15G 



HOCKINGS' GARDEN MANUAL. 



CULTURE OP HOPS, 



The hop is a hardy perennial rooted twiner, growing 

 to the height of fifteen to twenty feet, the top being 

 annual. The male and female flowers are produced 

 on different plants ; the female is the one used for plant- 

 ing, with a few male plants to form seed, which adds 

 greatly to the flavor of hops. It is, probably, the 

 most precarious crop that is grown, being liable to dis- 

 aster from the moment of sprouting in the spring until 

 the hop is ready for the kiln, and the market value is 

 therefore very variable. Considerable success has 

 attended its cultivation in Tasmania, New Zealand, 

 Victoria, and South Australia, the returns not only 

 being fairly satisfactory, but the quality being good, 

 and, therefore, effectively competing with the imported 

 article. 



The cost of cultivation in the southern colonies has 

 been from forty to sixty pounds sterling per acre, the 

 produce varying from 300 lbs. to 1,600 lbs. per acre. 



Some experiments have been made in hop cultivation 

 on the Darling Downs, to test the suitability of the 

 soil and climate, and with such results as to induce 

 extended planting. 



A hop farm generally lasts in full vigor for ten years. 

 It is a most exhausting crop, and requires to be liberally 

 manured in all its stages. Superphosphate of lime, 

 guano, stable manure, fresh wood ashes, and salt 

 would provide most of the wants of the plant. The 

 hop plant ranks high as an ornamental climber, the 

 growth being luxuriant and the foliage handsome. In 

 garden culture it may be propagated by cuttings of the 

 ends of the shoots. 



INDIGO. 



The indigo plant is well suited to the soil and cli- 

 mate of northern Queensland, and, where cheap labor 

 is available, it may be grown to profit. 



