350 



BRITISH HUSBANDRY. 



[Ch. XXX. 



to each acre in tlie first instance ; and to keep up- the losses of poles 

 by damage, decay, &c., will require 500 where No. 1 is used ; 600 of 

 No. 2 ; or 800 of No. 3, annually. Therefore, 



If we assume 500 of No. 1, at 30s. . 



Carriage of ditto . . ... 



Rent, iucluding parochial rates, &c. per acre 



Tithes, per acre ..... 



Picking, drying, carriage to oast, packing and duty of 18«. 8(/. 



per cwt. on 7 cwt., per acre 



about 



Digging, shimming with horses, harrowing. &c. 

 M:inure, on an average .... 



Tying the hops to the poles by women, changing the poles audi 



other incidental expenses 



Per acre 



£35 10 



or about 5/. per cwt., to reimburse the whole average cost of the culti- 

 vation of an acre. The tithe on hops is never taken in kind ; and there- 

 fore the charge under that head, as well as the parochial charges, are the 

 same, whether the land be productive or not. 



At some few miles from Canterbury, the rent of hop-ground will not be 

 so much as 6/., it being often let in small patches with the farms, at the 

 same rent: but then the difficulty of obtaining manure is much greater; 

 thus, as appears from the following accounts, fully equalizing the difference 

 of price in rent : 



Expense of an acre of Hops, in the Parish 

 of Thannington, one mile from Canter- 

 bury ; average produce 7 cwt. per acre. 



Expense of an acre of Hops, in the Parish 

 of Petham, six miles from Canterbury ; 

 average produce G cwt. per acre. 



£38 13 8 I £33 2 



In some instances 155. to 16^. are given for pohng an acre, but a great 

 deal of hop-ground labour is done by the day. The hops are picked by 

 women and children in baskets of 5 bushels, and, in Kent, are usually paid 

 for at the rate of two -pence per bushel ; about 12 baskets going to the cwt. 

 when dried. In Worcestershire and Herefordshire, however, the connnon 

 charges are only 



Poling alone, 3s. 6d. per acre, (poling and icorking per acre, 135. 6rL) 



* Annually to ktep up the slock in good conditiim. 



