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 AND 
 
 
 ENLARGED, 
 
 EDITED 
 
 
 
 X. S. FULLER. 
 
 i PRACTICAL DETAILS, I 
 
 Residing in the best Hop-Growing Sections in the United States. A 
 
 LLUSTRATED WITH OVER FORTY ENGRAVINGS 
 
 Xnr -Tor/: 
 
 ' Cs 
 
 PUBLISHED BY ORAN&E .TXTDI) COMBAN V, ^^ 
 ^"•^^ 751 Broadway. 
 
 o Entered, according to Act of Coii^'ioss, i:i the year 1S83, by tho orange Jvdu Co., 
 f-i in the Office of the l.ilirariaii of Congress, at Washington. 
 
JUST PUBLISHED. 
 
 Gardening for Young and Old. 
 
 -THE- 
 
 CULTIVATION OF GARDEN VEGETABLES iltk FARM GARDEN 
 
 By JOSEPH HARRIS, M.S., 
 
 Author of "Walks and Talks on the Farm," '• Harris on the Pig,"' '■ Talk, on Manure.." etc. 
 The object of this work is to show how garden crops may bo grown in field culture, r.r.« the 
 teachings of Mr. Harris are main.y from his own experience, presented in that familiar style c. well 
 known to those who have read his other writings. We are sure that the work will be welcome, by 
 a large class who are concerned over the problem. " How to make the farm pay." If his work is 
 properly studied audits teachings followed, it cannot fail to be of great service, espc-..tady to the 
 coming generation of young farmers, and may have much to do in " keeping boys on the yarm. A 
 small share of the work is devoted to the easily grown flowers, which will add to itt Y..lue m the 
 estimation of the mothers and sisters as well as of the boys. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Introduetion.-An Old and a New Garden. -G.ardening ^'^^^^y^--^'"'^ '^ :^^y-^r^Z 
 the Soil.-Killingthe Weeds.-About High Farming.-Competition m Crops.-T ... T^rwin^low 
 on -The Implements Needed.-Startlng Plants in the House or in the ^o "bod-^' l,^. " ^^ ' 
 box -Malin^ the Hot-bed.-Cold Frames.-Insects.-The Use of Poisons.-The Oare of Poisons.- 
 The Cultivation of Vegetables in the Farm-(iarden.-The Cultivation of Flowers. 
 
 I L LU STR AT ED. 
 
 Cloth, I2mo. Price, Post-paid, $1.25. 
 ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, 
 
 7 5 1 Broadway, New-York. 
 
HOP CULTURE. 
 
 Hop culture, in recent years, has had its "uji's 
 and downs," its periods of prosperity and de- 
 pression. The demand for hops continues to 
 be sufficiently large and active to insure the 
 production of a moderate supply, and occasion- 
 ally of a large surplus stock. The European 
 demand for American-grown hops usually 
 fluctuates just in proportion to the quality or 
 amount of the home-grown article in Great 
 Britain, and when the hop crop fails there, as 
 during the past year, there follows an increased 
 demand upon the hop plantations of America. 
 Whenever the crop is heavy and prices rule low 
 for two or three years in succession, our hop- 
 growers are very likely to become discouraged, 
 and many abandon their culture. This fickle- 
 ness is a national characteristic, confined to no 
 one class or pursuit; the agriculturist probably 
 practices it more frequently, and changes his 
 plans oftener than those engaged in other in- 
 dustries. Those who destroyed their hop plan- 
 tations a few years ago in consequence of 
 bountiful crops and low prices, have probably 
 regretted their haste during the past season, 
 when hops have commanded higher prices than 
 ever before known in this country. The lesson, 
 however, comes too late for those who had gone 
 out of the business, but the high prices were 
 more gratifying to those who had remained in 
 it even during years of depression. That hops 
 will always be in demand is quite certain, unless 
 some substitute for malt liquors should be dis- 
 covered, which is not at all probable. 
 
 As our population is increasing, the inference 
 is that more hops will be used in the future 
 than have been in the past. Where this in- 
 creased supply is to come from is a question 
 worthy of consideration. Hei'etofore the prin- 
 cipal source of supply has been a few counties 
 
 in New York and Wisconsin, with more or less 
 scattered plantations in intermediate localities. 
 As the population increases in these States and 
 Territories near the "backbone" of the con- 
 tinent, it is quite natural to suppose that hop- 
 culture will move westward, and already the 
 residents in the fertile valleys and canyons of 
 the Eocky Mountains are seriously discussing 
 the subject, with the intention of soon starting 
 extensive jjlantations of hops, where they are 
 now unknown. 
 
 That the climate and soil of these regions are 
 adapted to the growth of the hop, is shown in 
 the abundance of wild plants found in the can- 
 yons and along the banks of almost every smaU. 
 stream, especially in the elevated regions where 
 the climate is cool. 
 
 During last season (1882) the writer gathered 
 as fine hops from wild plants in New Mexico ao 
 one would wish even in a cultivated plantation, 
 and there is little doubt that cultivation would 
 have the effect to further increase the produc- 
 tiveness and size of the strobiles. Furthermore, 
 seedlings might be raised from these wild plants 
 which would be better adapted to the climate 
 and soil than those varieties now cultivated in 
 our Eastern States. 
 
 Very little has been done in this country in 
 attempting to raise new and superior varieties, 
 a branch of hop-culture deserving of more at- 
 tention. In Great Britain, experiments in rais- 
 ing plants from seed have been attended with 
 surprising results, for in some instances seed- 
 lings well intermixed with a good svipply of 
 male plants gave hops with considerable in- 
 creased weight per bushel, and larger and more 
 pungent grains of lupiline. It is reasonable to 
 suppose that hop-plants, raised in the usual way 
 from cuttings for a series of years, or successivA 
 
THE HUP -DESCRIPl'ION, HISTORY, AND USES. 
 
 generations, would become much enfeebled, , 
 especially if propagated from weak and neg- 
 lected plantations, and that some method of 
 restoring health and vigor would be necessary. 
 The experiments of European hop-growers have ' 
 shown that seed gathered from vigorous 
 plants, gave even better results than cut- i 
 tings from the same, and while the tendency j 
 to vary was but slight, still an occasional new | 
 sort was produced. The hop-growers of the j 
 United States should look to this matter, espe- 
 cially if the diseases of the hop-plant continue 
 to increase or become more prevalent than in 
 years past. 
 
 In all of the Rocky Mountain region some at- 
 tention will be required in supplying the plants 
 with water by artificial means, and while irri- 
 gation may not be needed every season, still it 
 will be well to provide for it, to be employed 
 whenever it becomes necessary. Where rains 
 are insufficient to supply the moisture necessary 
 for the plants, artificial irrigation must be 
 given. This may be considered an advantage 
 instead of a disadvantage, because the grower 
 can so gauge the amount of moisture supplied 
 to the roots as to promote growth or retard it 
 
 at his pleasure, and not be at the mercy of ever- 
 changing and often unfavorable weather. In 
 the arid regions dry weather can always be de- 
 pended upon for gathering the crop, giving tho 
 farmer an advantage over Eastern and European 
 hop-growers, who frequently have to contend 
 with weeks of warm, murky, or rainy w^eather, 
 dui'ing the harvesting of their hops. It is also 
 probable that some of the diseases of hops — rust 
 and mildew — will not prevail in such dry cli- 
 mates, and that the insects which infest the 
 hop-plant near the sea level, would not be very 
 likely to thrive at an elevation of five or six 
 thousand feet above it, especially where great 
 aridity accompanied high altitude. 
 
 It is true, that indigenous insects might, in 
 time, acquire a taste for hops and do as much 
 injury as the old and well-known enemies, but 
 of this we can only learn by experience. That 
 the soil of the valleys of the high cool regions 
 of the West is weU adapted to the growth of 
 the hop-plant there can be no doubt, and its 
 fertility is practically inexhaustible, especially 
 when irrigated from the creeks and rivulets of 
 those regions. 
 
DESCRIPTION, HISTORY, AND USES OF HOPS. 
 
 The hop-plant grows wild in Europe, Asia, and 
 North-America; and, though cultivation has pro- 
 duced several varieties, there is but one species, 
 Humulus Lupnlns. The plant has a perennial 
 root, and a twining stem which dies down to the 
 ground every year, but remains alive below the 
 surftice, where there are numerous strong buds 
 to supply vines another year. The vine, which 
 twines from right to left, is somewhat angled and 
 rough. The leaves are opposite, but sometimes 
 alternate on the upper branches, and on long and 
 
 Fig. 1. Branch of Staminatb Hop-Vine. 
 Reduced In size, and showing at the lower left-hand side a 
 tfngle flower of the natural size. 
 
 often twining foot-stalks. The larger leaves are 
 three to five-lobed, while the smaller are more or 
 less heart-shaped, and all are rough. The flowers 
 are very numerous; the staminate or male flowers 
 are usually produced on different plants from the 
 (3) 
 
 pistillate or female ones, though sometimes the 
 pistillate plants, according to the investigations 
 of Dr. Royle, produce a few staminate flowers. 
 The staminate flowers are produced in loose clus- 
 ters, like those in Fig. 1 ; they are of a yellow- 
 ish green color, with a five-pointed calyx and five 
 stamens. The pistillate flowers are borne at the 
 base of scales which are arranged in close clusters 
 on a short stem ; these clusters, when ripe, form 
 the product known as hops. When in blossom, 
 the young hop will be found to be a collection of 
 
 Fig. 2. Branch of a Pistillate Hop-Vine. 
 (Shown in reduced size.) 
 
 very simple flowers, each consisting of a single 
 pistil surrounded by a sort of membranous cov- 
 ering, and one of these is placed at the base of a 
 small scale, which, as the hop ripens, increases 
 very much in size, and becomes the most con- 
 spicuous part of the cluster of fruit, Fig. 2. The 
 
THE HOP— DESURIPTIO-V, HISTORY, AND USKS. 
 
 fnit, botanically speaking, is the ripened pistil, 
 which is a small nut which incloses a single seed. 
 CTpon the inner side of the scales, and around the 
 fruit, are found numerous yellow grains which 
 are peculiar glands ; and, though they are pro- 
 duced only in the pistillate plant, they are often 
 incorrectly called the pollen. Tliese grains are 
 called Lujndln, and sometimes " lupulinic glands" 
 and " flour of the hop." AVhen highly magnified, 
 the grains of lupulin appear as in Fig. 3. When 
 
 Fig. 3. Grains of Lupulin, Higui-y MAONiriED. 
 
 fresh, the lupulin is very resinous, adhesive, and 
 aromatic ; and it is upon this that the peculiar 
 odor, taste, and other properties of the hop in a 
 great measure depend. This being the case, the 
 greater or less abundance of lupulin in a sam«ple 
 of hops, is one guide in judging of their quality, 
 and it will be seen that, in all the processes of 
 preparing them for market, care should be taken 
 that this be not lost. The lupulin varies from 
 one-tenth to one-sixth of the weight of the hops. 
 The bitter, aromatic taste of hops is well known, 
 and, like other vegetable bittens, they have a tonic 
 effect upon the system, and are used in medicine. 
 Beside being a tonic, hops have also a sedative 
 action; and they, or preferably the lupulin, are 
 frequently prescribed by physicians in derange- 
 ments of the digestive organs attended by nerv- 
 ous excitability. A narcotic property has long 
 been ascribed to the odor of hops, and'fit is stated 
 that the air of buildings in which large quantities 
 of them are stored, has the power of inducing 
 sleep. Though this property of hops is denied 
 by some medical men, others consider that a pil- 
 low of hops is efficacious in overcoming wakeful- 
 ness, a remedy which became popular from its 
 alleged success in the insanity of George III. 
 Lupulin is kept in drug-stores, and is used in the 
 form of tincture, or it is made into pills by rub- 
 bing it up in a warm mortar. The great use of 
 hops, however, is as an addition to ale and other 
 forms of malt liquors, to which they ara added 
 
 for the purpose of flavoring them, as well as to 
 preserve them from tb.e acetous fermentation. 
 
