28 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
HOPS 
Fall in nearly the same categorj^. Nevertheless, this crop 
has enjoyed an unparalleled popularity in Wisconsin, of late 
years, and made a larger advance, in the amount produced 
since 1860, than any other crop whatever, as witness these 
figures : 
Crop of Pounds. 
1859. 185,587 
1869 ... 4,630,155 
It is proper to remark, however, that the ravages of the hop- 
louse in 1868 put so decided a check upon the enthusiasm of 
our farmers that the product has been considerably less since 
that date than before. Nor is the old enthusiasm likeJv to re- 
cover from that shock under the depressing influence of prices, 
such as ruled at the Milwaukee market during the year 1870, 
viz., 10 to 12^- cents for the old crop (1869), and 10 to 15 a 
cents for the new. Up to September (see Report of Chamber 
of Commerce ) considerable quantities from the crop of 1868 
were on the market and generally sold at 2-J to 3-J- cents per 
pound. 
As in England, so in the United States, the permanently 
successful production of hops has hitherto been confined to 
a small area. Up to 1860 full four-fifths of the whole crop of 
the country had been grown in six counties of New York, 
namely, Otsego, Madison, Schoharie, Oneida, Herkimer and 
Montgomery. Next to New York, Wisconsin, then Vermont. 
FLAX. 
Previous to 1850 this crop had received considerable atten¬ 
tion in this country. But owing to the immensely increased 
production of cotton and the low price of all cotton goods, the 
culture of flax went backward during the succeeding decade, 
as will appear by these figures : 
Pounds. 
Flax crop of tlie United States, census of 1850 
Flax crop of tlie United States, census of 1860 
7,709, 676 
4,720,145 
