350 THE HOP CROP. 



Gerarde, in his Herbal, published about this period, 

 both figures and describes the hop, which, he says, "joy- 

 eth in a fat and fruitfull ground ; it prospereth the better 

 by manuring;" and also that it was much esteemed for 

 its use in the brewing of beer. It appears that hops 

 continued to be imported from the Continent in consider- 

 able quantities until towards the end of the century, 

 when their cultivation had sufficiently increased in the 

 districts of Kent, Surrey, Essex, and Suffolk, where they 

 were first grown, as to be equal to the requirements of 

 the home consumption, and the importations fell off. 

 In 1710 (Ann. Reg.) a duty of 3d. per Ib. was levied on 

 all hops imported into England; and in 1734 (George 

 II.) a duty of Id. per Ib. was imposed on all hops grown 

 in England, and afterwards three 5 per cents., or 4-J ths 

 of a farthing, were added, with the allowance of a 

 deduction of 10 per cent, on the whole for the tare of 

 the cloth. This is what is now termed the " old duty," 

 and is also that upon which the " betting," about which 

 we hear so much in the hop market at a certain period of 

 the year, is made, the calculations of the yield per acre 

 being made from it. In 1802 an additional duty of li-^d 

 per Ib. was levied, which, in 1805, was reduced to f -fad. 

 per Ib., making thus a gross charge upon the grower of 

 2d. per Ib. ; upon this also an allowance of 1 per cent, 

 deduction for the cloth is made. This is denominated the 

 "new duty." In 1810 an additional duty of 5 per cent. 

 (3 Vic. cap. 17) was imposed (in common with all other 

 articles of excise) upon the whole previous charge. The 

 actual amount of duty now fixed for hops grown in Eng- 

 land is 17s. 7^d. per cwt., and upon those of foreign growth 

 imported into this country, the duty is 2, 5s. At the 

 time of the alteration of the tariff in 1846, it was 4, 5s., 

 having a few years only before been reduced from 8, 8s., 

 which had effectually stopped all foreign importation. 