 Hops have long been used in brewed drinks 
 on the continent of Europe, and hop-grounds ar» 
 mentioned in the ninth century in Germany. 
 They are believed to have been introduced into 
 England from Flanders in the reign of Heni-y 
 VIII. Before this time, a bitter plant, called 
 " ale-hoof," and others, were used in brewing. 
 So great was the prejudice against the use of 
 hops, when they were first introduced, that the 
 city of London petitioned Henry VIII. to pro- 
 hibit their use, " in regard they would spoyl the 
 taste of drink and endanger the people," and 
 the King issued an injunction " not to put any 
 hops or brimstone into the ale." The enormous 
 consumption of hops at the present time in Eng- 
 
 1 land, would show that the people of that country 
 
 j have outlived at least one prejudice. 
 
 j The young shoots of the hop-vine, especially in 
 the beer countries of Europe, are esteemed as an 
 article of food. The tender shoots are taken when 
 they just appear above ground, and are cooked 
 and eaten like asparagus or greens. We recol- 
 lect a meal furnished us in Bavaria, at which the 
 only drink was beer, while a good part of the 
 food was the materials of which the beer was 
 made : barley boiled and served as a vegetable, 
 and the j'oung sprouts of the hop, which seemed 
 to be regarded as one of the delicacies of the 
 spring season. 
 
 It is believed that the Essays, beginning p. 7, 
 give full directions for the successful culture of 
 hops. The essay taking the first prize advocates 
 certain patented processes, and the Editors did 
 
 I not make the award without consulting those 
 familiar with hop culture. They would acknow- 
 ledge the valuable services rendered them in 
 making their decisions, by the Hon. G. H. An- 
 drews, Ex-Commissioner of Taxes. Mr. A. 
 was formerly Editor of the Hoi)- Growers' Journal^ 
 and is thoroughly conversant with all that relates 
 to hop culture. Those who prefer not to avaij 
 themselves of the patented processes, will find 
 the ordinary methods of growing hops more fully 
 treated and illustrated here than in any other 
 work. After the prize articles, the essays are 
 not arranged in any order indicating their relative 
 merit, and eaclo presents some deUiils of practice 
 different from the others. Scarcely any of the 
 essays, except those to which the prizes were 
 awarded, are printed in full, as it was necessary 
 to condense them a great deal to avoid unneces- 
 sary repetition. 
 
rSPERIENCE OF PRACTICAL GRO\A'ERS. 
 
 INJURIOUS INSECTS AND DISEASES. 
 
 The hop plant may not have quite as many 
 insect enemies as some others, still it has a 
 sufficient number to demand considerable vigi- 
 lance on the part of the hop-grower. 
 
 The Hop-Vin'e Moth {Hypena humnli, Har- 
 rig)._This moth (fig. 43, a) measures about one 
 inch and a quarter across the tips of the wings 
 when fully expanded. The fore wings are 
 marbled with gray, with a distinct oblique gray 
 spot on the tip, crossed by wavy black lines, 
 and there are similar lines on the hind wings, 
 the general colors of which are lighter than 
 those of the fore wings. These moths are the 
 parents of small caterpillars, which at first are 
 of a wliitish color, but change to green as 
 they advance in age, when a pale green stripe 
 appears along the back, and four black dots on 
 the top of each segment, with a short hair grow- 
 ing from each dot. These caterpillars attain 
 
 The IIopvine moth {Hypena humuli, Harris). 
 a, moth ; b, larva ; c, moth. 
 
 their full growth in about two weeks, and are 
 then a little more than an mch long (fig. 43, &). 
 When mature they form loose silken cocoons 
 among the old leaves or in cracks of the bark 
 on the poles, in which the chrysalids (fig. 43, c) 
 may be found. This insect is double-broodod, 
 the first appearing early in June and the second 
 in August or September. In some seasons it is 
 so very abundant that the caterpillars strip the 
 leaves of the vines, causing a failure of the 
 crop, or at least on those plants attacked. 
 Dusting the vines with poisons like Paris green 
 would, of course, destroy the caterpillars, but 
 at the same time be a dangerous remedy ; con- 
 sequently milder applications are to be recom- 
 mended. Among the remedies suggested is 
 freshly slaked lime or wood ashes, well sprin- 
 
 kled with carbolic acid, spirits of turpentine 
 or gas-tar water, which, after drying, is to be 
 dusted over the plants early in the morning 
 whUe the leaves are wet with dew, or just after 
 a shower. 
 
 Hop-tine Butterflies. — There are several 
 species of butterflies which frequent hop yards, 
 and these caterpillars sometimes appear in such 
 numbers as to entirely defoliate the plants. The 
 most common of these butterflies is known to 
 
 1 entomologists as the Grapta interrogationis of 
 Doubleday — a handsome butterfly with deeply 
 
 I incised wings of a reddish color, silvery uuder- 
 
 ' neath. The caterpillars of this species not 
 only attack the hop, but the leaves of the elm 
 and basswood. They are an inch and a quarter 
 
 i long when fully grown, and the body black, 
 thickly covered with streaks and dots of yellow- 
 ish white ; the second segment without spines, 
 but with a row of yellowish tubercles in their 
 place. Thccla humuli, Harris, also infests the 
 hop vine, and the caterpillars are usually to be 
 found in July and August. But from these 
 larger insects, that can be readily seen and 
 gathered by hand if necessary, the hop-grower 
 has not so much to fear as from the smaller 
 pests that are too minute to be destroyed in 
 this way, or those that feed by night. 
 
 Cut-worms. — This is a general name for 
 more than a dozen different species of insects. 
 They are mostly long, grayish, or spotted, naked 
 caterpillars which burrow just under the sur- 
 face of the- ground through the day and come 
 out at night and cut off the young, tender 
 shoots of various kinds of plants, including the 
 hop. All these cut-worms are the larvse of 
 different species of night-flying moths, princi- 
 paUy of the genus Agrotis and closely allied 
 genera. It is somewhat difficult to destroy 
 these pests, as both larvae and perfect insect 
 are nocturnal in habit, but mvich can be done 
 towards ridding hop plantations by searching 
 for the caterpiUars around the crowns of the 
 plants early in the morning, or late in the even- 
 ing, while the caterpillars are resting from 
 their work or about commencing it. Many 
 birds, especially the crow and robin, scratch 
 
THE HOP — DESCRIPTION, HISTORY, AND USES. 
 
 out and destroy these caterpillars, as well as 
 the " White Grub," which is the larvae of the 
 "May beetle." I use the name May beetle col- 
 lectively for the fifty or more species of Lach- 
 nostuna which inhabit North America. The 
 grubs of nearly all these pass under the general 
 name of " AVhite Grub." These grubs of the 
 Maybeetles are several • years in coming to 
 maturity, while those of the caterpillars, known 
 as cut-worms, reach maturity in a few weeks 
 or months ; consequently are in condition for 
 doing mischief only for a short time, but they 
 usually make up for it by being very indus- 
 trious. 
 
 Flea-beetles. — These are very small beetles 
 with powerful legs, which enables them to 
 jump like fleas, hence their common name. 
 There is a large number of species, some so 
 minute as to be scarcely visible without the aid 
 of a glass ; others are nearly or quite an eighth 
 of an inch long and broad in proportion ; some 
 are jet black, others deep blue or brilliant green, 
 and they are found in all parts of the United 
 States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and 
 even up to the regions of almost perpetual 
 snow. They are divided into various genera 
 by our coleopterists, and the species best known 
 in our gardens is the Graptodera chalyhea, 
 or Steel-blue Flea-beetle. These flea-beetles 
 sometimes attack the young hop shoots in 
 early spring, boring small holes into them, or 
 by eating the outside of the shoots cause them 
 to curl and twist about instead of starting 
 directly up the poles. For these pests Paris 
 green may be used, as there will be no danger 
 of its getting into the hops at this season, and 
 
 it will pass into the ground and become inert 
 long before the hop plants come into bloom. 
 
 Hop-aphis. — This is commonly known under 
 the name of Hop-louse. It is a very minute 
 insect, living by sucking the juices of the plant 
 which it infests, and is often very injurious. It 
 multipUes with great rapidity, and one genera- 
 tion succeeds another in a few hours or days at 
 most, and when the weather is favorable the 
 plants will soon be overrun and literally covered 
 with the sucking pests. How to get rid of 
 them is the principal question to engage the 
 attention of the hop-grower. The usual pre- 
 ventive win be found named on another page, 
 but I would suggest in addition the showering 
 of the infected vines with a solution of carbohc 
 aid — one part of the acid to one hundred of 
 water; or even a weaker solution might answer. 
 
 Rust and Mildew. — These appear in unfa- 
 vorable weather ; extremes of heat and cold, 
 moisture or draughts may cause the plants to 
 be attacked by mildew and rust. The best 
 preventives are good cultivation, good drain- 
 age and whatever tends to keep the plants 
 healthy and growing vigorously. "Weak, sickly 
 plants invite the attacks of the various micro- 
 scopic fungi, known under the general name of 
 rust, smut, and mildew. Dusting the leaves 
 and stems with sulphur is a well-known and 
 often effective remedy, but in unfavorable 
 seasons even sulphur often fails to produce any 
 appreciable effect. It is always well to try such 
 remedies, because they sometimes check the 
 spread of disease if they do not entirely eradi- 
 cate it. 
 
EXPERIENCE OF PRACTICAL GROWERS. 
 
 THE PRIZE ESSAYS/ 
 
 NO. l.-BY HEMAN C. COLLINS, MORRIS, OTSEGO COUNTY, N. Y 
 
 :b'xfl&^ 3pi=li2;e ess^..-^. 
 
 Varieties. — There are many varieties of hops 
 cultivated in this country, but English Cluster 
 and Grape Hops succeed best. The Pompey 
 Hop is very large, with long arms, but it is more 
 injured by rust and insects than the first men- 
 
 Care must be taken to keep the sets from male 
 plants separate from the others. The hop is a 
 duecious plant, that is, having the staminate or 
 male, and the pistillate or female flowers, on sep- 
 arate plants. There should be about one male 
 
 and both are early varieties. 
 
 Soil and Situation. — The situation for a hop- 
 yard should be such that there is a free circula- 
 tion of air — never by thick woods in a valle}^ for 
 there rust, blight, mould, and lice most abound. 
 They should have plenty of sunshine, which is 
 the surest preventive for all these. The soil 
 should be dry in winter, and have no water on 
 the surface at any time. If not naturally rich 
 enough, it can be made so by manuring. Any 
 soil where good crops of corn or potatoes can be 
 grown is suitable, but it should be easily worked 
 and kept mellow, as there is much cultivation to 
 be done. Where wheat will not grow, the soil 
 must have lime, if hops are planted. In Central 
 New- York they are raised on very high land, 
 where none but the smaller varieties of corn will 
 grow. 
 
 Planting. — The best time to plant a hop-yard 
 is in the spring, as early as the ground can be 
 worked. The ground should be plowed and 
 made as fine and mellow as possible ; then stake 
 it off, and either mark it out with a plow or line 
 it, and plant with a " dibble," which is the sur- 
 est way to have the plants all live. Corn, pota- 
 toes, or any other hoed crop, can be raised the 
 first year with the hops. The rows should never 
 be less than eight feet apart, and on the rich bot- 
 tom lands of the West, nine or ten feet is better. 
 Make the hills the same distance apart both ways, 
 and the rows perfectly straight. It is a great 
 mistake to have the hills crowded, as they often 
 are in some yards, to seven feet each way, or 
 even less. 
 
 The sets for planting are runners from old 
 
 tioned, on which the hops hang in large clusters, ; hill to every eight hills, each way, or one in sixty- 
 ' ' -' ' •-• - four, making from eight to twelve to the acre. 
 
 These hills should be marked by a stake at plant- 
 ing, to enable one to distinguish them at a glance. 
 The sets should be cut to two pairs of eyes each, 
 (if very short-jointed, three pairs of eyes may be 
 left,) and three to five of these should be put in 
 a hill, according to the condition they are in. 
 They are usually planted in a fuiTow made by a 
 plow, which must be from two to four inches 
 deep, according as the soil is light or heavy. If 
 planted too deep, they will not come up well. 
 Sets are usually sold by the bushel ; two to three 
 bushels for an acre. When yards are planted 
 with good, fresh sets, and it is done early, there 
 is very little risk of fjiilure. Often large yai-ds are 
 planted without losing a single hill. AVhen the 
 ground is very mellow, with but few stones, dib- 
 ble the holes just deep enough to let the sets be 
 under the ground, and three or four inches apart ; 
 press the soil around them, and mark the place 
 with a stick. 
 
 Cultivation the First Year.— The cultivation 
 consists in keeping the weeds down and the 
 ground mellow. One day's work in season is 
 better than two later. If good sets are used, and 
 they are planted very earljr, it will pay to raise a 
 crop the first year, and the plants will be the bet- 
 ter for it. Set one stake to each hill, and let all 
 the vines run upon it. The stake should be but 
 eight feet long, and set one foot in the ground ; 
 if longer than that, the vines will not get to the 
 top in season to " hop" well. It is best to stake 
 the plants, because then they are out of the way 
 in cultivating the yard, and do not get torn off 
 We raise from two hundred to four hundred 
 
 vines, which can be had from any old yard. I pounds to the acre the first year, at no cost, ex- 
 
 • Written In response to prizes offered by the Editors of the Ayneriein Agriculturist. 
 
