410 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Eeekuauy 27. 
itself, or rather its varieties, have the means of accom¬ 
modating themselves to different soils, 1 need only 
mention here, that I have seen a large plantation 
of Hops on a black peaty bog, resembling some of 
those fenny districts that are to be found in various 
places; this peaty substance resting on pipe-clay, or 
something of that sort, was intersected by open ditches, 
four foot deep, and about twenty feet apart, their sides 
and top being allowed to be grown over with grass, to 
prevent their falling in, and the space between them 
ridged over. This description of soil, which was about 
four feet deep, might bo regarded as the most extreme 
one that they are planted on ; but the general appearance 
of the Hops was good, and the crops heavy, but the 
quality inferior to those grown on drier soils; for in¬ 
stance, contrast the above with that of a plot of ground, 
where stones predominate to such an extent as to 
resemble a newly-made road after it has laid some time 
exposed to rains, and the subsoil so exceedingly porous 
as to give rise to the saying, that such lands require rain 
“every night in summer, and all day on Sundays;” 
for, certainly, grass, and all farming and gardening 
crops, would seem to require it quite as often as that; 
but, somehow, this description of soil often produces the 
best Hops in the country, for it is of the kind which the 
best variety of Hops likes to grow in. It is, also, pecu- j 
liarly adapted for maintaining the Hop-plant for a long 
period of years; there being instances wherein planta¬ 
tions of Hops have existed on this soil for an hundred 
years, or more, without any change, and without any 
appearance of their wearing out. This, however, is an j 
exception to the general rule, which is to grub them up 
after a lapse of twenty or thirty years, or when circum¬ 
stances render it advisable. The instances where Hops 
are cultivated, for very long periods, on the same grounds, 
are those, generally, of small occupiers, in favourable 
situations, who, anxious to have as many as possible, 
plant, perhaps, the whole of their holding with hops and 
fruit, either separately or mixed. 
An amateur, commencing Hop-growing in a district j 
where it is not known, had better not commence on too j 
large a scale at first, lest it turn out unfortunately ; but 1 
it must be remembered, that a very small plot, in such a j 
position, can never be remunerative, for, independent of 
the cultivation of the plant, the Hops have to go 
through a course of manufacture which cannot well 
be done on a small scale. The small grower, in Kent, 
has a much better chance that way than those of other 
places, where few or none are grown; for they can have 
their produce all gathered and dried at the kilns of their 
neighbours, where all the apparatus is in good order, 
but I should say a less quantity than two acres can 
hardly pay the grower who has to start everything at 
once. 
1 have no doubt but many districts where Hops are 
not grown could be made to grow them, and certainly 
better than they are grown in some parts of Kent; but 
so much depends on the season, and other causes, that a 
beginner must not be disheartened if he be unsuccess¬ 
ful at first; for 1 have known an excellent plantation 
turn out a complete failure for two or three years in 
succession, that much reliance ought not to be placed on 
one failure being a proof of the uusuitablcness of the 
locality; for though a farmer, after sowing his wheat on 
good land, and tending to it until it come into ear, can, 
with an almost certainty, look forward to a crop, the 
Hop grower, who is equally assiduous in attending to 
bis produce, and which may promise remarkably well in 
the early part of the season, may, nevertheless, fall a 
victim to the blight, or mildew, and he often does not . 
derive a single penny; whereas, I believe there were 
instances last year in which the produce of an acre of 
Hops realized upwards of two hundred pounds; and 
plenty of instances in which growers made more than 
one hundred pounds per acre of their whole plantations, 
while it must be borne in mind that many did not 
receive anything—the crop of 1854 being bad, except 
in a few places. 
In the preparation o f the ground for Hops, a generous 
policy will often terminate best, as a crop so valuable, 
and yet so capricious, must not be stinted for trifles; 
yet the mode is not so extravagaut, after all, supposing 
the ground to have been previously an arable field, and 
of tolerable good depth in staple; the best course, if it 
be of sufficient size to allow of ploughing, to do so at 
some early period after it is vacant, say in autumn, or 
winter; the ploughing should be done as deep as pos¬ 
sible; and, in addition to that, and simultaneously with 
its going on, a gang of men must be employed, with 
strong digging forks, turning up the bottom of the furrow 
ere the plough return again; to accomplish this, and 
keep pace with a plough and four or more horses, 
about ten or twelve men will be wanted, who, by being 
placed at intervals along the line of furrow, take each 
their part. Of course, the part turned up lies mostly in 
its same place again, but a part will get to the top, and 
some of the top soil to the bottom. This process, I need 
hardly say, is better than subsoil ploughing, which 
leaves a hard, unbroken bottom ; whereas, the forking up 
is more beneficial, and frequently deeper done. Two 
furrows are worked by the above plan, the men walking 
over from one to the other as they proceed. A small 
field will hardly allow this, and, perhaps, the cheapest 
way would be to have it trenched by hand, unless it be 
already in very deep tillage ; for, be it remembered, many 
acres of Hops are planted with only an ordinary deep 
ploughing, but when the subsoil will allow it, a little 
extra labour is not lost in their after well beiDg. 
In the setting-out of the ground, and planting the 
young sets, there is not much difference in the practice 
adopted ; although, of late years, many new modes have 
been tried, but the plan by which at least nine-tenths 
of the hops are planted is on what is called “ a square 
plant,” i.e., the ground is set out accurately in lines, six 
feet apart each way, and their conjunction at right 
angles; this allows 1210 plants to the acre; but many 
growers have of late adopted “ the triangle plant,” or 
quincunx, as it is called by some—allowing the same 
number of plants per acre ; either way will do ; only, as 
the plantation is expected to remain for years, they 
ought to be set out with accuracy at first. The com¬ 
mon way is to do it by line, sticking a slick up where 
the plant is to be, so that the planting can be done- 
after. Those accustomed to the work have a long line, 
with pieces of red worsted worked in at the places where 
a plant is to be—say every six feet; but as a hempen 
line expands and contracts in accordance with the dry¬ 
ness or moisture, this is guarded against, by trying it 
against a chain, or other correct measure. This, how¬ 
ever, the amateur will easily be able to accomplish. 
If there has been no manure worked into the ground 
at the time of ploughing, or trenching, as above, a 
quantity of very fine stuff ought to be prepared for the 
reception of the plants at planting time. This is more 
especially necessary when bedded plants are put in, i e., 
those which have been prepared a year in some nursery 
ground, as these will have roots. But as many planta¬ 
tions arc formed by planting what are called “ bop sets,” 
which is something like what a gardener would call a 
good cutting with a heel to it, it is, perhaps, as well for 
the amateur to adopt that'plan, and procure a number 
of “sets” from some one who can warrant their being 
true to their kind, as well as from a healthy stock; 
these must be planted with a dibber, about five around 
each stick that is set up ; the ground for their reception 
being made very fine, either by taking some of the soil 
out of the place and adding fresh ; otherwise, by taking 
the fine from the top of the ground; if it be an old 
