636 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



heavily than others, some are richer in the desirable resins, and 

 some will show other high-grade qualities. New varieties may be 

 sought for among the plants in the nursery when these are grown 

 from seed. After the seedlings have been transplanted to the yards 

 and have matured a crop a careful examination at picking time may 

 show that some have superior qualities. These should be suitably 

 marked and cuttings made therefrom the next season for further se- 

 lection. There is no good reason why this method if persisted in 

 should not produce valuable new varieties. The favorable results 

 obtained with new and improved varieties of corn, wheat, grapes, 

 and other crops may be duplicated in hop culture and suggest lines 

 along which improvement may be made, particularly in regard to 

 bettering the quality of the product. 



Selection. The opportunity for producing improved sorts by 

 selection of the stocks from which cuttings are taken offers a prom- 

 ising field for the progressive hop grower. Many growers who give 

 much attention to improving the fertility of their fields and their 

 methods of cultivation take their cuttings for planting from the 

 nearest available supply without any consideration of the produc- 

 tiveness, and other qualities of the plants from which the cuttings 

 are taken. This has resulted in many yards in the loss of certain 

 distinct varietal characteristics, and in almost every field mixed va- 

 rieties and light and heavy producers occur indiscriminately. 



A careful study of the productiveness of an acre of hops in Cali- 

 fornia has recently shown that the yield of individual hills varied 

 from a few ounces to 18 pounds of green hops. W nen the number 

 of these low-yielding hills is large the total yield will be correspond- 

 ingly reduced. Such hills should be removed and replaced by roots 

 taken from plants giving high yields. In certain sections the hop 

 plant is affected by a crown gall which is known locally as "root- 

 knot" or "warts." A rigorous selection of new roots used is neces- 

 sary not only to avoid setting out roots already diseased, but that roots 

 may be obtained, if possible, which will be resistant to the attacks 

 of the disease itself. 



A decided improvement in quality should follow the careful 

 selection of cuttings with reference to productiveness, uniformity, 

 disease resistance, and general adaptability to the cultural conditions 

 in the region where they are to be grown. The selection should be 

 made at picking time, when the hills containing plants of superior 

 quality and productiveness can be staked, so that cuttings may be 

 taken therefrom the next season. 



PLANTING AND CULTIVATING. 



Time to Plant. The time at which planting is done depends 

 very largely on the local conditions existing where the crop is grown, 

 but in general the best results are obtained by planting as soon as the 

 eoil can be worked into a fine mellow condition. In California 

 planting should be done in January or February, although in some 

 seasons planting as late as May 1 has yielded good results. In Ore- 

 gon and Washington hops are planted in March or April, and in 

 New York successful plantings have been made in April in favor- 

 able seasons. 



