Hemp

'K JAi huo-via in South China, IMG:p190_3.png:Chinese characters M hsiao-ma in the North; Cannabis sativa, or the common Ru ian hemp. It is found throughout China Proper and Manchuria, and produces a fibre which is of universal use. The stems grow to eight feet in height; harvested in June, they are steeped in water, sun-dried and bleached by burning sulphur, after which the fibre is removed; it is in great demand for textile and cordage purposes, the coarse cloth making bags or mourning raiment for the poor. The fibre of the autumn crop, which is tougher, is worked into the bodies of paint brushes or even of Chinese pens. The woody stems are burnt and the ashes, mixed with gunpowder, enter into the manufacture of firecrackei;s. Hemp oil is used as an illuminant in Ssiich'uan. The leading exporting centres are Chungking, Changsha, Hangchow, and Wuchow. Exportation abroad, 1915, Pels. 75,000, value Tls. 850,000; 1916, Pels. 143,799, Tls. 1,699,371. It goes chiefly to Germany, Belgium, and Japan.