8 
 
 HOW TO KAISE HOPS PROFITABLY. 
 
 cept picking and drying, besides the cultivation, 
 wliich must be done even if none are raised. 
 Tlie stakes may be pieces of old hop-poles, or 
 better, one and a quarter inch square sawed 
 stuff, eight feet long, (there is one foot board 
 measure in each stake.) It pays well to get gas- 
 ar, which costs but one dollar or two dollars per 
 oarrel. Heat it in a pan made for the purpose, 
 and dip the whole stake into 
 it while it is hot. This makes 
 a firm coat of paint on the 
 stake, protects it from the 
 weather, and at the same time 
 is very offensive to insects, 
 and plant-lice will not lay their 
 eggs on it in the fall. In the 
 autumn of the first year, a cov- 
 ering of two forkfuls of coarse 
 manure should be given the 
 hills, and if there is any chance 
 of water standing on the sur- i-^=-~^---— .- 
 tace, furrows must be plowed 
 for surface drains, for it will kill the hills it cov- 
 ei-s. Cattle should never be pastured in hop- 
 yards in the foil, especially not in young yards. 
 There should be no grass for them to eat, though 
 there too often is. 
 
 TK.iiNiNG. — Throughout the hop region of 
 New-York, young trees have been cut, for many 
 years, for use as hop-poles. This has gone on 
 until the price has risen from two or three cents 
 to twenty or thirty cents each, and large quanti- 
 ties are brought from Canada and the wilderness 
 of Northern New-York, by canal and rail, and 
 then drawn with teams to the yards, frequently 
 from ten to twenty-five miles. Hard-wood poles 
 last from two to five years, the best cedar poles 
 but ten, and many poles break down with their 
 load, or are bi'oken down by the M'ind every year, 
 which causes a total loss of the hops on them, 
 and frequently on one or two adjoining poles. 
 The common method allows two poles, eighteen 
 to thirty feet long, to each hill. Being so long, the 
 wind whips them, breaking off many of the arms, 
 so that often a considerable part of the crop is de- 
 stroyed in this way. When the crop grown upon 
 the poles is picked, manj"- hills are killed, and all 
 are injured by bleeding of the vines, which must 
 be cut off. 
 
 There is an improved method which has 
 been practised in various hop-growing States, 
 particularly in New York, and more especially 
 in Otsego Co., where it has superseded the 
 former modes of culture. This is "Collixis's 
 
 Horizontal Hop-Yard." It was described in the 
 American Agriculturist some years ago, and a 
 section of the yard is shown in Fig. 4. I shall con- 
 fine my directions for raising hops mostly to this 
 plan, as I consider it as far superior to the com- 
 mon plan, with long poles, as the Mower and 
 Horse-Rake are to the haying irjnlements used 
 by the last generation. There is but one stake 
 
 Fig 4. Horizontal Hop-Yard. 
 
 to the hill, and this is eight or nine feet long, and 
 set one foot in the ground. The best and cheap 
 est stakes are one and a quarter inch square 
 sticks, sawed at any saw-mill, left rough, and en- 
 tirely coated with coal-tar. Where this plan is 
 introduced into old yards, old poles, cut in two, 
 are used ; yet it is far better to use the square 
 stuff above described, than to cut down a tree for 
 each stake. 
 
 The outer row of stakes should be eight or ten 
 feet outside of the outer row of vines, and where 
 next a fence, put them on the line of it. These 
 should be two and a half inches square, or if 
 round, about as large as a common hop-pole, and 
 set a little deeper than the others. For the in- 
 side hills, round stakes, an inch through, are as 
 good as larger ones. The tops of all the stakes 
 are connected by a twine running across the yard 
 both ways — it is tied to the outer stakes only, 
 and wound once around the inner ones. Use 
 good twine — wool or broom twine, made out of 
 hemp or linen. At the present price of twine, it 
 is best to raise the flax and spin it, two or three 
 threads making a small twine that will measure 
 about seven hundred feet to the pound ; this is 
 strong enough, and lighter is often used, and if 
 tarred with good pine tar it will last several years. 
 Tarred hemp twine at present costs twenty -five 
 to twenty-seven cents per pound at wholesale in 
 New-York, and from thirtj-^-five to forty cents 
 through the country. A kind should be used 
 that will not weigh more than twenty-five pounds 
 
EXPERIEXCE OF PRACTICAL GBOWEES. 
 
 9 
 
 per acre ; but I like best a good hoine-made 
 twine, at about fifteen pounds per acre. The 
 cost for twine is at present from six to ten dol- 
 lars for an acre ; but four years ago, it cost only 
 three or four dollars. 
 
 At tlie male hills, put one tall pole, about 
 eighteen feet long, so that the male vines will 
 run up it, and the wind can blow the pollen over 
 the yard. The string should pass these poles 
 free, so that the wind will not break the twine. 
 
 The original cost of preparing this yard was 
 as follows : 750 feet lumber for stakes, at ^I5a 
 $20 ; gas-tarring stakes, $2 ; 25 pounds twine, at 
 30 cents, $T.50; setting stakes, $1 ; putting on 
 twine, 50 cents ; right per acre, $10. Total cost 
 after setting vines, $3G. Cost of yard with long 
 poles : MOO poles, 20 cents each, $280 ; sharpen- 
 ing, $10 ; setting, $7. Total cost, (not counting 
 hauling,) after setting vines, $297. 
 
 Second Year. — In spring, the yard, as soon as 
 dry enough to work, must be grubbed. Hoe the 
 dirt from the hill without injuring the crown of 
 the root. With a knife, cut off all the old vines 
 smooth, and any runners that are seen. Never 
 tear them off nor cut them with the hoe. At the 
 same time examine whether there are any grubs 
 in the hill, and kill all found. There are two 
 kinds of grub — one which makes a beetle, with 
 a dark, hard head, and white body, with legs all 
 on the fore part of the body. It is always found 
 doubled up like a horse-shoe. The other is a 
 caterpillar which makes a butterfly. Both must 
 be killed wherever found. Leave the hill nearly 
 bare. If the stakes are in the yard, they must 
 now be set, but if not, it is best to plow first. 
 In setting, use a common light crowbar, and set 
 about a foot deep, rather deeper for outside hills, 
 and nearly twice as deep for the long pole at the 
 male hill. Then plow out the yard, and after 
 plowing, take out the runners or sets. These 
 are only found in a yard after the second year, 
 and if well saved, are worth from fifty cents to 
 one dollar and a half per bushel. Break them as 
 little as possible, and do not let them lie long in 
 the sunshine, nor be frozen while out of the 
 ground. In setting the stakes, all the holes 
 should be on the same side of the hill, so that in 
 plowing you can tell how to guide the horse, that 
 he may not step on the crown. After taking out 
 the sets, hoe the dirt back upon the hills, so that 
 the ground will be nearly level, and put on the 
 Uvine. When the stakes are but seven feet high, 
 ft man can easily put it on from the ground, but 
 % boy or girl can do it with a light stool. The 
 
 twine is carried in a basket slung over the shoul- 
 der, out of the way. Never tie the twine except 
 at the end stakes, and only wind once around 
 the others, passing at the tall poles of the male 
 hills. Have all stakes the same length. When 
 the vines get up two or three feet high, they 
 must be tied. Tie four to each stake, except in 
 the outer row of hills, where five or six may be 
 tied, so as to fill the strings to the outer row of 
 stakes. Put the vines around the stake the way 
 the sun goes, or they will not run, and tie with 
 soft bass matting, or old woolen yarn. 
 
 Cultivate often, for it will save a great deal of 
 hoeing. The five-toothed cultivator is best, but 
 when the yard gets grassy, the plow is the only 
 thing that will do the work. Never let the weeds 
 get the upper hand. The vines will need tying 
 up as often as any leave the pole, but it must 
 never be done on a cold day, nor early in the 
 morning, as then they will break, and whenever 
 one has its head broken off, it must, if not up to 
 the strings, be taken down, and another vine 
 from the ground be put in its place. When the 
 smallest vines have got a good start, three feet 
 or more, bury the refuse vines at the foot of the 
 stake with two inches of dirt, and never pull or 
 cut them off, as is usually done. In a few days 
 the leaves will rot, making manure, and the vines 
 will make cheaper food for the grubs than those 
 running up the stake. These vines throw out 
 small roots, and help to make the crop for the 
 year ; besides, they are the best kind of sets for 
 a new yard the next year. Mix air-slacked lime 
 and unleached ashes, and put on about a pint to 
 each hill ; this will help to keep away grubs, and 
 serve as manure. 
 
 When the tallest vines are up two feet above 
 the tops of the stakes, go through the yard and 
 lay them on the strings, winding them loosely 
 once or twice around. Put the vines on the 
 strings, while they are growing very fast, about 
 twice a week, or when they are two or three feet 
 long, letting them hang down six inches. When 
 the vine has passed the first space, let it run past 
 the stake, on to the string having few"est vines 
 on it, and when it gets to the middle of the sec- 
 ond string let it hang down like an arm. Some- 
 times I have seen vines stopped when at the sec- 
 ond stake, but I do not like the way so well aa 
 to let them run further. 
 
 Never put the arms upon the strings, but let 
 them hang down or wind into each other ; they 
 will not break by hanging, and will be more ex- 
 posed to sunshine and air. When they are so 
 
10 
 
 HOW TO RAISE HOPS PROFITABLY. 
 
 long as to brush the ground, la_v them up on 
 others, winding once around, and they will sta3\ 
 If the vines have been so planted that the male 
 vines can not be told, let them run up on the 
 strings, but mark them in the fall, so as to put 
 in a tall pole, for, if grown in this way, the pollen 
 will be better distributed. 
 
 Picking. — The hop is ripe when, on opening 
 it, the seed is hard and of a purple color. After 
 that, they turn brown, and the seeds drop out, 
 and there is a great loss both in quality and 
 weight. Of course, in a large yard, all the hops 
 can not be picked at exactly the right time. If 
 the yard is a large one, the hops will be ripe 
 sooner in some parts of it than in others, and 
 should be picked first, and, indeed, some must 
 be picked rather too early, in order that none 
 may be left much too long. Commence when 
 the seed begins to get hard, and but few are yet 
 purple. In horizontal yards this is about a week 
 earlier than where long poles are used, and as 
 there is no cutting off of vines, they do not bleed 
 as in the old way. 
 
 At first do not hurry up the picking too fast, 
 as while the hops are rather green the kilns must 
 not be filled more than ten or twelve inches deep, 
 and it takes longer to drj' them than those that 
 are riper. After a few days, when the hops are 
 fully ripe, it is best to get one half more pickers 
 than at first, as on a good kiln the hops can be 
 dried from sixteen to tvi-ent3'-four inches deep, 
 and two kilns full can be dried in a day. 
 
 Those conditions of the air which produce rust 
 in wheat seem to have the same effect on hops. 
 It sometimes comes on verj' soon after a warm 
 shower. High land is most free from rust; the 
 worst place is a deep narrow vaile}" near a stream, 
 and sheltered by woods. 
 
 Hops can be picked from the strings, either in 
 the common way with boxes and box-tendci-s, or 
 by girls with baskets, without help. I like the 
 latter waj' best, as it saves three fourths of the 
 time usually spent in tending box, and the hops 
 are picked cleaner and faster. I will describe 
 both ways : First, with light willow baskets, 
 which will hold three or four bushels, commence 
 at the ripest part of the yard ; loosen the strings 
 from the stakes, and let them drop until held by 
 the vines ; they will then be about five feet high, 
 and can be pulled lower as wanted. A large girl, 
 or a man, can take the strings off the stakes. 
 
 Pick clean. Put the fingers through between 
 the hops in the bunch, instead of around it and 
 Bti'ipping, as is often done. Put in all the hops, 
 
 but none of the large leaves, and as few of the 
 small ones as possible. Often there is no care 
 taken to keep out small leaves, but for a prime 
 article very few should go in, and no bunches ot 
 more than three hops should ever be allowed in 
 the basket. 
 
 The owner, or some very careful man, should 
 empty the baskets into sacks as they are filled, 
 and see that all are picked well. Where any are 
 found with bunches of hops, or any large leaves, 
 the picker should sort them and pick them all 
 out. For this the most careful man is required, 
 and every careless girl in the yard will abuse 
 him as much as she can. Good pickers will 
 gather twenty -five to thirty bushels per day well, 
 but wages should be based on about fifteen bush- 
 els for a day's work, as many girls will not pick 
 more than that. 
 
