Hops that Raise Bread 
Part II. 
C ULTIV ATION.—Few plant.'^ respond as quickly 
to thorough cultivation as the hop plant. It is 
important that this should begin early and continue 
until the plants are well armed out. Not only is 
this necessary to keep the weeds down, but also to 
prevent the top soil from forming a crust and 
becoming hard, for when it is in this state the 
moisture of the undersoil rises to the surface and 
evaporates quickly. The frequent stirring of tlie 
top soil to a depth of two or three inches produces 
a laj^er of finely divided soil which conserves tlie 
moisture near the surface, where it is more readily 
reached by the young feeding roots which develop 
about the time that tlie hoiis go into the burr. 
Should these feeding roots become destroyed or in- 
.iured seriously by late cultivation, growth is 
checked and early ripening favored. This would 
mean an earlier but a shorter bearing crop. Prac¬ 
tical growers agree that the existing soil conditions 
must determine the advisability of cultivating after 
the appearance of the feeding roots. 
PRUNING.—The length of the growing iieriod 
and the time of ripening is influenced by the earli- 
nes-s or lateness of pruning. The general practice is 
to prune early in the Spring, the exact time being 
determined by the .season and the locality. By the 
process of pruning, the excess shoots from the root- 
stock are removed and the formation of fewer but 
at the same time .stronger vines is favored. The 
root-stock itself is also reduced to an acceptable form 
and suitable depth below the sur- , 
face of the soil, and the formation 
of undesirable runners is retarded. 
A common practice is to draw four 
to five furrows Avith a small plow 
on each side of the row, turning the 
esirth away from the lulls. The yard 
is then cross-plowed in a similar 
manner, leaving each hill a small 
undi.sturbed square. I’lie hoe is 
then used to grub the soil away 
from the roots, and the sni)ertluous 
roots and runners, together with an 
in.-h or two at the top of the root 
(rown, are cut off AVith a sharp 
knife. The root-stock is then recov- 
(‘red to a depth of tAvo or three 
inche.s. 
TRAINING THE VINES.—One 
of the great Avonders that the Cali¬ 
fornia hop fields presents to the 
Ea.stern hop raiser is the trellis sys¬ 
tem of training the vine.s. The high- 
Avire method is used almost exclus¬ 
ively. It AA'ould be difficult to locate 
a i»rettier .sight than the GdO-acre 
hop field of Durst Brothers, trained 
from 20 to 25 feet on Avires, nothing 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
time might mean a heavy loss through the crop be¬ 
coming overripe. Therefore, their aim is to have 
enough help at hand at the right time to cover the 
field systematically. Their pickers <are engaged in 
nearby cities .several Aveeks in advance, q’he drying 
plant is large enough to care for the croi) as fast 
as it is delivered at the dry-hou.se. q’he big consid¬ 
eration in Imp production, rer-ognized by all progres¬ 
sive up-to-date groAvers, is the efietd of the picking 
time upon the quality of the product, q’he develop¬ 
ment of the es.sential oil, the desirable soft resins, 
and other A'aluable constituents, reaches its height 
about the time the hops become fully ripe, in Avhich 
condition they are generally regiirded as pos.se.ssing 
the finest flaA'or. And here lies the difference be- 
tAveen high or Ioav prices for the hop-grower. In 
sections Avhere hop-raising has not become estab¬ 
lished as a part of the community’s industrial life, 
the picked product presents an unsightly result to 
the trained hop-buyer. But in (’alifornia's great 
hop-raising regions ev(>)-y eff’ort is made to reduce to 
a minimum the quantity of leaA’Cs, stems, and other 
foreign material, ff’he i>resence of h'aves in cured 
hops renders them un.sightly. and materially reduces 
their market value. The opinion has freipiently been 
expressed among large hop buyers that one of the 
principal points for rai.sing the (prality of flu* Amer¬ 
ican lu)p is cU'aner ])lcking. But this i.s easier said 
than done Avlnm the grower must depend upon hired 
help. 
lEi^lINtr RIBENESS.—A\ . AV. .Stockb(‘rger, 
phy.siologi.st of Drug-lMant Inve.stigations. of the 
l>ni(*an of Plant Industi’y. has laid do\A’n some int(*r- 
225 
nmistnre content to such a degree that they may be 
safely stored and their properties preserved. Hops 
must be dried .soon after their remoA'al from the 
vines, as otherAvise they undergo a process of o.\i- 
dation Avhich seriously injures theii- appearance as 
Avell as their aroma and other (pialities demanded 
in a first-ciass product for market. According to the 
A-ariety and the degree of ripeness Avhen g.ithered, 
freshly picked hoi)s contain from 05 to 75 per cent 
of moisture, but Avhen in a dry state fit for storage 
or marketing they .should contain only from 10 to 
14 per cent. Increased knoAvledge of the consti¬ 
tuents and properties of hops has extended the idea 
of curing to include the production of a hop Avhich 
not only has a fine physical appearance, but Avhich 
akso contains the maximum amount of the desirable 
principles upon which its intrinsic value is b.-ised. 
