The most useful and valuable hemp fiber is derived from the plant scientifically described as Cannabis sativa. Cloth made from the fiber of this plant is extremely strong, durable, and resistant to mildew. It is also cheaper to produce than cotton cloth, and crops of Cannabis plants grow well without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides. Due to its many advantages over other natural fibers, hemp has been utilized to create a wide variety of products over the course of history, including clothing, paper, rope, and netting. Indeed, hemp was the material utilized to fabricate the earliest Levi Strauss blue jeans and samples of hemp-based paper have been found that date back at least 1500 years.