192'2.] Cultivation ok the Hop Crop. 189 



They must be full-grown, and feel crisp as distind from soil 

 when crushed, and tend to rustle when shaken. 



The colour should have ehanged from the vivid greeii of feite 

 unripe hop to a primrose yellow colour. 



The kernel within the seed should be ripe and the colour 

 of (he seed purple. 



The hops should contain plenty of Lupulin. 



Other considerations besides that of ripeness may have to be 

 taken into account when deciding the date for the commencement 

 of picking: of these, disease is the most important. If aphis 

 is present, even in comparatively small quantities in the late 

 gardens, picking must be pushed forward lest the aphis 

 multiplies, as it is sure to do, and the hops " go black " before 

 they can be picked. So too, if mould is prevalent, picking must 

 not be unduly delayed lest they ' ' go oil " with red mould; on 

 the other hand, unripe mouldy hops are unsaleable, so they 

 should be allowed just to get ripe and then be picked as quickly 

 as possible. Other factors to be considered are the size of the 

 crop to be picked, the number of pickers available and the 

 accommodation for drying at the oast ; it is generally considered 

 that the organization should allow the picking to be completed 

 within three or at most four weeks. 



Organization of Picking.— Three classes of employees are en- 

 gaged in the picking. The pickers themselves with their 

 children carry out the actual work of picking the hops, each 

 family taking one " bin " or " basket," as the case may be; 

 the " binmen " or " pole-pullers " are men engaged to wait 

 upon and supervise the pickers by pulling down the hop-bines 

 and seeing that no hops are wasted on the ground or on the 

 bines; they are lotted out one man to from 12 to 18 baskets, and 

 help to measure and bag up the picked hops and to load the 

 carts; finally there is the " tallyman " or " measurer " who 

 files the " tally " or books the number of bushels to each 

 picker. Two methods of measuring are employed in differenl 

 districts : in East Kent the measuring is done in 5 or 6 bushel 

 baskets, in which the top of each bushel is marked by a dark 

 line; in the Weald of Kent, Worcester and Hereford the 

 hops are picked into bins consisting of p framework 8 or 1<> It. 

 long over which sackcloth is Btretched so that the centre bags 

 down and forms a receptacle for the hops; the hops are emptied 

 from these bins by a one-bushel measure, by which the quantity 

 picked is ascertained. The advantages and disadvantages el 



each system probably counterbalance each other, hot it is on- 



