341 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENEE AND COUNTEY GENTLEMAN, Septembek 0, 1859. 
Ouc of their ordor is loft at home, in the camp, to watch tho 
chattels, and prepare the night’s repast; and there is a jovial 
element in their experience. 
The poor, whose poverty is painful to tho heart of one who 
knows their history—how much more painful to themselves is 
known only to the Omniscient—belong to another class. 
Eegard closely that fragile-looking widow, who stands with her 
child at the small sacking-covered frame. There is no sign about 
her of the endurance of physical hardship made easy by habit. 
Nor can you trace the equipment necessary to supply its place. 
The girl is somewhat better clad ; but it is plain that it is through 
the mother’s sacrifice, for the warm shawl has seen better days, 
and the thick shoes are old, and mended, and too large. 
The autumn sun may make the mother forget that she is ill- 
provided for her task ; but soon—it may be “ to-night ”—the 
autumn rain shall fall pitilessly upon her and her little ones ; 
two of whom are not old enough to work, and, drenched, they 
will return to the town, and to their home, desolate in its un¬ 
preparedness. There will be no fire to boil the water for the cup 
of poor tea, almost their sole refreshment, until it has been 
kindled by trembling hands, which should be casting off wet 
garments ; and this, when their meal to-day has been of a quality 
and quantity that a professional beggar would reject as coarse 
and insulllcient. 
There are very many whose Hop-picking experience in a wet 
season is such as theirs. It is pleasant to think of the possibility 
that eyes looking out from some kind heart, may rest upon this 
pago ; and that, through its reminding, one may be added to the 
number of those who hold out a helping hand to their Hop¬ 
picking poor. But the sound of laughing voices, and glimpses 
of soft colours, tell you that there are others near you in the 
Hop garden of a different class and sunnier fortunes. 
When the day is fine, you will always meet visitors upon that 
scene who have come to play at work;—butterflies among the 
bees. And we would not have them absent. 
It is a pretty conceit for that bright-eyed girl to fancy she is 
helping her old nurse to fill her bushel; but the shilling in the 
old dame’s pocket makes up for her dear young lady’s want of 
skill, and adds warmth to the expression of the already wai’mly- 
felt “ God bless you, Miss.” 
Yonder is the exciseman’s “ Hop assistant,” busy with book 
and pencil where the Hops are measured. He represents Her 
Most Gracious Majesty’s Inland Eevenue Office. 
The pay for llop-picking ranges from Id. to 2d. the bushel: 
more frequently it is If d. The quick, stained fingers soon strip 
off a shilling’s worth ; and the sum earned in a season is con¬ 
siderable—more, probably, than would have been obtained for 
any other work. 
Independently of this, there is certainly a fascination about 
Hop-picking with all its vicissitudes. 
It is not uncommon for domestic servants to find something 
in their place which does not suit them just about this time :—a 
short-sighted policy, doubtless ; but there is evidently a tempta¬ 
tion not easily resisted in the thought of “ Hopping.” 
Night is closing in upon the Hop-garden, and the Hop-pickers 
arc leaving their bins. 
The picked Hops, being packed in large bags, arc carried to 
the oast, a building where the operations of drying and pocket¬ 
ing are carried on. 
Travellers through Kent and East Sussex are familiar with 
those round brick structures, surmounted by large cowls which 
are always turning their backs upon the wind. 
After a short interval the gardens are re-dug, and the polos 
stacked into wigwam forms—a striking feature in the winter 
landscape. 
The dried vine-stems are not without their uses. Many a 
bundle finds its way into an awkward hedge-gap ; and not uu- 
frequently they may be seen doing duty as a lee wall for a straw- 
yard, or even the roof of a cattle-shed. 
From this slight sketch of the outlines of Hop-history there 
must not be omitted the planter, to whoso fortunes the welfare 
of the crop is so important. 
We have no largely-cultivated plant, the successful cultivation 
of which is so precarious. 
No failure in agricultural produce is so fatal to the producer. 
Each acre of Hop ground is the repository of a large amount 
of capital. A large per centage upon this may be gained by the 
investment. 
The reverse is proportionately severe. This reverse is brought 
about by various causes. The weather may be, during a long 
period in the early summer, unpropitious for the growth of the 
plant; while, at this stage, it is frequently much injured by the 
ravages of a grub. 
