%J0°v^-i7h7trm'}  Hop  Culture  in  New  York.  539 
i860  the  counties  of  Oneida,  Madison,  Otsego  and  Schorhaire  are 
said  to  have  each  produced  more  hops  than  were  grown  in  the  United 
States  outside  of  New  York.  In  1875  the  two  counties  Oneida  and 
Madison  produced  something  over  40,000  bales,  probably  about  one- 
third  the  entire  crop  of  the  country.  The  exports  from  the  port  of 
New  York,  year  ending  Aug.  31st,  were,  in  1869,69,463  bales; 
1870,56,453  bales;  1871,24,577  bales;  1872,  6,095  bales  ;  1873, 
9,315  bales;  1874,  1,638  bales;  1875,  15,995  bales;  1876,46,116 
bales.  The  imports  to  the  port  of  New  York,  year  ending  Aug.  31st, 
were,  in  1869,  none;  1870,  none;  1871,  none;  1872,5,800  bales; 
1873,  205885  bales;  1874,  13,444  bales;  1875,  none  ;  1876,  none. 
The  American  hop  is  of  fine  quality,  indeed  it  is  claimed  that  when 
our  hops  are  properly  picked  and  dried,  no  country  produces  a  finer 
article.  The  quality  of  hops  can  be  readily  determined  by  their  gen- 
eral appearance,  odor  and  amount  of  lupulin  contained  in  them,  the 
best  being  free  from  rust  or  mould,  the  bracts  of  a  bright  yellowish- 
green  color,  and  showing  none  of  the  dark  spots  produced  by  the  hop- 
leaf  louse  (Apis  Humuli).  The  odor  of  hops  is  peculiar,  powerful 
and  penetrating,  yet  to  most  people  agreeable  ;  it  is  due  to  a  volatile 
oil.  In  judging  of  hops  little  or  no  attention  is  paid  to  their  taste. 
Climate  appears  to  have  as  much  influence  on  the  hop  crop  as  soil. 
A  hot,  scorching  sun  is  unfavorable,  because  it  causes  the  strobiles  to 
dry  before  maturity.  It  has  been  observed  that  favorable  weather  for 
corn  is  not  the  best  for  hops;  thus  in  the  fall  of  1875  the  corn  crop 
of  central  New  York  was  much  smaller  than  usual,  while  the  yield  of 
hops  was  unusually  large.  Damp,  muggy  weather  is  very  unfavorable, 
causing  the  strobiles  to  mould,  particularly  if  they  have  been  damaged 
by  the  hop-leaf  louse.  Temperate  weather  and  a  clear  atmosphere 
are  the  climatic  requisites  for  a  successful  cultivation  of  the  crop. 
Two  varieties  of  the  hop  are  principally  grown  in  New  York,  being 
known  as  the  large  and  small  cluster.  No  particular  difference  is  to 
be  seen  in  these  two  varieties,  excepting  the  one  is  larger  than  the 
other,  and  no  difference  is  known  in  quality.  Besides  these  two  vari- 
eties, a  third,  known  as  the  Palmer  Seedling,  is  now  coming  into 
quite  extensive  cultivation.  This  variety  was  first  obtained  from  the 
seed,  by  the  late  Charles  Palmer,  of  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  some  twelve 
or  fourteen  years  ago,  and  is  now  under  successful  cultivation  in  New 
York,  some  of  the  Western  States  and  in  Canada.    This  variety  does 
