PLANTING AND CULTURE. 



95 



Some plow the soil away from each side of the plants, 

 but even when this is done with care, Clark and others 

 protest against ever putting a plow into the hop planta- 

 tion. They prefer to remove the fall dressing to one 

 side of the hill, then with a grub hook (Fig. 44) loosen 

 and remove the earth from around the hill to the depth 

 of three or four inches, pulling up and trimming off the 

 surface runners and cutting off (with knife like one of 

 those shown in Fig. 41) the crown or top an inch or 

 two, as shown in Fig. 42. The old manure is now 

 worked into the soil about the hill and the plant cov- 

 ered with fine earth. The English use a special tool 



FIG. 42. PLANTS TJNTRIMMED AND TRIMMED. 



(Fig. 45) for hauling the fine earth over the trimmed 

 plants. Any dead roots must be replaced, also diseased 

 or decaying ones. This is the proper method of "grub- 

 bing out" every spring. 



An important point is thus stated by Whitehead: 

 "It is well not to 'dress' hop plants too early, as, if the 

 shoots or bines are forward, they are exposed to the 

 action of spring frosts, which will either cut them up, 

 or blacken and spoil them, or make them 'sticky/ m> 

 kindly, and more liable to blight and mildew. The 

 French vine cultivators dread the influences of white 

 frosts upon the young and tender shoots of the vines, 



