118 HOPS. 



2. The production of a loose surface, especially on light 

 soil. 



3. Eidging the soil up to the plants, where ridge work is 

 practised. 



For destroying weeds repeated hoeings and weedings are 

 requisite. Two hoeings are usually enough in gardens that 

 are well looked after ; but, if very dirty, a third and- even a 

 fourth hoeing may be necessary. This work may be done 

 by hand or with the horse hoe, the former being better, 

 though the latter is the cheaper method. 



When horse labour is employed, the work having to be 

 done crosswise of the rows, it is often necessary to help out 

 with hand labour in order to loosen the soil under the stocks. 

 If it seems advisable to hoe the garden a third or a fourth 

 time at an advanced period of the year, care must be taken 

 not to loosen the soil so deeply as to cause a loss of 

 moisture. 



With regard to ridging, the investigations of several 

 workers ha', e shown that land thrown up into ridges or 

 hillocks is always subject to greater fluctuations of tempera- 

 ture than when left on the flat. In warm weather ridged 

 lands are always hotter by day and colder by night than a 

 flat surface , the first consequence of which increased warmth 

 is greater evaporation of moisture. This in fact constitutes 

 the main advantage of ridge cultivation, in that it presents a 

 means of protecting the hop from the injurious influence 

 of excessive wet in damp situations and compact soils. At 

 the same time the cleaning of the land is greatly facilitated 

 by the weeds being not only dug up but also buried in the 

 ground. 



When the garden is ridged the work must be finished 

 before the hops come into bloom, because experience teaches 

 that deep-stirring the ground during or after flowering time 

 injuriously affects the production of cones. On many sides 



