344 



CANNABACE^ 



yellow or greenish colour : they hang in dense clusters like those 

 of the grape varieties. The stipular bracts and bracteoles are 

 narrow and pointed. 



Wild Hops. 



Buss' Hops. 



These two varieties are practically identical in shape and quality. 

 The strobiles are somewhat small, roundish-oval in shape, with 

 thin pointed stipular bracts and bracteoles ; when ripe the latter 

 are a pale whitish straw colour. The pale colour is very charac- 

 teristic of these varieties, and both are very poor in 'lupulin.' 



It is worthy of mention that the wild hop here mentioned 

 is really a well-selected cultivated variety, and the seedlings often 

 met with wild in hedges are usually quite different from it in 

 form and size. 



Climate and Soil. — Some of the roots of the hop plant descend 

 to great depths in search of water, and for the successful 

 cultivation of the choicest varieties a deep porous loam rich in 

 humus and containing a considerable proportion of lime is 

 needful. 



When grown at all on the stiffer clay loams only the coarser 

 and less delicate varieties are planted : very stiff clays and dry 

 sands are, however, unsuited to the hop plant. 



Hops of the best quality are generally grown in open situations 

 with a south sunny aspect, and where a free circulation of air 

 is met with : they must, however, be sheltered from cold or 

 violent winds. 



Planting. — Hops are propagated by ' sets ' or ' cuttings ' 

 which are obtained as a by-product when the plants are 'cut' 

 or ' dressed ' in spring. 



If the plants are allowed to grow freely, in a very few years 

 the rhizomes spread over too large an area for convenient 

 cultivation and training of the ' bines ' : to prevent this and 

 keep them within bounds the soil round each plant is scraped 

 away in spring so as to expose the upper parts of the rhizome. 



