Show acres hemp needed from farms increased use of fiber C caused aused by war demands because of the unprecedented wartime war time demand for hemp TJ U S farmers are planning to produce a record crop of this fiber in 1943 in the face of a sharp drop in imports of hard fibers the U S war production program calling for a two ocean navy and the largest army GI Z X A crop plans for the J R delong farm near gainesville ga are drawn up with the help of U S department of agriculture conservationist vat B S wilder the young fellow is johnnie ray delong J R s grandson of all time demands a tremendous increase in the production of rou rough gh tough fiber in addition the average american citizen uses almost four pounds of hard fibers per year or the equivalent of 1850 feet of binder twine or 13 feet of one inch rope the minimum goal for U S farms is million pounds of hemp in 1943 to obtain that much fiber it will require assuming an average yield of pounds of total fiber per acre roughly acres of hemp this in turn will require bushels of seed to produce this seed assuming a yield of 10 bushels per acre will require acres already kentucky farmers have planted of hemp as a seed crop in anticipation of next years record breaking acreage for fiber hemp is a soft fiber but it is durable strong and flexible it can be produced successfully in kentucky wisconsin minnesota and illinois now that many of the hard fibers used for these and other purposes are not as readily y available and cannot be produced in this climate hemp becomes an important wartime war time substitute for them hemp fiber can be used in many ways it can be used for small hawsers hawkers for the navy which urgently needs these ropes for ham strings mattress twines harness A C A A photo W B hammett inman S C and J 11 talbert department of agriculture technician go over the land use map of the hammett farm plotting the crop possibilities of every acre thread for tying chair springs as oakum or packing material and as special twines requiring strength and durability on the farm heavy hemp rop rope e is is used as a cable to hoist tons of hay into the barn or to perform other heavy duty work it if you have ever watched an ocean liner dock at an american port the chances are you received a never to be forgotten thrill when the giant ship loaded with passengers and valuable cargo was safely tied to its mooring with a large stout rope seamen call this rope a hawser hawse r most ropes of this type are now made from abaca a hard fiber which has been imported to this country from the philippines and the east indies |