134 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOVEMBER 5, 1S34. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOV. 5, 1834. 



ON THE CUI.TURB OP HOPS. 



In compliance with repeated requests, we propose to 

 devote a column or two to remarks on tlie culture of 

 hops, preparing them for market, &.c. 



An e.xcellent article on this subject, written by Wm. 

 Blanchard, Jr. Esq. was first published in the New Eng- 

 land Farmer, vol. 11, p. 52; and has been since repub- 

 lished in Fessenden's Complete Farmer, p. 149. Mr. 

 Blanchard observes, that the soil best calculated for the 

 production of Hops is a sandy loam, rather low and moist ; 

 but states that he has seen very fine crops raised on very 

 different soils. Plough tlie land 9 or 10 inches deep in 

 October— harrow thoroughly in the spring in the same 

 direction tlie land was plouglied — manure at the rate of 

 about 16 cords to the acre, or more if the land be much 

 reduced. Cross plough the land to nearly the same 

 depth — furrow as for planting corn, the furrows at least 

 four feet apart — plant corn or potatoes, (potatoes prefer- 

 able,) the first year with the hops. Plant every otiier 

 hill in every other row with hops, thus placing the hills 

 of hops at least eiglit feet apart — put four cuttings from 

 tlie running roots about eight inches in length, into each 

 Jiill, and cover them the common depth of potatoes — keep 

 the hops clear from weeds, by hoeing. In October cover 

 each hill with a shovelfull of compost manure, that from 

 the hog-stye preferred — in each following spring, before 

 the hops are opened as it is termed, spread evenly over 

 tlie yard about eiglit cords of manure to the acre, (that 

 which is coarse and strawy is preferred,) plough the land 

 both ways at the first hoeing — but tliree hoeings in a 

 season, unless necessary to subdue weeds. The last 

 time of hoeing about the beginning of August, or when 

 hops are in full blossom. 



'* After the first crop it is necessary to open the hops 

 everv spring by tlie middle of May ; which is performed 

 by making four furrows between tlie rows, turning tlie 

 furrows from the hills, and running the plough as near 

 the same as possible without injuring tlie main roots. 

 Then the earth is removed from the roots with a hoe — 

 all the running roots cut in with a sharp knife, within 

 two inches of the main roots — the tops of the main roots 

 must also be cut in, and then the hills covered with 

 earth about two inches deep." 



The poles should be set as soon as the hop vines ap- 

 pear, which will save labor in tying up the vines. Mr' 

 B. allows but two vines to a pole, and two poles to a hill 

 — poles not to exceed sixteen feet in height. The most 

 thrifty vines must be selected and trained to the poles by 

 fastening them by a piece of yarn slightly twisted to- 

 gether by the thumb and finger. Frequent attention is 

 necessary to tie up the vines, as they are subject to be 

 blown off by high winds. The hops are ripe about the 

 beginning of September, and should be imnietliately gath- 

 ered, or tlie crop is lost. The quality of the hops de- 

 pends much on their being picked clean Iroiii leaves and 

 stems. The picking may be done by women and chil- 

 dren, having one man to a bin to handle the poles and 

 to inspect the pickers. The bin is a wooden box, about 

 nine feet long, three feet wide, and two and a half fcet 

 high, made of thin pine boards, that it may be easily 

 moved over the yard, across which the poles are laid^ 

 and into which the hops are picked by hand. Care 

 should be taken when gathering the hops, to cut the 

 vines two feet from the ground, that the roots may not 

 be injured by bleeding. 



The most important part in the management of hops 

 is the curing and drying of tliein. Hops always grow 

 first sort ; second sort, and refuse hops are made so by 

 unfortunate or unskilful maiiagciuent. 



Much depends ona well constructed kiln. The side I only which are necessary to keep out rain. If a ventila- 

 of a hill is its best situation for the convenience of put- tor was put in the roof of the building, directly over the 

 ting the hops on the kiln. It should be in a dry place, centre of the kiln, about six feet square, it would be very 

 The kiln should be dug out the same bigness at the hot- j advantageous. 



1 have seen many lots of hops much in- 



tern as the top ; the side walls laid up perpendicularly, 

 and filled up solid with stone to give it a tunnel form. 

 Twelve feet square at the top, two feet square at the bot- 

 tom, and at least eight feet deep is deemed a convenient 

 size. On the top of the walls sills are laid having joists 

 let into them in like manner as for laying a floor — on 

 these joists, laths about 1 1-2 inches wide are nailed, 

 leaving open spaces between them 3-4 of an inch, over 

 which a thin linen cloth is spread, and nailed at the 

 edges to the sills. A board about twelve inches wide is 

 set up on each side of the kiln, on the inner edge of the 

 sill, to form a bin to rpceive the hops. The larger the 

 stones made use of in the construction of the kiln the 

 better ; as it will give a more steady and dense heat. 

 The inside of the kiln should be well plastered with mor- 

 tar to make it completely air tight. Charcoal (that made 

 from yellow birch oc maple I should prefer,) is the only 

 fuel proper to be used in drying hops. The kiln should 

 be well heated before any hops are put on, and carefully 

 attended to keep up a steady and regular heat. 



Fifty pounds of hops when dried, is the largest quan- 

 tity that should be dried at one time, on a kiln of this 

 size ; and unless absolutely necessary to put on that 

 quantity, a less would dry better. The green hops 

 should be spread as evenly and as light as possible over 

 the kiln. The fire at first should be moderate, but it 

 may be increased as the hops dry and the steam is evap- 

 orated. 



