536 
Management of Hops. 
soil, and continuing at the top the upper soil, turning it over and 
breaking it on the under soil which has been loosened and broke ; 
which is the best mode, will partly depend on the nature both of 
soil and subsoil : where the soil is deep, and the subsoil of a 
porous and stony or sandy nature, and where cherty or gravelly, 
it would perhaps be well to put the top soil underneath, as that 
description of under soil, although loosened up and separated at 
the time of trenching, is inclined to bind down and amalgamate 
again, so as to prevent the roots of the hop having free liberty of 
access ; but on adhesive clays, or mixtures of clay with stone, it is 
best to continue the surface soil at the top. Advocates for 
bringing the under soil to the top argue, that as the hop roots 
very deep, it is putting the good portion for them to root in, and 
bringing the bad to the top, to be made good by applying extra 
manure : but on the other side it may be argued, that although 
the roots of the hop will go down very deep where they can get 
admittance, there are numerous rootlets and fibres that run about 
and spread themselves all over the ground close to the surface, 
taking in food for the plant, when it requires it most, at the time 
of throwing out the lateral shoots, the burr, and the hop ; that 
putting the vegetable mould at the bottom is putting their na- 
tural food out of their reach ; and that the tendency of the 
liop's root downward is a proof of its searching for a portion of 
its food among the inorganic substances contained there ; and that, 
although the more volatile parts of a manure do not descend 
down to the roots lower than they are placed by digging or 
otherwise, the more heavy ingredients of it do, and particularly 
where the soil is loosened up, and made easier of access ; that, 
upon the whole, it will generally be found) best to loosen and 
break the soil to a depth of at least 18 inches to 2 feet, leaving 
the surface soil at top ; and this may be done nearly if not quite 
as well, nmch cheaper, and more expeditiously, by the other mode 
of preparing the ground before mentioned, viz., ploughing and 
subsoiling. Before the subsoil-plough came into use there was 
no means of cultivating to the required depth but by trenching, 
although I have seen ground ploughed with a single furrow to 
a depth of 16 inches for hops, with a very strong Kentish wheel- 
plough drawn by 10 horses. The custom has been, as long as I 
can remember, to plough deep for hops ; and with 6 horses and a 
strong plough, a furrow from 12 to 14 inches can be ploughed: 
for although trenching was admitted to be best, it was too tedious 
and too expensive to be generally adopted. But the subsoil- 
plough obviates the necessity; as turning over a furrow from 12 
to 14 inches deep, as above, with 6 horses, and with 3 or 4 
horses more, as may be required, to subsoil 8 or 10 inches lower, 
will move the land to the required depth of from 20 to 24 inches. 
