HORACES 



259 



Stems. — The common hop is a perennial, herbaceous, 

 cHmbing plant from an underground stem, a rootstock. 

 These rootstocks may become quite woody. They are 

 commonly used for propagation. 

 Cuttings from them readily form 

 numerous adventitious roots. 

 Hop plants send out, near the 

 ground line, "runners" which 

 extend several feet. These are 

 cut into pieces, possessing two or 

 more buds, and used for propaga- 

 tion. They are known in hop 

 culture as "roots." However, 

 they are stems and not true roots. 



The aerial stems, commonly 

 known as "bines," die back to the 

 ground in the fall. The lower 

 portion of each stalk ("bine"), 

 below ground, does not die, but 

 forms an addition to the root- 

 stock. The above ground stems 

 are herbaceous, hollow and angu- 

 lar, and vary in color from pale 

 green to purplish red or green 

 streaked with purple. They have 

 a twining habit, always winding 

 about the support clockwise (Fig. 

 102) . The angle of the support de- 

 termines, to a degree, the manner 

 and rate of growth. The most rapid and uniform growth is 

 made, and the longest internodes produced, when the sup- 

 ports are vertical. The "bines" are assisted in their climb- 

 ing and clinging to supports by the presence of hooked, re- 



FlG. 



102. — Dextrorse twining 

 of hop stem. 



