188 HOPS. 



Tying should never be begun early in the morning, since 

 the bines are then sappy, brittle, and easily broken. Hence 

 the work should be postponed, at least until the dew is off 

 the plants. 



In addition to training, there are certain other useful 

 precautions to be taken with regard to the bine during the 

 period of growth ; but as these more properly belong to the 

 wire-work method of training, their consideration will be 

 postponed for the present. 



Poles that are blown down by the wind or pulled down 

 maliciously must, of course, be set up properly again as 

 soon as possible. 



Without going into the question of picking, which forms 

 the subject of a separate section, it may be mentioned that 

 in poled gardens it is usual to cut the bine at gathering 

 time, because the use of ladders for picking the cones would 

 be too troublesome, tedious and expensive. Attempts have 

 been made to make use of poles that could be lowered 

 when required, a ring and nail being employed to attach 

 the pole to an oaken post driven into the ground. This 

 system, however, being expensive and inconvenient in 

 practice, has not found any extensive application.^ 



The bine having been cut through at about 30 to 40 

 inches above the ground level, the poles (of the ordinary 

 kind) are lifted by the aid of the pole-puller (Fig. 45), and 

 sufficiently loosened to be withdrawn from the ground by 

 hand. They are then laid down with care and stripped 

 of their bine, great care, however, being taken to prevent 

 damage to the cones through tearing the bine off too 

 quickly, since if bruised or covered with soil they spoil 

 the appearance of the pocket and considerably reduce the 

 selling value. 



^ Allgemeine Hopfenzeitwng, 1882. Poles of this kind were used, as a,n 

 experiment, at Petrowka-Easumowska, in Bussia. 



