GKADING AND MARKETING HOPS. 235 



live selling be handled to better advantage. The 

 grower can fix his own price, and instruct the exchange 

 not to let his crop go for less, and can modify his views 

 either way from day to day as he deems fit. The ex- 

 change w T ould be the headquarters for all information 

 about crops and markets. Since the exchange would 

 have to guarantee that the quality of the bale would be 

 up to sample, it would have to enforce the most care- 

 ful packing and a rigid inspection. Yet, this is no 

 more than the buyer now expects, and by the exchange 

 system the grower would suffer far less from these 

 exactions than at present. Each crop would be sold 

 on its merits, or, if desired, the exchange could arrange 

 for the mixing of crops so as to furnish large lots of 

 an even quality. With good business management 

 and proper support on the part of hop growers, such 

 an exchange could not fail to be of great value to both 

 buyers and dealers. While new to the hop trade, it is 

 not a new method of selling produce, but has been long 

 used and not found wanting. We believe it is only 

 a question of time before the exigencies of the business 

 and the good sense of hop planters will lead them to 

 unite in efforts of this kind. 



Permanent improvement in prices, however, will 

 depend more on limiting the production than through 

 any other agency. How to accomplish this is an ex- 

 tremely difficult problem. Since spraying for lice and 

 mold has come into vogue, it is not likely that such 

 absolute failures will again occur as have occasionally 

 characterized the past. Without concert of action, 

 every naturally short crop, with its consequent high 

 prices, will be followed by an increased area throughout 

 the hop-growing world, to be followed by another 

 period of low prices. The hop planter is therefore the 

 architect of his own fortunes and can reckon on good 

 prices only when the acreage is kept down to a 

 minimum. 



