374 THE HOP CROP. 



the hills without injury to the bines, and that free 

 ventilation secured to them so necessary for their general 

 health, and one of the best preservatives against mould 

 or mildew. It always happens, too, that during the 

 summer some poles, especially old ones, are blown down. 

 These should be noticed at once, re-pointed with the 

 hand-bill, and firmly set up again as soon as possible, as, 

 if the plants remain lying on the ground only a few 

 days, they are seriously injured, if not entirely destroyed. 

 The growth of the hop from the time of flowering 

 up to that of harvesting is a matter of great anxiety, 

 as, though subject to serious injuries from various 

 causes during the whole period of its existence, its risks 

 and vicissitudes seem to increase as it approaches matu- 

 rity. The operation of harvesting, too, is attended with 

 some anxiety, and even then much of the value of the 

 crop depends upon the judgment and arrangements of the 

 grower for the purpose. It is important that all hops, of 

 whatever sort they may be, should be gathered at a par- 

 ticular period of their maturity. If they be gathered 

 before they are quite ripe, they are deficient in quantity 

 and even inferior in quality; whereas if they are allowed 

 to hang on too long, they become discoloured, dry, have 

 a tendency to break off from the bine, and are lost. The 

 middle period of maturity is that when the hops possess 

 their maximum value, both as regards quantity and 

 quality, and all the strength of the grower should be 

 brought to bear upon them at that particular time. This 

 is determined readily by the handling and appearance of 

 the flowers or cones. They become hardish and crisp to 

 the touch; the extreme petal projects in a prominent 

 manner at the apex; the colour has become changed from 

 a silvery green to a deep primrose or yellow; and on 

 opening the cone or flower, the cuticle of the seeds is of 

 a purple colour, and the kernel or seed itself hard like a 



