FIELD CROPS. 443 



It is recommended to grow the variety of hops best suited to the soil 

 as a certain soil is usually best adapted to a special variety, although 

 under this practice no relief from pressure in picking and drying by 

 planting early and late sorts can be had. 



The effects of unfavorable weather are pointed out but no measures 

 are given by which the recognized difliculties may be overcome. The 

 definite ends to be attained are given, but the means to reach them are 

 left to the consideration of the grower. 



"Kipe hops when picked and transferred to the oast houses possess 

 their full amount of adhesive, resin-containing, lupuliuic powder, 

 though if they have been allowed to hang too long after they are thor- 

 oughly ripe they may lose some of their resins.' 1 It is stated that 

 under a wrong impression hops are dried at temperatures detrimental 

 to their qualities. The authors found that the moisture of hops when 

 ready to be dried varies from 25 to 75 per cent, and that the reduction 

 of the moisture to 8 or 10 per cent is sufficient to make them keep well. 

 Excessive and unnecessary drying is found to waste the resins, "for 

 the lupuliuic powder containing the resins which at first is adhesive to 

 the bases of the petals of the hop becomes increasingly less so as the 

 removal of the moisture progresses.*' 



Hovering and turning the hops during the drying process is consid- 

 ered objectionable as it reduces the resins and consequently the pre- 

 servative value. ''The moisture when hops are packed should be from 

 8 to 10 per cent." The reasons given are that if the percentage of 

 moisture is higher the hops will not keep, and if much lower the hops 

 are brittle and the cone will be broken up in packing, thus increasing 

 the loss of resin and making the hop unsuitable for some of the brew- 

 er's requirements. "A well ripened hop, skillfully dried and carefully 

 managed so as to leave the cones unbroken and in possession of their 

 full value of resins and other qualities,'" is considered the product which 

 fulfills the modern requirements of the brewer. 



Experiments with potatoes and field roots, 0. A. Zavitz 

 (Ontario Ayr. Col. and Expt. Farm Bpt. 1890, pp. 149-182). — The work 

 with potatoes consisted of experiments with varieties, depth of pi ant- 

 ing, treatment against scab, application of fertilizers, preparation and 

 selection of seed, and methods of cultivation. The most productive 

 among 195 varieties tested were Empire State, Burbank Seedling, and 

 Stray Beauty. The average results for six years favored planting 5 

 in. rather than 1, 3, or 7 in. deep. Considering the amount of seed 

 required, medium-sized whole potatoes planted 1 ft. apart gave a better 

 yield for 5 years than either whole tubers or sets planted 1, 2, or 3 ft. 

 apart. 



In a study of the effect of using seed potatoes of different sizes, large, 

 medium, small, and very small potatoes were planted. The experiment 

 was continued for 3 years, each year selecting large seed from the 

 product grown from large seed, medium -sized potatoes from that from 

 medium seed, etc. The yields were approximately in proportion to the 

 10078— Ko. 5 1 



