"Agricultural Hemp"
Submitted by audreyadpi on 06/30/2008 05:21 PM
- Category: Technology
- Words: 828
- Pages: 4
- Views: 13
- Popularity Rank: 1973
"Agricultural Hemp"
According to the North American Industrial Hemp Council, hemp has been grown for at least 12,000 years for fiber and foods, yet has been prohibited since the 1950s. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both prestigious farmers of their time, grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. The Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper. Henry Ford experimented with hemp to build car bodies hoping to build and fuel cars from farm products. To make the growth of hemp so difficult to farmers in the United States is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater-it's pointless.
Cannabis.com states that hemp is "any durable plant that has been used since prehistory for many purposes". These purposes include fiber, rope, twine, fuel, paper, food, and much more. According to the North American Industrial Hemp Council, the products that can be made from hemp number over 25,000. Due to a similar shape in leaf, hemp is commonly confused with marijuana- which is illegal in the United States today. Hemp can be grown on a range of soils, consistent with the North American Industrial Hemp Council, but usually grows best on soil that produces high yields of corn, which is well-drained, rich in nitrogen, and non-acidic. Growing hemp is relatively easy because it grows rapidly, about 2-4 meters in height in about four months of growth, and attracts few pests, reducing the need for use of pesticides. The crop of hemp is harvested during different stages of growth dependent on the type of product one is looking to produce. As soon as the crop is in flower, the stalks are harvested for high quality primary fiber, and 4-6 weeks after flowering, plants are harvested for seed production.
Hemp is usually harvested for primary hemp fiber, which is found around the hollow, woody core of the stalk of the plant. These fibers possess properties similar to other bast fibers such as flax, kenaf, jute and ramie. Hemp fibers are known for...
You must Login to view the entire paper.
If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free!
