14 



laid on quite tliiu ; but if gathered when fully ripe, and in fine weather, a 

 depth of ten inches will be allowed. 



" The hops being spread as evenly as possible, the fires are immediately kindled 

 in the kiln, and the temperature regulated to one uniform degree of heat. This, 

 however, may be quite high at first, as there will be at that time but little dan- 

 ger of scorching the hops if the floor is sufficiently high. If the hops are rusty, 

 or discolored from any other cause, it is usual to burn a little sulphar under 

 them, which will bring them to a uniform appearance. This is done as soon as 

 the hops are well Avarmed through, and feel somewhat moist. Great prejudice 

 formerly existed against the use of sulphur in drying hops; but no objection is 

 now made to it by the brewers, and it is generally thought that the use of it 

 improves the appearance of all hops, and that it also facilitates the drying. 



"During the drying process the fires should be kept up, and there should be a 

 free supply of fresh air below, sufficient to keep up a regular succession of heated 

 air from the kiln, passing through the hops and out at the ventilator, carrying 

 with it the vapor expelled from the drying h'lps. This will be found far prefer- 

 able to a still, dead heat. As soon as the upper part of the hops appear to have 

 felt the fire, the lower part may be considered as nearly dry, and will rattle a 

 little. The heap may then be turned. Before this is done the heat should be 

 suffered to abate a little, and increased again after the turning is finished. I am 

 aware that many do not turn their hops while drying, nor suffer them to be dis- 

 turbed at all until they are ready to be removed from the floor. Still, the better 

 opinion, I think, is in favor of turning as tending to facilitate the drying and 

 render it more perfect by the more effectually exposing every portion of the mass 

 to the action of the heated current of air, than would be the case were they 

 allowed to remain as first deposited on the floor, containing many inequalities 

 in density even when the utmost care is exercised in their distribution. If 

 turned at the right time, and in a careful manner, thm-e need be no injury done 

 to the hops. When sufficiently dried they should be allowed to cool off a little, 

 if time can be afforded, otherwise there will be great danger that they will break 

 in moving, or a portion of them shell off and waste. Ten or twelve hours are 

 required to dry a kiln of hops. Two kilns may be dried in twenty-four hours 

 by keeping the heat up through the night. A twenty-foot kiln will thus dry 

 400 bushels in a day, as they come from the vines, making about 750 pounds of 

 hops when dry. 



" Baling. — The hops being dried, the next process is to bale them. This should 

 not be done immediately after they are taken from the kiln, but they should be al- 

 lowed to lie a few days in the store-room till they become a little softened, otherwise 

 their extreme brittleness will cause them to be much broken in baling, and the 

 sample be thereby greatly injured. The bales should be of symmetrical and 

 convenient form, and should contain about 200 pounds. The}^ are formed in a 

 box or bin prepared for the purpose, in the press-room, of such shape as will give 

 the desired size and form. Across the bottom and sides of this box the baling 

 cloth is first laid, and the hops are then let down into it from above, and trodden 

 down as they are dropped in until it is filled. Another cloth is then carried 

 over the top, a follower applied, and the screws of the press turned down 

 upon it until the whole is brought into a compact mass. The box is then taken 

 apart, the cloth neatly secured round the bale, the screws are run up, the bala 

 taken out and the ends cased, when it may be considered finished, and the same 

 process is repeated in forming another." 



