Chinese HEMP, a species of cannabis, of which an account is given in the 72d volume of the Philosophical Transactions, p. 46. In that paper Mr Fitzgerald, vice-president of the society for encouraging arts, mentions his having received the seeds from the late Mr Elliot; which being sown, according to his directions, produced plants 14 feet high, and nearly seven inches in circumference. These being pulled up in November, and steeped for a fortnight in water, were placed against a southern wall to dry. After this the hemp was found to separate easily from the woody part; and so great was the produce, that 32 plants yielded three pounds and a quarter. In consequence of this success, Mr Fitzgerald applied to the directors of the India Company to procure some of the seeds from China; which being complied with, the society were furnished, in 1785, with some more of the seeds, which were distributed.
buted to several of the members; but, notwithstanding their endeavours, few of the plants appear to have ripened their seeds in this country. Two of the species of hemp, tried by the duke of Northumberland, rose to the height of 14 feet seven inches, and would have been much larger, had they not been hurt by a high wind: another kind arose only to that of three feet and a half, the stem about the size of a common wheat straw; but though it flowered well, did not produce any seed. These kinds were sown in a hot-bed where the heat was very strong, on the 14th of April. They appeared above ground in four days, and were transplanted into pots on the 25th. They were then put under a hot-bed frame where the heat had been gone off, to harden them for the natural ground, in which they were planted on the 30th, by turning them whole out of the pots; letting them, three together, be planted at two feet distance every way; covering them at times for about ten days, until they were supposed to be rooted. Only a few seeds were preserved from plants which had been kept constantly in a stove.
Other trials were attended with little better success; but, in 1786, the Rev. Dr Hinton of Northwold near Brandon, made a successful experiment with some seeds he received from the secretary of the society. They were sown on the 17th of May, and appeared on the 6th of June. The plants were few and sickly; and notwithstanding some fine showers, they continued to languish so much that the experiment was entirely abandoned, and buckwheat was harrowed into the ground for a fallow crop. In the beginning of October, however, the persons employed in cutting the buckwheat discovered some seed in the heads of a few straggling hemp plants which had been suffered to grow in the crop; which being carefully threshed, afforded three pints of seed tolerably bright and heavy. These seeds were sown on the 10th of May 1787. On the 19th they appeared above the ground numerous and healthy. The male hemp was drawn on the 13th of August, but the female not till the 9th of October; the spot on which the plants were sown measured only 322 square yards, and produced of marketable hemp no less than 95 stone 7 pounds 12 ounces; being upwards of one-third more than the best crops of English hemp are ever known to produce. Thus it appeared, that the seeds of the Chinese hemp had retained their superiority over those of the English; though how long they would continue to do so cannot be determined but by experience. From this experiment Dr Hinton received a silver medal from the society. Few of the seeds either of Chinese, or any other hemp, will vegetate if two years old at the time of sowing; and to this circumstance the doctor attributes the failure of other trials of Chinese hemp.