Changes
From TEKOWiki
Hemp
,Created page with "{{Hemp}} '''Hemp''' is a natural fiber that can be classified as [[stem fibers]] such as [[flax]]. Hemp belongs to nettle plats who are related to cannabis. Industry hemp is ..."
{{Hemp}}
'''Hemp''' is a natural fiber that can be classified as [[stem fibers]] such as [[flax]]. Hemp belongs to nettle plats who are related to cannabis. Industry hemp is mainly grown for the textile industry and it can be divided into two main groups: the northern and southern parts of Europe. The Northern European hemp, also known as the Russian version, is grown mainly in Sweden and Russia. The southern European hemp crop matures too late for it to be grown in colder Sweden. The southern European hemp, called Italian hemp, is grown mainly in all of southern Europe. The southern European hemp is called: il biancho oro in italian, “the white gold” - because its color is almost white and it provides a glossy and smooth fiber. It can also be spun into nearly the same thinness as flax and is used in finer fabrics. The Northern European hemp produces a much more powerful and darker fiber and this hemp is mainly used in ropes and coarse fabrics. Hemp can sometimes grow up to 9 meters tall. The Northern European hemp is a little smaller than the southern and grows between 2-3 meters tall, while the southern European usually grows up to 6 meters. There are several different varieties of hemp and they are classified in different ways. Every now and then Hemp is classified as different varieties that is related to each other as different species and varieties. Sometimes they are rather considered to be one species with a great variety and with several subspecies.
==Description of Hemp==
It is an one-year (annual) bushy herb. Hemp leaves are scattered along the stem and it has 3-9 hand like smaller leaves. It has a thick root system with a taproot and lateral roots that provides the plant with nutrients. The actual inflorescence is dressed in glandular and grows straight. Hemp is dioecious, which means that female and respective male leaves are attached to different plants. Male plants are characterized with sparse and dense branching while the female is larger and have more leaves. It often stays green longer than the male plant. In rare cases it has occurred that the plant has both female and male flowers and therefore it is a same-sex hemp, but this is highly unusual. The flowers sit on the upper part of the stalk, but these do not always have time to blossom in Sweden. Hemp fruit is known as hemp seed and is actually a nut that looks like a squeezed egg-shaped nut with a net-shaped shell. The actual seed contains about 30-32% fat and 20-24% proteins. Hemp seed is the plant kingdom's foremost source of essential fatty acids and these acids are used by doctors to treat patients with everything from heart disease to cancer.
==Cultivation==
The hemp grown in Sweden is harvested in August, when the plant's seeds are loose and the seeds have had time to get a brown color. In the past hemp plant was harvested twice, but today all same-sex plants is harvested simultaneously. It was common earlier to harvest the male plants first and thereafter the female plants. The plants are pulled up by the roots or harvested by that they are cut away from the ground, packed and allowed to dry in the field. Hemp is a bast fiber plant which means that its fibers are in the stalk. The actual preparation process differs slightly depending on whether it is a south European or North European hemp. The southern should be digested in cold water and get bleached by the sun until it gets a white color, while the northern is digested in hot water.
==Hemp cultivation in Sweden, historically and now==
In Sweden, the cultivation of hemp was common during the middle ages (dark ages), and it is also said in the old provincial laws that tax must be paid in the form of hemp. The vision was to make Sweden a completely self-sufficient on crops like hemp and flax. The authorities at that time encouraged hemp cultivations by issuing special editions and premiums for growing the crop. At the end of the 1800s it was not profitable to cultivate hemp and flax since the competition from Russia was too big. The cultivation was resumed during World War II because it was difficult to obtain sufficient material for making rope. Through government support and premiums the production resumed on both the mainland and the island of Gotland. In 1941 a hemp cultivation factory was started in both Katrineholm and also on the island of Gotland. Public aid was to be withdrawn in 1966 which led to the complete stop of hemp cultivation. Hemp cultivation came to be banned in Sweden in 1995. The cultivation of industrial hemp was legal in the EU but not in Sweden. In 2003 the European Court decides that Sweden cannot ban the cultivation of industrial hemp. As soon as in 2005 over 100 hemp farmers were registered in Sweden. In addition to hemp fields and cultivation in plantations in Sweden, you can also find feral hemp in yards, junk areas, etc. Hemp can manage to grow in most soils and grows most easily on good arable land, it can also be grown in the same place for several years. Hemp requires much fertilizer and water.
