HOPS. 



of the stems of old plants. They are 

 laid down in the earth till they strike, 

 when tliey arc cut off and jilanted in 

 the nursery-bed. Care must be ta- 

 ken to have only one sort of liops in 

 a plantation, that they may all ripen 

 at the same time ; but where there 

 are very extensive hop grounds it 

 may be advantageous to have an ear- 

 lier and a later sort in diflerent divis- 

 ions, so that they may be picked in 

 succession. The varieties most es- 

 teemed are the grape hop, the white 

 vine, and the golden hop. The 

 ground having been prepared for 

 planting, it is divided by parallel 

 lines, six or more feet apart, and 

 short sticks are inserted into the 

 ground along these lines at six feet 

 distance from each other, so as to al- 

 ternate in the rows, as is frequently 

 done with cabbage plants in gardens. 

 At each stick a hole is dug two feet 

 square and two feet deep, which is 

 filled lightly with the earth dug out, 

 together with a compost prepared 

 with dung, lime, and earth, well mix- 

 ed by repeated turning. Fresh dung 

 should never be applied to hops. 

 Three plants are placed in the mid- 

 dle of this hole six inches asunder, 

 forming an equilateral triangle. A 

 watering with liquid manure greatly 

 assists their taking root, and they 

 soon begin to show runners. A stick, 

 three or four feet long, is then stuck 

 in the middle of the three plants, and 

 the runners are tied to these with 

 twine or bass, till they lay hold and 

 twine round them. During their 

 growth the ground is well hoed and 

 forked up around the roots, and some 

 of the fine mould is thrown around 

 the stems. In favourable seasons a 

 few hops may be picked from these 

 young plants in the autumn, but in 

 general there is nothing the first year. 

 Early in November the ground is 

 carefully dug witii the spade, and the 

 earth beingturncd towards the plants, 

 is left so all the winter. Beets, po- 

 tatoes, &c., are grown in the inter- 

 vals between the plants. 



" In the second year, early in 

 spring, the hillocks around the plants 

 are opened, and the roots examined. 



The last year's shoots are cut ofF 

 within an inch of the main stem, and 

 all the suckers quite close to it. The 

 suckers form an agreeable vegetable 

 for the table, dressed like asparagus. 

 The earth is pressed round the roots, 

 and the cut parts covered so as to 

 exclude the air. A pole about twelve 

 feet long is then firmly stuck into 

 the ground near the plants ; to this 

 the runners are led and tied as they 

 shoot, till they have taken hold of it. 

 If, by any accident, the runner leaves 

 the pole, it should be carefully brought 

 back to it and tied till it takes hold 

 again. A stand ladder should be at 

 hand to do this, when the runner has 

 acquired some height. The ground 

 being well hoed and the earth raised 

 round the plants, the produce this 

 year will average four cwts. per acre, 

 if the season is favourable. 



" Some hop planters plough up or 

 dig the ground before winter ; others 

 prefer doing it in spring, in order not 

 to hasten the shooting, which weak- 

 ens the plants. The same opera- 

 tions of pruning the shoots, manuring, 

 and placing poles, which were per- 

 formed the preceding year, are care- 

 fully repeated. Particular attention 

 is paid to proportion the length of 

 the poles to the probable strength of 

 the runners ; for if the pole is too 

 long, it draws up the runner, and 

 makes it bear less ; if it is too short, 

 the runners entangle when they get 

 beyond the poles, and cause confu- 

 sion in the picking. In September, 

 the flower containing the seed will 

 be of a fine straw colour, turning to 

 a brown ; it is then in perfection. 

 When it is over-ripe, it acquires a 

 darker tint. No time is now lost, 

 and as many hands are procured as 

 can be set picking. In the picking, 

 the poles are taken down, and the 

 stems cut three feet from the ground ; 

 if they were cut shorter it would 

 weaken the root, by causing it to 

 bleed. The poles are laid sloping 

 over a frame of strong wood, nine 

 feet long and four feet wide, support- 

 ed by legs three feet high ; this is 

 called a bin. A piece of coarse bag- 

 ging is fixed to this frame by hooks, 



381 



