290 HOPS. 



his weakness and trades upon it by endeavouring to foist 

 upon him hops as being of this or that origin without 

 bestowing any attention on the actual quaHty of the goods. 

 On this account brewers are warmly recommended not to 

 let themselves be led away blindly by the origin of their 

 purchases (though this factor has a certain value), but to 

 keep a strict eye on the outward indications of quality 

 of submitted samples, and, when necessary, to supplement 

 their own judgment by a chemical or physical examination. 



The points to be borne in mind in judging the quality 

 of hops are : — 



Form and size of the cones (Thausing, I.e.). — Apart from 

 malformations, due to the influence of weather or disease, 

 the shape of the hop cone is specific in each separate 

 variety, the divergences being easily ascertained by com- 

 paring specimens of different sorts. However, they may 

 be reduced to three main types : the oval, the elongated or 

 cylindrical, and the globular. The conical shape, measuring 

 4 to 1\ inch long and | to | inch across the thickest 

 part, is the most highly esteemed. The inferior, or less 

 noble, varieties usually have long cylindrical cones, often \\ 

 to 2 inches, and even 2| inches in length. According to the 

 form and size of the cones the growth is referred to as 

 " fine " or " coarse ". Globular cones are held in as low 

 esteem as stunted ones. Where the cones are handsome 

 and uniformly developed, so that regularity in form and 

 size, is apparent, they are termed a "good" growth, in 

 contradistinction to "poor" growths, i.e., mixtures of well- 

 developed and stunted cones. The arrangement of the 

 bracts is also a factor to be considered, since cones with 

 open or staring bracts are generally poor in lupulin, as the 

 latter readily drops out under these conditions. Loose 

 cones are characteristic of coarse varieties ; though looseness 

 inay also be induced by leaving the picked cones some time 



