H U M U 
ftiort when it is rubbed; which when they find, they 
take out the fire, and (hove out the hops at the window 
that is made for that purpofe, into the room made to re¬ 
ceive them, with a coal-rake made with a board at the 
end of a pole, and then go in at a door below, and (weep 
up the hops and feeds that fall through, and put them to 
the other hops; then they lay another bed of green hops, 
and renew the fire, and proceed as before. 
This method is difapproved by fome, becaufe (they fay) 
the hops lying fo thick, and not being turned, the under 
part of them mull needs dry before the upper ; and the 
fire, palling through the whole bed to dry the uppej'moll, 
mull neceflar-ily over-dry and much prejudice the greatell 
part of the hops, both in ilrength and weight, befidestheun- 
neceffary expence of firing, which muft be long continued 
to dry thoroughly fo many together. Therefore fome have 
improved on this method, and advifed to make the kiln 
much as is before direfled as to the Dutch way. Firll to 
make a bed of flat ledges about an inch thick, and two or 
three inches broad, fawn, and laid acrofs one another the 
flat way, chequerwife, at about three or four inches dif- 
tance one from the other, the edges being fo entered one 
into the other, that the floor may be even and fmooth ; 
this bed may be made to rell on two or three joills, fet 
edgewife to lupport it from finking. This bed is to be 
covered with large double tin, foldered together at each 
joint, and the ledges mull be fo ordered, before they are 
laid, that the joints of the tin may always lie over the 
middle of the ledge, the bed being wholly covered over 
with tin ; boards muft be fitted about the edges of the 
kiln, to keep up the hops, but one fide muft be made to 
remove, that the hops may be flioved olf as before. On 
this bed, or floor of tin, the hops may be turned without 
fuch hazard or lofs as upon the hair-cloth ; and alfo it 
will require a lei’s expence of fuel; and, befides, any fort 
of fuel will ferve in this kiln as well as charcoal, becaufe 
the fmoke does not pals through the hops as it does the for¬ 
mer ways; but then care is to be taken, that there be pal- 
fiiges made for it at the feveral corners and fides of the kiln. 
It is found by experience, that the turning of hops, 
though it be after the moll eafy and bell manner, is not 
only an injury and wafte to the hops, but alfo an expence 
of fuel and time, becaufe they require as much fuel, and 
as long a time, to dry a final! quantity, by turning them, 
as a large one. Now, this may be prevented, by having 
a cover (to be let down and railed at pleafure) to the up¬ 
per bed whereon the hops lie. This cover may alfo be ■ 
tinned, by nailing Angle tin plates over the face of it, fo 
that when the hops begin to dry, and are ready to burn, 
i. e. when the greatell part of their moifture is evaporated, 
then the cover may be let down within a foot, or lefs, of 
the hops (like a reverbatory), and wall reflect the heat 
upon them; fo that the top will loon be as dry as the low- 
ermoll, and every hop be equally dried. 
As loan as the hops are taken off the kiln, lay them in 
a room for three weeks or a month to cool, give, and 
toughen ; for, if they are bagged immediately, they will 
powder, but, if they lie a while, (and the longer they lie 
the better, provided they be covered dole with blankets 
to fecure them from the air,) they may be bagged with 
more fafety, as not being liable to be broken to powder 
in treading, and this will make them bear treading the 
better, and the harder they are trodden, the better they 
will keep. 
The common method of tagging is as follows : They 
have a hole made in an upper floor, either round or fquare, 
large enough to receive a hop-bag, (which conlills of four 
ells and a half of ell-wide cloth, and alfo contains ordi¬ 
narily two hundred and a half of hops;) they tie a hand¬ 
ful of hops in each lower corner of the bag, to ferve as 
handles to' it, and they fallen the mouth of the hole, lb 
placed that the hoop may rell upon the edges of the hole. 
