THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1177, 27 November 1913, Page 4

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

On the whole the quality of the hemp which came forward for shipment last month was satisfactory. Of that giaded at Wellington (from the Hawke’s Bay, Ma-mwatu, Wairarapa. Blenheim, and Westland districts) about 60 per cent, reached a “good fair” standard. The prevailing weakness in the unsatisfactory lines was bad and uneven stripping—the body ol the hank being bruised and the tail “jumped.” This excessive beating ol the thicker poitiou of the leaf and the failure to strip the thinner part properly means that when an endeavour is made to improve the tails by scutching little good can be done, owing to the amount of vegetable matter in the tail and the weakness of the body. The more the attempt to rectify the trouble by scutching is persisted in the worse becomes the condition of the tail of the bank, which develops into a more or less tangled mass. The “jumped” or “slipped” tail is not to be confused with the paitially stripped tip, which cati easily be beaten off in the scutcher, and a good end to the hank thereby secured. Obviously the cause of the bruised body and the “jumped” tail is that the stripper is not set right, the stripper being too close to the beating-bar for the body of the leaves and not having sufficient give to enable the Ups to be stripped. It should be pointed cut that such hemp is most coudemnable from the manufacturers’ point of view, as the weak, bruised body will not stand the strain of the tail being specially treated. On the other hand, a fibre dressed coarse even with a “flaxy” tail can be converted by the manufacturer into a useful fibre. It is impossible to put the bruised body and “jumped tail” class of fibre into anything above a “fair” grade. Unfortunately, a good proportion of the leaf being milled in the flexion district Is diseased, and is therefore incapable of reaching anything higher than a “lair” grade. The disease trouble is confined apparently to this district.

Auckland and Southland hemp has shown little improvement, poor stripping being much in evidence. Even where good leaf is available unsatisfactory fibre is being too olten turned out. The quality of Westland, Marlborough, and Canterbury hemp is still being maintained at an excellent standard, the work of milling hands being very satisfactory in Use-e districts. They are making the most of a good leaf, a condition of things satisfactory to ail concerned.

Much of the tow reaching the grading stores is generally of a poor standard. Indeed, only a very small percentage is being treated as it should be. A consequent result is that many lines have had to be condemned tor export. It should be well enough known that dust and rubbish aie not tow. Stripper-slips are practically being neglected. Very lew lines are coming to hand, and these are hardly worth the trouble of preparation and shipping. A Manawatu miller, Mr G. Craw, has designed a teazingmachiue for the treatment of stripper-slips. A line ol seven experimental bales forwarded to the Wellington grading stores last mouth was classified as secondgrade tow. It was a nice, free, and particularly clean line, although it was not of a very good colour, Under this system the

by-products of phormium hemp mills could be converted into valuable commercial commodities. Excellent competitions took

place at the recent show of the Manawatu Agricultural and Pastoral Association. There was a class lor stripped, washed and bleached, but unscutched, hemp, in order to demonstrate the style of stripping necessary to secure