CULTIVATION OF THE HOP. 51 



slight alteration of the old kilns. What is' required is, that 

 the fire should not be too brisk ; it could not be too slow till 

 the " reek " is gone off, and after that the hops could not well 

 be hurt. The great thing is to get a good draught. Nothing 

 is gained by lighting up the fire so early as is done by some 

 of the old dryers, as the hops being caked up in a mass by 

 the steam, coula not be dried any the sooner for it. Pro- 

 bably in nine out of ten of the old oasts the " reek " could 

 not get away. 



The following estimate of the cost of raising and cultivating 

 an acre of hops is given by Mr. John Buckland, the author 

 of the Koyal Agricultural Society's prize essay on the 

 Farming of Kent; and, with some exceptions, it is a very 

 close approximation to the truth ; indeed, in Mid Kent even 

 higher expenses have been incurred in forming and cultivating 

 hop plantations. 