Then he that is to tread the hops down into the bag, 
treads the hops on every fide, another tierion continually 
Vot. X. No* 675. 
l u s. m 
putting them in as he treads them, till the bag is full, 
which being well filled and trodden, they unrip the faft- 
ening of the bag to the hoops, and let it down, and clofe 
up the mouth of the bag, tying up a handful of hops in 
each corner of the mouth, as was done in the lower part. 
Hops being thus packed, if they have been well dried, 
and laid up in a dry place, they will keep good feveral 
years; but care mull be taken that they be neither de» 
ftroyed nor fpoiled by mice making their nelts in them. 
The crop of hops being thus bellowed, you are to pro¬ 
vide for another, firll by taking care of the poles againll 
another year, which are bed to be laid up in a Hied, hav¬ 
ing firll llripped off the haulm from them ; but, if you 
have not that conveniency, fet up three poles in the form 
of a triangle, or fix poles (as you pleafe) wide at the bot¬ 
tom, and having fet them into the ground with an iron 
pitcher, and bound them together at top, fet the reft of 
your poles about them ; and, being thus difpofed, none 
but thofe on the outfide will be fubjeft to the injuries of' 
the weather, for all the inner poles will be kept dry, un- 
lefs at the top; whereas, if they were on the ground, they 
would receive more damage in a fortnight than by their 
Handing all the reft of the year. 
In the winter-time provide your foil and manure for the 
hop-ground againll the following lpring. If the dung be 
rotten, mix it with two or three parts of common earth, 
and let it incorporate together till you have occalion to 
life it in making your hop-hills; but, if it be new dung, 
then let it be mixed as before, till the fpring-twelvemonth, 
for new dung is very injurious to hops. Dung of all 
forts was formerly more commonly made ufe of than now 
it is, efpscially when rotted and turned to mould, and they 
who have no other manure mull ufe it; which, if they do, 
cows or hogs dung, or human ordure mixed with mud, 
may be a proper compoft, becaufe hops delight molt in a 
manure that is cool and moill. Some recommend chalk, 
or lime, as the bell manure, except in cold lands, and in 
Inch, pigeons dung will do bell; a little of which laid to 
a hill, and fo mixed, that it may not be too hot in a place, 
is of great advantage. 
The principal part of the plantations of Eait Kent are 
on a good deep rich loamy furface, with a deep fubfoil of 
loamy brick-earth. There are however fome good grounds, 
where the furface is very flinty, and fome of a gravelly 
nature; but thele are very inferior. The hops growing 
about Canterbury and in Eall Kent are of a very fine rich 
quality, and, if -well managed, of a good colour. Mid¬ 
dle Kent alfo, or the country round Maidftone, the ori¬ 
ginal fpot where hops were firll planted, grows a great 
quantity, moll of which is likewife of a very good quality; 
though fome, being planted on land not fit for hops, is 
coarle. 
When a piece of land is intended to be planted, plough 
the land as deep as polhble early in October, and harrow 
it level ; they mete or meafure it each way with a Tour- 
rod chain, placing pieces of reed or Hick at every tenth 
link, to mark the place of the hills, which makes one 
thoufand to an acre. Some few grounds are {slanted eight 
hundred, and fome twelve hundred, to an acre. Some are 
planted wider one way than the other, to admit plough¬ 
ing between the hills ; but this pra£lice, although it has 
been tried many years ? does not feem to increale, on ac¬ 
count of the difficulty of digging along the rows where 
the plough cannot go ; that part, being much trodden 
with the horfes in ploughing, digs fo much the worle, that 
an extraordinary expence is incurred, which in fome mea- 
fure defeats the economy of the plan. When the hills 
are marked out, holes are dug about the fize of a gallon, 
which are filled with fine mould, and the nurfery-plam# 
placed in them. 
Some put three plants, others two, and fome only on? 
good one, to each hole. If cuttings be planted, the holes 
are dug in the fpring, as loon as cutting-time com¬ 
mences ;Tome fine mould is provided to fill up the holes'. 
6 B in 
