Cultivation and Management of Hops. 
357 
been largely and most successfully used on the Continent, since 
1857, to prevent and check the fearful ravages of mould — vul- 
garly called oidium — in the vineyards. M. Vialles, in 1857, in 
a clever pamphlet upon sulphuring vines,* remarks : — " Si cette 
methode cut ete connue en 1853 ou 1854, la viticulture uni- 
verselle aurait evite une perte de plus d un milliard de francs 
qu'elle a subie seulement dans les trois dernieres anndes;" and 
from this work generally much useful information may be 
gathered as to this process, which is performed systematically at 
regular times, and not in the haphazard way in which it is done 
in England. In France the vines are sulphured three times : there 
is the " Premier soufrage avant la floraison ; second soufrage 
pendant la floraison ; troisieme soufrage apres la floraison." In 
Spain, Avhere sulphur has been used for seven years, the process 
is performed twice, but neither in France nor Spain is it ever 
done after the grape has commenced to ripen, as the sulphur 
would then impregnate the wine with a nasty flavour. 
Those hop-growers who have sulphured upon a similar prin- 
ciple, looking upon sulphuring as an essential part of cultivation, 
and have first sulphured when the bine is just up the poles, about 
midsummer, whether mould has or has not appeared, again in 
about a fortnight or three weeks, and still again in ten days if 
requisite, have experienced the best results. Too frequently sul- 
phuring is not resorted to until mould is fairly established, or 
when the hop is in full flower ; so that, as in the case of ripening 
grapes, the flavour of sulphur is imparted to it. This practice 
of late sulphuring, which, besides checking mould, also makes the 
hops keep their colour, is wrong, and has made the brewers 
take a not unreasonable objection to all sulphuring whatever, 
although it is certain that sulphuring before the flower is fully 
formed does not injure the flavour of the hops. Growers who 
have used sulphur legitimately, and who in some seasons would 
not have grown a sound hop if they had not so sulphured, are 
gravely asked to give a guarantee that they have not used sul- 
phur.t A guarantee might in justice to the brewer be required 
that sulphur had not been used after the hop was in flower, but 
should not in common justice to the grower be extended 
over the whole season. It has been demonstrated over and over 
again, that sulphur does stop the mould if it is properly applied, 
and there are many theories as to its action. One is that it 
acts as an escharotic, and that other fine powder, such as road- 
dust, would have a like effect of absorbing moisture from the 
* ' Guide pour la preservation des vignes par la methode preventive.' Beziers,. 
1857. Paul Libraire. 
t In the code of regulations of 1 860, decreed by the pundits of the little town of 
Spalt, sulphur is forbidden to be used. 
