278 HOPS. 



deteriorating for two to three years ; and indeed hardly any 

 one could wish for better results. Be that as it may, there 

 is still room for improvement in many respects, and the 

 problem is one that has not yet been finally solved. 



■ , PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL STBUCTUEB OF THE HOP CONE. 



Physically considered, the hop cone is composed of the 

 following parts : — 



1. The lupulin. 



2. The bracts. 



3. The fruit and rudiments of same. 



4. The stalks and strigs. 



Although richness in lupulin is necessary in a good hop, 

 it does not follow that this property alone constitutes good- 

 ness. The lupuhn granules are, it is true, the recipients 

 containing the ethereal oil imparting to the hop its 

 characteristic odour ; but the agreeable aroma, still regarded 

 as the most important factor in determining the value of 

 hops, depends less on the amount than on the quality of this 

 oil. Therefore, for this reason alone, all methods of 

 appraising the value of hops solely by their lupulin content 

 must be regarded as defective. Add to this the circum- 

 stance that the oily content of the glands is not the sole 

 standard of value ; and only in varieties exhibiting a similar 

 aroma, but differing in intensity, can the estimation of the 

 lupulin content form a reliable means of differentiation. 



Methods have been elaborated by Fr. Haberlandt and 

 others, by means of which the percentage of lupulin, strigs, 

 stalks, bracts and fruit in the hop can be fairly accurately 

 estimated. Dr. Konig ^ gives the following method : About 

 100 cones, weighing 10 to 12 grams, are dried and placed on 



^ Dr. J. Kouig, D^e Untersuchung landioirthschaftlich und gewerblich 

 wichUger Stoffe. Berlin, 1898. 



