74 HOP-FLY. 
which has more rule over the pockets and tempers of man- 
kind than any other ; its abundance or scarcity being the 
almost only criterion of a scarcity or abundance in the 
crops of hops : and of all articles of merchandize the hop 
is consequently the most liable to variation in price. Ow- 
ing to the interest taken in the crop of hops, much more 
close attention has been paid to the hop-fly than to any 
other insect ; and you find men conversant with its habits, 
who would blush if you were to suppose them possessed of 
enough natural history to know the name of the common- 
est beetle or even bird ; but let me assure these, that there 
is nothing derogatory to their manhood, their common 
sense, or tlieir dignity, in knowing something of the works 
of Nature ; I never met with an individual who was the 
worse man for it. I don't myself go the length of some of 
your contributors, who measure the joints of an insect's 
ears, as Professor Rennie, I see by your Magazine, has 
called them. But, perhaps, even this is necessary to ac- 
quire an accurate knowledge of each kind. 
The hop counties are Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Worcester, 
and Hereford. The produce of these are termed, on the 
market, Kent, Sussex, Farnham, and Worcester hops. 
The Farnham are invariably the highest priced, and the 
Sussex the lowest. The Worcester hops never come on 
the London market, and hav e a price of their own, which 
is not much influenced by the general price, as no hops 
are ever, or very rarely indeed, introduced to supply a de- 
ficiency of the Worcester crop, should that fail. The hop 
affords scope for the speculator in two w^ays : first, the hop 
itself; and, secondly, the hop-duty; the last is the subject 
of betting to a very large amount annually. The old duty 
on hops is 10s. 8d, per cwt. ; the new duty, imposed in 