 Fig. 5. "Skt" for Focr Pickers. 
 
 Sacks for carrying the hops to the kiln should 
 hold about ten or twelve bushels without pack- 
 ing, as the hops, if pressed in, will soon heat and 
 turn black. The bags must never be left full 
 of hops over night. Burlaps make good cheap 
 sacks, and once made they last for many years. 
 The vines are left on the strings, so as to mature 
 the root for another crop, until they are killed by 
 the frost ; then it is best to take them down, 
 strip them off the strings, and burn them. In 
 this way the eggs of the plant-lice are mostly de- 
 stroyed. Where the picking is done with boxes 
 these are made of various sizes ; sixteen thou- 
 sand eight hundred and seventy-two cubic inches 
 is the size required by a bill once proposed in the 
 Legislature of New-York, but the bill did not 
 pass. The boxes, usually holding from seven to 
 ten bushels, are made about three feet long, with 
 a partition through the middle, and two of these 
 double boxes, with a platform three feet square 
 between them, make a "sei" for four pickers. 
 They are of half-inch basswood, with handles at 
 each end. A man (or a girl) called a " box- 
 tender," who has a large basket, knife, and light 
 stool, pulls off the arms from the vines, (they 
 break out easily by a pull toward the root of the 
 vine,) and with the knife cuts off the end of the 
 main vine, which hangs down. As fast as he 
 fills his basket he empties it on the platform, 
 
EXPEKIENCiJ OF PKACTICAL GKOWERS. 
 
 11 
 
 thus leaving the main vine with most of its fo 
 liage entire, and preventing injurious bleeding. 
 
 When the hops 
 are good, and the 
 strings not more 
 than seven feet high, 
 one man can tend 
 two sets of pickers, 
 eight boxes, as easy 
 as he can one where 
 they are nine feet 
 high. The man who 
 tends box should 
 never be required 
 to sack the hops. 
 Broken arms are to 
 be thrown away 
 w^hen the hops on 
 them have turned 
 brown ; for, if put 
 in, the}'" will injure 
 the sale of all. A 
 man who has the 
 reputation of pick- 
 ing his hops clean, 
 and putting them 
 ip nicely, will get a 
 ittle extra price for 
 
 them, and find quicker sale when hops are 
 low. The diffurence between " fancy " hops 
 and "common sorts" is always enough to pay 
 the whole cost of raising the crop. Only the 
 best hops have the advantage of a foreign mar- 
 ket. The price for picking varies from twenty 
 to fifty cents per box. Owners usually board the 
 pickers, and if they are treated well, they will find 
 it all the easier to engage them another year. 
 
 is usually divided into four rooms. The 8tove« 
 room, where fire is made, should be not less than 
 fourteen feet high, and sixteen or eighteen 
 feet is better, with stone or brick walls, 
 and no floor ; if the walls are of wood, 
 
 Pia. 6. Elevation of the Common Hop-Kiln. 
 
 A, stove-room, with stone, brick, or plastered walls, but no floor ; B, drying-room ; (7, store 
 room, which has a window in the end, not shown, with tight shutters ; E, ventilator; F, platform 
 from which to pass up the bags of green hops ; G, door into drying-room ; II, pipe, or smoke-stack 
 from stove, which is to be taken down when not in use ; /, au--holes ; J, stairs to platform. The 
 usual dimensions are marked on the diagram, but these may be altered to suit the size of the yard. 
 
 they must be plastered to the top of the room. 
 At the bottom of the walls there should be six 
 air-holes, one by three feet, with doors to close 
 them tight when necessary ; and >f the kilr is 
 very large, there must be more than six. The 
 stoves, usually two, are large enough to take in 
 three-feet wood, with grate-bars at the bottom, 
 and very large doors ; the pipes are carried once 
 or twice across the room, as near the level of the 
 top of the stove as possible, and then go into a 
 
 Fig. 7. Ground Plan of Hop-Kiln. p,^ g_ g^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ HoP-Kiuf. 
 
 A, stove-room ; a a, stoves, with grate-bars at bottom to allow 
 the ashes to fall upon the ground ; b b, pipe ; C, sheet-iron drum ; -». tlrying-floor, with slats one by two and a half inches, set oa 
 //, air-holes in stove-room; B, baling-room; e e, windows to f edge, and supported l^y joists two and a half feet apart, running 
 blvJing-room ; stairs are shown going from the baling-room to the 
 
 drjing-room above. 
 
 Dkying the Hops. — The kiln should be pro- 
 portioned to the amount of hops to be dried. It 
 
 across above the stove-room, and covered by carpet ; C, 8tor» 
 room ; X, trap through which to pass down hops in baling. 
 
 chimney on the outside of the building. Great 
 care must be taken not to have the pipes touch 
 
13 
 
 HOW TO KAISE HOI'S rROFITABLT. 
 
 the wood-work, as it is kept so hot for a long 
 time as to set fire to any wood-work near it. 
 The pipe is often run several feet from the build- 
 ing and turned up like the smoke-stack of a 
 steam-boiler, to make a good draft. There is a 
 door from the stove room into the baling-room, 
 with a light of glass, so that the man who attends 
 the drying may see the state of the fires without 
 going in ; a thei'mometer on the inside shows the 
 degree of heat at a glance. 
 
 The drying-room is over the stove-room. 
 Usually there are joists laid across the top of the 
 stove-room, and wooden slats, one inch by two, 
 are laid on them on edge, two and a half inches 
 apart. On this there is laid a carpet — usually 
 made of flax or hemp, with small threads, twist- 
 ed hard and woven loosely, so that the spaces 
 between them are about one sixteenth of an inch 
 or more, allowing air to pass through it freel.y. 
 It should never be of cotton. 
 
 tight by a nut on the end. The h(»ps are put on 
 it from a movable walk — a plank two and a half 
 feet above the carpet, supported from the rafters 
 by wire suspension-rods — and when the hops are 
 on, the plank is turned on edge. When the hops 
 are dry, the carpet is rolled off by a shaft m the 
 store-room, so that all the hops are taken off in 
 less than five minutes, and the carpet put back 
 ready for a new charge, without losing the heat 
 or letting the fires go down. No sweeping is 
 needed with this kiln, nor does any one step on 
 the carpet. 
 
 The roof should be carried up very high, so as 
 to have the ventilator as high as possible, and 
 make a better draft to the kiln. This is made 
 with a cowl which turns by the wind, or a slat- 
 ventilator is used, arranged so as to keep out the 
 rain, while the air can pass up freely. 
 
 The store-room is next the drying-room, but 
 the floor is from three to eight feet lower than 
 
 Fio. 9. The France Kilh. 
 t, the door to receive the green hops ; E, the movable cai'pet, which is represented as being rolled up by a windlass in th«> 
 •wre-room tlirongh the opening covered by the lifting shutter C ; B, a. windlass for drawing the carpet baclc by means c th« 
 r»>.'es H IT. The amall figures at the left show the form of the slats and opening for the passage of the ropes. 
 
 The best kiln I have ever seen is one which 
 has a movable carpet, invented by Edward 
 France. Wires, like telegraph-wires, put three 
 or four inches apart, are used instead of slats, 
 
 the carpet, so as to make plenty of room to store 
 hops in bulk until they are ready to press. It 
 should have but one window, which should bavf 
 a shutter to keep the room dark while the hops 
 
 and no joists are used, but the wires are stretched are in it. They will turn brown if exposed to 
 
KXPEItlEXCE OF PRACTICAL GROWERS. 
 
 13 
 
 light. Have boards to set up, and make tlie end I store-room, and sweeps the carpet off clean. Hfl 
 of the store-room farthest from the drying-room i must wear shoes without nails, or he will tiar 
 'nto one or two large bins, so that any damaged | the carpet. 
 
 Fig. 10. Thb Pkance Kiln Improved. 
 
 This represents the floor of the kiln with a ditTerent metliod for moving it. Two cylinders are placed, one at each end of the 
 drying-room ; the ropes pass over ttie one farthest from the store-i'ooin, and are attached to both ends of the carpet. By re- 
 volving the cylinder in the store-room, the carpet is moved at pleasure. In this plan, wires are used instead of slats. 
 
 hops can be kept separate. Under the store- 
 room is the baling-room ; it has a tight floor, and 
 is used to bale the hops, store the hop-press, to- 
 gether with an}^ tools not in use in the yard. 
 
 At first picking put on the hops not more than 
 twelve inches deep, and start the fires. Use only 
 dry wood, as more heat can be had from dry 
 than green wood, and where the stoves are large, 
 the fires last better if large wood is used. Open 
 all the air-holes, so there will be a good draft 
 through the hops. When the fire is first made, 
 the steam passes off from the hops very fast. 
 Keep the temperature as regular as possible. 
 About one hundred and eighty degrees, or as 
 near that as may be, with as good a current of 
 air as you can get, will dry them rapidly. After 
 making the second fire, take a pan of coals from 
 the stove, and put on a quantity of sulphur. If 
 the hops are nice, and free from rust or mould, 
 one pound is enough for bleaching a kiln, but 
 when very rusty, from two to five pounds are 
 sometimes used. Put the pan in the center of 
 the room, and shut the door. The fire must be 
 well made, for it can not be mended for half an 
 houi When half the stems will break on bend- 
 ing them the hops are dry enough. This will be 
 in from eight to ten hours. 
 
 In using the common kiln, the doors are 
 thrown open, the fire goes down, and the kiln is 
 cooled for two hours, so that a man can go in to 
 shovel off the hops, which he can not do while 
 it is hot. With a rake, shovel and broom, he 
 throws the hops off upon the cooling floor of the 
 
 Much of the flour, or lupulin, always falls 
 through into tlie stove-room — sometimes two oi 
 three pounds from each kiln full. AVhat falls on 
 the stoves and pipe must be brushed off, or >l 
 will smoke the next charge. With the Ffanco 
 kiln there is no sweeping. The hops art! taken 
 off when first dr3-, no flour falls through, and 
 the hops are left whole ; the next charge of hops 
 is put on, and the heat is mostly saved, the fires 
 not being allowed to go down at all. Two men 
 have charge of the drying, where the k.'m is run 
 all the time, each working half the tiiiie. The 
 hops should be left on the cooling flour, where 
 they are thrown, until the next charge iS nearly 
 done ; they are then shoved back a littlb, io make 
 room for more, and so on until they gel into the 
 bins at the end of the room ; two wr three 
 charges being in this way kept spread «s much 
 as possible all the time. 
 
 When the hops have been neglected b}- the 
 di-yer going to sleep, or anj^ other cause, luey be- 
 come too dry, which is known by their tCeling 
 harsh, and most of the stems snapping. Shu 
 the air-holes, put a quart or so of salt upon u pan 
 of coals in the stove-room, and let the cuargo 
 stand a short time — this will toughen ttiem. It 
 is best to have pickers enough to keep the 
 kiln running all the time. Be careful to get Lops 
 dry enough. 
 
 Balix(; and Pressing. — The baling should be 
 done in from four to six weeks ; we usually take 
 a rainy time when nothing else can be done, as 
 then hops handle best. 
 
14 
 
 HOW TO RAISE HOPS PROFITABLY. 
 
 Tile Harris Press is the best I have ever seen 
 for baiing hops ; it is made by Seneca Gifford, 
 ^Vaterville, Oneida county, New-York. It is 
 cheap and good, costing now but fifty dollars. 
 Baling cloth is made on purpose for hops. A 
 good quality should weigh about one and one 
 half pounds per yard. Never use Gunny-cloth 
 nor Burlaps. Twine for sewing should be small, 
 strong, and free from bunches, so as to sew easi- 
 ly ; the needles used are common bent sail- 
 needles. A dozen pointed iron skewers are 
 wanted to hold the cloth while sewing. Use tal- 
 low instead of wax upon the thread, so that it 
 will slip easily. 
 
 Cut the sacking for the bottom piece one yard 
 longer than the bottom of the press, and the up- 
 per one six inches shorter ; save one piece of each 
 kind until the last bale, for a measure, so as to 
 have them all uniform. When a nice hop is 
 grown, it should be kept as whole as possible. 
 Have side-boards to fit in from the top of the 
 press to a trap-door in the floor of the store-room. 
 
 corners of the bale full, so as to make a square, 
 handsome package. Bales are all the same size. 
 
