472 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Dec., 1898. 
about last August, when the hot weather set in to help the efforts of the 
washing maching, which up to that time had proved ineffectual to get rid of it, 
although many farmers had washed their hops seven to ten times, and we are 
sure there has never been a crop of hops raised at so great an expense to the 
farmer as has been the case this year. The cold weather of June and July 
seriously retarded the growth in many gardens of the Golding Bine in Mid and 
East Kent. 
Taking the English growth in the aggregate, and putting a liberal estimate, 
we believe that it will fall short of that of last year by 20 per cent. The acreage 
being again decreased by 1,128 acres will, of course, accentuate the position, 
and puts the shortage beyond question. 
With an ever-increasing consumption of beer, the last annual return being 
35,632,131 barrels, which will, with the hops now used in non-alcoholic drinks 
and yeast, bring the annual requirement up to 800,000 cwt., it does not want 
much foresight to see that before the 1899 crop can be picked, there will be the 
greatest shortage of hops the world has ever seen, for, although America will 
produce as many hops as last year, the Continent will fall short, especially in 
the hops which are usually exported to England—viz., Altmarks (North 
German hops) will only grow one-fifth of last year; Alost, one-fourth; 
Poperinghe, one-third; Alsace and Lorraine nearly half, and Burgundy a little 
over half; Bavaria and Austria will produce about four-fifths; consequently 
consumers must not expect to be helped over their difficulty by hops from the 
Continent. : 
With regard to the prices likely to be realised for the English crop, it is 
our opinion we shall have no difficulty in making £7 to £8 per ewt. for the 
choice Golding hops grown in Mid and East Kent respectively, and that all 
good sound hops suitable for copper use, such as the Fuggle, will sell freely at 
£5 to £6 6s. per cwt., and it will depend upon these prices being realised or 
not whether there will be another serious grubbing of the hops again this 
season. 
We are confident there will be a strong demand for the new crop as soon 
as it is fairly on the market; we advise growers to be most careful in picking 
and drying, and under no circumstances to be tempted to pick badly diseased 
hops. 
HEN AND CHICKENS IN JELLY. 
One quart of milk, two ounces of isinglass, a stick of chocolate, a few petals of 
saffron, sugar to taste, the rind of two oranges, a gill of calf’s-foot jelly. 
Make a quart of blanc-mange with a quart of milk and two ounces of 
isinglass, flavour it with sweet almonds (essence), colour a little of the blanc- 
mange brown with chocolate, put it into a mould the shape of a hen, colour 
another portion with a little saffron, leaving the remainder white. Fill three 
small moulds to resemble chickens with white, three with yellow, and two with 
brown, to match the hen. When the moulds are quite cold, turn the chickens 
and hen out on to a dish that has been slightly covered with calf’s-foot jelly, so 
that the chickens will stand upright. Boil some orange-peel until quite 
tender, and cut very thin to resemble straws. Scatter this round the birds, 
then pour some jelly over the straw. ‘This makes a pretty dish for a child’s 
birthday party. The moulds should be lightly brushed over with oil before 
before pouring in the blanc-mange. 
THE ORIGIN OF BEET SUGAR. 
Tue production of sugar from beetroot was first brought into public notice by 
a Berlin chemist, in the year 1747, but little or no attention was given to the 
discovery till 1790. The first beet-sugar manufactory was erected in Silesia. 
In France the industry was afterwards taken up seriously, Napoleon I. being 
personally interested. Later, in 1800, a factory was established in the province 
of Tula, Russia; and the demand was increased so considerably during this 
century that there were 754,758 tons produced last year by 288 factories. 
