be to that part of the hemp which is to be put in the rick. 2. All the manure arising from the leaves, half formed seed, &c, will bo left on the ground. 3. The hemp rots or is watered quicker and more regularly than it does on grass land. 4. If spread on hemp-ground you are sure to guard against stock running there, and the ground is consequently kept in good condition for another crop. Besides the ground is benefitted by being covered with the hemp while rotting. 5. If spread on meadow-ground, much of the grass w ill be injured by burning the hemp slaves; and if the hemp is not sufficiently watered before the grass springs up among it, it will not obtain a good rot, and rnav be seriously injured. The best lime for spreading hemp is in the month of December. Jt then receives what is called "a winter rot,'' and makes the lint of the hemp a light color, and its quali v better than if spread out early. Hut w here a farmer has a large crop, it is desirable to have a part of his hemp ready to take up late in December, so that ho may commence breaking in January. It would net he prudent to spread eai lier, ? herno will not obtain a good rot if spread out when the weather is warm. Tiie experienced hemp-grower is at no loss r tell when hemp is sufficiently wa-