Like Our Ancestors, We Are Growing Thousands of Tons for Marine Use
In one sense the present war is one of surpluses, shortages, and substitutes. Although the shortage of natural rubber has received the widest publicity, one that is of primary interest to the Navy is that of Manila hemp.
Introduced about the middle of the last century, this fiber is neither a true hemp, nor is it grown in the immediate vicinity of Manila. However, in competition with real hemp, most of which was imported from Europe, it soon displaced the latter, partly because it was superior in some respects, and for the added reason that it was cheaper.
Today our stocks of Manila hemp have become as precious in their field as rubber is in its. In fact, a good case might be made for the argument that, this being a war in which shipping is destined to play a role second to none, the availability of hemp or an efficient substitute may materially affect the outcome of the war. We all remember the old doggerel: For want of a nail a shoe was lost, for want of a shoe a horse was lost, then a rider, a message, a battle, etc.
It won’t work that way with hemp, however. Plans of the Navy, Army, and Department of Agriculture are seeing to that through a project to grow thousands of tons of hemp in the United States.
Immediately war broke out it was realized that if something were not done, and that quickly, the lack of suitable fibers for manufacture of ropes and cables might present a bottleneck that would seriously interfere with the progress of the war.
Before hostilities started some effort had been made toward accumulating a stock pile of Manila hemp in this country, but with indifferent success. About a year’s supply was stored in the Philippines and captured by the Japanese. As a result extreme care is being used in doling out supplies available in this country, while no stone is being left unturned to provide a satisfactory substitute.
Excepting true hemp grown in this country, most fibers that might serve as substitutes are imported. Quantities of sisal are available in Africa and other areas and this past year government scientists have visited various countries of the Western Hemisphere to look into the use of certain native fibers for ropemaking. There is also a scheme for growing limited quantities of Manila hemp in Panama, but as this plant requires at least 18 months to mature, nothing is expected of this undertaking until 1944 at the earliest.
Because of these uncertainties it was felt the best bet would be to go back to fundamentals and, like our forefathers, grow a substantial supply of hemp in this country. These plans have been progressing without hitch and as a result, the coming summer will see some 200,000 acres of hemp planted in the United States where, in normal years, plantings have averaged no more than 7,500. If all continues well, this acreage will produce approximately 100,000 tons of hemp fiber, of which perhaps as much as 50,000 tons will be suitable for marine use.
In planning the program the Department of Agriculture, which is in general charge, had to start from scratch. There was not enough seed in the entire country to plant so many acres and consequently the first year had to be devoted to growing seed. As a result this past summer down in Kentucky, 36,000 acres were turned over to this phase of the project so that, come 1943, we could plant the needed acreage for fiber. The Blue Grass state has had a small hemp-growing industry since its early settlement and the rich bottom lands of the Kentucky River and its tributaries are peculiarly suited to this crop.
Fiber from these seed-bearing plants is worthless and will not be available for use, the grade employed in ropemaking being obtained from plants harvested when in full bloom. Because of this the program is requiring practically two full years before substantial quantities of fiber will be available for manufacture.
Relatively few farmers have had experience growing hemp, and this forty- or fiftyfold expansion has necessitated a campaign, first to interest a sufficient number in the project and next to educate them concerning the finer points of hemp culture. In addition to Kentucky, this campaign has been pointed to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois where hemp has been grown in recent years, as well as to Indiana and Iowa. It is planned to concentrate production in these six states.
If this were all needed to provide 50,000 tons of fiber for naval use, those responsible for the program would rest relatively easy. However, there are other angles, one of which is providing the necessary harvesting machinery, particularly important with the growing labor shortage, as well as erecting and equipping mills for processing. Some plants are already in existence, but others will have to be established and the special machinery for harvesting and processing built. To these ends priorities had to be obtained. The mills, of which a total of 45 new ones is contemplated, will be erected this spring and summer to be ready for operation as soon as the retted hemp is available. Before production gets under way trained mill operators must also be provided.
