Produced by K.D. Thornton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE =BULLETIN No. 404= Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief [Illustration: USDA crests flanking bulletin banner] Washington, D.C. PROFESSIONAL PAPER October 14, 1916 HEMP HURDS AS PAPER-MAKING MATERIAL. By LYSTER H. DEWEY, _Botanist in Charge of Fiber-Plant Investigations_, and JASON L. MERRILL, _Paper-Plant Chemist, Paper-Plant Investigations_. =CONTENTS.= Page. The production and handling of hemp hurds, by Lyster H. Dewey: What hemp hurds are 1 Pith, wood, and fiber 2 Character of hurds affected by retting 2 Proportion of hurds to fiber and yield per acre 3 Hurds available from machine-broken hemp 3 Present uses of hemp hurds 4 Present supplies of hurds available 5 Baling for shipment 5 Cost of baling 5 Summary 6 The manufacture of paper from hemp hurds, by Jason L. Merrill: Introduction 7 Factors justifying an investigation of hemp hurds 8 Character of the material 11 Character of the tests 12 Operations involved in a test 13 Description of tests 16 Comparison of the tests and commercial practice 21 Physical tests of the papers produced 24 Conclusions 25 In preparing the report on the manufacture of paper from hemp hurds it became evident that a short discussion of the agricultural aspects of this material should be included in the publication. Such an article was prepared, therefore, and the two reports are here presented together. [NOTE.--This bulletin should be useful to all persons who are interested in the economic phases of paper making, especially to print and book paper manufacturers. It also should be of interest to scientific investigators and chemists.] =THE PRODUCTION AND HANDLING OF HEMP HURDS.= By LYSTER H. DEWEY, _Botanist in Charge of Fiber-Plant Investigations_. =WHAT HEMP HURDS ARE.= The woody inner portion of the hemp stalk, broken into pieces and separated from the fiber in the processes of breaking and scutching, is called hemp hurds. These hurds correspond to shives in flax, but are much coarser and are usually softer in texture.