\ 
572 Management of Tlofs. 
west, so as to drive the fires too fiist, by shutting those doors there 
would be a sufficient draught of air come in at the other doors ; 
for whichever way the wind may be, the air will draw in, at either ot 
the doors that are open, flowing around the outside of the circular 
walls. The circles here shown are 16 feet diameter, the nearest 
outside distance of the kilns to each other is 4 feet ; the hairs 
above are, of course, of the same dimensions as the circle below, 
with a passage to put the dried hops from off the kilns, which, 
from the distance the hairs require to be above the fire, would 
raise them 2 or 3 feet above the level of the passage, which 
would be even with the floor of the stowage. At one of the 
angles between the kilns a door is placed opening to the upper 
passage, with a step-ladder to carry the green hops to lay on the 
hair, to which there is an ascent from the passage by short step- 
ladders, moveable at pleasure. An oasthouse, of the plan and 
dimensions here shown, will dry 1200 bushels per day, 200 on 
each kiln twice a-day ; if 18 feet diameter, each kiln would dry 
250 bushels at a time, or 1500 bushels per day : if only two 
kilns are required, the end one could be left out ; or if more is 
wanted, it could be done by having a longer passage, and two on 
each side and one at the end, on the same principle. 
I have endeavoured to show the superiority of the circular 
kilns and the best method of placing them, and that, although 
more hops may be dried, and better, much still remains with the 
hop-drier ; for on whatever description of kilns they are dried, 
they may, from want of skill and judgment and attention in the 
drier, be spoilt either by being burnt, scalded, or underdone ; 
but, to the credit of most of them, I may say neither is often the 
case. There is a praiseworthy ambition amongst hop-driers to 
endeavour to excel each other, and emulation is excited by most 
Agricultural Societies in the hop districts giving premiums to the 
best hop-driers. 
At the beginning of hop-picking, when the hops are scarcely 
ripe, more care is required that the fire does not take too much 
hold of them, as they do not take the fire so well as when riper ; 
for hops when burnt or having the least smell of fire are much 
deteriorated in value. Caution should be given to the drier as 
to the application of the sulphur, which is a great assistance to 
the drying as well as to the colour and appearance of the hops ; 
it should not be put on too much at a time, but should be begun 
soon after the hops are laid on, and continued gradually and 
slowly burning for four or five hours : the quantity to be used 
depends on the state of the hops ; more requires to be used when 
the hops get brown than at first, and the quantity is varied from 
I cwt. to a cwt. to a ton of hops, the cost of which is about 
1 Is, or 12,9. per cwt. ; if Welsh coal or coke is used, about 13 cwt. 
