8 THE HOP. 



generally combined, the manure from the cattle being 

 needed to fertilize the hop roots. Hop growing often 

 proves a failure with small growers, owing partly to 

 disease and parasites and partly to low prices. The 

 small grower also is occupied with other crops and has 

 not time to give as much care and attention to the hop 

 yards as they deserve, the plant being prompt to resent 

 any neglect. It is in the small yards that lack of culti- 

 vation is so common, together with carelessness in 

 tending the crop, looking after the poles, or tying the 

 vines. The largest yard in New York state is that of 

 James F. Clark, whose yard, near Cooperstown, covers 

 150 acres, which are always brought to a high state of 

 cultivation. Waterville, Cooperstown and Schoharie 

 are the market centers for New York state hops. 



Wisconsin embarked in hop culture in the early 

 sixties, and by 1869 the federal census showed a crop of 

 25,000 bales. This has never since been equaled or 

 exceeded. Ten years later, Wisconsin produced less 

 than half that quantity of hops, and since then its 

 product has steadily diminished, never exceeding half 

 a million pounds. The crop has been reduced by lice, 

 and comparatively few growers gave it the attention 

 bestowed upon hops in New York. Wisconsin plan- 

 tations are now confined to a few large yards of from 

 10 to 100 acres, less than 1,000 acres being devoted to 

 the crop and often but a fraction of the area is worth 

 picking. 



California led off in the introduction of hop culture 

 to the Pacific coast. Daniel Flint brought the first 

 hops into the Golden state, in 1857, from Vermont. 

 He persisted in their culture almost alone until the leg- 

 islature of 1863 voted him $1000 as a reward for dem- 

 onstrating the possibilities of this new crop in the Sac- 

 ramento valley. From 8000 bales in 1869, the California 

 crop has jumped to some 50,000 bales, grown on some 

 7500 acres, compared to iioo acres in 1879. The 



