PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS* CLUB. 209 



law tliat requires the detection of trespassing- dogs is useless. One of the 

 most pitiable sights that he had ever witnessed, was a flock of sheep which 

 had Ixren mangled by dogs. The value of those not killed was very much 

 impaired, for the flock ever after .was so timid it did not prosper. 



Adjourned. John W. Chambers, Sec^y. 



January Kith, 18G5. 

 Mr. Nathan C. Ely in the chair. 



Hop Culture. 



The Chairman. — We have with us to-day a gentleman from Otsego 

 county in this State who is well versed in the hop culture, and as this 

 branch of industry is becoming of great importance to the agricultural in- 

 terest of the country, I hope he will give us important information on the 

 subject. I take great pleasure in introducing Mr. T. W. Collins to the 

 members of this Club. 



Mr. T. W. Collins. — Otsego is one of the leading hop-growing counties 

 in the United States. It is not so because the soil, climate or situation is 

 best adapted to that culture, for hops are indigenous to the whole country, 

 and are cultivated from Maine to Minnesota, and from Vermont to Virginia. 

 The cultivated hops are probabl}' derived from England. There are three 

 distinct varieties — the English cluster, which grows in large clusters and 

 large sized hops, and is generally preferred; the grape cluster, which grows 

 in more compact bunches, and the hops are firmer than the other ; and the 

 Pompey hop, which is of a coarse and not as valuable sort as either of the 

 others. It is, however, difficult to get either variety pure, as there are few 

 hop yards that do not contain all of these sorts. The best time to plant a 

 hop yard is in the spring, as early as the ground can be worked. The 

 ground should be plowed and made as fine and mellow as possible. Seed 

 is never used. The plants are obtained from off'sets of the old roots and 

 are best planted with a dibble, though some plant them in a rough manner, 

 covering them as they would potatoes. Corn, potatoes, or any other hoed 

 crop can be raised the first year with the hops. 



The proper distance to plant hops is eight feet apart each way, but upon 

 the rich bottom lands of tlie west, nine or ten feet apart. Care must be 

 taken to keep the sets from male plants separate from the others. There 

 should be about one male hill to every eight hills, each way, or one in 

 sixty-filur, making about eight to twelve to the acre. These hills should 

 be marked by a stake at planting, to enable one to distinguish them at a 

 glance. 



The ordinary method is to set two poles to each hill. These are from 

 twenty t(» thirty feet long, and must be set very strongly in the ground, or 

 else they will be liable to blow over when heavily loaded with the vines. 

 Two vines are trained up each pole, and the ordinary yield is from 700 to 

 1,200 pounds merchantable hops per acre. One thousand pounds per acre 

 has been considered a good average for many years, and when the price 

 has averaged ten cents per pound, it has been considered as good as a 

 grain crop at the average of the last ten years. This year the yield has 



[Am. Inst.] N 



