242  Hop  Culture  in  Wisconsin. 
The  plant  flowers  about  the  middle  of  July,  and  remains  in  blossonrs 
from  a  week  to  ten  days,  when  it  expands  (which  is  termed  hopping- 
out)  and  forms  the  strobiles  of  commerce.  They  soon  attain  their  full 
size,  but  are  allowed  to  remain  on  the  vine  to  mature  until  about  the  first 
of  September,  when  picking  commences.  The  picking  is  performed 
mostly  by  women  and  children,  who  gather  the  fruit  into  boxes,  the 
size  of  which  is  regulated  by  law.  Each  consists  of  a  large  box,, 
usually  made  of  pine  or  some  light  wood,  divided  into  four  equal  com- 
partments, each  compartment  measuring  three  feet  long,  one  foot  and 
a  half  wide  and  two  feet  in  depth,  and  hold  about  seven  bushels. 
The  pickers  are  arranged  four  to  a  box,  each  picking  in  one  of  the 
small  compartments,  which  constitutes,  when  full,  what  is  termed  a  box 
of  hops.  The  average  number  of  boxes  picked  per  day  by  our  pickers 
is  two,  which  varies,  however,  according  to  the  sprightliness  of  the 
person,  some  picking  three  to  four,  and  others  only  one  to  one  and  a 
half  boxes,  for  which  thev  receive  generally  from  thirty  to  forty  cents 
per  box. 
The  average  weight  of  a  box  of  hops,  when  dried,  is  about  ten 
pounds.  The  drying  is  performed  in  kilns,  in  houses  which  are  built 
either  of  stone,  brick  or  wood.  Stone  or  brick  is  preferred,  but 
wood  is  mostly  used  with  us,  and  is  plastered  all  the  way  up  on  the  in- 
side to  the  peak,  to  prevent  the  escape  of  heated  air  laterally.  The 
kilns  vary  in  size.  A  common  size  is  about  16  x  20  feet,  and  14  to 
15  feet  from  the  ground  to  the  kiln  floor,  and  about  8  feet  from  the 
kiln  floor  to  the  roof,  which  is  a  common  gable  roof,  with  an  opening 
or  cupola  about  the  centre  of  the  peak.  The  kiln  floor  is  made  of 
slats  1  inch  by  2  or  2J  inches,  set  upon  the  edge,  about  two  inches 
apart,  upon  which  is  spread  a  cloth,  usually  burlap,  weighing  eleven 
ounces  to  the  vard.  At  the  bottom  of  the  kiln,  on  each  side,  are  one 
or  two  holes,  about  three  feet  long  by  one  foot  high,  called  airholes,, 
and  closed  by  a  slide.  The  heat  is  received  from  a  stove  placed  on  the 
ground  floor,  with  the  pipe  running  around  the  room  in  the  form  of  a 
square,  or  parallel  with  the  walls  of  the  kiln,  about  five  or  six  feet  below 
the  kiln  cloth,  so  as  not  to  scorch  the  hops.  The  hops  are  now  placed 
upon  the  kiln,  and  are  spread  from  a  foot  to  a  foot  and  a  half  in  thick- 
ness. The  fire  is  then  started  gradually,  with  the  airholes  open  below, 
and  the  cupola  open  above,  to  admit  a  good  current  of  cool  air  com.ing 
in  from  below,  and  allow  the  escape  of  the  heated  air  from  the  top. 
The  temperature  is  raised  during  the  early  part  of  the  drying  to  ioo°- 
Am.  Jour.  Fharm. 
June,  1875. 
