SECRETARY'S REPORT. 101 



The trenching is done with the spade, two spits deep, in the 

 most thorough manner; but a more economical method is by 

 the trench plough, or by the Michigan sod and subsoil plough. 



The hop is commonly propagated from cuttings, and some- 

 times by young plants grown from the seed. The cuttings may 

 be taken fresh from the crown of the long roots, and planted 

 directly in land previously prepared for them ; or they may be 

 rooted after the manner of layers, and then planted ; or the 

 fresh cuttings may be rooted in a bed, and transplanted from that 

 to the place intended for them. Cuttings which have been 

 rooted generally grow more rapidly and arrive at maturity 

 earlier than fresh cuttings, which gives them an advantage. 



When shoots are to be used as layers they may be twisted 

 at the joint above which they are to be buried in soil, and bent 

 down and fastened, and then covered up. This is usually done 

 in a careless manner at the first hoeing, the loose, straggling 

 vines being buried up without any particular regard to depth 

 or neatness; and when the vines arc covered in this manner, 

 they are not long in taking root. As soon as they have taken 

 root, they may be cut from the parent stalk and transplanted 

 into the ground prepared for them, each slip being six or eight 

 inches long, and having three or four eyes, or joints. When it 

 is designed to treat the cuttings in the nursery bed, they are 

 taken from the crown of the root or from the stalk of old 

 plants at the time of dressing in spring, which will be hereaf- 

 ter mentioned, and allowed to remain in the bed till they are 

 well rooted. The cuttings are made about eight inches long; 

 and if they contain more than four buds or joints, they are 

 trimmed. Care should be taken to allow only one male plant 

 to a field, and it may be set by the side of the road at consid- 

 erable distance from the field and left to take care of itself. 

 This caution cannot be too strictly observed ; for our hops have 

 deteriorated from too much seeding, which has arisen from 

 allowing the male plants to increase. Some allow one male 

 plant to fifty, and set it in the field with the rest. This is too 

 much ; for, where hops are over-seeded, they ripen prematurely, 

 and turn brown so fast as not to give time to pick them in the 

 proper state of maturity. If any male plants are allowed to 



