HISTORY OF THE HOP. 3 



asserted that the custom of hopping beer was first practised 

 in Eussia ; but it is more probably of German origin. 



The earUest reports on the hop as a cultivated plant date 

 from the Carlovingian epoch, King Pepin le Bref having 

 donated "homularias" (hop gardens) to the monastery of 

 St. Denis about the year 768. As it would be straining a 

 point to assume that hops would be extensively grown for 

 any other purpose at that period, it may be reasonably sup- 

 posed that they were used as an aromatic for the malt 

 liquor " cerevisia " then in general repute. Weaker malt 

 beverages — "biera," "canum " and " oel " — were also manu- 

 factured. 



An ordinance issued in 822 by Abbot Adalbert, of the 

 monastery of Corvey, released the millers from work in the 

 hop gardens on account of other service. Hops are also 

 referred to in the archives of the Freising monastery and 

 other religious properties about the year 850, and reference 

 is made to payments of imposts on hops in the Irmino 

 " Polyptychon " at the commencement of the ninth century. 

 The Abbess Hildegarde (twelfth century) and Albertus 

 Magnus were both acquainted with hops, which, however, 

 do not appear to have been very widely diffused at that time. 

 The Saxon "Spiegel" and the Magdeburg "Weichbilds- 

 recht " (legal codes) contain decisions on the proprietor- 

 ship of hops that have grown over the fence. 



In the thirteenth century frequent mention is made of 

 hop gardens (hwnuleta, humileta, humularia) in State enact- 

 ments, from which it is evident that the area under cultiva- 

 tion must have gradually increased by that time. According 

 to Olbricht, Count Giinther of Kevernburg ratified the pos- 

 session of a hop garden by the monastery of Illmenau in the 

 year 1328 ; in 1346 a tax of 6 pfennige (three farthings) a 

 measure was levied on hops by the Landgrave Otto of Hesse ; 

 in 1352 Heinrich von Stollberg granted the monastery of 



