PRODUCTION ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 97 



CHAPTER VII. 



PRODUCTION ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. 



UNITED STATES. The hop plant was introduced into the 

 British North American colonies soon after the first European 

 settlements, and cultivated in New Netherlands in 1629, and 

 in Virginia as early as 1648. 



In 1840 the United States only produced 6000 bales of 

 hops ; ten years later, 1849, the production had increased to 

 17,000 bales. The next decade showed a larger increase 

 than in any other product, the growth of 1859 reaching 

 55,000 bales. The crop of 1862 was estimated at 80,000 

 bales, that of 1863 at 65,000, and of 1864 at 45,000 bales. 



In 1845 the hops grown in North America were : 



Bales. 



New England States 4250 



New York 4000 



Total 8250 



which was 2000 bales less than the previous year. 



Hop culture is now pretty generally diffused over the 

 States ; Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are the 

 principal New England hop-growing States. According to the 

 census of 1849 the quantity of hops raised in the States was 

 3,497,029 Ibs., of which New England produced 707,743 Ibs., 

 New York 2,536,299 Ibs., and all the other States only 

 253,987 Ibs. 



In 1854 the growth was about 27,000 bales, of 200 Ibs. to 



H 



