Abstract
This preliminary study of the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of bast fibre plants (Linum usitatissimum L. and Cannabis sativa L.) examines three fractions, fibre, fine shive and coarse shive. The plants were harvested at two times, the first in autumn and the second in spring. The autumn harvest yielded unretted, green material, while the frost-retted material harvested in spring may be classified as overretted. Interesting differences in EMC were found in the dampest air between the two harvest times irrespective of plant species: green fractions were faster to mould at the beginning and lost more weight in the 2-week test period than did the frost-retted samples. The green samples also attained higher EMCs before beginning to mould.
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