Hop Supply of United Kingdom. 



339 



nevertheless the fact that it exports a considerable surplus 

 of hops every year, while, as has been seen above, the pro- 

 duction of the United Kingdom is insufficient to meet the 

 demand. There are indeed some 50,000 cvvts annually im- 

 ported into Germany, almost entirely from Austria ; but the 

 exports amount to three times this amount, and have 

 varied in 1894-98, between 215,000 and 146,000 cvvts., shewing 

 some decline during- the period. This leaves an average net 

 export of 143,000 cwts. Most of the exports go to England 

 (via Belgium and Holland or direct) and to France. Assum- 

 ing, as has been done above for the United Kingdom, that 

 the hops of one year are consumed in the next, these figures 

 would indicate an average available for consumption of about 

 340,000 cwts in the quinquennium 1894-98. 



After Germany, the principal hop-producing country in 

 Europe is Austria, with about 40,000 acres, three quarters of 

 which are in Bohemia. Unlike Germany, this area has 

 shown some tendency to increase during the past decade, 

 the acreage being given in 1888 as 35,700 acres, and in 1897 

 as 42,400 acres. The average production over these ten 

 years is even lower than in Germany, viz., 3*6 cvvts. per acre, 

 the total production thus averaging 137,000 cwts. But little 

 attention is paid to this culture in Hungary, the last-issued 

 statistics for that kingdom showing a production of 5,900 

 cwts. from an area of 900 acres in 1897. The Austro-Hun- 

 garian trade returns but rarely show any imports of hops, but 

 the exports of the dual monarchy attain a total of 50,000 cwts. 

 (average of 1894-8). This quantity, practically the whole of 

 which goes to Germany, has exhibited remarkable steadiness 

 during the past five years. Deducting these exports from 

 the production of 1893-97, there remain available for consump- 

 tion some 1 10,000 cwts. 



Of other European countries the most important con- 

 sumers of hops are France and Belgium. The first-named 

 annually devotes about 7,000 acres to this crop. The total 

 production during the years 1888-97 averaged nearly 67,000 

 cvvts., this being equivalent to the high mean yield of 9*4 

 cwts. per acre. France is unable to meet her own require- 

 ments of hops, and the net imports average 40,000 cwts., 

 chiefly from Belgium and Germany. Y 2 



