Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
This evolution in propulsion technology
signalled the virtual disappearance of sails, and
the hemp required to produce them.
The rural exodus further exacerbated this
phenomenon and we see the progressive aban-
donment of hemp until its uses were limited to
cordage and sacking. In this area, jute imported
from India and Bangladesh provided stiff com-
petition. Year by year, manufacturers and fac-
tories were established there, resulting in the
progressive elimination of independent rural
weavers. For farmers, hemp was no longer
economically viable, especially when compared
with the price of imported hemp. The peasant
farmer restricted himself to the few hundred
square metres required to meet his own needs.
This practice lasted a long time, for in 1950, in
L'Aveyron, one of the authors knew of a coun-
try lady, of over 80 years old, who still culti-
vated hemp in order to supply her small farm
with a supply of string.
Figure 2.3, taken from a German study by
the Nova Institute, eloquently illustrates the
history and decline of hemp over the past
150 years, including a steep drop after World
War I and the market's recovery as World War
II approached.
The crash in the amount of land being
farmed for hemp production, whether it be in
France, Italy or Germany, was attributable to
the arrival of imports and of the new technolo-
gies discussed above. However, the demand
for and consumption of hemp did not stop.
Table 2.2 expresses the amount of hemp
and flax (combined) divided by the total amount
flax and hemp material increased from 35% in
1865 to 76% in 1914, representing a doubling
in imports.
Where did these imports come from? The
Conseil Supérieur du Commerce
published the
quantities imported between 1825 and 1837.
According to their table, which does not include
figures for flax, France imported 5420 t of hemp
annually. The main supplier was Russia, with
2400 t. Tuscany, with 1850 t was second, while
Austria, Prussia, the Hanseatic towns, Belgium
and England each exported less than 100 t of
140.000
Italy
120.000
100.000
80.000
France
60.000
40.000
20.000
Germany
0
Year
Fig. 2.3.
The history and decline of hemp over the past 150 years.
Table 2.2.
The amount of flax and hemp used in textiles decreases from year to year.
1865-1874
1885-1894
1905-1914
Flax and hemp (%)
65
46.7
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