 Fig. 11. Draft HopKii.n. 
 Tlie figures give the dimensions, and the letters indicate the same parts as in Figure 6 
 
 and a wooden box there of the same size to shov- 
 el them into. The side-boards to come out when 
 the hops are below them. Take care to fill the 
 
 Fig 12. Section of Cowl to Draft-Kiln. 
 
 a, continuation of roof. 6, S.xo joist framed into rafters of 
 roof, c, post, 3x.3, framed into cowl, and movable upon an 
 iron pin at bottom, which rests on b. The cowl shuts over the 
 termination of the roof, and projects over it about two inches. 
 
 weighing from one hundred and fiftj' to two hund- 
 red and forty pounds, according to the degree 
 they are pressed and how well seeded they are. 
 The baled hops, if kept stored long, must be, in 
 a dry room, set on end, .iLnd a few inches apart, 
 so that the air can circulate beiwC^n them. 
 
 [An engraving and description of this press will be found at 
 the end of the book. — Eds.] 
 
 Selling.— When hops are high, almost any 
 will sell ; but 
 when they are 
 low. only the best 
 sell readily. At 
 two years old 
 they are worth 
 but half price, 
 and are worth- 
 less at four or 
 five years. Al- 
 ways sell the 
 first year. By 
 keeping the run 
 of the market, 
 both in this oun 
 try and Europd; 
 the grower can 
 form an intel.i- 
 gent opinion of 
 what the price 
 It varies from eight cents, at the 
 
 should be. 
 
 lowest, up to fifty or sixty cents, and even a 
 
 dollar, for fine qualities; but the average for the 
 
EXPERIENCE OF PRACTICAL GROWERS. 
 
 15 
 
 last fort}' years has been seventeen to eighteen 
 cents. The cost of raising in the manner de- 
 scribed is from four to six cents per pound. 
 The average crop all through the country is 
 near one thousand pounds per acre, (when 
 the work is well done,) but I have seen twen- 
 ty-five hundred pounds per acre raised on a 
 large yard. On two large yards in Morris, 
 Otsego county. New- York, the average for four 
 years past has been seventeen hundred on one, 
 and eighteen hundred on the other, being both 
 trained on strings. 
 
 Insects. — For two years past, the hop crop has 
 been very much injured, even ruined in some 
 places, in New-York, by the Hop Louse. This 
 comes early in July, and unless prevented, it in- 
 creases until it ruins the crop. I insert, from 
 Harris's Insects Injurious to Vegetation a part 
 of the description : " The winged plant-lice pro- 
 vide for a succession of their race by stocking 
 the plant with eggs in the autumn ; these are 
 hatched in due time in the spring, and the young- 
 lice immediately begin to pump up sap from the 
 tender leaves and shoots, increase in size, and in 
 a short time come to maturity ; in this state it is 
 found that the brood, without a single exception, 
 are females, which are wingless, but are in a con- 
 dition to continue their kind immediately. Their 
 young, however, are not hatched from eggs, but 
 are produced alive ; and each female may be the 
 mother of fifteen or twenty young lice in a single 
 day. The plant-lice of this second generation 
 are also wingless females, which grow up and 
 have their young in due season, and thus brood 
 after brood is produced, even to the seventh gen- 
 eration or more, without the appearance or inter- 
 vention of a single male through the whole sea- 
 St^n. This extraordinary kind of propagation 
 ends in the autumn with the birth of a brood of 
 males and females, which, in due time, acquire 
 wings, and pair. Eggs are then laid by the fe- 
 males, and with tlie death of these winged indi- 
 viduals, which soon follows, the species becomes 
 extinct for the season." 
 
 The bark of poles, and any old rubbish, vines, 
 etc., in the hop-yard, will be covered with the 
 eggs of these plant-lice. When sawed stakes are 
 used, and coated with gas-tar, not an egg will be 
 laid on them. The old vines should alwaj^s be 
 burned up in the fall. 
 
 The enemies of the louse are the Lady-bug, 
 (Coccinella,) while in the larva state. It is a 
 small flattened grub, of a bluish color, usually 
 spotted with red or yellow, and has six legs near 
 
 the fore part of the body ; " they are hatched 
 from yellow eggs laid among the lice in clusters." 
 Another is the grub of a " golden-eyed, lace-wing- 
 eel fly ;'' " it is a long, slender grub, with a pair 
 of large, curved, sharp teeth." Harris says it 
 will kill one louse a minute. "Its eggs are on 
 short hairs among the lice." " Small two-winged 
 flies, black, with yellow bands, lay their eggs 
 among the lice ; they make maggots which de- 
 stroy large numbers." 
 
 By taking care to save what are found of these, 
 I think the lice will be kept down so as not tc 
 ruin yards, as is done in some cases now. Every 
 hop-grower should have Harris's book. The in- 
 sects which prey on his crops are described there, 
 with some hints toward their extermination. 
 Ants should be kept out of the yard as much as 
 possible ; thej'^ are said to take care of the lice, 
 while they are few, and transport them to vines 
 where there are none. Drive away, by coal-oi. 
 or gas-tar put on their hills. After the first year, 
 lady-bugs and other enemies of the lice increase 
 so much as to save the yard from much damage. 
 There are several caterpillars which live on the 
 hop-vines, but I have never seen them plenty 
 enough to do much damage, except the one which 
 lives in the ground and eats the roots and the 
 vine near the surface. 
 
 If the grower examines the hop-yard closely, 
 he will soon learn to tell his enemies from his 
 friends. Crows and other birds are of great use 
 in eating beetles and grubs, and snakes also de- 
 vour large numbers of them. Last spring, I 
 found more than half the hills in our yard dug 
 into by skunks, searching for the grubs, and 
 where they had been I could find no grubs. The 
 little harm they do in sucking eggs, is far more 
 than made up by their work. A family of skunks 
 will do as much toward taking out grubs, if you 
 will protect them from the dogs, as a mr" can 
 do. They work in the night. Barn-swallovrs 
 were on oui- yard last summer all the time, and 
 appeared to live there, going only from the barn 
 to the 3'ard, where they got their whole living. 
 
 MANURiNa. — Every fall the yard should have 
 two forkfuls of coarse manure on top of the 
 hills, partly as a protection to the vine, and from 
 the first to the middle of July, it should have as 
 much, or, if the ground is poor, more well-rotted, 
 fine manure, which has been fermented enough 
 to kill any seeds which were in it. This should 
 be put on, and covered immediately with an inch 
 or two of dirt ; ashes are often mixed with the 
 nianure, but 1 prefer using thta* with lime on 
 
16 
 
 HOW TO RAISE HOPS PROFITABLY. 
 
 ftie surface 0/ the ground. I have seen plaster 
 used with good effect. Old bones are good to 
 bury in the yard, where any amount of them can 
 be had. So also are the sweepings of black- 
 smiths' shops. In this country, hops are now 
 mostly raised in Central New-York, some in 
 New-England, and a few in the Western States. 
 I have seen them growing wild in Towa, Missouri, 
 
 and Kansas, fully as fine as the cultivated ones 
 They grow wild on all creek bottoms, where the 
 soil is not overflowed in the winter, and where 
 the)'' are not killed by fire, producing best in 
 those bottoms formed by the wash of limestone 
 hills. The few yards which have been estab- 
 lished in the States of Iowa and Wisconsin pro- 
 duce large crops of the best quality of hops. 
 
 NO. II. -BY "E. 0. L.," VEENON, VERMONT. 
 
 Sou. AND Preparation. — Hops grow on almost 
 every variety of soil, but for the best success, 
 select such as produces the best crop of corn. 
 Soil that is very wet in an}'- season should be 
 thoroughly underdrained. Very stony lands are 
 objectionable, both on account of the difficulty in 
 setting the poles, and the liability to injure the 
 vines by the unsteady course of the plow or cul- 
 tivator. The location of a hop-yard should, if 
 possible, be sheltered from the prevailing winds, 
 by a hill or a forest or a belt of trees. Inasmuch 
 as the hop sends its roots deep into the soil, and 
 as the same yard is usually kept beai-ing several 
 years in succession, deep tilling and thorough en- 
 riching at the outset, are highl}' important. Old 
 mowings, with a tough sward and stiff, clayey 
 soils, should be plowed in autumn, either with a 
 subsoiler or a double plow — one share simply 
 turning the turf, and the other covering it with 
 the remaining soil. In the spring, let the manure 
 be applied as liberally as the supply will afford, 
 and thoroughlj' incorporated with the soil by har- 
 rowing, first with the furrows, and then crosswise, 
 preparing the ground as for corn. 
 
 Kinds and Propagation. — In this section, the 
 Connecticut Yallej^ we have at least three dis- 
 tinct varieties of hops, characterized as follows : 
 In the most common kind, both vines and fruit 
 are of medium size ; the hops have a mild flavor, 
 and part very easily from the stems. Another 
 kind is distinguished by its large, rank-growing, 
 rough vines, dark green foliage, large, squarish, 
 and strong-flavored fruit, sometimes three and 
 even four inches in length, and hard tc pick. 
 The third variety is known bj'' its red vines, fruit 
 rather below the medium size, hard, of a golden 
 color, and mild, agreeable flavor. The first of 
 these is known "■- New-York market as the 
 " grape" variety, and the second as the " Pom- 
 pey" hop. There are no imported hops in this 
 section that I know of Hops may he propa- 
 
 gated from seed, but the best way is from root- 
 stocks or underground runners, which are taken 
 from yards one year or more old. When the 
 hops are dressed out in 'lie spring, these root- 
 stocks are brought up by the plow or hook, and 
 should be pulled up, as far as they can be easi- 
 ly, and cut off. Afterward they are collected and 
 buried, so as to keep them fresh until wanted. 
 When the ground is prepared for planting, the 
 root-stocks are unburied, the bruised or decayed 
 portions cut out, and the remainder cut into slips, 
 containing at least two sets of buds ; these should 
 be sprinkled with water and kept moist until 
 planted. About two barrels of root-stocks, as 
 taken from the yard, will plant an acre. The 
 root-stocks of the male or staminate hop should 
 be kept by themselves. Four hills of the male 
 hop to the acre are sufficient. 
 
 Marking Out and Planting. — Having decided 
 which way to set the poles, with a horse and 
 light plow furrow for the rows, seven feet apart. 
 Then furrow crosswise for the hilLs, seven and 
 one half feet apart. For the sake of appearance, 
 as well as for convenience, let the furrows bo 
 perfectly straight, and cross at right angles. 
 Then furrow or mark for one row of corn (I pre- 
 fer corn, though any hoed crop may be planted 
 with hops,) each way between the hop rows. 
 Drop one shovelful of well-rotted manure, or 
 compost, and also manure for the accompanying 
 crop at the same time, if it is to be treated in 
 this way. As the manure should not be long 
 exposed, let both hops and corn be planted as 
 soon as possible after the manure is dropped. 
 In planting hops, it is more convenient to work 
 across the rows. With a hoe, mix the manure 
 with the soil, and part it, so that the slips when 
 covered shall be three or four inches below the 
 level. Put four slips in a hill, lengthwise of the 
 row, with part of the buds turning one way and 
 part the other. 
 
EXPERIENCE OF PKACTICAL GROWERS. 
 
 First Year's Tkeatment, and Procuring 
 Poles. — At the first hoeing, care should be ex- 
 ercised with the hop-hills, lest the tender sprout's 
 just coming up be cut or broken ; pull out the 
 weeds with the fingers. At the second hoeing, 
 ea<3h hop-hil' should contain one or more thrifty 
 sprouts. It does not pay to set poles the first 
 year, and no further care is needed than to keep 
 the field free from weeds. In autumn, throw a 
 shovelful of well-rotted manure upon each hill. 
 This is the season, too, for cutting and preparing 
 poles to stock the yard. Hemlock poles are the 
 best wc have here ; but the supply is so nearly 
 exhausted, that we have to use such as we can 
 get ; and pine, chestnut, and the various kinds 
 of hard wood comprise a large part of our present 
 supply. Some of my neighbors shave a strip of 
 bark off from two sides of all except hemlock 
 poles, and think it pays to do it. Poles should 
 not be cut less than sixteen feet in length, and I 
 should much prefer to have them twenty feet. 
 Let them be closely trimmed and sharpened with 
 a slim, true slant to about one inch square at the 
 point. New poles are too heavy to hold with ease 
 and sharpen at the same time, so we tie three 
 poles together with a rope or small chain, raise 
 them up and spread their lower ends to form a 
 tripod, and lean the poles to be sharpened against 
 the upper part of this pyramid while sharpening. 
 
