HISTORY, BOTANY, ECONOMIC USES, 



the stem is its textile fibre, which easily separates from the 

 ligneous portion, after a steeping of two or three weeks, and 

 of this fibre ropes and coarse fabrics of the greatest strength 

 are made. After bleaching of the combed fibre, carpets with 

 white and brown stripes have been made of it. 



A M. Yan der Scheldon recommended, in 1866, the follow- 

 ing process for making a coarse cloth of good quality from 

 the fibre of the hop. After the flowers have been gathered, 

 the stalks are cut, made into bundles, and steeped like hemp. 

 The maceration is the most important operation ; for if it is 

 not done with proper care, it is very difficult to separate the 

 threads of the bark from the woody fibre. When the stalks 

 have been well steeped, they are dried in the sun, beaten 

 like hemp with a wooden mallet, and thus the threads are 

 loosened easily. They are then carded, and are ready for 

 weaving in the usual way. By this means a strong cloth is 

 obtained. The thickest stalks also produce a thread suitable 

 for the manufacture of rope. 



The young sprouts or shoots, although slightly bitter, are 

 sometimes cooked and eaten like asparagus ; and the roots, 

 according to Lindley, have been employed as a substitute for 

 sarsaparilla. 



A farmer in the north of France, having been driven by 

 the scarcity of fodder to try to make use of whatever fell in 

 his way for feeding his cattle, proved that hop leaves were 

 a valuable element of food for cows when mixed with other 

 substances. He found that whenever he gave them hop 

 leaves he always obtained more milk, and his cows throve 

 better than usual. The leaves must be used as soon as they 

 are plucked, for the cows object to them when dried by the sun. 