Ihe most important of these are the tannin, found 
mostly in the bracts of the cone, the soft resins, the 
A'olatile oil, and the bitter principles Avhich occur 
(hietly in the lupulin. Thus, succe.ssful curing must 
not be conducted with regard to the physical ap- 
r.earance alone, nor the methods employed injure 
the quality of the hop througn their harmful effects 
on the oil, lupulin, etc. 
STANDARDIZINtt THE CROP.-In Galifornia, 
where hop growing is u part of the agricultural life 
of the community, or is carried on exclu.sive of other 
industries, the grower either maintains his own 
kiln or IS a memlxn- of an organization having a drv- 
hoii.se sufficiently large to care for the hops of the 
membership. Exiierts are employed for the proce.ss, 
which means a uniform iirodiict Avhich tops the 
market, and for Avliich there is un¬ 
limited demand. In fact, the aver¬ 
age big grower .sells his crop for 
from (wo to five years in advance, 
agreeing to deliver a certain num- 
bei of tons, and any (iroduced o\'er 
this amount is sold on the open mar¬ 
ket. q’liis means that the groAver 
can calculate in mhance the action 
he should take, and contracts for 
his labor Avith a knoAvIedge of a 
given market price. This cu.stom 
has taken gamble out of hop grow¬ 
ing and made it excefitionally proli- 
KAIU.K WII.m.VM (!A(iK. 
I 
Why Should a Farmer 
Throw Money Away ? 
Harvesting in a California Hop Field. Fig. 85 
shoAving at a distance saAc (lie upAvard Avinding hop 
A'ines. The .system used cimsists in setting (losts at 
every sixth or seA'enth hill throughout the yard. 
Over the to])s of these Avires are stretched acio.ss 
the field both AA^ays at right angles. Posts are set 
at the ends of the intervening roAvs, betAveen Avhich 
AA-ires are stretched over the roAvs. q'hese Avires ari' 
fastened to the cross Avires, and strings led up to 
them from tlie hills .support the vines. 
( ORD AND TRELLIH.—C’otton cord i.s usixl to 
form supports for the vines until they reach the 
Avires. The string consi.sts of tAvo portions knotted 
together; one, a cord four feet long liaA’ing a break¬ 
ing strain of <S0 pounds, is attached to the AA’ire, and 
the other, a cord 15 feet long having a breaking 
strain of 20 pounds, is tied to a small stake set in 
the hill, q’lie smaller cord is strong enough to .su])- 
poid the A’ine until it reaches the heaA’ier coial at 
the toi». Good hemp is often used for the top string 
instead of cotton cord, d’he string may be fastened 
to the Avires by means of a sjiecial knot-tying device 
attached to the end of a long pole, but the plan imr- 
sued in the trellis fields AAdiere the droji-Avire s.vstmn 
is used i.s simply to unhook and loAA’er the string 
Avire to Avhich the strings are attached by Avorkmen 
Avhile standing on the ground. The strings. AAdiich 
are cut to the desired lengtiis and knotted in ad¬ 
vance. are fastened to the Avires about 20 inches 
from a point on the Avire diz-ectly over the center 
oi each liill. Usually but two strings are used for 
each liill, and Avhen all IniAX* been fastened to the 
"ire it is again hooked up in plate on the cross 
wires. 
the PIGKING problem.—H arvesting the croi» 
on a (!40-acre field pre.sents many prolilems. If 
Durst Bi'others did not exercise great care, there 
miglit be a tendency to pick the hoiis before the crop 
fully matured. Avhile failure to pick at "the right 
esting tests to a.scertain Avhetlu'r or no the hops are 
ri|)e. By imvins of these practical tests the degree 
of ripeness and suitability for picking of the hoi) 
may be readily determiiu'd. First, the strobiles 
or coin's, Avhich are bright gnmn in color in tlie 
vegetative state, change gradually to a bright yel- 
loAvish green as they approach ripenes.s. This is not 
ahAA'iys an exact test, as the color is someAA'hat de- 
l»endent upon the soil and some other factors. Some 
hops have a gr<>enish color Avhen they are ripe. 
