CHAPTER II 



PECULIARITIES OF THE INDUSTRY 



HE hop industry may be re- ' 

 garded as a very peculiar one 

 in many respects. The area 

 upon which hops can be 

 grown is limited, owing to 

 peculiarities and necessary 

 conditions of soil and cli- 

 mate, not only in this coun- 

 try, but throughout the 

 world. Unfavorable weather 

 at the critical period of hop 



development may almost ruin in a few days what had 

 promised to be a crop large in quantity and fine in 

 quality. Earlier in the season, lice and other pests may 

 cause such injury that, even with ordinarily favorable 

 weather, the plant may not fully recuperate and the 

 yield will be poor. 



These risks are more serious with hops than with 

 almost any other plant. Add the dangers usual to all 

 husbandry from drouths, wind, flood, frost, etc., and it 

 will be seen that on a given area the product and qual- 

 ity of hops may vary more widely from year to year 

 than is the case with almost any other crop. If, in 

 addition to these conditions, the area devoted to hops 

 should be suddenly enlarged; or, on the other hand, if 

 considerable areas should not be harvested, owing to 

 poor crops or low prices, wide fluctuations may occur 

 in the supply and quality of hops. These factors make 

 it difficult to collect exact data about the production 

 of hops, even with the co-operation of growers. The 



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