In separating fiber from the stalk after retting, the straw is first dried, then thorougly crushed in a “hemp brake.” The broken material is cleaned by brushing and combing, a process known as “scutching.” The long, straight fiber, as it comes from the scutcher, is twisted into “hands,” graded and baled. This fiber, known as “line,” is used in making ropes and cables.
During scutching short, tangled, and snarled bits of fiber are removed along with the woody portions of the stalk. This is known as “tow” which, in turn, is cleaned and baled and much of it used in making oakum. The average yield of fiber per acre ranges between 700 and 1,000 pounds, of which somewhat more than half is “long line” fiber.
Hemp is not readily damaged and may be held a long time, either in the straw or fiber. Properly stacked hemp straw will keep for many months with very little loss. Baled fiber may be stored for several years without damage. The fire hazard is about the same as for baled cotton.
According to S. H. McCrory, director of the Hemp Division, Commodity Credit Corporation, United States Department of Agriculture, who is directing the over-all project, American hemp in many respects is as good as abaca. Tensile strength is about 80 per cent of the Manila variety, and the latter is harder and therefore more durable. In the early days of the republic our hemp for naval use came mostly from the Baltic area. However, even in those days some domestic hemp was used and the cables and rigging of Perry’s fleet on Lake Erie in 1812 were made from Kentucky hemp.
In recent years hemp imports have come from Italy and have averaged less than 1,000 tons annually since 1929. It has been used to a limited extent in the manufacture of houseline, marline and ratline, as well as for civilian purposes. Because hemp plants contain a narcotic substance, marihuana, used in making reefer cigarets among other things, producers of this crop and handlers of both plants and seed must have a Federal license.
Though relatively unimportant in recent years, hemp culture in the United States dates from earliest colonial times and for many years was a decidedly important industry. It is said the Pilgrim Fathers brought hemp seed with them and undoubtedly the colonists of Jamestown did likewise. Dependence upon shipping and their desire to encourage home industries caused most of the colonies to foster local production of the fiber, a program that was continued for many years after the Declaration of Independence.
As early as 1671 Maryland granted a bounty of one pound of tobacco for each pound of hemp fiber produced in the province. The law providing this bounty was re-enacted by the provincial legislature several times and continued in force or many years. In 1700 Massachusetts had a law on its statute books that required local cordage makers to use hemp raised in the province. In 1705, to encourage the production of naval stores in the North American colonies, the English Parliament passed a law giving a bounty of £6 per ton of hemp raised there. This law also included pitch, tar, masts, and other products and, with some modifications, was continued in force for half a century.
Other of the colonies which encouraged the production of hemp by laws passed at various times were Virginia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Virginia and Pennsylvania went so far as to make hemp current for the payment of debts. Despite all this, however, colonial importations were relatively large, and during the Revolutionary War much of the hemp used by American war vessels was imported.
The policy of encouragement continued after the Revolution. The tariff law of 1792 put a duty of $20 a ton on hemp and this was doubled during the War of 1812. In 1828 the import duty was raised to $60 a ton. This was materially reduced in subsequent years.
In competition with the European variety, American hemp suffered because it was generally dew-retted instead of water-retted and therefore not so well suited for the better grade of manufactures such as cables. When Kentucky became the center of the hemp-growing industry, although it produced some hemp of excellent quality, the fiber was principally used for making homespun clothes, bagging, and poorer grades of cordage such as used on river boats, plantations, and farms.
During its early years the United States Navy was greatly interested in developing and maintaining a local hemp industry. In fact, the Board of Commissioners of the Navy went so far as to bring in technicians from Europe whose assigned duties were to promote the proper raising, curing, and processing of the plant. These efforts initially gave promise of success but the gradual displacement of hemp cables by chain, coupled with the fact that all domestic hemp produced was utilized by industry in the manufacture of products for civilian use, contributed to the eventual failure of these efforts.
The present program for domestic culture of hemp will be expanded next year. In addition to the 200,000 acres to be devoted to fiber production this summer, 50,000 acres will be planted for seed. Under favorable conditions these will yield 500,000 bushels, sufficient to plant approximately 400,000 acres in 1944.