MISCELLANEOUS CROPS 643 



well developed and the amount of resins is smaller in the unripe 

 hop. Not only is there a loss of weight due to too early picking, but 

 practically all of the desirable qualities upon which the value of the 

 hop depends are also in large measure diminished. 



Tests for Ripe Hops. By means of certain practical tests the de- 

 grees of ripeness and suitability for picking of the hop may be readily 

 determined. (1) The strobiles or cones; which are bright green 

 in color in the vegetative state, change gradually to a bright yellow- 

 ish green as they approach ripeness. This is not always an exact 

 test, as the color is somewhat dependent upon the soil and some other 

 factors. Some hops have a greenish color when they are ripe. Some- 

 times in fields infested by the wild morning-glory a yellowing of the 

 cones may occur, which is not due to ripening, but rather indicates 

 an unhealthy condition in the plants themselves. (2) Immature 

 hops are soft and pliable and have no resiliency or elasticity. As 

 they ripen, however, they become more and more elastic, and if 

 slightly compressed between the fingers will, on being released, as- 

 sume at once their original condition. (3) When hops have a crisp 

 feeling and give forth a rustling sound when crushed in the hand 

 they are regarded as ripe. (4) The so-called seeds of the hop are in 

 reality fruits, the seed being covered by a closely adhering pericarp, 

 which, when the hop is ripe, takes on a dark purple color. At this 

 time also the seeds fill out and become hard. (5) The bracts at the 

 point of the cone close as ripening progresses, and the cones them- 

 selves feel sticky or greasy. (6) Immature hops have little odor 

 aside from the natural green or plant odor until they are near ripe- 

 ness, when the characteristic lupulin odor becomes very marked. 

 (7) As the hops approach maturity the upper foliage leaves change 

 from light green to dark green, while those on the lower part of the 

 plant turn yellowish and drop off. 



CURING. 



Practical Drying. The most important and at the same time 

 the most difficult part of hop production is proper drying. No other 

 factor affects the quality, appearance, and market value as much as 

 the manner in which the hops are handled during the curing pro- 

 cess. In the drying process three factors are of primary importance. 

 These are (1) degree of temperature used; (2) length of time of 

 drying; (3) volume of air passing through the hops. Also, in dry- 

 ing at a very low temperature the humidity of the air is an important 

 factor. Only the first two of the factors mentioned have been gen- 

 erally recognized, and the high temperatures used at present are the 

 result of shortening the time of drying. It is possible to diminish 

 the temperature materially without lengthening the time of drying 

 by forcing through the hops a large volume of air at low tempera- 

 ture. 



The first care is to properly lay the hops on the drying floor. 

 They should be spread out evenly and loosely to a depth of 14 to 24 

 inches, depending upon the ripeness. In an uneven floor the heat 

 will break through first in the thinner places, which quickly become 

 dry, while the thicker portions remain damp. If the nops are tram- 

 pled or otherwise packed together on the floor the heat will not 



