VEGETABLES DESCRIPTION AXD CULTURE. 347 



beef. It is also used in fish and other sauces and chicken 

 salads, and is thought to assist digestion. The shreds 

 pickled in strong vinegar and closely stopped in glass 

 bottles will keep for years. 



HOP. — (Jl lunulas Lupulus.) 



The Hop is a plant of the Hemp or Nettle family, with 

 a perennial root, throwing out many herbaceous climbing 

 stems, and is found growing wild on the banks of rivers 

 in Europe, Siberia, and our own country. It was culti- 

 vated in England, in or before 1525, when the old dog- 

 gerel states: 



" Hops, heresy, pickerel, and beer, 

 Were brought into England in one year." 



A few roots should be in the garden, as they are useful 

 in making yeast and beer. 



('ult ii re. — It is propagated by dividing the roots in au- 

 tumn and spring. It being dioecious, care should be 

 taken to get sets from the pistillate plants. To produce 

 the crop in perfection, there should be a male plant in 

 the vicinity. Give the plant a deep, rich soil; put two or 

 three plants, six inches apart, in a. hill (making with the 

 plants, when set, a triangle), and the hills six or eight feet 

 apart. Keep the ground free from weeds, and well 

 stirred. Manure them every year. Give them poles 

 twelve or fourteen feet long, and two or three poles to 

 each hill. Gather when of a straw color, and the inside 

 of the hop is covered with a plentiful yellow dust, and the 

 seeds are brown; dry thoroughly, and put them up in 

 bags for use. 



Use. — The principal use of the hop is in the prepara- 

 tion of yeast, etc. The young shoots and suckers are 

 boiled and eaten as asparagus. It is very largely culti- 

 vated in fields, to be used in the manufacture of ale and 



