1922.] 



Ci'J/nvATioN 01' TiiF, llor Chop. 



31 



some varieties will *' hang " or " keep " much better than 

 others. It should, however, be remembered thai variety 

 is not the only factor; other factors concerned are (1) absence of 

 disease (Aphis or " mould "), and (2) character of soil. 



QnaUty. — This is a peculiarly elusive factor, yet very impor- 

 tant; it is likely to be particularly prominent in coming years. 

 Owing largely to ignorance in the brewing trade, the connnoner 

 or * ' Hat-catcher ' ' hops have in recent years been more profitable 

 to produce than the better varieties. The tide is now turning in 

 the other direction. 



There are two methods by which quality may be judged : 

 firstly, by the senses — the eye, the nose, and the hand (" rub "> 

 — which give a good idea of the bi*ewing value, and secondly, 

 by chemical analysis, a method which has not been largely em- 

 ployed because the brewing chemist has not yet decided the 

 relative importance of the various resins and other constituents 

 of the hop. Not until these points are settled, can the plant - 

 breeder proceed to build up new commercial varieties of hops 

 w^hich will be truly economic. 



Yield. — This character, while affected within certain limits by 

 various factors, is yet distinctive of the variety. 



Male Hops. — It is now generally well recognised that the 

 planting of male hops at the rate of one male to every 200 female 

 " hills " throughout the hop-garden is of fundamental import- 

 ance. In addition, it is a good plan to plant a number of male 

 hops in the lew row on the S. and W. sides of the garden, 

 because the S.W. wind is the prevailing one at the time 

 of year when the hops are in " burr " and the male hop is 

 scattering its pollen. It has been shown* that the effect of 

 adequate fertilisation of the female flowers (the hop-burr) is to 

 increase the crop by several hundredweights per acre. This ha^ 

 been definitely ascertained with respect not only to such 

 " Golding " varieties as Canterbury Whitebine, Bramling. and 

 Amos's Early Bird, but also to Fuggle's. Another important 

 advantage that is secured by the planting of male hops is that 

 the burr period (during which attacks of mould are most to be 

 feared) is appreciably shortened, since as soon as this is fertilised 

 by the pollen-dust from the male hop it sets into hop. 



* Howard, A.: Hop Expcriiiients (Bulletin T, S.K. A^ric. Coll.. Wvt'(l!M)4- 

 1905). 



Salinoii, E. S. and Amos. A.: On tlie Value of the Male Hop J.t alli't S.K. 

 .Vffiic. Coll., Wve (1908), and in Jonrn. Inst Brewinir, XIW 3(»0-3:n 

 (1908). 



Salmon, E.S.: The Pollination and Fertilisation of Hops f.Ii.ui n. I^oaid 

 Acric, Vol. XX, \m-'M\G (1914): Vol. XXI. 22-:^. I'iH-EiS. i>l:5-L>i'0 

 (1914).) 



