DAY BY DAY STORY of the EXPERIMENTAL FARMS

by Frank Ridgway

Process Cured Hemp

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

November 4, 1936

Today the manager of the Tribune's Wheaton Experimental farm took the first step in the processing of hemp grown on a field test basis this year. The first load of the cured hemp was trucked this afternoon to Ottawa, where it will be decorticated mechanically‹‹the fiber will be separated from the hurds or woody portion of the plants

Tomorrow the workers at the farm plan to haul to Ottawa the balance of the hemp grown in a three acre field this year. They expect to have about three big truck loads.

The hemp was cut several weeks ago and left shocked in the field where it was left to cure. The hemp grew to a height of eight to thirteen feet. Some of it was so tall that it could only be harvested with a special binder and had to be cut by hand.

Tribune Farm's Third Crop.

This is the third crop of hemp grown on the Tribune farms. The first was grown in a test plot and in fence rows for bird cover on the xxxville farm in 1934. In 1935 another small plot of the hemp was grown on the Wheaton farm. This time enough has been grown for use in conducting processing tests. An effort will be made to have some of the hemp hurds made into cellulose products and the fiber will be made into cloth.

Since the hemp was grown primarily for a fiber it is necessary to harvest it before all of the seed was fully mature. The manager believes, however, that enough seed can be salvaged from the decorticating machine at Ottawa to have enough for processing tests. He is hopeful that the oil can be pressed from the seed and used in manufacturing paint.