338 
Cultivation and Management of Hops. 
in a wonderful degree, as in 1861, the last year in wliich the 
hop duty was levied, there were only 47,941 acres in full plant 
in the United Kingdom ; whereas the agricultural returns for 
Great Britain showed 56,562 acres in 1866, and 64,273 acres 
for the year 1867. The abolition of the Customs' duties also 
stimulated the production of foreign hops to a certain extent. 
The enormous prices obtained for good foreign hops in 1860 
and 1861, on account of the almost utter failure of the English 
crop in the disastrous season of 1860, tended far more to encou- 
rage the foreign growers. The unusual and accidental circum- 
stance of a succession of small and indifferently grown crops in 
this country for the following seven years, taking the average, 
has given a general impetus to foreign hop-growing, which has 
now probably culminated in the extraordinary importation of 
322,515 cwts. during the year 1869. This combination of 
causes has awakened the English growers from lethargy, and has 
opened their eyes to the real position of affairs ; and they are 
now generally making vigorous efforts to improve their system 
of cultivation and management, so that it may be said that in 
no previous decade in the history of hop-growing has such 
intelligent attention been paid to both the scientific and prac- 
tical phases of the question as in the years from 1860 to 1870. 
This is shown by the greatly increased number of well-managed 
first-class samples to be seen upon the boards of the factors in 
the Borough, by the various experiments that have been made 
to stay the ruinous devastations of blight, mould, red spider, and 
other hop pests and diseases, by the introduction of early and 
improved sorts, and by a more systematised and judicious course 
of grubbing and planting. 
It is proposed to give a concise history of these improve- 
ments in cultivation and management within the last few years, 
by which it will be seen that although they are considerable, 
there is yet a great deal to be done in this direction, if the 
English planters wish to beat the foreign producers, in spite of 
their many advantages. 
Improvements in Cultivation. 
General Management. — There was a great ceremony observed 
formerly in preparing land to be planted with hops. Pasture 
land was usually preferred, for some unknown reason, and 
ploughed up by 10 horses from 12 to 16 inches deep. Other 
land was trenched by workmen, the sticky subsoil thrown 
on the top, and the good surface mould buried underneath. 
This made the surface soil unkindly for years, and the delicate 
"fibres," which are even of more importance as food providers 
