894 



Cultivation of the Hop Crop. 



not dry out before planting. The best method of planting 

 consists in dibbing a hole, putting the trimmed " set " in the 

 hole so that the top is just above or level with the surface of the 

 ground and pressing the soil tightly against the " set " by 

 levering the dibber against it. If the weather is dry it is advan- 

 tageous to scratch a Kttle loose soil over the "set." When 

 planting is finished the peg which marks the position of the 

 " hill," should be replaced, so that the *' set " can be seen and 

 not be disturbed in subsequent cultivation. 



It is of great importance that every "hill " should make a good 

 start the first season, otherwise a very patchy crop will be pro- 

 duced the second season when, if the season is favourable, three- 

 quarters of a full crop should be secured. It is, therefore, a 

 wise policy to set aside up to 5 per cent, of the purchased 

 " sets," trim them and plant them out in flower pots, so that, 

 if upon examination in April it is found that some of the " sets " 

 have died, the gaps may be replanted with potted " sets " 

 and so produce a uniform plant. 



If wireworms are present they are certain to attack the young 

 hops and destroy the new shoots. To some extent this damage 

 may be avoided by planting the ' ' sets ' ' not too deeply ; further 

 protection should be given by placing a piece of cut mangold 

 about the size of a tennis ball by the side of each plant in March ; 

 the wireworms are attracted to the mangold and feed upon this 

 instead of the hop-plant. The cut mangold can be examined 

 once a fortnight with the object of collecting the wireworms and 

 destroying them by scalding. 



The young plants make much better growth and the resultant 

 crop in the second season is benefited if short stakes or poles are 

 provided upon which the shoots may grow during the fi.rst season. 



The ground around the " hills " should be frequently culti- 

 vated, but care must be taken not to disturb the sets " before 

 they have taken root, or they are likely to dry out. The hops can- 

 not take proper advantage of all the ground during the first year 

 and a crop such as beans or potatoes, which are planted in ^vide 

 rows, may conveniently be taken as an inter-crop; in this way 

 the tillage of the inter-crop will at the same time benefit the hops, 

 but such inter-crops must not be planted too close to the young 

 hops lest they compete with them for plant food and water. 

 On no account should sheep be allowed to eat the leaves of the 

 young plants as when folding a crop of roots as an inter-crop, 

 nor should the young " hills " be earthed up in their first year, 

 or the result will be storage of plant food in the base of the 



