HOP 



HOP 



20^ 



there will be danger of losing great 

 part of the crop. 



The hop will soon run itself out 

 of heart, if it be over poled. Nei- 

 ther can a good crop be expected 

 from over poled ground ; because 

 the branches which bear the hops 

 grow very little, till the buds have 

 overreached the poles, which they 

 cannot do when the pole is long. 

 Two small poles are sufficient for 

 a hill in a young ground. 



A hop garden, Mr. Young says, 

 will last almost forever, by renew- 

 ing the hills that fail to the amount 

 of about a score annually : But it 

 is reckoned better to grub up and 

 new plant it every 20 or 25 years. 

 In forward years hops are ripe 

 at the beginning of September. — 

 When they begin to change colour, 

 or are easily pulled to pieces ; 

 when they emit a fragrant smell, 

 and when their seeds begin to look 

 brown and grow hard, you may 

 conclude that they are ripe. Then 

 pick them with all expedition ; for 

 a storm of wind will do them great 

 mischief at this time. 



When the poles are drawn up in 

 order to be picked, the vines 

 around should be cut asunder at 

 the height of three or four feet 

 from the ground : For cutting them 

 lower, especially while the hops 

 are green, would occasion so great 

 a flow of sap, as would weaken the 

 root. 



It has been remarked by one 

 who had much experience, that 

 hops which are late picked bear 

 more plentifully the following year 

 than such as are picked early : For 

 which reason he recommends late 

 picking. But the hops which are 



picked early look better, and are 

 undoubtedly stronger. 



The best way of drying hops is 

 on kilns. Four pounds ofundried 

 hops, will make one pound after 

 they are dried. 



Before hops are bagged, they 

 should be laid in a heap, that they 

 may sweat and grow tough : And 

 if they are covered for a while 

 with blankets, they will be the bet- 

 ter. The bags are coarse linen 

 cloth. They are commonly about 

 eleven feet long, and near two 

 yards and a half in circumference, 

 and contain about 250 weight of 

 hops. The small bags, called pock- 

 ets, contain about half as much. 



The manner of bagging is thus. 

 Make a round or square hole about 

 26 or 30 inches over, in the floor 

 of the chamber where the hops are 

 laid in heaps after sweating. Tie 

 with a piece of pack thread,a hand- 

 ful of hops in each lower corner of 

 the bag, to serve as handles for the 

 more easy lifting or removing the 

 bag ; and fasten the mouth of the 

 bag to a frame, or hoop, somewhat 

 larger than the hole, that the hoop 

 may rest on its edges. The upper 

 part thus fixed, the rest of the bag 

 hangs down through the hole, but 

 not so far as to touch the lower 

 floor. Then throw into it a bushel 

 or two of hops, and let a man go 

 into the bag, and tread the hops 

 down till they lie close ; then 

 throw in more and tread ; and so 

 on till the bag is full. Loose it 

 from the hoop, and sew up the 

 mouth as close as possible, tying 

 hops in the upper, as was done in 

 the lower corners. The harder 

 the hops are pressed,and the closer 