 .Setting the Poles. — This should be begun as 
 soon as the frost is sufficiently out of the ground 
 in the spring, as the holes can be more easily 
 made then than when the ground is fully settled. 
 A convenient bar for making the holes would be 
 about four and a half feet long, made from an 
 iron rod one inch in diameter. Fifteen inches 
 from one end it should be enlarged and formed 
 two and a quarter inches square, and gradually 
 taper to a point, which should be steel. If the 
 enlargement were polished, and the other end of 
 the bar slightly enlarged, it would be found 
 to work more easilj'". Make the holes deep 
 enough to set the poles firmly. Set two poles in 
 each hill, about fifteen inches apart and straight 
 in the row ; if they are crooked, let them bend 
 froin each other. No two poles should be so set 
 as to touch, as they would either be tied toge- 
 ther by the vines, or the vines would be injured 
 by the rubbing of the poles together in the wind. 
 
 Dressing Out. — As soon after the poles are 
 set as the ground is in good condition to work, 
 with a horse and light plow go two or three times 
 in a row crosswise, and three or four times in a 
 row lengthwise, according to the amount of weeds 
 
 and grass in the field. Turn the soil from the 
 hills with care, lest you plow too deep next to the 
 hills and injure the roots. Then with the hop- 
 hook, (Fig. 13,) or hoe, re- 
 move the manure and a 
 portion of the dirt from 
 the crown of the hill, tak- 
 ing care to destroy all 
 weeds. In trimming, cut 
 off all the root-stocks and 
 save them for planting ; fio. 13. Hop-Hook. 
 they generally find a ready sale at one dollar per 
 bushel. In old yards, cut off, with the old vines, 
 as much of the root as is necessary to keep the 
 hill down ; but in new yards, cut only the old 
 vines off above the sprouts. 
 
 Training up the Vines. — As soon as the vines 
 are long enough, put them on to the poles so that 
 their twining follows the sun, and keep them tied 
 up until they are eight or ten feet high, when 
 tliey will generally take care of themselves. It 
 is well to look the yard over as often as once a 
 week, and attend to the vines that may be off. 
 When they are beyond one's reach, use a ladder 
 similar to a fruit-ladder. Almost any kind of 
 string will do to tie them up with, but I prefer 
 cotton pack-thread or stocking yarn. Put the 
 string around about four inches from the end cf 
 the vine, and twist the ends together, taking care 
 not to pinch the vine. "When each pole is stocked 
 with two good vines, cut off all the rest close to 
 the ground, then the field is ready for 
 
 Hoeing. — Use the plow the first time, turning 
 two furrows crosswise and three lengthwise, this 
 time toward the hills. In hoeing, the object is 
 to loosen the soil and kill weeds. It was former- 
 ly the practice to hill hops, so that in a few years 
 the hills would be from one to one and a half feet 
 in hight ; but this was found not to be the best 
 way. Our fields more frequently suffered from 
 drouth and worms ; they would not last so long, 
 and it was harder and more disagreeable work to 
 cultivate them. I prefer to keep the field very 
 nearly flat. At the second and third hoeings, T 
 use the common cultivator twice in a row one 
 way and three times the other, taking care to run 
 it verj'- shallow next the hills. The third and 
 last hoeing should be when the hops are in full 
 bloom, generally about the 20th of Jul)"-, unless 
 the field is very weedy, in which case let it bo 
 hoed until the weeds are subdued. Just before 
 hoeing I throw about a table-spoonful of plaster 
 around the vines at the root, and this time make 
 a small hill, all of which is removed in dressing 
 
18 
 
 HOW TO I;AISK hops rr.OFITABLY, 
 
 out. [The rule in New-York is never to touch 
 hops while in blow. The hoeing is done before 
 July 4th ; if needed afterward, wait until the 
 hops are set. — G. H. A.] 
 
 PicKixG. — Hop-harvest generally begins here 
 during the last week in August. We employ 
 women at from thirty to fifty cents per day. 
 Hops should be picked free from stems and 
 leaves, except very small ones, and dried as soon 
 as convenient. If kept too long, they will heat and 
 turn black when dried. In picking, we use bins 
 about 8 feet long 2^ feet high, 3 feet wide at the 
 top, and 2 at the bottom. The object in having 
 
 Fig. 14. Pickisg-Bin. 
 
 the bins narrower at the bottom, is to render it 
 more easy for the pickers to stand close to them. 
 A board is fitted across the bin near one end, 
 having a narrow cleat nailed upon each end of it, 
 so as to hook on to the sides of the bin. Upon 
 
 the ground, lays them upon the bin, helps picic, 
 and throws them off in a pile. By taking four 
 or six rows, and six hills in each i-ow, we bring 
 as many poles together at one place as is conve- 
 nient. When the bins are too full for convenience 
 in picking, the hops are shoveled into sacks, in 
 which the}"" are conveyed to the kiln. 
 
 Drying. — In emptying the hops upon the kiln 
 be careful not to step upon them, or crowd them 
 down, for in that case they will not dry uniform- 
 ly. Level them as evenly as possible with a rake, 
 to assist which the side-boards may be marked 
 around upon the inside at different bights, and 
 then the liops can be leveled to the mark. A 
 fire should be started in the stove ten or twelve 
 hours before the first hops are put on, in order 
 to get the stove-room and 
 dry -room thoroughly warmed. 
 As soon as the hops are put 
 in, a brisk fire should be 
 started, and kept up until 
 they begin to be dried 
 through, when less fire will 
 answer vnitil they are dry 
 enough to take off, generally 
 from 12 to 18 hours. I do 
 not stir my hops until they 
 are dry, or until I can find 
 no hop within which the stem is not shrunk , 
 then I shove them off into the store-room, either 
 
 Fig. 15. Shoveu 
 
 the center of this board is nailed another piece 
 
 about a foot long and 4 inches wide, through ! with a rake, or shovel made of thin boards. lig. 15, 
 which a mortice, 
 1x4 inches, is 
 made to receive 
 the standard — a 
 piece of board 4 
 inches wide and 
 30 inches long, 
 with a notch in 
 one end for the 
 poles to rest in. 
 The standard is 
 kept at the pro- 
 per hight by a 
 pin, as seen in 
 Figure 14. A 
 crotched stake is 
 set for the but- 
 end of the pole to 
 rest upon. At 
 such a bin, three 
 girls and a man 
 
 can work to good aavantage. The man pulls the I Fig. Ifi gives an elevatioi.. Fig. 17, a sectional 
 poles, first cutting the vines two or three feet from \ view, and Fig. IS, a ground plan of a model hop- 
 
 FiG. 16. Elevation or Hop-Housr. 
 
SXl'ERIENCK OF PRACTICAL GKOWEES. 
 
 19 
 
 house. The size given is large enough for a yard [ covered by joists, slats, and cloth. The dry- 
 cf four or five acres. It should be set in a side- room should be double boarded or lathed and 
 
 ^ 
 
 't:t 
 
 V- 
 
 DRYROOM. 
 
 STOVE ncoM 
 
 J^ — r 
 
 SIOREROOM 
 
 PI^ESS C 
 
 ^ 
 
 plastered all around to the 
 eaves, and next the store- 
 room to the ridge. There 
 shoiild be a ventilator di- 
 rectly over the kiln. The 
 store-room should be board- 
 ed on the inside next the 
 dr3''-room, and a space left 
 for cool air to pass up, as 
 indicated by the arrows in 
 Fig. 17. This prevents the 
 hops in the store-room be- 
 ing dried continually by 
 contact with the dry -room. 
 A hole (H) is left in the 
 floor of the store-room, in 
 which a bottomless bag is 
 fixed to conduct the hops 
 into the box in pressing. 
 The stove-room should be 
 double boarded outside, and 
 double boarded or lathed 
 and plastered inside, and 
 
 Fig. 17. Section of Hop-Hocsb. 
 
 Showing stove, dry, store, and press rooms, a?, stove. P, pipe. C, movable sides of press. 
 
 rf, upper plank of press, g, g, posts to support sides of press, h, b, iron rods, which con- supplied with convenient 
 
 nect the bed-sill with the strong beam above. air-holes at the bottom OU 
 
 all sides, which may be opened or be closed up 
 
 at pleasure. The stove is made expressly for 
 
 3 g] ' l illjijjiii 
 
 u 
 
 
 hill if possible, otherwise much hard labor would 
 always be required to get the hops up to the kiln. 
 
 The hop-house here 
 described is 22 X 32 feet, 
 with a kiln 16 feet by 
 16, and a walk entirely 
 around it. The store- 
 room is 12 X 22, and 'i\ 
 feet lower than the level 
 of the kiln, which is 
 eleven feet from the 
 ground. The joists ( j, j) 
 over the stove-room are 
 2x7 inches, upon which 
 rest the slats, (s, «,) \\ 
 inches square and 4 
 inches apart. These sup- 
 port the strong linen 
 strainer-cloth which is 
 fastened to the side- 
 boards of the kiln by 
 small hooks. At the 
 openings, where the 
 hops are shoveled oif, the 
 
 cloth should be nailed down with small tacks. I drying hops. The bottom is simply a grate, so 
 In Fig. 18, one corner of the kiln is shown partly 1 that the draft is directly under the fire, and con- 
 
 j a. 
 
 ti 
 
 Fig. 18. Ground Plan of Hop-HonsB. 
 Showing the arrangement of stove and press-room. S, stove. P, pipe, H, trap-door is 
 room above to let down hops to press. B, B-, bottom of press. 6, &, keys to hold the sid* 
 posts of press. 0,0, railway for moving press under the hole H. In this figure, the positicar 
 of the joiBts, j,j, and slats, s, s, of the floor above are also shown. 
 
20 
 
 now TO KAISE HOPS PKOFITABLT. 
 
 setjuently greater. The pipe, (P,) which should 
 be seven inches in diameter, rises from the stove 
 to the hight of five or six feet from the ground, 
 then passes horizontally into a drum, 12 or 14 
 inches in diameter and 3 feet long, thence as in- 
 dicated by the arrows in Fig. 18, rising gradually 
 as seen in Fig. 17, until it reaches the chimney 
 about four feet from the cloth. Such an arrange- 
 ment of pipe keeps all the heat where it is needed, 
 and of course saves fuel. 
 
 The press-room should be at least seven feet 
 from the floor to the beam in which the screws 
 are set. The beam, 10 x 12 inches, may also serve 
 IS a support for the floor of the store-room. The 
 oed-sill is of similar dimensions, and connected 
 with the beam by two half-inch iron rods seen in 
 P'ig. 17. In Fig. 18, B, is seen the bottom plank of 
 the box, which is 17^ inches wide and six feet 
 long, and is pinned to the sills. The side planks 
 ic. Fig. 17) are of the same length as the bottom, 
 md two feet wide, grooved near the ends to re- 
 ceive the end pieces. The length of the box in- 
 side is five feet. The top plank, (d,) one foot 
 n'ide, is held in place by the ends of the tenons 
 )n the posts (/. The cloth used for baling hops is 
 ibout44 inches wide, and five yards is suflBcient 
 for a bale. 
 
 Directions fok Usino the Press. — First place 
 three yards of cloth evenly upon the bottom 
 plank ; then two men, one on each side, take the 
 lower side-plank and place it so as to smooth 
 the cloth as it slips down at the edge of the bot- 
 tom plank ; put in the lower end-pieces, and then 
 the posts, inserting the keys at the bottom to 
 hold them until the rest is put up ; put up the 
 remaining sides and ends, and put on the cross- 
 ties; then key it tightly, first seeing that it is 
 square and plumb. They then put on the top 
 planks, and the box is read}'' for the hops. Slide 
 the box on the track, (o, Fig. 18,) until it is under 
 the hole H. When filled, slide it back under the 
 screws. Place the remaining two j^ards of cloth 
 evenly upon the following plank, and put it upon 
 the hops ; put on another plank of about the 
 same size and blocks enough to reach to the 
 screws, saving room enough for a two-inch fol- 
 lower over the blocks. Then press down until 
 the bale is about two feet thick. Drive out the 
 keys, take down the box, sew up the bale neatly 
 with strong hop-twine, then turn up the screws, 
 and the work is done. The screws should be at 
 least two inches in diameter and three feet long. 
 
 Care of Poles, etc. — As soon as convenient 
 after picking, the vines should be taken from the. 
 
 poles and burned, and the poles either stacked oi 
 laid upon sticks to keep them entirely from the 
 ground. A convenient scraper for taking oif the 
 vines is shown in Fig. 19 ; it consists of a two- 
 inch plank 10 or 12 inches wide, and 8 or 10 feet 
 long, having a block (with a large notch on top 
 in Avhich spikes are set, so as not to allow the 
 pole to drop between them) pinned to it about 
 six inches from one end. This end is upon 
 legs, and the other end rests upon the ground. 
 
