HOP-BLIGHT 315 



Europe. The Greeks and Romans never made "beer," 

 and were unacquainted with the use of the hop. More 

 than a thousand years ago the German and Scandinavian 

 peoples made use of various fragrant herbs (sweet gale, 

 bark of tamarisk and oak) to flavour the sweet beer which 

 they brewed from malted grain, just as borage, cucumber, 

 and other plants are still used to flavour " cups." Wild 

 hops were used, amongst other herbs, for this purpose, and 

 gradually but only gradually became the favourite 

 source of flavour. The hop owes its selection not merely 

 to its bitter tonic quality, but also to its wonderful and 

 most delicate perfume. Not only that, but the hop is 

 found to be effective in checking continued fermentation 

 and souring and also to have a narcotic sleep-producing 

 quality, for which it is still used medicinally. Distinct 

 chemical compounds are found in hops to which these 

 several properties are due. A warm " hop-pillow " a 

 pillow stuffed with dried hop-flowers has given, and still 

 gives, sleep to many a wakeful countryman. The older 

 use of other fragrant plants in the making of beer survives 

 in some foreign beers, such as the Norwegian ale, the beer 

 of Louvain, and the " green " spruce-beer of Jena. 



Hops were first cultivated with a view to obtaining 

 varieties which would furnish abundant and large, well- 

 flavoured flower-heads. The flower-heads are " cones," 

 consisting of numerous minute flowers, protected by over- 

 lapping green-coloured scales or bracts. The cultivated 

 hop was brought to this country in the time of Henry 

 VIII, and the cultivation of hops in hop-gardens and 

 the skilful drying of the flower-heads in large bulk was 

 commenced, and regulated by law. The male or pollen- 

 producing hop-vine is distinct from the female seed- 

 bearing hop-vine; it is the female flower-cone which 

 carries the valuable fragrant and resinous products which 

 the brewer desires. Hops are artificially propagated by 



