248 AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 



It may be laid down as a principle, that the more richly hope 

 are manured, the better will be the quality and yield. 



547. The culture of this plant, the picking, drying, packing, &amp;lt;tc., de 

 mand a great outlay of labor, much skill, and more experience; and it 

 would be useless to attempt to teach the practical mampulatior.s in our 

 limited space. We must therefore refer the reader anxious to know 

 more of the subject to other works, and recommend those who wish to 

 to cultivate the hop to visit a plantation, and thus acquire on the spot 

 the necessary knowledge. 



548. Hops are planted in hills; and long poles are driven 

 in for the bind to climb on. They do not come to full bearing 

 till the third season after planting, and will yield profitably from 

 12 to 20 years. In the United States in a good season, each 

 hill will average 2 Ibs. of hops ready for market ; but more fre 

 quently the produce is below that. Appropriate buildings and 

 kilns are necessary for drying, as well as peculiar baskets, cloths, 

 bags, &c. The price is subject to very great and sudden varia 

 tions; and the grower must have a large number of workmen 

 at his command, as the crop, when ready for picking will not 

 permit delay without serious injury. (For a very complete ac 

 count of hop culture in the United States, see Wiggins Amer 

 ican Farmer, and Trans, of N. Y. Agricultural Society, Vol. 

 iv, p. 447, &c.) 



549. Cost of cultivating 2 acres of hop&amp;lt;&amp;lt; at Morrisville, ^ T . Y. ( Tram, 

 of N. Y. Agricultural Society, 1845, p. 497.) The soil was a mixture of 

 dark loam and gravel, well adapted for grass. Jt was well plowed 

 and manured with 40 loads of barn yard manure per acre, and planted 

 with hops and corn. The next season the account strod as follows : 



41 loads of manure put in hills, - $30.00 



Rise of poles, - - - 45.00 



Labor of cultivating, ... 40.00 



Interest on land, - - 14 00 



Harvesting and bagging, ... 87,50 



$216.50 

 Produce of 2 acres, 2500 Ibs. at 12&amp;gt; cents, 312.50 



Net profits, - * $96.00 



