1102 



Cultivation of the Hop Crop. 



[Mar., 



3 ft. 6 in. high and then two are sloped - forwards and two 

 backwards to the string wires along the alleys in front and 

 behind. The advantages and disadvantages of this system are 

 little different from those of the Umbrella System. 



Stringing Practice.— As previously stated the type of string- 

 used for hops in England is coconut, to which on account of 

 its rough character the hop bines readily cling. The operation 

 of stringing the hops is winter work and is generally carried out 

 after Christmas, and should be completed before other work 

 becomes pressing in spring. 



Cross Butcher System of Training Hops. 

 AA, string wires ; SS, strings ; PP, pegs. 



Fig. 6.— End view. 



Fig. 7,— Side view. 



Various methods of attaching the string are practised; most 

 commonly the strings are first cut to the required length, then 

 tied to the top wire by men walking upon stilts and finally tied 

 down to the bottom wire or pegs in the ground. In other 

 cases the " continuous " springing system is practised. In this 

 a hook is fastened to the wire wherever the string requires ta 

 be attached, or in the case of pegs a nail is driven in; the 

 operator is provided with a long rod with an eye-hole at the 

 top, through which the running string passes; with this he 

 hitches the string to each of the points of attachment in turn, 

 without cutting the string. The " continuous " string system 

 is more expeditious, but suffers from several disadvantages — the 

 hooks tend to slip, or if a new plan is desired, are not easily 

 moved, and again if wire-work has to be taken down for re- 

 erection the hooks are inevitably in the wrong place; lastly, if 

 a breakage occurs it usually leads to the falling of two or more 



strings. 



