the top of the ovary arise two long stigmas known as the " brush " 

 of the hop. Each female flower is very small, much smaller than 

 that of the male plant. Several of them grow together in structures, 

 somewhat resembling fir-cones and technically termed " strobiles." 

 These are the "hops" of commerce for which the plant is 

 cultivated. 



When young, or in the " burr " stage of growth, the stigmas of 

 the female flowers are conspicuous, and readily accessible to the 

 pollen which is carried about by the wind. 



Subsequently growth takes place, the " brush " falls, and the 

 leafy chaffy bracts of the strobile or cone develop. 



The structure of a fully-developed " hop " is depicted in 

 Fig. B, No. i, p. 12. 



A hairy axis or " strig " runs down the centre of the cone, and 

 upon it are four rows of small leafy bracts. In reality these are 

 pairs of stipules of leaves whose green blades usually remain 

 undeveloped. Just above each pair of these bracts short branches 

 grow out from the central axis, and upon each branch are produced 

 four female flowers surrounded by bracts. The bases of the latter 

 curl round the female flowers, and partially envelope the ripe fruit 

 or " seed." 



It is upon the corolla and bracts of the hop cone that the 

 lupulin glands are produced as described on page u. 



The distance apart of the branches on the central axis of the 

 cone and the shape of the bracts greatly assist in distinguishing the 

 different varieties of hops. In the coarse common kinds the 

 branches are some distance from each other, whereas in the finer 

 kinds they are closer together. The choicest English kinds of hops 

 have bracts with rounded tips, those of the poorer varieties being 

 more pointed. 



After the pollen has been carried to the stigmas of a female 

 flower, it germinates and ultimately fertilises the seed in the 

 ovary. 



