Book VI. THE HOP. 



927 



f>()34. Tying the shoots or vines to the pules is the last operation in the after or summer culture of the 

 hop. This requires the labour of a number of persons, generally women, who tie them in several different 

 plaees with withered rushes, but so loosely as not to prevent the vines from advancing in their progress 

 towards the tops of the poles. When the vines have got out of reach from the ground, proper persons 

 go round, with standing ladders, and tie all such as appear inclined to stray. 



6035. The seatan for this operation varies from the middle of bring the long-winged fly. In such a season it wou'd be well 



Ma> to the end of June, and one important part of the oper- woith while to eradicate all the vine which tirst appears and 



ation consists in selecting the shoots. The forwardest vine trust to a later shoot, so as to protract the tying till the last 'week 



should always be extirpa'ed, as it is well known that the in .May. This hint was taken from the observations made in 



branches arising from these early shoots will produce little, if such blasting years on the poor and thin lands where the vine 



any, fruit. The s cond shoots, where the hills are not overloaded is uatura'ly backward, and seldom becomes lit for the tvers till 



with pi nits, and where the ground is not of a nature to send towards the latter end of May, when that on the forward ground 



forth a very luxuriant vine, may with safety be tied up: but will have advanced nearly to the tops of the poles, and to an in- 



wh-re the land is apt to push forward a great redundancy of attentive observer seems to promise fair for a crop ; whereas, to 



shoots, where the vine is always strong and vigorous, and where those who have been conversant in these matters, the lossof the 



the failure in the crop chiefly arises from this cause, the greatest crop, tho 'gh the vine at that time be green and nourishing, 



prudence is necessary, at the season for tying, to make choice may be easily foreseen ; whilst on the poorer soils there is gen'e- 



of a proj>er vine ; especially in years which may be supposed to rally a saving crop even in years when the blast is most preva- 



be attended with a blast; such as those wherein an easterly lent. These considerations have suggested the protracting of 



wind ha* prevailed throughout the month of March, whence the growth of the vine in the manner above mentioned, which 



one may fairly conclude that the same weather will happen seems conformable to reason and experience. 

 during the course of the month of May, which never fails to 



6036- leaking the crop is a most important operation in the hop economy 



6087. Hops are known to be ready for pulling when they acquire a strong scent, and the seeds become 

 firm and of a brown colour, which, in ordinary seasons, happens in the first or second week of September. 

 When the pulling season arrives, the utmost assiduity is requisite on the part of the planter, in order that 

 the different operations may be carried on with regularity and despatch ; as the least neglect, in any de- 

 partment of the business, proves in a great degree ruinous to the most abundant crop, especially in pre- 

 carious seasons. Gales of wind at that season, by breaking the lateral branches, and bruising the hops, 

 prove nearly as injurious as a long continuance of rainy weather, which never fails to spoil the colour of 

 the crop, and thereby render it less saleable. 



fi038. Asa preparation for pulling the hops, frames of wood, in be unsupplied with hops ; and if it is found that the hops ri*e 

 number proportioned to the size of the ground, and the pickers faster than could have been expected, and that there are more 

 to be employed, are placed in that part of the Held which, by gathered in a day than can be conveniently dried oil, some of 

 having be n most exposed to the influence of the sun, is soonest the worst pickers m.iy be discharged ; it being v< rv prejudicial 

 ready. These frames, which are called bins or cribs, are very for the green hops to continue long in the sacks before they are 

 simple in the construction, being only four pieces of boards put on the oast, as they will in a few hours begin to heati and 

 nailed to four posts, or legs, and, when finished, are about acquire an unsightly colour, which will not be taken off in the 

 seven or eight feet long, three feet broad, and about the same drying, especially if the season be very moist ; though, in a wet 

 height. A man always attends the pickers, whose business it is hopping, it is no easy matter to prevent the kilns from being 

 to cut over the vines near the ground, and to lay the poles on overrun, supposing that there were pickers enough to supply 

 the frames to be picked. Common'y two, but seldom more them if the weather h id been dry, because in a wet cold time 

 than three, poles are laid on at a time. Six, seven, or eight the hops require to lie a considerable while longer on the kiln, 

 pickers, women, girls, and boys, are employed at the same in order that the superabundant moisture may be dried up. It 

 frame, three or four being ranged on each side. These, with is therefore expedient in this ca*e that each measuring be (li- 

 the man who sorts the poles, are called a set. The hops, after vided into a number of green pockets or pokes. The number 

 being carefully separated from the leaves and branches, or of bushels in a poke ought never to exceed eleven ; but when 

 stalks, are dropped by the pickers into a large cloth, hung all the hops are wet, or likely to continue together some time liefore 

