[oldchuck]

Much respect, Kank. I think you are doing important work. For some years I have been convinced there are some important genetics in midwestern ditch weed. It needs to be seriously analyzed. Hang onto those seeds. We should talk when you get to your 50 posts allowing PMs

[Kankakee]

I have been thinking the same thing !

A bad assumption made on the net has been these strains are lost and that without growing in compacted rows the unique height diminished. Only 16 plants over many acres none within 20ft of each other yet all very uniform ....

I can't believe it either, really. So the dominant trait held without root-environmental space competition/ red spectrum....

[Kankakee]

It's pure luck at this point. I was turning around and seen it out the back window 35-40ft onto someones land. Without that, would not even be posting. The other stuff i've found is not that good.

This one stuck out as fiber strain.

It looks just like the picture Dewey took with that giant ruler. Its the same strain.

[Only Ornamental]

Thanks for sharing, Kankakee!

Originally Posted by Kankakee

...
This one stuck out as fibre strain.
...

If a plant is tall and poorly branched and hence looks like a fibre variety doesn't actually make it a good fibre variety. There's more to it than meets the eye such as fibre length, fibre diameter, total fibre content (% dry matter), fibre quality and fibre strength...
Certain European/Russian varieties are tall by nature; being a good quality fibre cultivar isn't necessarily depending on hybrid vigour but hybrid vigour is what made American hemp special. Back in the day of American hemp breeding, standards, expectations, and knowledge were different to European/Russian ones in the '40 and are different to modern days. These days, hemp varieties are less chosen just by plant hight but by fibre content and fibre quality (which is determined by modern techniques), uniformity (hight and synchronised maturity), stable proportions of sex distribution (males, females with male habit, true females etc.), maturation speed and coping with local climate, but also low THC (which is absolutely stupid but old superstition dies hard)... Some things are the same, some seem the same but are judged differently, and others have changed priorities. If back then people would have looked for low maintenance seed varieties we would say that going feral wouldn't have let to the disappearance of the old breeds but that their phenotypes were very dominant... In the end, both would be the same now, feral mixed up hemp varieties harbouring more or less hidden genes from around the world, a world many of us have never seen.

Take good care of those seeds!

[Kankakee]

It's more about the un-molested genetics as every seed still has everything needed locked with.

Much like Luther Burbank selecting towards a goal I will do the same.

The time you prepare the land, the N used, the time sown, retting process all affect quality of yield and final product to a certain degree. Indeed until testing is performed and the line reselected it's moot. But Dewey's strains almost double production / yield as tested in Wisconsin, Illinois and he increased yields over 7-8 years of testing by 60%.

But these genetics went into the top strains in europe long, long ago w/ Fleischmann etc so working with them moving forward is priceless.

[Kankakee]

And i'll be outcrossing and testing with many genetics moving forward:

But a key for me was chopping the main stem and seeing it hollowed out ( a sign of fiber quality for Dewey ) still after all these years. Many of the key attributes still intact even without field compaction environment. They stayed true.

But the testing will come over the next few years.

[oldchuck]

Do your crosses, Kank, and see what you get but I would also suggest you keep some of the varieties you collect intact. OO is right about Dewey's cultivars being a result of hybrid vigor. After many generations of random cross after cross I would think you have a rich stew of Cannabis genetics.

Do I remember correctly that American hemp improved tremendously after Chinese hemp was introduced into the mix?

[Only Ornamental]

Good day Oldchuck !
You remember correctly.

[oldchuck]

Good day to you OO. Nice to hear from you. We have been too long out of touch.

[Only Ornamental]

We have, indeed we have!