244 Cultivation of Arable Land. Hops Bagging of. 



the packer gets in, and with a heavy weight, which he keeps continually moving 

 round, where he is not immediately treading,tramples and prefles the hops down as 

 clofely as pofilbleinto the bags, as they are thrown in, infmall quantities, by ano 

 ther perfon employed for the purpofe. In this manner he proceeds until it is quite 

 filled, when each of the upper corners has a few hops inclofed in them in the fame 

 \vay as the others, which ferve the purpofe of handles ; and the bag is drawn up, 

 and the mouth of it well fecured, after being difengaged from the frame. In per 

 forming this bufinefs, the clofer the hops are prefled into the bags the better, as 

 they preferve their colour, fmell, and tafte more perfectly.* 



In the operations of drying and rendering hops proper for the bag, fome lofs of 

 weight muftof courfe take place. According to fome, lixty bufliels of well ripened 

 frem gathered hops, which have not been attacked by the fly, will produce when, 

 dried and bagged about one hundred weight. 



The goodnefs of a fample of hops depends upon different circumftances, as the 

 clammy feel of the yellow,farinaceous, powdery fubftance which is fprinkled over 

 them, and their colour. The former, in the language of the hop planter, is termed 

 the condition, and the fample is efteemed the more or lefs valuable by the buyers in. 

 proportion as the feel is more or lefs clammy : and in regard to the latter, it is 

 of the utmoft importance in the fale of the hops, that it mould be preferved as 

 bright as poflible, though it is not always the cafe that thofe which are the brighteft 

 in their appearance are the ftrongeft in flavour. 



It is this property, however, that induces the planter to make adiflinction in the 

 bagging of the article. The brighteft hops, and thofe which have the fineft colour, 

 are put into bagging of a better quality, and termed pockets; while thofe of the 

 brown kind form bags, being put in bagging of a coarfer and more heavy fort. 

 The firft fort are made ufe of in the brewing of ales and all the finer forts of malt 

 liquor; but the latter chiefly in the making of porter. Where hops are to be 

 kept for fome length of time, the coarfe bagging is however the beft. 



The length for a bag is about two ells and a quarter, and that for a pocket nearly 

 the fame, each having an ell in width. The former, where the hops are good, 

 well cured, and tightly trodden in, weigh about two hundred and a half ; and 

 the latter, when of the Canterbury pocketing, about one hundred and a half: 

 where they much exceed or fall fhort of thefe weights, it may be fufpected that 

 they are either of an inferior quality, or have been injured in their preparation. 

 The planter will be beft di reeled in refpect to the duty on hops, by a copy of the 

 excife laws reflecting them. 



* Kent s Hints. 



