466 Investigations upon the Growth of Hops. 



but divide up the available air space in a very ingenious 

 fashion. 



As regards the comparative merits of the different systems 

 — Butcher, Umbrella, and Worcester — the Umbrella in iqoi 

 maintained the leading position it has had for the previous 

 two seasons, giving the heaviest crop of any of the plots. 

 The disadvantage of this system lies in the difficulty of wash- 

 ing properly, the interlacing strings shield one another from 

 the stream of wash, and when there is much bine it is almost 

 impossible to get any spray on to the top. In the matter of 

 washing the Butcher system is the most easily cleansed, 

 because all the bines are in one plane, and the jets can be 

 arranged to thoroughly cover this area as the washer moves 

 along. The Umbrella system is also more liable to wind 

 bruise than the Butcher ; the wind gets under the bines more 

 easily, and the whole structure chafes and sways, because it 

 is without the stiffening which the breast wire gives in the 

 Butcher system. The Worcester system gave in 1901 a 

 crop rather above the general average of the garden, whereas 

 for the two previous seasons the crop on this plot was lower. 

 This effect is not so much due to the system itself as to the 

 practice of cutting the bines at the stock when picking-, which 

 is usually followed when hops are grown on this system, 

 because there is no convenient breast wire over which the 

 bines can be thrown. Accordingly in 1900 care was 

 taken not to cut the bines on this plot, with the result that 

 the crop has returned to or even exceeded the average of 

 the garden. 



Systems of Training, 1 89 7 - 1 90 1 . 



System. 



Width 



of 

 Alleys. 



Hills 

 Apart. 



Butcher's - - - - 



10 



5 



Butcher's ... - 



8 



8 



Butcher's - 



7 



7 



Butcher's - 



7 



6 



Butcher's - 



6h 



7i 



Butcher's (three strings to 







pole) - 



6 



6 



Umbrella - 



6 



6 



Worcester - 



7h 



34 



Hills 

 per 

 Acre. 



Average Crop=ioo. 



1897. 1898, 1899. 1900, 1901 



870 

 640 

 890 

 1,037 

 1,031 



77 116 



112 85* 



112 114 



106 97 



1,210 I — — 

 1,210 |l 96 91 



1,786 .: 94 99 



Average crop — cwts. 



127 1 1 *9 



93 

 107 

 106 

 105 



99 



84 

 1 1 1 



94 



92 



83 

 104 

 112 

 109 



93 

 124 



85 



20*I 10-4 



91 



IOO 



90 



IOI 

 IOO 



IOI 



1 1 1 



106 



20-9 



Crop reduced by accident. 



