Hoi* Supply of United Kingdom. 



the next two years 8,000 acres were lost, and in 1898 the 

 total stood at 49,735 acres, this latter being the only year 

 since 1867 in which less than 50,000 acres have been 

 scheduled. 



The cultivation of hops, as is well known, is now confined 

 to a few counties in England, Kent growing three-fifths of 

 the entire crop. Herefordshire, Sussex, Worcestershire, 

 Hampshire, and Surrey also show an appreciable extent of 

 land devoted to this culture, while Salop, Gloucester, and 

 Suffolk were the only other counties with any hops in the 

 present year. Formerly, however, a very few acres have at 

 one time or another been under hops in almost all the 

 counties of England ; Rutland and Westmorland being the 

 only two which have never figured in this category of the 

 Agricultural Returns, while an acre or two in Wales and 

 Scotland were recorded inmost years prior to 1874. Kent 

 has, however, always formed the great centre of this industry, 

 artd the five counties next named above have, as far as the 

 records show, also always been far in advance of any 

 others. v 



Hops are one of the most uncertain of the crops grown in 

 this country, and in addition to the expense of cultivation 

 and liability to insect pests, they are subject to very large 

 variations in yield from year to year. Official statistics of 

 production, since the repeal of the hop duty in 1862, date 

 back only to 1885; but from this latter date the yields 

 recorded have fluctuated between 4-81 cwts. per acre in 1888, 

 and no less than 12.76 cwts. per acre, or not far from three 

 times as much, in the present year. The total produce in 

 the same period has varied between 281,291 cwts. in 1888 and 

 776,144 cwts. in 1886. Were comparable statistics for earlier 

 years available the range would no doubt be far greater- 

 For instance, it has been estimated* that the production in 

 1882 w T as only 98,900 cwts., which, upon the recorded area of 

 65,619 acres, represents a yield of but 1 J cwts. per acre. A still 

 smaller quantity, viz., 88,000 cwts., was charged with duty in 

 1854, the area in that year being given as 54,000 acres. It is a 



""Beer Materials Committee, App. IV. 