==Hemp cloth==
The benefits of hemp are many and it has among other things, nature's most sustainable plant fiber. Hemp has as mentioned beforea long history in agriculture and it has been used for many things such as textiles, building materials, skin care, food, medicine and paper in just over 6000 years. Textiles made from hemp fiber is three times more durable than cotton. The fibers of the fabric is also able to better absorb moisture than cotton. Hemp also has strong resistance properties against heat and at a heat of 1000 degrees the material is charred, but it does not ignite. One can produce shoes, jackets, pants, outerwear, bedding, etc from hemp. Garments made of hemp are available in various different forms of roughness. There are hemp garments that have many different shapes, from a rather silky quality to more coarse, sack fabric. A person wearing hemp-made clothes can also notice a difference of that the clothes are cool in summer and warm in winter. Hemp made clothing also protects the user from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Hemp garments are also known for its durability. Old gold diggers jeans were made of hemp, and it was the only fabric that could handle being exposed to water for several hours. The fabric's fibers are also anti-static, which means that the fabric do not attract dirt easily.
==Environmental benefits==
Hemp has more eco-friendly benefits than cotton. Its production does not need pesticides. An example is the U.S. where half of the chemicals produced are used by farmers who pour them out on their cotton fields in the form of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Another problem is the Aral Sea in Central Asia that is disappearing and what will be left of it will be a salt desert. This ecological disaster is basically based on the passing of water to the rivers that provide large cotton plantations with water. Cotton plantations are more demanding than hemp plants and dries the soils on large amounts of nutrition and water .Hemp, as mentioned earlier, is a plant that grows very quickly and can grow up to 3-6 m long in just one season and it can cope with most parasitic attack, it needs no artificial pesticide or any form of artificial fertilizer. Hemp roots are much deeper than most other crops and the roots bind the soil, preventing soil erosion. It will also provide nutrients to the soil.
==Sources==
*[http://www.hampa.net]
*[http://www.shenet.se/vaxter/hampa.html]
*[http://www.repslagarbanan.se/se/ut/ut0002.htm]
*[http://www.epochtimes.se/articles/2007/10/26/13412.html]
'''Hemp''' is a natural fiber that can be classified as [[stem fibers]] such as [[flax]]. Hemp belongs to nettle plats who are related to cannabis. Industry hemp is mainly grown for the textile industry and it can be divided into two main groups: the northern and southern parts of Europe. The Northern European hemp, also known as the Russian version, is grown mainly in Sweden and Russia. The southern European hemp crop matures too late for it to be grown in colder Sweden. The southern European hemp, called Italian hemp, is grown mainly in all of southern Europe. The southern European hemp is called: il biancho oro in italian, “the white gold” - because its color is almost white and it provides a glossy and smooth fiber. It can also be spun into nearly the same thinness as flax and is used in finer fabrics. The Northern European hemp produces a much more powerful and darker fiber and this hemp is mainly used in ropes and coarse fabrics. Hemp can sometimes grow up to 9 meters tall. The Northern European hemp is a little smaller than the southern and grows between 2-3 meters tall, while the southern European usually grows up to 6 meters. There are several different varieties of hemp and they are classified in different ways. Every now and then Hemp is classified as different varieties that is related to each other as different species and varieties. Sometimes they are rather considered to be one species with a great variety and with several subspecies.
==Description of Hemp==
It is an one-year (annual) bushy herb. Hemp leaves are scattered along the stem and it has 3-9 hand like smaller leaves. It has a thick root system with a taproot and lateral roots that provides the plant with nutrients. The actual inflorescence is dressed in glandular and grows straight. Hemp is dioecious, which means that female and respective male leaves are attached to different plants. Male plants are characterized with sparse and dense branching while the female is larger and have more leaves. It often stays green longer than the male plant. In rare cases it has occurred that the plant has both female and male flowers and therefore it is a same-sex hemp, but this is highly unusual. The flowers sit on the upper part of the stalk, but these do not always have time to blossom in Sweden. Hemp fruit is known as hemp seed and is actually a nut that looks like a squeezed egg-shaped nut with a net-shaped shell. The actual seed contains about 30-32% fat and 20-24% proteins. Hemp seed is the plant kingdom's foremost source of essential fatty acids and these acids are used by doctors to treat patients with everything from heart disease to cancer.
