CULTIVATION. 99 



Before the ground is marked out the system of planting 

 must be decided upon. The conditions of cultivation in hop 

 gardens necessitate a certain degree of uniformity in the 

 relative position of the plants. Thus they may be arranged 

 in equilateral or equiangular triangles, in squares, rect- 

 angles, or (more rarely) in the form of a polygon. 



The triangular system of planting does not really possess 

 the special advantages claimed for it in some quarters ; 

 nevertheless it is suitable in some " wire vpork " gardens on 

 account of the better distribution of the plants. If, for any 

 reason, the equilateral triangle is selected as the basis of 

 planting, the following calculations will be necessary before 

 measuring off the ground : — 



To obtain an equilateral triangle (Fig. 19) the sides (s) of 

 which shall measure 1".5 yards, the distance cd = h, the 

 hypotenuse, is found as follows : — 



fe2 = s2 - I ; h = ^Jd = -j- J3 = 1-299 or, say, 1-3 yd. 



This distance must then be measured off along the 

 longitudinal rows as shown in Fig. 19, and, on joining the 

 points a, b, d and so on, a series of perfectly equilateral 

 triangles will be obtained. With this system a larger 

 number of plants are present per unit of area than when set 

 in squares with the same length of side (1"5 yards), but 

 conversely each plant occupies a correspondingly smaller 

 space of ground than in the square system. 



gZ /g^ 1*52 ~ 

 Triangular system : F = 2— j^ = -„- ^^3 = 1-9485 sq. yds. 



(4840 -r 1-9485 = 2484). 



Square system : Pj = s^ = 1-5 x 1-5 = 2-25 sq. yds. 



(4840 -r 2-25 = 2151). 



i.e., in the latter case 2,151 and in the former 2,484 plants 

 can be set per acre ; but by planting on the square system 

 at distances of .yi-9485 = 1-395 yard apart the larger number 

 of plants (2,484) can also be got into an acre. 



