36 



Hop-growing Industry in Bavaria, [april, 



cultivation. Readers of Curtis's "Farm Insects" will re- 

 member that he records a case which came under his own 

 observation of a similar attack on a carrot (pp. 407-8). 



Red Spider. — A report from Wisbech states that Red 

 Spider made its appearance on gooseberries on the 21st 

 March. The growers were all at work spraying the next day. 



The Board have received a report, through the Foreign 

 Office, from the British Vice-Consul at Nuremberg (Mr. S. 



Ehrenbacher) furnishing particulars 

 Hop-growing oi a circular, issued in February last 

 Industry in by the Bavarian Home Secretary, in 



Bavaria. which it is stated that as a consequence 



of low prices the hop industry in 

 Bavaria has during the last few years passed through an 

 extremely unfavourable period. Quotations in 1908 touched 

 a point which, on the whole, does not cover the cost of 

 production, and large quantities of hops have remained 

 unsold even in districts well known for the quality of their 

 produce. Hop-growing in the United States and in 

 Russia has greatly extended, and owing to the large 

 world's crop of the last four years stocks have increased 

 in unusual quantities, while at the same time the pro- 

 duction of beer is not keeping pace with the increase of 

 population. In these circumstances an improvement is 

 hardly to be expected at present. 



The acreage in Bavaria has in consequence decreased per- 

 ceptibly. In 1905 it was 62,731 acres, and in 1908 56,716 

 acres, a decrease of 6,015 acres, or 9*5 per cent. In the 

 same period the acreage for the whole German Empire 

 decreased by 9*2 per cent. The crops, however, have been 

 large, amounting to 302,000 cwt. in 1905 and 279,000 cwt. 

 in 1908, compared with an average during the last ten years 

 of 236,000 cwt. As the Bavarian brewery trade consumes 

 only about 128,000 cwt., the figures show that the Bavarian 

 hop industry depends upon its exports. By economy, 

 careful choice of varieties, and suitable treatment of the hop, 

 more favourable results may be obtained; but, in general, 

 Bavarian farmers are advised, especially on land not 



