CULTIVATION. 163 



on the situation of the garden and on the variety of hops 

 grown. These frosts injure the plant, not merely by con- 

 gealing the young shoots, but more frequently by setting 

 up an abnormal sap circulation, whereby the plant is 

 rendered sickly, and rarely recovers fully during the same 

 year. In the case of delicate varieties it is by no means 

 necessary that the temperature should fall below freezing 

 point for this injury to occur, a drop to 3° to 4° C. being 

 quite sufficient. The .injurious influence of these low 

 temperatures is revealed by the pale, light-green colour of 

 the plants, the damage being greater as the fluctuations of 

 temperature are the more pronounced. The usual result 

 is to weaken the organisation of the plant and predispose 

 it to various diseases. However, the stocks that are cut 

 late in districts where the cold days appear first in June 

 are also exposed to similar cooling, and are more likely 

 to suffer injury than if cut earlier. It has often been noticed 

 in various hop districts that when the plants have been 

 affected by cold after development has proceeded for some 

 time the crop is very plentiful, but the quality leaves much 

 ■to be desired. For this reason late cutting, where regularly 

 practised, cannot always be regarded as a protective agency 

 against late frosts or late cold weather. There are other 

 motives for considering late cutting as partly desirable, 

 partly necessary ; the latter being the case where early 

 cutting becomes impossible on account of the lateness of 

 spring. 



It is quite true that the hop plant is the more enfeebled 

 in proportion as cutting is delayed after the awakening of 

 vegetation in the spring ; though it cannot be asserted that 

 such weakening of the rootstock is always, and uncondition- 

 ally, disadvantageous to the grower. Thus by robbing the 

 plant of that portion of the reserve material which had 

 already been used in forming shoots previous to cutting, and 



