236 
Hop Cultivation-. 
These analyses show that there is a considerable difference 
in the composition of the ashes of different kinds of hops, and of 
hops grown upon different soils. 
If hop land is to retain its power of producing hops satis- 
factorily and sufficiently, the vai’ious necessary mineral substances 
must be supplied by means of manures containing them. Some 
soils have a larger natural supply of certain of the essential 
constituents of hops than others, and the manures therefore must 
be suited to their conditions. For example, clay soils contain a 
larger amount of potash than calcareous soils, while calcareous 
soils have naturally a greater quantity of phosphoric acid than 
clay soils. The good supply of phosphoric acid in the best Green- 
sand soils makes them especially suitable for hop production. 
Besides the mineral or inorganic matter that must be sup- 
plied, large amounts of organic matter are necessary to force 
luxuriant crops of rich quality. This is conveyed by means 
of ammonia and carbonic acid. 
Among the chief manures applied to hop land is farmyard 
manure. Although styled farmyard manure, this in reality 
comes to a great extent from the stables and cowsheds of 
London and large towns, at least within reasonable distance 
of the hop plantations. Many of the large hop planters in 
Kent have given up fattening cattle, and purchase “ London 
manure,” which costs from 6s. to 7s. 6d. per ton. From 15 to 
25 tons are pub on per acre. In Sussex, Worcestershire, and 
Herefordshire most of the planters still make farmyard manure 
of the old-fashioned type. 
For the most part farmyard manure is dug in during the 
winter. Sometimes it is cai’ried on between the rows of poles 
in the summer, by means of narrow trolleys drawn by a horse, 
and spread over the whole of the ground, or only put round the 
hills. In the former case it is worked in by the nidgetts. In 
the latter case it is dug in with the spud, or hoed in with the 
Canterbury hoe. 
For winter use the other manures are, woollen rags, shoddy, 
the refuse of cloth factories, put on at the rate of from one to two 
tons per acre. This costs from 21. to 4 1. 4s. per ton, and contains 
from 5 to 9 per cent, of ammonia, which should be guaranteed. 
Fur waste from furriers’ shops is a fine manure when pui’e, costing 
from 4 1. 15s. to 71. per ton, used at the rate of from 10 to 20 cwt. 
per acre according to quality. There are many other of these 
bulky manures, as “ fleshings,” hair, “ scutch ” and “ trotters,” 
which are good if pure and not too wet and heavy. These must 
be put on early, as they decompose slowly. Fish of various 
kinds, sprats, mussels, “ five-fingers,” &c., are very largely made 
