254  Culture  of  Hops  in  the  Urdted  States  {^'Ju^e^imf''- 
vated  in  the  Hop  Gardens  of  New  York  and  Wisconsin  ;  they  give  the 
greatest  yield  and  are  considered  the  very  best. 
Another  variety  called  Pompey  Hops  is  not  so  well  known  ;  the 
vines  are  very  large,  having  long  branches  on  which  the  hops  hang  in 
dusters.  They  are  more  apt  to  be  injured  by  rust  and  insects  than  the 
other  two  kinds  mentioned  ;  both  are  early  varieties. 
Within  the  last  twenty-five  years  the  cultivation  of  hops  has  spread 
from  the  sea  coast  to  the  Mississippi  River ;  the  soil  selected  is  usu- 
^illy  of  considerable  elevation.  Ground  that  will  yield  good  corn  and 
potatoes  is  very  suitable  for  hops  ;  it  must  be  dry,  rich  and  exposed 
to  plenty  of  sunshine,  very  stony  ground  being  objectionable,  both  on 
account  of  the  difficulty  in  setting  poles  for  the  vines  to  climb,  as 
well  as  the  inconvenience  and  hard  labor  required  in  preparing  and 
attending  the  soil,  which  may  be  greatly  enriched  and  increase  the 
growth  by  placing  old  bones  around  the  roots  of  the  vines.  Shelter 
from  cold  winds  is  very  necessary  to  protect  the  vines ;  thick  woods 
and  barren  valleys  are  not  well  adapted  for  the  growth  of  hops,  since 
rust,  blight  and  insects  are  likely  to  injure  them  in  such  localities, 
while  sunshine  and  protection  from  cold  winds  may  be  regarded  sure 
preventives  for  the  same. 
The  vines  are  trained  to  twine  around  poles  with  the  sun,  by  tying 
them  on  with  strings.  In  the  state  of  New  York,  where  they  are  very  ex- 
tensively cultivated,  great  care  is  taken.  A  piece  of  high  and  dry 
ground  is  there  selected,  and  men  attend  to  the  setting  out,  training, 
trimming,  picking  and  drying  at  the  proper  time.  Hop  vines  are 
generally  set  out  during  the  spring  months,  and  bear  a  crop  of  hops 
the  same  year ;  the  usual  time  for  gathering  comes  about  September 
1st,  before  any  frost  has  appeared,  which  very  much  deteriorates  them. 
To  determine  when  they  have  come  to  maturity,  and  are  ready  to 
pick,  is  designated  by  the  condition  of  the  strobiles  and  the  general 
appearance  of  the  seed,  which  should  be  of  a  dark  brown  color  and 
hard  ;  the  scales  then  commence  to  loosen,  and  w^hen  at  this  stage  the 
strobiles  should  be  collected.  They  are  then  dried,  which  is  best  done 
by  artificial  heat,  great  care  being  requisite  not  to  apply  too  much 
heat,  which  would  drive  off  the  volatile  principle  and  render  the  hops 
very  brittle  and  unfit  for  market,  through  the  loss  of  their  lupulin  in 
packing. 
The  total  product  of  hops  in  the  United  States  in  1850,  was  little 
more  than  three  millions  pounds ;  while  in  1860,  it  had  increased  to 