 Fig. 19. Scraper for Clbaning the Poles. 
 
 Hops should, i)i no case, be pressed and baled 
 until they are entirely cool ; and it is better to 
 let them remain in the store-room ten or fifteen 
 days. The fact that the first in market often 
 sell the best, induces many to hurry the pressing 
 of those first dry, oftentimes to their eventual 
 loss, for unless dried to a powder, thej'- will heat 
 and turn brown if pressed too soon. To work at 
 pressing to the best advantage, requires two men 
 to tread them down, and another man or boy to 
 shove them into the bo.x. The bales should weigh 
 about 200 lbs. 
 
 General Eemarks. — Most of the growers in 
 this section send their hops to the New-York 
 market to be sold by Commission Merchants. 
 The price varies more than that of most other 
 kinds of produce. Sometimes it is very remun- 
 erative, and at others not suflBcient to half pay 
 for raising. I have known farmers to begin the 
 culture of hops when the prices were high, think- 
 ing to make fortunes rapidly, and on the decline 
 of prices in a year or two, to plow up their yards 
 and condemn the business. Such a course must 
 result in loss, on account of the outlay in getting 
 started. The best way is to persevere, when a 
 good beginning is made, for high prices will rule 
 at least half the time. When worms begin the 
 work of destruction after the vines are on the 
 poles, dig them out. It is best to dress-out such 
 yards in the fall, because by leaving the roots 
 more exposed the worms are killed by hard freez- 
 ing. I use only the hook or hoe in dressing-out 
 in tlie fall. 
 
EXPERIENCE OP PRACTICAL GROWERS. 
 
 21 
 
 UO. III. -BY S. B. EYBER, COVENTEY, CT. 
 
 Selection of and Preparation of Soil. — 
 The best land ror hops is a deep, sandy loam ; 
 such land as Avill produce good corn is almost 
 certain to produce good hops. After the selec- 
 tion of the ground, it should be deeply plowed 
 in the fall, and again in the spring ; then, after 
 harrowing, it is ready for the roots. 
 
 Setting. — Immediately after plowing, which 
 should be done as early in spring as the ground 
 is in condition to work, setting of the cuttings 
 should commence, for the reason that those set 
 early are surer to do well than those which are 
 set later. Make the hills eight feet apart the 
 short waj% and seven feet apart the long way of 
 the land. The hills should be in direct rows, 
 both for ease in cultivating and for the symmetri- 
 cal beauty of the yard. To secure this, it is best 
 ;o commence marking the hills at the short side 
 of the yard. Procure a cord as long as the 
 width of the yard, and firmly attach to it, at the 
 distance of every eight feet, a small piece of 
 white or red cloth, omitting the cloth at each 
 snd of the cord, and attach in the place of it a 
 strong stake, four feet in length, and well sharp- 
 ened at the end. Firmly set these stakes at the 
 corners of the short end of the land, tightly 
 stretching the cord in doing so. The first row 
 is now ready to stake, which is best done with 
 cedar or pine stakes, about ten inches long, and 
 setting them in the ground at each mark on the 
 cord. Place a stake also at each end of the cord. 
 From this first row of stakes measure off a space 
 of seven feet, again stretch the line and proceed 
 as before, until the yard is all staked. After the 
 staking, take a basket containing cuttings, and a 
 good spade, and begin at one corner. Take up 
 the small stake, and with the spade make a hole 
 about seven inches deep and ten inches wide. 
 Take three cuttings in one hand, place them on 
 end in the center of the hole, about three inches 
 apart, and with the other hand lightly press 
 some soft dirt around them, so as to keep them 
 in place, and with the spade fill up the hole, 
 slightly pressing on the top. The object of set- 
 ting the roots on end, is that they may come up 
 near together, making the hill as compact as pos- 
 sible, while if the roots are thrown carelessly 
 into the hole, they might come up one or two 
 feet from the hill, making them more difficult to 
 train. After planting the roots, set the stake 
 iiirain in the center of the hill. The first year 
 
 corn m.ay be planted on the same piece of ground ; 
 but if this is planted, it must not be within one 
 foot of the hills, for if nearer, it will shade tlie 
 3'oung hops and much retard their growth. In 
 the wide spaces away from the hops plant corn 
 as usual. When cultivating this the first time, 
 be very careful not to bruise the young hop-vines 
 or otherwise injure them, but clear the hills of 
 all weeds and loosen the dirt, treating them very 
 much the same as the hills of corn. The better 
 the vines are cultivated the first 3rear, the heavier 
 will be the first crop. It is best to remove the corn 
 as soon as ripe enough, in order that the tender 
 vines may, b}^ the more direct effect of the sun, 
 mature before the coming of the frost. When 
 the frost has killed the vines in the autumn, take 
 a sharp knife and go to each hill, cutting them 
 off to the ground. Then cover each hill with 
 soft loam to the depth of about three inches, 
 spreading over this loam a light coat of manure. 
 Let this remain until the ground thaws out the 
 next spring, then spread it around the hills, and 
 plow and cultivate both ways, without disturb 
 ing the roots. Five male hills are required ti 
 the acre ; the best manner of placing them is ti 
 set one on each of the four sides and one in tht 
 middle of the yard. 
 
 Setting the Poles. — x'\,lmost any kind of wood, 
 of the right size, can be used for poles. In select 
 ing, be sure to get those which are of uniform 
 size, about sixteen feet in length and from two 
 to thi-ee inches in diameter. Sharpen the largei 
 end, for a distance of about twelve inches, leav 
 ing a blunt point one and a quarter inch thick. 
 In drawing them on to the lot, leave two at each 
 hill, one on each side, and about one foot from 
 it. After distributing the poles, make the holes' 
 for them with an iron bar. They should be 
 directly opposite and about one foot apart. 
 Set them in as near a straight line as pos- 
 sible. The poles should all be set by the tima 
 the vines are three inches in hight. By set- 
 ting the poles early, many vines will run up 
 of themselves which otherwise would not, am") 
 thus save much time in tying. The poles shoulci 
 be about four feet apart at the top, as this dis- 
 tance prevents the vines from running together, 
 and gives the sun a chance to strike all parts. 
 When the vines are about three feet in length, 
 commence to tie them. There will probably bo 
 from twenty five to thirty vines in the bill, all ol 
 
HOW TO RAISE HOPS PKOFITABLV. 
 
 which must be cut out save two for each pole. 
 In selecting these two, do not take the largest 
 nor the smallest, but those of medium size. 
 Never take more than two for each pole. In 
 very rich ground it may be well to leave a couple 
 of vines on the ground for future use, in case 
 you should want them. In selecting the vines, 
 take those that are nearest the center of the hill 
 or inside of the poles, for in cultivating there is 
 then less danger of injuring them. Be very 
 careful in handling and tying the vines, for they 
 are easily broken. Tie them just below the sec- 
 ond bud, carry them around the pole from left 
 to right, or with the sun. As soon as the vines 
 grow three or four feet beyond the place where 
 they were tied, go to each vine and cut off all 
 trailing arms to the hight of five feet ; then com- 
 mence to cultivate the yard. With a hoe re- 
 move all weeds from the hills, loosening the dirt, 
 as is customary in the hoeing of corn. Do not 
 hill up, however, if you would save your vines 
 from the effects of the grubs, which, through 
 carelessness, often destroy whole yards. After 
 this hoeing, apply slaked lime or good wood 
 ashes, sprinkling it with the hand in suflScient 
 quantity to whiten the ground around each hill. 
 Examine the earth around the roots of the vines, 
 and kill any grubs that may be discovered. It 
 pays well to search thoroughly for these pests. 
 
 About the first week in July, when the grubs 
 have finished work for the year, hoe and "hill 
 ap " tlie vines. After this, the yard will require 
 but little attention. The hops will be in full 
 bloom about the last of July or first of August ; 
 and as from this time the hops increase in size 
 and the poles get more heavily laden, they re- 
 quire more or less attention, especially after a 
 hard rain or heavy winds. Many poles will be 
 blown over or broken, and it is necessary to set 
 them again. If they are allowed to remain on 
 the ground, the hops will mould, and, after a 
 time, spoil. The vines should be unwound from 
 the end of the broken pole, which should be 
 sharpened and set again as before. 
 
 Picking. — The usual time to commence pick- 
 mg is early in September ; but hops, like corn, 
 ripen at all times, or, at least, at no particular 
 time. When the hop is growing it is soft and 
 open at the end, but it becomes hard and closed 
 at the end, and decreases in size when it becomes 
 rips. The seeds also become brown, and on open- 
 inc them j'ou will find the kernel hard or solid. 
 Much attention is required in picking hops, and in 
 order that it may be done right, good boxes are 
 
 required. A convenient size for these boxes is 
 six and a half feet long, two and one third feet 
 wide, and two and one third feet high. Such 
 boxes will hold about thirty bushels of grain^ or 
 enough hops to make about one hundred and 
 thirty pounds when dried. About ten boxes 
 will be required, also as many pairs of crotches, 
 about four and a half feet in length, sharpened 
 at the end. Commence picking on that side of 
 the yard where the hops are ripest ; count off 
 the hills in four rows to the number of twenty- 
 five ; then place a box in the middle of these, 
 and set one of the crotched stakes at each end 
 of the box, for the poles to rest upon while pick- 
 ing. Three hands can work at each box at one 
 time. They should be instructed not to pick the 
 hops in bunches, as beginners are quite apt to 
 do. To pick fast and clean, take carefully hold 
 of from five to ten, close the hand lightly, and 
 at the same time pull quickly, and the hops will 
 break oii' at the stem and fall separately into the 
 box. A little experience will enable one to pick 
 quite rapidly. Two good pickery can pick from 
 three to four boxes per day. 
 
 Drying. — This is the most important process : 
 for no matter how well the hops are grown, or 
 how well they are picked, without proper and 
 thorough drj'ing, they will be inferior or dam- 
 aged hops. A good kiln is necessary, which 
 should be made of bricks or stone. The dimen- 
 sions are about twenty-five feet long by twelve 
 feet in width, and at least eight feet to the cloth 
 on which the hops are to rest, with a hight of 
 about four feet above this cloth. This will ena- 
 ble the heat to pass through all parts of the hops 
 on the dry floor, even on windy days. The 
 pipes from the heating-stoves should never be 
 nearer the carpet than four and a half feet ; for 
 if they are, the hops on the floor will be heated 
 unevenly. The pipes sliould pass within three 
 feet of the side walls of the kiln. Let the floor- 
 cloth be of open texture and free from fuzz. 
 It should be fastened around at the sides of the 
 kiln, and rest upon slats, which should be two 
 inches wide and one and a half inches thick, 
 placed two inches apart, and firmly nailed to 
 beams of two by four scantling, two feet apart. 
 The hops in a green state are placed on the car- 
 pet to the depth of fourteen inches. As much 
 as possible, avoid walking over them, as it injures 
 them more or less. This cloth, when evenly 
 covered to the depth of fourteen inches, will hold 
 about three hundred bushels, or make about 
 three hundred and forty pounds of dry liops. 
 
EXPEPJEXCE OP PRACTICAT. GP.OWEUS. 
 
 33 
 
 Let the hops remain about twenty-two hours on 
 the floor-cloth ; if dried sooner than this, they 
 are apt to be overheated. If they can not be 
 dried fast enough in this kiln, (which is large 
 enough for about four thousand hills,) make an- 
 other. After the fire is started, the hops should 
 not be moved until the steam has all passed off, 
 and until the hops will rustle when handled, 
 which, with a steady fire, will be in about four- 
 teen hours. Then take a wooden shovel, hold- 
 ing about a bushel, and turn all the hops over. 
 It will require time and practice to tell when they 
 ire in condition to be removed from the cloth. 
 It can generally be done when the hop stem is dry. 
 About one hour before removing the hops, let the 
 fire go down, and open the kiln-door. If re- 
 moved when warm, they will break to pieces. 
 After being taken from the kiln they should not 
 
 be put with those previously dried until cold. Tf 
 thoroughl}^ dried, they will not change in s\m 
 after being removed from the kiln. Always 
 sweep the carpet clean after removing the hops. 
 They should constantly be kept from the light, 
 as it changes the color. 
 
 Baling. — ^This should take place about tea 
 days after the diying. Make a press-box about 
 five feet in length, twenty-two inches in width, 
 and four feet four inches in hight. For a bale, 
 it requires five yards of strong cloth, which 
 should be forty-two inches in width. Such a 
 bale will hold about two hundred and fifty 
 pounds. When baled, they should be placed on 
 end, a short distance apart, so that a cat can 
 keep the mice away. The bales should be kept 
 from the wind. 
 
