CULTIVATION. 83 



have grown old by the time this influence has become mani- 

 fest by an improvement in quahty, and meanwhile their 

 productiveness will have greatly declined. 



Experience shows that improvement in quality is a work 

 of time, a single generation being sonietimes insufficient for 

 any appreciable results, these only becoming apparent in the 

 succeeding one. For this reason the view expressed by 

 Stamm that cuttings should always be selected from a poorer 

 district is only correct in so far that it is advisable, where 

 rich and poor soils occur in the same locality, to always take 

 cuttings from the poorer gardens, since they always develop 

 well when planted in better soil, though not under the con- 

 verse conditions. 



In addition it is noteworthy that modifications of the 

 quality of the cones and habits of the plant are more rapidly 

 effected than alterations in the time of ripening, late and 

 medium-early varieties retaining for years their character- 

 istics in this respect when planted in very early situations ; 

 and early sorts also behave in a similar manner when trans- 

 ferred to more inclement localities. 



Apart from environment, economic and market conditions 

 also play an important part in the selection of varieties. 

 The fine red sorts are invariably in good demand, their 

 excellent quality commanding the highest prices. Of course, 

 it cannot be denied that they are poor croppers in compari- 

 son with the green varieties. Nevertheless, this should not 

 prevent their selection in preference when planting new 

 gardens, since prolonged observation of the market shows 

 that the lower yield of the fine kinds is richly compensated 

 by their greater value. On the other hand, the coarser kinds 

 are difficult to dispose of in good years, and must, as a rule, 

 be sold at absurd prices in order to get rid of them, so that 

 there is Httle profit attaching to a heavy crop. In a bad hop 

 year the coarser varieties increase in value and prices go up ; 



