46 HOPS. 



result in their dropping off, a state of things that has often 

 been observed. Yellowing of the leaves may also ensue 

 from defective nutrition of the plant, and not infrequently 

 indicates incipient sun brand. 



2. Summer or Sun Brand. 



The hop suffers from prolonged drought and excessive 

 heat just as much as from extreme wet. The result of the 

 former influences is to produce sun brand, a complaint which 

 is naturally of more frequent occurrence in warmer climates, 

 in dry years, in gardens exposed to the sun, and on sandy soil, 

 than under other conditions less favourable to its inception. 

 Sun brand generally appears in July and August, the lower 

 leaves turning yellow, commencing at the stalks and grad- 

 ually extending over the whole surface until finally the leaves 

 become brown, dry up, and fall off. The disease rapidly 

 extends upwards, and also attacks the cones if these are 

 already formed ; if occurring only just before picking time 

 the cones are to some extent ripened prematurely, but do 

 not suffer any notable injury, nothing more than a faint dis- 

 coloration of the bracts being observable. On the other 

 hand, if the disease appears at an earlier stage a loss of crop 

 will certainly have to be faced. 



The cause of this disease is, for the most part, the in- 

 ability of the roots to supply the plant with the necessary 

 quantity of water, on account of the increased transpiration 

 set up in the leaves by the great heat and dryness of the 

 weather. Consequently the normal functions of the plant 

 are thrown out of equilibrium, it suffers thirst, and therefore! 

 becomes sickly. Moreover, it may happen that the equili- 

 brium between water supply and evaporation, so necessary 

 to the health of the plant, is destroyed owing to a portion 

 of the roots having become rotten and therefore ceased to 

 act, the remaining portions being no longer of sufficient 



