THE HEMPS--AMERICAN, RUSSIAN, ITALIAN. OTHER FIBERS While the fibers we have already discussed--Manila and Sisal--comprise by far the greater part of the raw material of cordage, we wish to mention in this chapter a fiber which, while now of comparatively slight importance, has the interesting feature of being a home product, and the cultivation of which at one time formed an industry of considerable magnitude in this country. This is the American or Kentucky hemp. Most of the cordage fibers are commonly known as hemp, but strictly speaking this name applies only to the fiber of the hemp plant (_Cannabis sativa_), of which the American hemp is an example. This hemp plant, while a native of Asia, has for many years been grown in the different countries of Europe as well as in America. Its fiber in commerce takes the name of the country from which it comes, as Russian hemp, Italian hemp, etc. The character of the plant and of its fiber varies considerably, depending upon the conditions of climate and soil in the various sections where it is produced. The fiber is also more or less affected by the varying methods of preparation used in different places. The Italian hemp, particularly, is finer, lighter colored and stronger than American or Russian, and commands a higher price in the market. Hemp differs from Manila and Sisal by being what is known as a bast fiber, being obtained from the bark of the plant, which necessitates altogether different methods of treatment in extracting the fiber. The pictures below and opposite, which are from photographs secured through the courtesy of Messrs. T. P. Curry & Son, Danville, Ky., give an interesting glimpse of the Kentucky hemp industry. The plants are cut and spread out to dry, after which they are gathered together in bundles and carefully stacked. Later the stacks are opened and the hemp again spread out for exposure to the action of the dew, frost and sun during the retting process which rots the gums holding the filaments together. The inner, woody part of the stem also becomes dry and brittle by this treatment so that it breaks and falls away during the “breaking” which follows. This process of breaking leaves the fibrous strips or bands in such shape that they can be readily hackled, thus cleaning out any remaining fragments of wood, short fibers and dirt, leaving the long, smooth fiber ready to be bunched together and pressed into bales. [Illustration: AMERICAN HEMP STACKED IN FIELDS] [Illustration: CUTTING THE HEMP--BREAKING--HACKLING--BALING] [Illustration: NEW ZEALAND FLAX]