Hop Curing in California. 



237 



carpet of burlaps, and heating the air beneath, so that it rises 

 through the hops, carrying off the moisture. These structures 

 are known as kilns, and are of many kinds, but the essential 

 features are as follows : — The building is made of boards, and 

 usually lathed and plastered ; it is from 16 to 30 feet square, 

 the height to the plate being 20 to 24 feet. The roof runs up 

 with a steep slant from each of the four sides nearly to a 

 point at the top, where is located the opening, about 

 3 feet square. About 4 feet below the plate is the drying 

 floor, made of slats 1 to 2 inches wide, with spaces of the 

 same width between them. The space below this constitutes 

 the stove room, in which the air is heated by means of a 

 stove or furnace, with pipes extending from it to a flue at the 

 side, so as to expose a large surface to the air. The air can 

 enter freely from outside near the ground. 



There are many variations from the typical kiln described 

 above. On the Californian coast the latest development is 

 what is known as the double-hopper kiln, with the cooling or 

 storage room located about 200 feet away as a precaution 

 against fire ; but it seems to increase the danger of fire in 

 the kiln itself. 



The elevation of the drying floor should not be less than 

 20 feet, as a precaution against scorching the hops. The 

 prime object is to secure a good draught, the air coming in 

 cool at the bottom, becoming heated in the stove room, passing 

 through the layer of hops, and out at the top, laden with mois- 

 ture. To increase this draught experiments have been made 

 with rotary fans ; these have not proved a success up to the 

 present, but greater economy and despatch in drying hops may- 

 be looked for in the future. 



Many kinds of stoves are used in hop drying, and good ones 

 have been made by adapting old locomotive boilers. 



There must be plenty of holes close to the ground to let the 

 cold air in, as the upward motion of the air must be as rapid, 

 free, and continuous as possible. These draught holes should 

 be fitted with shutters. The kiln is commonly built on a brick 

 foundation as high as 3 or 4 feet from the ground, apertures 

 being provided in the brickwork for ventilation. 



On one side of the kiln a platform is erected on a level with 



