- XVII. An Essay on the
- Cultivation of Russian
- Hemp
-
- JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
-
- [This was written at a time when the US grew and imported
large amounts of hemp; it may seem strange that a US president would write
on this subject, as it is illegal to grow it today in the Homeland. Other
articles on the rense.com site can give a very complete history of that.
The following was part of US Congressional record.
-
- It might be worth noting that many Americans are working
with hemp. In New York City, one can eat hemp at the Galaxy Global Eatery,
just north of the Village, and on the West Coast one can go to a weekly
happy hour at Nirvana Ranch a short walk from the beach in Venice. Hemp
businesses from sea to shining sea are in fact appearing. Adams and the
Founding Fathers who grew hemp would be proud of people like Jack Herer,
Mina Hegaard and Dennis Cicero. Hmm I wonder what they would think about
W?]
-
-
 On the culture and preparing the hemp
in Russia, transmitted by the Hon. J. Q. Adams, Minister at St. Petersburg,
March, 1810.
-
- In Russia, when the season is mild, the hemp seed is
sown about the 1st June, old style. The richer the soil of the land employed
for it, the better. A chetwirt of seed, (100 chetwirts are equal to 73
quarters, Winchester measure,) is sown on a piece of land of 80 fathoms
(English feet) long and 60 fathoms broad.
-
- The land is first ploughed and harrowed, and, about 200
single horse loads of dung being spread upon it, it is left for six days,
when it is again ploughed, and the seed sown and harrowed the same day.
In about four months the seed becomes ripe, and the hemp is then pulled
up with the roots; if it be allowed to remain too long in the ground, it
is apt to become harsh. It is bound into heads or bunches of four handfuls
each; these are hung upon sticks placed horizontally, thus: x-0-0-0-0-0-0-x
and allowed to remain so for two days. It is then made into cut or thrashed
hemp as may be agreeable. The cut hemp is made buy chopping off the heads
containing the seed. These are put into the kiln, and, after remaining
there for eighteen hours, the seed is beaten out.
-
- If thrashed hemp is to be made, the heads or tops must
not be cut off, but the bunches of hemp placed entire in the kiln; and,
if the weather be warm, it will be sufficiently dry in three days, when
the seed must be thrashed out of the heads. In either case, three days
after the seed is separated from it, the hemp must be put to steep or rot,
either in a stream or a pond, and that the hemp may be entirely immersed,
it is put under wooden frames upon which stones are placed, or, where they
are not to be had, earth is substituted, after the frames are covered with
planks.
-
- The clearer and purer the water, the better will be the
color of the hemp. Where the water is warm, the better will be the color
of the hemp. Where the water is warm, three weeks steeping will be sufficient;
but, if cold, as in rivers, springs, &c. five weeks or longer may be
necessary. At the expiration of this period, a head of the hemp is taken
out and dried; if, on beating and cleaning it, the husk comes off, the
hemp may then be taken out of the water; but, if the husk still adheres
to it, it must be allowed to remain some time longer. This trial must
be repeated from time to time, till the husk separates, when the hemp must
be taken out of the water, and suspended to dry, as directed before, on
its being taken off the ground.
-
- The hemp is now made into the two sorts, distinguished
by the names of Spring and Winter hemp, the former being dry, and rather
of a withered appearance, the latter more moist, and of a fine brownish
green color, containing more of the vegetable oil, and, therefore, the
most apt to heat, though, if not shipped at St. Petersburg or Riga before
September, there is not much risk of its heating any more on board the
ships, especially on short voyages, as to England, and are the best fit
for cables. If it be intended that the hemp should be early ready for
the market, it is made into Winter hemp by the following process: On being
taken out of the water, it is left suspended in the open air for about
a fortnight, when it is put into the kiln for twenty-four hours, after
which it is broken by means of a hand-mill, and the husk is then beaten
off by striking the heads obliquely with iron and wooden instruments, of
the shape of a large two-edged knife; lastly, to unravel it, it is drawn
through a wooden comb, or card, with one row of wide wooden teeth, fixed
perpendicularly.
- The hemp is then laid up or suspended in sheds, and is
fit to be sorted, bound into bundles, and loaded the into barks.
-
- The hemp to be prepared as Spring hemp, is allowed to
remain suspended and exposed to the weather the whole Winter, until it
be dried by the sun in the Spring, when it is broken and cleaned in the
same manner as the Winter hemp.
-
- As the greatest part of the Summer elapses before it
can be made fit for the market, none of this hemp reaches St. Petersburg
until the following Spring, that is, two years after it was sown.
- The hemp is sown in the same manner as linseed, rye,
or wheat. Land of a sandy soil may also by employed for it, but it must
be strongly manured; other wise it will be too short and a flat country
should always be preferred.
-
- One chetwirt of seed commonly yields 25 loads (upwards
36 pounds English) of hemp, and twelve chetwirts of hemp see.
|