Hops should not remain long in the bin or bag after 

 they are picked, as they will soon heat and become in- 

 sipid. The hops should not be stirred on the kiln until 

 they are completely dried. They should then be remov- 

 ed from the kiln into a dry room and laid in a heap, and 

 there remain unmoved and unstirred, until bagged, which 

 is done with a screw, having a box made of plank, the 

 size the bag is wished, into which the cloth is laid, and 

 the hops screwed into the box, which is so constructed 

 that the sides may be removed, and the bag sewed to- 

 gether while in the press. 



The hops after laying a few days will gather a partial 

 moisture called a sweat. The sweat will probably begin 

 to subside in about eight days, at «hich time and before 

 the sweat is off, they ought to be bagged in clear dry 

 weather. As the exact time when the hops will begin 

 to sweat, and when the sweat will begin to subside or 

 dry off (the proper time to bag them,) will vary with the 

 state of the atmosphere, it will be necessary to examine 

 the hops from day to day, which is easily done by taking 

 some of them from the centre of the heap with your 

 hand. If on examination you find the hops to be very 

 damp and their color altering, which will be the case if 

 they were not completely dried on the kiln, and not oth- 

 erwise, you must overhale them in the air. 



The most convenient size for a bag of hops to handle 

 and transport is about five feet in length, and to contain 

 about 2.')0 pounds. The best bagging is coarse strong 

 tow cloth of our domestic manufacturing ; next to that 

 Russia hemp bagging. The East India sugar and gun. 

 ny bags, so called, ought never to be used. The sugiir 

 bags are of an unreasonable weight, and both they and 

 the gunny bags are of no value to the brewer, whereas 

 the other bags are worth prime cost. 



It is now common for those who have entered consid- 

 erably into the cultivation of hops, to build houses over 

 their kilns, which in wet weather, are very convenient ;' 

 otherwise a kiln in the open air would be preferable. It 

 is necessary to have these buildings well ventilated with 

 doors and windows ; and to have them kept open niglit 

 and day, except in wet weather, and then shut those 



jured both in color and flavor, by being dried in close 

 buildings. 



Where the houses over the kilns are built large, for 

 the purpose of storing the hops as they are dried, which 

 is a great saving of labor, a close partition should be 

 made between the kilns and the room in which the hops 

 are stored, to prevent the damp steam from the kilns 

 coming to them, as it will color them, and injure their 

 flavor and quality very much. 



Many of our farmers will object to the mode here re- 

 commended of manuring hops, their common practice 

 being to put the manure in the hills, when they plant 

 the hops, and afterwards to apply the manure on the 

 hills at the first and second hoeings. Mr. B. tliinks that 

 the manure in the hills has a tendency to produce worms, 

 and its fermentation at their roots to cause their decay ; 

 and that a hop yard manured in the manner he directs 

 will-continue in a-fertile state for many years. He also 

 supposes that the quantity of manure recommended will 

 be objected to by many. Where hops have been culti- 

 vated many years, farmers complain that the quantity 

 raised per acre does not exceed one half as much as was 

 raised by their ancestors on the same land. Hops I be- 

 lieve, in common with all sorts of grain and vegetables 

 flourish best and produce the finest crops, when cultiva- 

 ted on new lands, which require little or no manure— 

 and such were the lands their ancestors cultivated. Tlie 

 same complaints I presume would be made mgainst all 

 sorts of grain and vegetables if raised with little or no 

 manure, on lands which have long been cultivated. No 

 crop can be more improved and increased by high culti- 

 vation than hops. 



ACKAOWLEDGMEBITS, <tc. 



We acknowledge the receipt of One Hundred and 

 Fifty Dollars from Wm. Rhodes, Esq. in behalf of the 

 K/wde Island Society for Encouragement of Domestic In,' 

 diistrij. 



We also acknowledge the receipt of Twenty-five Dol- 

 lars from MIcxander Reed, Esq. of Washington, Pa. 



Our readers will perceive we have put in new type 

 our editorial page, and we are now contemplating fur- 

 tlicr improvements which will require, in order to con- 

 summate our plans, additional encouragement to the 

 work. We are now about using exertions to increase 

 our subscription list, and will gratefully acknowledge 

 any encouragement which will warrant an increase of 

 expenditure, and additional efforts to render our paper i 

 still more worthy the acceptance of the great and im- 

 portant class in the community to whose interests it is 

 particularly, but not exclusively devoted. 



A PRE-EMINENT CABBAGE. 



Of all vegetables of the Brassica genus we have no re- 

 collection of having seen any equal to a Mammoth Cab- 

 bnge, raised by Mr. Oi.ivek WiLns of Dorchester, Mass. 

 It weiffhs THIRTY one pou.nus, and looks as if it might 

 tempt an Anchorite to become an Epicure. It is left in 

 deposit in (he Office of the New England Farmer, and 

 may be seen, gratis, by any respectable connoisseur in 

 cabbages. 



ITEMS OP INTELIilGENCE. 



A correspondent informs us that he partook, on Friday 

 last, with seven other gentlemen, of a pear, called the 

 " Duchesse d'Angoulenie," of the most delicate and 

 delicious flavor. It measured a foot round, is melting 

 iuicy, and sweet, with a fine aroma. The color, a brigli' 

 straw, with a slight blush on one side ; the skin verj 

 thin and delicate, and may be eaten with the flesh, with 



