March 1897.] 



THE HOP CROP OF 1896. 



363 



localities. Red spider was also very troublesome. Upon the 

 Thanet beds in East Kent and the more loamy soils of Mid 

 Kent the Goldings, as a rule, bore the drought well, and did not 

 stand in much need of the rain, which came just in time to save 

 from utter destruction a large acreage on the Weald Clay and 

 Hastings Sand soils in Kent and Sussex, and considerably 

 increased the crop generally in all districts. 



Large crops of excellent quality were produced in most of the 

 East-Kent hop gardens and in many in Mid-Kent. A larger 

 yield was obtained in Kent than in 1895, viz., 9'60 cwt. com- 

 pared with 9*04 l On the other hand, the hop land in Worcester, 

 Hereford, and Sussex, being for the most part of a heavy 

 character, produced considerably less in 1896 than in 1895, in 

 consequence of the drought. 



The quality of many of the East-Kent samples was exceedingly 

 fine and better than in some previous seasons. Many of the 

 Mid- Kent Bramlings were also above an average quality, but 

 the later Goldings suffered to some extent from an attack of 

 " red mould," which spread very rapidly in the damp, chilly 

 weather of September which followed the heat and drought of 

 the summer. 



This attack was reported upon in the last number of this 

 Journal,* and shown to be caused by the fungus known as 

 Podosphcera castagnei, which causes the ordinary mould upon 

 the bine, burr, and cones" of hops. It was supposed that " red 

 mould " was due to a different fungus, but there was no doubt 

 that the discoloration of the bracts of the hop-cones in September 

 last was occasioned by Podosphwra castagnei, as its perithecia 

 were found in quantities within the cones, and the filaments of 

 the fungus were upon and within their tissues. 



In some of the hop gardens, where s} 7 ringing for aphis blight 

 was somewhat neglected, especially in Hants, parts of Sussex, 

 and the Weald of Kent, aphides collected in the cones and made 

 them black, spoiling the colour and quality of the samples, and 

 materially decreasing their value. It is considered that about 

 35 per cent, of the crop was of very fine quality, and that 45 

 per cent, consisted of sound, thick, well-coloured hops of good 

 brewing value, the remainder being composed of samples of 

 inferior quality, more or less damaged by mould and aphides. 



There was a good demand for the finer portion of the crop, 

 notably for that grown in East-Kent, and this was quickly 

 taken by the brewers at from 80s. to 110s. per cwt. The best 

 of the Mid-Kent Goldings found a fairly quick sale at prices 

 ranging between 70s. and 90s. per cwt. The best of the 

 Worcester and Hereford hops were sold at from 65 s. to 85s. per 

 cwt. For all other hops there was a very dull sale, at from 30s. 

 to 60s. per cwt., with even lower rates for brown and diseased 

 samples. 



* Vol. Ill, No. 3., p. 291. 



