138 



Cultivation of the Hop Croi\ 



[May, 



CULTIVATION OF THE HOP CROP, 



V. — PICKING, DRYING AND PACKING OF HOPS. 



PART I. 



Arthur Amos, M.A , 

 School of Agriculture, Cambridge. 



Picking. — Hops come into flower or " burr," as the hop- 

 grower describes it, from the early part of July onwards, and 

 normally seven or eight weeks elapse from this period before the 

 hops are fit to pick, so that the beginning of hop picking coin- 

 cides closely with September 1st in Kent, and about a week 

 later in Worcester and Hereford. The formation and fertiliza- 

 tion of the ' ' burr ' ' is a critical period ; if the weather at this 

 time is fine and warm, the pollen produced by the male plants 

 drifts freely through the hop gardens and quickly fertilizes 

 the " brush " on the " burr," but if the weather is cold and 

 wet much of the pollen is carried to the ground by the rain, 

 so that many hops may escape fertilization. If fertilization is 

 delayed the hops remain in burr, looking very pretty but in a 

 critical condition, because the soft and delicate " brush " forms 

 a happy feeding ground for the spores of the hop mildew, which 

 may rapidly develop upon it and cause the hops to develop into 

 nasty little mouldy hops. Even when mould does not develop, 

 the cones which result are small and ripening is delayed. 



As soon as fertilization is complete the " brush " shrivels 

 and the hops begin to develop. The tiny seeds begin to grow 

 and the bracteoles in which they are contained as well as the 

 sterile bracts and other parts of the hop commence to develop; 

 later yellow lupulin grains begin to be formed principally near 

 the bases of the bracteoles in close contact with the seeds. 



As ripening advances the hop begins to assume a primrose 

 yellow colour : especially is this true of the bracteoles; the bracts 

 always retain a somewhat greenish tint. The seed, at first soft 

 and milky, gradually develops into a nutty kernel and becomes 

 purplish in colour when ripe. The grains of lupulin continue 

 to develop for a considerable period after the hops have become 

 apparently ripe, and since these lupulin grains contain the 

 resins, etc., which the brewer wants, it is of the utmost import- 

 ance to secure the maximum yield of them. Far ^oo frequently 

 hops are picked before they are ripe, in which case not only is 

 the w T eight per acre small, but much resin is undeveloped. 



The following signs may be taken as indicating when hops 

 are fit to pick : — 



