Management of Hops. 
553 
hop-pitcher, the point of the pole being forced into the ground 
below the bottom of the hole to make it stand firm, the poler 
at the same time poking in a little loose earth to fill up the 
cavity unoccupied by the poles, and if required to make it stand 
correctly to tread it up with his heel ; for it is very desirable that 
the poles at each hill should stand in a right position, the bottom 
bend or crook, if any, projecting towards the centre of the hill, to 
be more out of the way, so that the bine be not broken by the 
horse or nidget, and the tips of the poles turning out from the 
centre to prevent the bine from being too rough and housy at 
top, keeping the pole nearly upright, that the lateral branches 
may spread out equally around the pole. For the better and 
neater execution of the work of poling a line is used which is 
stretched over the centre of a certain number of hills, from 20 
to 30 as the line may reach, pitching the holes at equal distances 
from the centie of the hill, but the holes on the side of the line 
where the two poles are to be put up must be nearer the line than 
where the odd pole is to stand to be so, thus — 
Q o e 
• • • • • • 
From 18 to 24 inches is a good distance for the poles at the 
same hill to be from each other, as the hills may be at a 
greater or less distance apart, or as the sort of hop grown may be 
more or less biny, that is, 24 inches where there is likely to be 
a great quantity of bine, and where the hills are at the greatest 
distance : many planters put them much nearer together, but keep- 
ing them at as great a distance as the width of the plant will allow ; 
with leaving sufficient room for the horse and nidget admits of 
the poles going more upright, and at the same time a better cir- 
culation of air between the poles at the same hill and less liability 
of the bines dropping their heads from one pole and going up 
another. The old poles should be tried by treading them with 
the foot or hitting them gently with the pole of the ax when 
sharpening them just above the sharp ; for it is at that part of the 
pole that has stood the preceding years just level with the surface 
of the ground where it is most likely to break, and if not tried 
in that way those poles where the sharp has not been broken 
off are likely to break when put up and loaded with bine, doing 
great injury, but no precaution will prevent the old poles breaking 
down sometimes with high winds, and particularly when heavily 
laden with bine and hops. 
When the ground is poled, if the bine is not in the way, it 
should be nidgeted and got into a fine deep tilth as soon as 
possible ; but whether there is an opportunity of nidgeting or 
not, as soon as the bine is long enough to reach the poles it must 
VOL. IX. 2 o 
