Os to be ::.sed in 31anulirc:nrce.
Three other green crops remain to be treated of ; namely, hemp, flax, and hops. None of these, however, can be viewed as improeing crops ; on the contrary, they may be characterized as robbers, that exhaust the soil, and rt turn little, or rather no manure for restoring it to fertility. They are, however, all necessary articles, and in the present state of public affairs, the culture of two first, \ 1Z. hemp and flax, may be considered as materially connected with national prosperity.
On 'limp.
This is a plant of the herbaceous fibrous-rooted kind, has a tile k strong stem, that rises to a consider able height, and affords a rind or covering of a firm strong texture, that is valuable for the purpose of being manufacture d into cloth, cordage, ae.
The soils most suited to the culture of this plant, are those of the deep, black, putrid, vegetable kind, that arc low, and ratio r inclined to moisture, and those ol the deep, mellow, loamy, or sandy descriptions. The quan tity of produce is generally much greater on the lbrmer than on the latter ; but it is said to be greatly inferior iie quality. It may, however, be grown with success on lands of a less rich and fertile kind, by proper aid attention in their culture and preparation.
In order to render the grounds proper for the recep tion of the crop, they should be reduced into a line mel low state of mould, and be perfectly cleared from weeds, by repeated ploughing. When it succeeds grain crops. the work is mostly accomplished by three ploughings. and as many harrowings ; the first being given imme diately alter the preceding crop is removed, the second early in the spring, and the last, or seed earth, just be fore the seed is to be put in. In the last ploughing, well rotted manure, in the proportion of filteen or twenty, or good compost, in the quantity of twemty-five or thirty three horse-cart loads, should be turned into the land ; as without this it is seldom that good crops can be pro duced. The surface of the ground being left perfectly flat, and as free from furrows as possible ; as by these means the moisture is more t licetually retained, and the growth of the plants more hilly promoted.
and 'Uri/loci is of much import ance in the cultivation of hemp crops, that the seed be new, and of a good quality, which may in some measure be known by its feeling heavy in the hand, and being of a bright shining colour.
The proportion of seed, that is most commonly em ploy rd, is from two to three bushels, according to the quality of the land ; hut, as the crops are greatly injured by the plants standing too closely together, two bushels or two bushels and a half, may be a more advantageous quantity.
As tl.e hemp plant is extremely tender in its early growth, care should be taken not to pit the seed into the ground at so early a period, as that it may be liable to be injured by the effects of frost ; nor to protract the sowing to so late a season, as that the qualily of the pro duce may be affe cted. The best season, on the drier sorts of land, in the southern districts, is, probably, as soon as posible after trie frosts are over in April, and, on the same descriptions or soil, in the more northern ones, towards the close of the same month, or early in the ensuing one. But. when the ground is more inclined to moisture, it may he a better practice to delay the sowing to a later period in both cases. choosing, if pos sible, a time lien the hand is neither too dry nor too moist for performing the business. Sowing as early as possible is, however, in general, to be preferred ; as, where this is the ease, by the crops becoming more Faring and vigmens in the early part of the it growth, the hemp is found to withstand the various operations that are afterwards to be performed upon it in a better manner.
The most general method of putting crops of this sort into the soil is the broadcast, the seed being dis persed over the surface of the land in as even a man ner as possible, and afterwards covered in by means of a very light harrowing. It is probable, however, that, in many cases, especially where the crops are to stand for seed, the chill method, in rows at small distances, might be had recourse to with advantage ; as, in this way the early growth of the plants would be more effectually promoted, and the land be kept in a more clean and per fect state of mould, which are circumstances of import ance in such crops. In whatever method the seed is put in, care must constantly be taken to keep the birds from it for some time afterwards.