Dfttinu's in fit'lds infesti'd by the AAuld morning-glory 
: yelloAving of (he cones may occur. Avhlch is not due 
to lipening, but lather indicates an unlu'althy con¬ 
dition in the jilants them.selA’es. Second, immature 
Imps are .soft and pliable, and Ikia’c no resiliency or 
elasticity. As they ripen, lioAveA’er, they become 
more and more elastic, and if slightly compressed 
betAveen the fingers Avill, on being released, assume 
atjince their original condition, q’hird. Avhen hops 
have a crlsi) feeling and gh-e forth a rustling .sound 
Avhen crusluMl in the hand they may bo regarded as 
ripe. Fourth, the so-called seeds of the hop are in 
reality trait,s, the {seed being covered by a clo.sely 
adhering pericarj), AA'hich, AA'hen the hop is ripe, takes 
on a dark purple color. At this time al.so, the .seeds 
fill out and become hard. Fifth, the bracts at the 
point of the cone close as ripening progresses, and 
the coin's them.selves feel sticky or greasy. Hixth, 
immature hops have little odor aside from the 
natural green or plant odor until 'they are near ripe- 
ne.ss, AA'hen the characteristic lupulin odor bwome.s 
very marked. Seventh, as the hops approach ma¬ 
turity the upper foliage leaves change from light 
green to dark green. Avliile those on the loAver part 
of the plant turn yelloAA'ish and drop off’. 
GURING.—q’here i.s a heavy annual lo.ss from 
'i'ke main ob¬ 
ject jof. cui'iug..Ahem is 'to, reduce' rapidly their 
H.\.A’E just read on page 121 the 
complaint of R. H. P. regarding 
the price of AA'heat being fi.ved by 
the Government Avliile feed indce.s 
•seem unrestricted. Why should a 
farmer sell his Avheat for .‘i;2.10 jier 
bushel and then buy .something to 
reiilace it at a much higher priceV 
q’he Cornell bulletin on “Consult¬ 
ing Rations for Farm Animals” states that, in Avlieat 
at .$70 per ton (.$2.10 per bushel), the cost of 1(X) 
pounds of digestible nutrients is .$4..‘!0: Avhile in 
cornmeal at .$!)S per ton (price stated by R. H. P.), 
the cost of 100 pounds of digestible nutrients is 
.$5..''4. a diff’erence of $2r).()0 i)er ton. 
I.s it not asking too much of tlie farmers? A 
farmer AA'ith .stock to fatten, aa'Iio sells his Avheat at 
pre.sent prices, and then buys feed to take its place, 
at a big increase in price, is shoAving a great deal 
more patriotism than the manufacturer of goods for 
the Governmemnt. The manufacturer can figure on 
the co.st of production and then add a sub.stantial 
profit. A farmer has to contend Avith so many un¬ 
certainties of AA-eather, lack of help at critical times, 
etc., and then not knoAv Avhat prices a crop Avill 
bring Avhen ready to market, that it is bard to tell 
Avhether or not a crop Avill return the co.st of produc¬ 
tion, let alone any profit. 
Take the Avheat crop put in last Fall. Harvest¬ 
ing miachinery is adA'ancing in price by leaps and 
bound.s, binding twine by all accounts Avill be 50 per 
cent higher than last year. Last Pall farmer.s AA’ere 
uiged to ploAA' up old meudoAA’s and pastures in 
order to raise more Avheat. If these fields are to be 
seeded doAvn this Spring farmers must face a 50 per 
cent increase in cloA'er seed prices. 
In the paper read by Chas. H. Betts at the State 
Agricultural Society,Mr. Betts fixes the blame for the 
decline in agriculture on the Avant of business 
methods among the farmer.s. The above mentioned 
feed prices shoAv Avhut lots of us farmer.s are up 
against. We are urged on every hand to save the 
AA’heat, yet if Ave buy feed at such high prices to re¬ 
place home-gi'oAvn grain, Ave are open to the charge 
of Mr. Betts that Ave u.se poor business methods. 
Mr. Betts shoAved good business sense in getting 
his present jeb- or rather salary. I'robably he did the 
