262 HOPS. 



The principal factor — the pecuniary return from the crop 

 — is the product of two extremely variable values, viz., crop 

 and price, and is liable to great fluctuations. The crop, for 

 example, varies within very wide limits with the locality, 

 richness of soil, variety of hop, age of the garden, and the 

 season, as well as under the influence of insect ravages, 

 mould and other adversaries. Although in isolated years 

 the coarser varieties may yield as much as 12 cwt. per acre, 

 it must not be forgotten that the finer sorts rarely, if ever, 

 crop so well, and that not more than 5 to 6 cwt. per acre 

 can be expected ; whilst in som6 years the yield may fall 

 to 1^ cwt. or even less. 



According to Schmied, in his work on agricultural taxa- 

 tion,^ the average yield per acre in the Saaz district may 

 be appraised as follows : — 



Full crop 5'25 cwt. per acre. 



I „ 4-00 



* „ 3-50 



i „ 2-60 



i „ 1-75 



i „ 1-30 



On the basis of many years' experience he estimates that, 

 in the course of a decade, one full crop and one three-quarter 

 crop may be anticipated, each of the other fractional crops 

 occurring twice during the same period ; so that the average 

 yield is about 2f cwt. per acre. In the Saaz district 1 lb. 

 of hops to each pole may be taken as the average, with 

 If lb. as a maximum : figures which sufficiently show the 

 irregularity of the crop and the difficulty of accurately 

 estimating the profits beforehand. 



In addition there is the great fluctuation in the price, 

 the rates being mainly dependent on — 



' Anton Adam Schmied, " Die landvivrthschaftlicke Taxationslehre und ihre 

 Anwendung bei den Expropriations- SchStzungen, Prague, 1878. 