==Cultivation==
The hemp grown in Sweden is harvested in August, when the plant's seeds are loose and the seeds have had time to get a brown color. In the past hemp plant was harvested twice, but today all same-sex plants is harvested simultaneously. It was common earlier to harvest the male plants first and thereafter the female plants. The plants are pulled up by the roots or harvested by that they are cut away from the ground, packed and allowed to dry in the field. Hemp is a bast fiber plant which means that its fibers are in the stalk. The actual preparation process differs slightly depending on whether it is a south European or North European hemp. The southern should be digested in cold water and get bleached by the sun until it gets a white color, while the northern is digested in hot water.
==Hemp cultivation in Sweden, historically and now==
In Sweden, the cultivation of hemp was common during the middle ages (dark ages), and it is also said in the old provincial laws that tax must be paid in the form of hemp. The vision was to make Sweden a completely self-sufficient on crops like hemp and flax. The authorities at that time encouraged hemp cultivations by issuing special editions and premiums for growing the crop. At the end of the 1800s it was not profitable to cultivate hemp and flax since the competition from Russia was too big. The cultivation was resumed during World War II because it was difficult to obtain sufficient material for making rope. Through government support and premiums the production resumed on both the mainland and the island of Gotland. In 1941 a hemp cultivation factory was started in both Katrineholm and also on the island of Gotland. Public aid was to be withdrawn in 1966 which led to the complete stop of hemp cultivation. Hemp cultivation came to be banned in Sweden in 1995. The cultivation of industrial hemp was legal in the EU but not in Sweden. In 2003 the European Court decides that Sweden cannot ban the cultivation of industrial hemp. As soon as in 2005 over 100 hemp farmers were registered in Sweden. In addition to hemp fields and cultivation in plantations in Sweden, you can also find feral hemp in yards, junk areas, etc. Hemp can manage to grow in most soils and grows most easily on good arable land, it can also be grown in the same place for several years. Hemp requires much fertilizer and water.
==Hemp cloth==
The benefits of hemp are many and it has among other things, nature's most sustainable plant fiber. Hemp has as mentioned beforea long history in agriculture and it has been used for many things such as textiles, building materials, skin care, food, medicine and paper in just over 6000 years. Textiles made from hemp fiber is three times more durable than cotton. The fibers of the fabric is also able to better absorb moisture than cotton. Hemp also has strong resistance properties against heat and at a heat of 1000 degrees the material is charred, but it does not ignite. One can produce shoes, jackets, pants, outerwear, bedding, etc from hemp. Garments made of hemp are available in various different forms of roughness. There are hemp garments that have many different shapes, from a rather silky quality to more coarse, sack fabric. A person wearing hemp-made clothes can also notice a difference of that the clothes are cool in summer and warm in winter. Hemp made clothing also protects the user from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Hemp garments are also known for its durability. Old gold diggers jeans were made of hemp, and it was the only fabric that could handle being exposed to water for several hours. The fabric's fibers are also anti-static, which means that the fabric do not attract dirt easily.
==Environmental benefits==
Hemp has more eco-friendly benefits than cotton. Its production does not need pesticides. An example is the U.S. where half of the chemicals produced are used by farmers who pour them out on their cotton fields in the form of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Another problem is the Aral Sea in Central Asia that is disappearing and what will be left of it will be a salt desert. This ecological disaster is basically based on the passing of water to the rivers that provide large cotton plantations with water. Cotton plantations are more demanding than hemp plants and dries the soils on large amounts of nutrition and water .Hemp, as mentioned earlier, is a plant that grows very quickly and can grow up to 3-6 m long in just one season and it can cope with most parasitic attack, it needs no artificial pesticide or any form of artificial fertilizer. Hemp roots are much deeper than most other crops and the roots bind the soil, preventing soil erosion. It will also provide nutrients to the soil.
==Sources==
*[http://www.hampa.net]
*[http://www.shenet.se/vaxter/hampa.html]
*[http://www.repslagarbanan.se/se/ut/ut0002.htm]
*[http://www.epochtimes.se/articles/2007/10/26/13412.html]
