HISTORY, BOTANY, ECONOMIC USES, 



As the quality of hops depends largely upon the amount 

 of lupuline they contain, care is necessary to select those which 

 have been fully matured on the vine before picking, -when 

 the lupuline will be found in much greater abundance, and 

 of better quality. When derived from the fresh hop, it is of 

 a very brilliant light lemon colour, almost 'transparent, and 

 of a very strong aromatic odour. When rubbed between the 

 fingers the grains are very easily broken, and adhere to 

 the fingers, but on exposure to the light, or when from older 

 hops, it becomes darker in colour, more opaque, and less 

 gummy when rubbed between the fingers, according to the 

 age. Owing to the difficulty of separating the powder from 

 new hops (from the tendency it has to adhere to the scales, 

 because of the resinous exudation with which it is coated, 

 making its yield by mechanical process smaller), and the 

 comparatively high price of new hops, as compared with old, 

 making it less remunerative, the powder is mostly obtained 

 from old hops. When the hop becomes old, the resinous 

 exudation coating the lupuline concretes, and no longer 

 adheres to the leaf, so that it can be easily separated by whip- 

 ping the strobiles and sifting. When hops have become a 

 year old, or as soon as the new crop comes into market, they 

 are called old, and command only about one-half the price of 

 the new crop. When two years old, they are called old-olds, 

 and are still less valuable ; and when five years old are con- 

 sidered worthless to brewers, although they still contain the 

 lupuline, which possesses a part of its bitterness, but is desti- 

 tute of volatile oil. 



The age of hops can be told pretty accurately until they 

 have attained three years ; after that it is very doubtful. 



