362 THE HOP CROP. 



fitably where the finer varieties would not succeed at all. 

 The Goldiiigs and the Farnham and Canterbury White- 

 bines are the deepest rooted, and require good loamy soils, 

 resting on pervious rubbly subsoils of the greensand and 

 ragstone beds, and where the gault clay comes near the 

 surface that the soil be well drained, either naturally or 

 artificially ; while the other varieties are less particular as 

 to soils, and may be grown on those of an inferior class, even 

 where the drainage has not been so carefully attended to. 



The site having been arranged and the variety to be 

 cultivated been selected, the preparation of the ground is the 

 next thing to be attended to, and as this forms a large por- 

 tion of the outlay required for the formation of a new plan- 

 tation, it is desirable to see how far we may, by availing 

 ourselves of improved new tools or methods, economize the 

 expenditure without impairing the efficiency of the work. 

 The object to be attained is, that the soil should be deeply 

 tilled that it should be in high condition in a finely 

 divided state and free from any stagnant or surplus water. 

 The last condition is that which demands our first atten- 

 tion deep and thorough drainage must be secured, or all 

 the other conditions named would be rendered nugatory. 



The class of soils usually selected, on account of their 

 depth and porous substrata, for hop grounds, possess 

 a natural drainage, and rarely need any artificial aid; 

 those lying low on alluvial bottoms, in valleys, or along 

 the course of rivers, generally admit of the drainage 

 being carried sufficiently below the surface to allow of 

 a good deep soil for the roots to feed in above the water 

 level. After the drainage is secured, the deep tillage 

 with which the formation of a hop ground is always 

 commenced, has to be effected. This is usually done either 

 by trenching or by ploughing and subsoiling. The 

 first is admitted by all to be most beneficial to the 

 land and to the crops, while the latter is the cheapest 



