38 THE HOP. 



the other a late hop. In the autumn the crop must be 

 protected from birds and be allowed to get thoroughly 

 ripe; the hops must then be picked and sun-dried; 

 afterwards the seeds must be sorted out and kept till 

 the spring, when they can either be sown in pots or in 

 a bed properly prepared. In the autumn the seed- 

 lings must be dug up and planted out on good ground 

 about two feet apart, and carefully cultivated for two 

 or three years, till it can be seen which plants answer 

 our expectations and are worth saving; these can after- 

 wards be readily reproduced from cuttings." 



In England. As to varieties in England, White- 

 head wrote in 1893 as follows, and careful inquiry by 

 the author, of the best experts among English growers, 

 shows that this is equally true to-day: 



"The fashion as to varieties changes, in accordance with 

 the circumstances of the demand. Until the last year or so 

 hops of the finest quality were required by the brewers. Land 

 which produced these was at a premium. The East and Mid 

 Kent and Farnham planters were in the ascendant and 

 planted the best varieties, as Bramblings, and others of Gold- 

 ing character. Producers of more common hops, in the weald 

 of Kent, Sussex, and elsewhere, were disposed to consider 

 their occupation gone, and made some efforts to improve 

 their quality. But now this has changed for the nonce. 

 Fine-flavored hops, full of aroma, seem just now to be re- 

 quired only for pale and export ales, and for the compara- 

 tively small quantity of stock beer now brewed. For beer 

 for quick draught common hops, it is said, are good enough. 

 There has been a large demand for these of late, and they 

 ha\e made prices relatively higher than those of the finer 

 sorts. Varieties of common hops have therefore been exten- 

 sively planted, even in districts producing hops of fine 

 quality, and among them the Fuggle's Goldmg, as cropping 

 heavily, has been largely selected. Many planters, however, 

 refuse to make any alteration in this respect, as they say 

 that there will be a reaction when the market is crowded 

 with common hops. 



"In East Kent the prevailing varieties are Goldmgs of 

 several kinds, Bramblings, Cobb's Early Goldings, Pethain 

 Goldings, Canterbury, and Old Goldings. Bramblings and 

 other Goldings are still generally grown on the best land; 

 Whitebine Grapes and Grapes on that of not so good a qual- 

 ity. In Mid Kent, Goldmgs, Bramblings, Grapes, and Jones 



