198 PLANTS USED IN THE ARTS. 



lopped or tabled about two and a half feet from the ground, 

 and the top or brush end, with about eight inches of the 

 stalk, are cut off and laid on the tables to dry. It is then 

 stored on open scaffolds under cover until a convenient 

 time, when the seed is scraped from the brush by drawing 

 it through two steel springs. The brush is then bound in 

 bundles of about ten pounds weight, and is ready for 

 market. The seed is valuable for feeding stock. 



700. The Hop has generally been considered a valuable 

 crop, profitable in localities where the soil and exposure 

 favored its growth. The most esteemed varieties are the 

 golden, the yellow grape, and the Farnham. 



701. The hop requires a deep and rich loam, rather 

 stiff than light, and containing a large proportion of 

 organic or vegetable matter. A dry porous subsoil is 

 also desirable. The quality of the hop will depend much 

 on the soil. It does best in a moist climate. 



702. The land devoted to hops should be richly 

 manured, and the use of large quantities of well-rotted 

 barnyard compost, bones, woollen rags and other rich 

 fertilizers, cause it to produce full crops of the best quality. 



703. The roots of this plant extend very deep into the 

 soil, and the land should therefore be very deeply ploughed 

 and completely pulverized. The hop is propagated by 

 cuttings or layers, sometimes by sowing the seed. 

 Cuttings which have been rooted in the form of layers, 

 grow more rapidly than more fresh ones. 



704. The bines are supported on poles set into the 

 hills. The poles should be from twenty to twenty-five 

 feet long. It is thought by the best hop growers, to be a 

 great mistake to use poles of only twelve or fifteen feet 

 in length as many do, for in general, the yield is much 

 less, and the quality is not so good, while the labor of 



