\n 
HOPS. 
of the Severn, increasing as they approach the banks 
of the Teame, and the confines of Herefordshire. The 
situations preferred, are a gentle descent, with a sooth, 
south-west, or western exposure, screened at a distance 
to the north and east by high ground, or plantations of 
timber; but not so as to prevent a free ventilation: 
the soil, a deep loamy land, or strong clay, after it 
has been thoroughly limed and manured: but above 
all, a boggy soil, when completely drained, and duly 
meliorated, is said to produce the best hops. 
“ When meadow or pasture ground is broken up 
for this purpose, it is either dug, or the sward, being 
first pared thinly off by the paring plough, is buried 
by the furrow plough, workiug full ten inches deep. 
Old tillage, when converted into hop-grounds, re¬ 
quires to be very completely cleared of weeds; to 
be thoroughly manured, and to have the ridges, pro- 
vincially lands, entirely levelled. The different man¬ 
ners in which they are worked, are, the tump, and 
the ploughed grounds; the former by hand, and the 
latter by the plough: those are laid oat in the quin¬ 
cunx form, each tump being at the distance of from 
five to seven feet from the centre of each other. On 
these the distance between the stocks is from three to 
four feet; that between the rows, from seven to nine; 
the greater or less space being always allowed, as the 
land is either richer or poorer. In the ploughed, if 
the circumstances of the ground will admit of it, the 
rows run mostly north and south, with the view to 
admit the sun more generally, when it has most force; 
but should it be long and narrow, its greatest length 
extending east and west, that direction is preferred: 
there are those who give it the preference, when not 
influenced by any accidental circumstances, as re¬ 
ceiving 