Further on iu the season, blight, atmospheric and insect, will 
sometimes destroy the vigour of the plantationsof a whole district. 
Later still, when the blossom is heavy, the wind may cut off a 
corner from a garden, or make a road for itself through the 
middle of it. 
Influencing the crop, these things affect also the market. 
The consequences of a fluctuating market are well known, and 
are always serious in proportion to the extent and suddenness of 
the. fluctuation. 
Hops may be worth £30 per cwt.; they may go begging at 
30s.; and the space of time between these changes may be very 
short. The result is self-evident. Let, however, one example 
show it and conclude my story. 
There is a village, not a hundred miles from London, where a 
Hop-planter realized £10,000 by the produce of one season. 
His neighbour would do better with his year’s growth. 
He kept his Hops out of the market, looking for a further rise. 
Theunion workhouse was the home of his grey age, and ho 
was buried in a pauper’s grave. — G. E. T. 
BRITISH POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
A Meeting of the British Pomological Society was hold at 
St. James’s Hall on Thursday last. Robert Hogg, Esq., Yioc- 
President, in the chair. 
The following gentlemen were elected ordinary members :— 
Lord Chief Baron Pollock, Hatton, near Hounslow. 
D. Thompson, Esq., 15, Lower Brook Street, London. 
!Mr. Thomas Osborne, Nurseries, Fulham. 
Mr. S coble, Holland House, Kensington. 
Mr. McBey, gardener to E. Ellison, Esq., Sudbrooke Holme, 
Lincoln. 
Prizes were offered at this Meeting for the best late Strawberry, 
and for the best dish of Golden Hamburgh Grapes, but there 
were no exhibitions of either. 
A prize of Two Guineas was offered by II. G. Bolm, Esq., for 
the best, and one of One Guinea by Mr. James Fraser, of Lea 
Bridge Eoad, for the second best, collections of fruit. There 
were three competitions, the best of which was that from Mr. 
Whiting, of the Deepclene, and the second from Mr. Newton, 
East Lodge, Enfield Chase, and the prizes were awarded accord¬ 
ingly. In Mr. Whiting’s collection were excellent bunches of 
Trebbiano, and Calabrian Raisin Grapes. The former is a very 
excellent late White Grape ; the bunches large and well shoul¬ 
dered ; the berries large and somewhat oval, with a thick skin, 
firm, crackling flesh, and of excellent flavour. It hangs as late 
as the month of March, and requires fire beat. Calabrian Raisin 
is a longer, looser, and narrower bunch, but not equal in flavour 
to the former. The Bellegarde Beaches and Violelle Native 
Nectarines in Mr. Whiting’s collection were very fine, as wore 
also the several dishes of Plums. 
Mr. Rivers brought a seedling melting Peach of very great 
excellence. It was larger than Peaches generally are, and of a 
pale creamy-yellow colour, with a slight tinge of red here and 
there over tho surface. The flesh white, and deep red at the 
stone, very juicy, sweet, and sugary, with a brisk flavour. It 
ripens a fortnight later than the Eoyal George. This was very 
interesting as having been raised from the old worthless cling¬ 
stone Pavie de Pomp one. Another seedling Peach , from the 
same gentleman, was still more interesting from having been 
raised from the Pilmaston Orange Nectarine. This was remark¬ 
ably rich in flavour. It is medium sized. Skin greenish-yellow, 
covered with thick down ; mottled with red on the shaded side, 
with a blush and mottles of darker red on the side next the sun. 
Flesh yellowish-white, very red at the stone, with a rich and 
piquant flavour and fine aroma. 
G. S. Wintle, Esq., of Gloucester, sent a seedling Peach, said 
to have been raised by Mr. Holbert, of Gloucester. It fruited 
this season for the first time; and, although the fruit was over¬ 
ripe, one specimen was sufficiently perfect to show that it is a 
fruit of great excellence. It- is medium sized, and the flesh very 
sweet and deliciously flavoured. The leaves have no glands, and 
the flowers are small. 
A communication was read from Mr. Bye, gardener to Mr. 
Wintle, recommending the use of boughs of trees to be laid 
against wall-trees in spring to retard the bloom, in which he 
