ON THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE. 91 



BELGIUM. Although hop cultivation is carried on in six 

 of the provinces of Belgium, there are only a small number of 

 arrondissements where it has attained any real importance. 

 All the arrondissements of Hainault, with the exception of 

 Tournai, cultivate the hop, hut in Brabant the culture is 

 almost exclusively restricted to the arrondissement of Brussels, 

 in West Flanders to that of Ypres, in East Flanders to Alost, 

 and in the province of Liege to the district of Liege. Beyond 

 these localities we only meet with insignificant hop grounds, 

 generally for the special wants of the grower. 



The Belgian hops of Poperinghe and its neighbourhood, 

 and those of Alost, have a good reputation, but the careless 

 mode of gathering and drying are much complained of. This 

 depreciation in the value might easily be remedied by more 

 care being paid to these essential operations. In 1846 

 2232 hectares were under culture with hops ; in 1870, 3960 

 hectares, yielding an average of 1237 kilogrammes per 

 hectare. 



In 1866 the division for provinces, according to the census, 

 was as follows : 



Hectares. 



West Flanders (Poperinghe) 1498 



Brabant and its vicinity 1348 



East Flanders and its vicinity 493 



Hainault 448 



Liege 128 



Total 3915 



The number of acres under hops in English measure wab, 

 in 1S66, 9781, and the produce of hops 10,801,646 Ibs. 



The culture is now carried on on a much larger scale, 

 judging by the great increase in the exports. Thirty years 



