14 



circumstances would seem to afford a good opportunity of 

 testing whether an excess of nitrate despite there being an 

 abundance of mineral food in the soil had proved in any 

 way injurious to the quality of the hops. Mr. Chapman was 

 therefore asked to " place " the samples with special care, 

 and his report is as follows, with the exception that the 

 proper letters and descriptions of the plots are now sub- 

 stituted for the arbitrary marks which were placed on the 

 samples themselves, in order that Mr. Chapman might again 

 be entirely unbiassed by any information as to the origin of 

 the samples. Mr. Chapman says : 



" In accordance with your request, I have made a general examination of 

 these samples, with the object of placing them in the order of their value to 

 the brewer, with the following results " : 



Plot. Annual dressing per acre. 



F Phosphates, potash and 10 cwt. nitrate of soda. 



S 20 loads London dung, 6 cwt. superphosphate, and 6 cwt. nitrate of soda. 



B Phosphates, potash and 2 cwt. nitrate of soda. 



D ,, ,, 6 cwt. nitrate of soda. 



E ,, 8 cwt. nitrate of soda. 



X 30 loads London dung. 



C Phosphates, potash and 4 cwt. nitrate of soda. 



A Phosphates and potash, without nitrate. 



No. 9 (another part of farm). 6 cwt. superphosphate, 2\ tons of wool-waste, 

 and 5 cwt. guano, without nitrate. 



"I may say," continues Mr. Chapman, " that although there is a marked 

 difference between the extreme members of the above series, the neighbouring 

 samples resemble one another somewhat closely. 



" No. 9 is distinctly inferior in every respect. Its resin percentage is 

 rather low, its aroma is unsatisfactory, and it is very much discoloured. 



"In placing these samples I have paid attention to the quantity of con- 

 dition, the aroma, and general physical characters, as well as to the per- 

 centage of preservative resins and the absence of blight and other disease, 

 and, in forming a judgment, have endeavoured to assign to each of these 

 factors that amount of importance which I believe it should possess from the 

 brewer's point of view. 



"At present market values I consider 'F'to be worth 6os., and the 

 following six samples would gradually fall to 503. in the case of ' C.' 



"I should not advise any brewer to purchase the last two samples in the 

 present condition of the market." 



