SYSTEMS OF CULTIVATION. 29 



only by a liberal outlay (of course judiciously) that he can 

 calculate on an adequate return. 



The soil best adapted for the cultivation of the hop is a 

 deep rich loam. In preparing the soil for this plant care should 

 be taken to thoroughly destroy the weeds, and to reduce the 

 soil to as pulverized a state as possible. Well-rotted dung 

 must be applied\ith a liberal hand. 



The plants or cuttings are prepared from old stools, and 

 each should have two joints or eyes; from the one springs 

 the root, and from the other the bine. They should be 

 made from the healthiest and strongest bines, each being cut 

 to the length of 5 or 6 inches. 



The following is the best mode of planting : Strike furrows 

 with the plough at equal distances of 8 feet ; when finished 

 repeat the process in the opposite direction. The hills are 

 then to be made where the furrows cross each other, by 

 digging out a spadeful of earth, and after mixing it with two 

 spitsful of rotten dung, replacing the whole so as to form a 

 small hillock; in this three or four plants are set at the 

 distance of 5 or 6 inches from each other. 



In dressing the hop plant, the operations of the first year 

 are confined to twisting and removing the haulm, The 

 former should be done about Christmas, by twisting the young 

 vines into a knot so as to stop any further growth. The 

 latter is performed with a sickle annually in the month of 

 March ; they should be cut even with the surface of the 

 ground. The plants are generally ready for polling towards 

 the end of September in the second and succeeding years. 

 The poles should be from 16 to 20 feet long, the shoots 

 should previously have risen 2 or 3 inches ; three poles are 