 round within side the frame on tenter-books. When the cloth they go on the kiln, the better way is to put only eight bushels 

 is full, the hops are emptied into a large sack, which is carried in a sack, pocket, or poke- 



home, and the hops laid on a kiln to be dried. This is always 6040. DoiuilJson asserts that diligent hop-pickers, when the 

 done as soon as possible after they are picked, as they are apt to crop is tolerably abundant, will pick from e ght to ten bushels 

 sustain considerable damage, both in colour and flavour, if ea< h in the day, which, when dry, will weigh al»out one hun- 

 allowed to remain long in sacks in the green state in which they dred weight ; and that it is common to let the picking of hop- 

 are pulled. In very warm weather, and when they are pulled grounds by the bushel. The price is extremely variable, 

 in a moist state, they will often heat in five or six hours : for depending no less on the goodness of the crop than on the 

 this reason the kilns are kept constantly at work, both night abundance or scarcity of labourers. The greatest part of the 

 and day, from the commencement to the conclusion of the hops cultivated in Eng'and is picked by people who make a 

 hop-picking season. prac'ice of coming annually from the remote part of Wales 



6059. To set on a sufficient number of hands is a matter of pru- for that purpose, 

 dence, in the picking season, that the oasts or kilns may never 



604 1. The operation of drying hops is not materially different from that of drying malt ; 

 and the kilns, or oasts, are of the same construction. 



60*2. The hops are spread on a hair-cloth, and from eight to ten, sometimes twelve, inches deep, accord- 

 ing to the dryness or wetness of the season and the ripeness of the hops. A thorough knowledge of the 

 best method of drying hops can only be acquired by long practice. The general rules are, to begin with a 

 slow fire, and to increase it gradually, till, by the heat on the kiln, and the warmth of the hops, it is 

 known to have arrived at a proper height An even steady fire is then continued for eight or ten hours, 

 according to the state or circumstances of the hops, by which time the ends of the hop-stalks become quite 

 shrivelled and dry, which is the chief sign by which to ascertain that the hops are properly and sufficiently 

 dried. They are then taken offthe kiln, and laid in a large room or loft till they become quitecool. They 

 are now in condition to be put into bags, which is the last operation the planter has to perform previously 

 to sending his crop to market. 



6043. When hops are dried on a cockle-oast, sea-coal is the usual fuel, and a chaldron is generally 

 esteemed the proper allowance to a load of hops. On the hair kilns, charcoal is commonly used for this 

 purpose. Fifty sacks of charcoal are termed a load, which usually sells for about fit ty shillings. The 

 price for burning is three shillings per load, or twelve shillings for each cord of wood. The process of 

 drying having been completed, the hops are to be taken offthe kiln, and shovelled into an adjoining 

 chamber called the stowage-room ; and in this place they are continually to be laid as they are taken off 

 the kiln, till it may be thought convenient to put them into bags, which is rarely done till they have lain 

 some time in the heap ; for the hops, when first taken off the kiln, being very dry, would (if put into the 

 bags at that time) break to pieces, and not draw so good a sample as when they have lain some time in 

 the heap ; whereby they acquire a considerable portion of toughness, and an increase of weight. 



6044. The bagging of hops is thus performed : — 



60+5. In the floor of the room, if here the hops arc laid to cool, there is a round hole or trap, equal in 

 size to the mouth of a hop bag. After tying a handful of hops in each of the lower corners of a large bag, 

 which serve afterwards for handles, the mouth of the bag is fixed securely to a strong hoop, which is made 

 to rest on the edges of the hole or trap; and the bag itself being then dropped through the trap, the 

 packer goes into it, when a person who attends for the purpose puts in the hops in small quantities, in 

 order to give the packer an opportunity of packing and trampling them as hard as possible Whin the 

 bag is filled, and the hops trampled in so hard as that it will hold no more, it is drawn up, unloosed from 

 the hoop, and the end sewed up, other two handles having been previously formed in the corners in the 

 manner mentioned above. The brightest and finest coloured hops are put into pockets or tine bagging, 

 and the brown into coarse or heavv bagging. The firmer are chiefly used lor brewing fine ales, and the 

 latter by the porter brewers. But it is to be observed, that where hops are intended to he kept for any 

 length of time, it is most proper to put them into coarse cloth. The proper length Of a bag is two ells and 

 a quarter, and of a pocket nearly the same, being one ell in width The former, if the hops are good in 

 quality, well cured, and tight trodden, will weigh about two hundred and a half; and the latter, if of 

 the Canterbury pocketing, about one hundred and a half. If the weight either exceeds or falls much 