 NO. IV. -BY A. F. POWLEY, SaUANKUM, MONMOUTH COUNTY, N. J. 
 
 Capital. — A wise man will count the cost, as 
 there is more to be expended in the cultivation 
 of hops, before they will make returns, than with 
 almost any other crop. We have to plant, plow, 
 prune, manure, and nurse with care ; we must 
 provide poles for staking, bins for picking, kilns 
 foi- drying, and bags for packing, before we can get 
 any returns from market. Experiments in cul- 
 ture can be conducted on a small scale, and sev- 
 eral experimenters in one locality might join to 
 build a kiln for drying their crops. 
 
 Soil. — The hop, no doubt, will thrive on any 
 land where we can grow good wheat or corn, but 
 it prefers a deep soil; the deeper the better. 
 Soils not too stiff or liable to bake, known as 
 claj^ey loam, are good for hops. Hop roots run 
 deep and spread wide ; therefore the soil should 
 be deep, moist, (not wet,) and mellow, with suf- 
 ficient nourishment in it for the plant. 
 
 Locality. — A hill-top is not favorable, as the 
 wind will blow down the poles and beat the 
 voung vines, which are quite brittle ; noi- is a 
 place subject to late frosts suitable, because of 
 the danger of injury to the j'oung vines. The 
 locality should be free from frosts, at least from 
 the middle of April to the middle of September. 
 A site should be chosen as much protected from 
 cold winds as possible. AVind and the flea are 
 the chief enemies of the hops. Against the first 
 we can guard, in a measure, but against the 
 other there is no remedy but a good thunder- 
 
 shower. Where heavy fogs are apt to hang over 
 a locality in summer time, and then the sun come 
 out very hot, it will probably produce mildew. 
 This happens in the dog-days, when the hop is 
 half grown. Such places should not be selected. 
 
 PREPAKiNn THE Ground. — Plow dccp, and sub- 
 soil, if necessary, to secure a deep, well-worked 
 soil. Manure heavily, with well-rotted barn-yard 
 and stable manure, then furrow out the land in 
 four and a half or five feet squares, as for corn, 
 but somewhat deeper. At the crossing of the 
 furrows, di-o'p in a shovelful of compost, made of 
 rotted sod and manure mingled with ashes, or 
 indeed any manure that will make a pumpkin 
 vine grow ; work a portion of the soil in with the 
 compost, and form a hill about one foot square, 
 slightly elevated above the level ground. This 
 farrowing and hilling must be performed in work- 
 manlike manner. 
 
 Planting can best be done from the middle of 
 April to the middle of May. Place three sets in 
 a hill, two to the northward and one to the 
 southward. Incline the heads toward each other, 
 at an angle of thirty degrees ; this will form the 
 " crown " of the hill. The sets should be fivo 
 inches long, and be placed in the hill so that the 
 tops are about four inches apart, and about half 
 an inch out of the ground. The " set " is not the 
 root, nor what is termed the "runner." It 
 should be obtained from a healthy, cultivated 
 variety, by removing the soil from the main stock. 
 
24 
 
 now TO RAISE HOPS ntOFITABLY. 
 
 •nd cutting therefrom a " set," the growth of the 
 preceding year. It should be five eighths of an 
 inch in diameter, and taper upward. It need 
 not have any roots, for it will form roots in the 
 hill. 
 
 First Year's Culture. — This will not require 
 nuch labor. Place a stake six feet long in each 
 lill, and do not allow more than two vines to 
 grow from each set. Keep the weeds out of the 
 hills, and the ground loose. Cultivate a row of 
 turnips, cabbage, or potatoes, between the hills. 
 Oats sometimes are sown, allowing the vines to 
 take care of themselves, but it is not a good plan. 
 Cut the vines off, as soon as frost appears, at 
 about six inches from the ground ; if cut closer, 
 they will be injured by bleeding. 
 
 Second Year's Culture. — The ground must 
 be well plowed in the spring, the hills opened, 
 and a small amount of pruning may be needed. 
 Cut off the dry stem of last year down to the 
 " eyes," and loosen up the soil in the hill. Place 
 two stakes in each hill, cultivating between the 
 hill as during the preceding year. Be careful 
 not to let more than six vines grow, as it should 
 be the aim to get strong roots and crowns. 
 
 Third Year, and After Culture. — Open the 
 hills as early as the spring will allow, and prune, 
 by cutting the stock back, leaving e3'es or buds 
 enough to supply vines the coming summer. 
 This pruning is to be performed each spring. 
 Place manure around the hills, and dig it in. 
 This is done in England with a tool called a 
 " spud," made -with a handle like a spade, with 
 four straight tines, about one foot long ; the 
 tines are three inches apart, and stand inward 
 nearly as much as the blade of a shovel. The 
 object is to dig without cutting the roots, which 
 can not be done with a spade. In England, they 
 dig the whole of the "hop-garden" with this 
 tool, commencing as early as February ; but in 
 the United States, it is customary to plow the 
 ground. Nothing should be planted among 
 them the third year, unless it be a few Ruta 
 Bagas for winter. During the season, keep the 
 ground loose with a cultivator, and stir the hills 
 with a hoe. After pruning, dress up the hill, 
 covering the crown about two inches with loose 
 soil ; dig in the manure. Set three or four poles 
 twelve feet long, about fourteen inches apart. As 
 soon as the vines have grown two feet long, they 
 must be trained to the poles, remembering that 
 the vine always goes around the pole southward, 
 from east to west, or with the sun. Tie them to 
 the pole, putting the string under a leaf. Train 
 
 Fig. 20. Tying 
 Knot. 
 
 trirce vines to each pole, on the north, and tw: 
 to the one on the south. The tjnng must be at- 
 tended to at intervals, until the vines are out of 
 reach. All lateral branches must be taken off 
 below four feet, and the hills "earthed," before 
 the vines blossom. The earthing is simply pla(5- 
 ing two shovelfuls of loose soil in the hill. This 
 3'^ear's culture is the rule for each future year. 
 Longer poles will be needed hereafter. Hop-poles 
 are cut twelve, fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, and 
 sometimes twenty feet in length. Some place 
 two eighteen or twenty-foot poles to a hill ; others 
 place three ten-foot, and still others place four 
 shorter ones, according to the variety of the hops 
 and strength of the hill. For ty- 
 ing, matting or dried rushes are 
 good. Tli<i matting is the inner 
 bark of the linden tree, (basswood,) 
 which comes in the foi'in of bags or 
 mats, about five by seven feet. 
 This, cut into squares of ten inche.s, 
 dampened and then parted, makes 
 good strings for tying. The tying 
 is done by passing the band once around tiio 
 pole and vines, and forming a slip-knot, like that 
 shown in Fig. 20. Such a knot will slip before 
 it will cut the vine. In commencing the tying, 
 the strongest vines should be selected, and all 
 others, except a few kept in reserve, should be 
 pulled up. If the "garden" is a success, there 
 will be hops to pick; dry, and bale, at the close of 
 this season. A bushel from a hill is a fair crop. 
 Picking. — The time for picking hops is deter- 
 mined by rubbing them between the fingers. 
 The seeds should be full and hard, and well 
 studded with small round dust, of a golden color, 
 at the base of the scales, and the stem of the 
 hops should have plenty of this " condition," as 
 in this is the weight. If the hop is too ripe, the 
 wind will shake out the seed and dust, and loss 
 of weight will be the consequence. If not ripe, 
 these properties have not matured, and the 
 weight will be inferior, but the hops will look 
 better. If there is much picking to be done, and 
 but few hands, it is best to commence rather ear- 
 ly, for you will probably end late enough. In 
 picking, bins are necessary. A bin consists of a 
 wooden frame and a bag, called a " bin-cloth." 
 This cloth is made from two pieces of sacking, 
 thirty inches wide — one piece eight feet long, for 
 the bottom, the other, twenty-one feet long, for 
 sides and ends — formed into a bag, and suspend 
 ed in the bin-frame. If necessary, this bag can 
 have a partition in the middle. 
 
EXPEPaEXCE OF PRACTICAL GRO^v KRS. 
 
 25 
 
 The bin-frame requires two pieces, ten feet 
 long, two by three inches, with the corners taken 
 ofif and the ends rounded for handles. One foot 
 from each end, bore one and a quarter inch hole for 
 
 Fig. 21. Hop Bin-Frame. 
 
 four legs, two and a quarter feet long ; also one 
 foot from the end mortice in two end pieces, two 
 and a half feet long, three and a half inches wide, 
 and one and a half inches thick. Brace each leg 
 to the middle of each side piece. At each end 
 put a brace to each leg, and let these braces ex- 
 tend above the top of the frame two and a half 
 feet, and cross each other six inches from their 
 ends. These top pieces are termed the "horns." 
 These crosses are a rest for the pole while the 
 hops are being picked. The vines should be cut 
 about one foot from the ground. The poles are 
 then taken with the vines upon them, and placed 
 against the rest. The hops are readily picked from 
 ♦he vine into the bin. In England, hop-picking 
 s conducted with much system. An 
 
 engagement is made with the pickers, 
 
 the pole-pullers, the measurer, the 
 
 poke-boy, the carrier, and the dryers. 
 
 Thus the grower knows what each 
 
 hand has to do. The ground is 
 
 staked into lots of twelve hills 
 
 square, and a stake is placed in the 
 
 middle. The pickers are divided into 
 
 companies, to which are assigned 
 
 four bins. These bin companies are 
 
 numbered, that each picker may 
 
 know where he belongs. With each 
 
 company is a bin man, whose dnty 
 
 Is to pull the poles and carry them 
 
 to the bins as the pickers require ; 
 
 he also must help hold the " poke," (a long bag 
 
 of ten bushels capac'.tj^) must carry the bag to 
 
 the wagon, strip tlie vines from the poles after 
 
 they are picked, and help move the bins from 
 
 one lot to another. He is paid by the day. 
 
 Pickers are paid by the bushel. A tin ticket in- 
 dicating the number r»f bushels picked is given 
 
 to the picker, upon which he draws his money 
 at the ofSce of the grower. A boj^ attends the 
 measurer and helps hold the bag. The call to 
 Avork, to dinner, etc., is made by blowing a horn. 
 As soon as the kilns are supplied for the night, 
 (for drying goes on night and day,) the work 
 stops. One measurer, who acts as foreman, is 
 requircd'to about twelve companies. After pick- 
 ing is over, the poles should be stacked. 
 
 Dkying. — This is an important part of the hop 
 business, and needs careful management, or the 
 hops will spoil. The drying is conducted in a 
 kiln called an "Oust." A circular or square 
 wall of brick, one foot thick, about eighteen feet 
 or less in diameter, is carried up to the hight 
 of twelve feet; then joists are placed in the wall 
 at the hight of eleven feet, across which are 
 placed strips two inches square, and nine inches 
 apart. Over these is spread a strong cloth made 
 of horse-hair. Figure 23 shows a plan of the 
 drying-floor. 
 
 The wall is carried about two feet higher, and 
 plates are placed upon it, and terminated by a 
 sharp wooden roof At the top of the roof 
 should be a hole about five feet in diameter, 
 around which is placed a circular plate some- 
 what larger on the outside than the hole itself. 
 Upon this plate is placed a cowl, a contrivance 
 which keeps out the rain and lets off the vapor. 
 It turns with the wind. On the ground-floor is 
 the furnace. A door connects the kiln with the 
 
 [K 
 
 A, stove-room, 
 room. 
 
 Fig. 22. Ground Plan of Kiln. 
 B, stove. C, O, draft-holes. 2), D, coal-bins, E, piesfr 
 
 storage-room below and the chambers above, foi 
 receiving, cooling, and packing the hops. The 
 furnace is built so that the heat arises from the 
 center. A wall two feet high is raised, upon 
 which is placed an iron grate, three feet wide 
 and four feet long. The wall is carried a few 
 bricks higher, solid, after which it is raised in 
 
2b 
 
 HOW TO RAISE HOPS PROFITACLT 
 
 open work two feet higher, the bricks lapping 
 over each other about two inches. The two sides 
 and back end being built, the top is covered by 
 flat tile supported by iron bars laid across. A 
 ground plan is given in Fig. 22. 
 
 The fuel used is charcoal and hard coal ; noth- 
 ing must be used that smokes. The hops are 
 spread on the cloth to the depth of nine inches, 
 if green, but they may be deeper if the hops are 
 fully ripe. The door connecting with the cham- 
 bers is closed, and the fire is raised by degrees, 
 but not too hot at first, or the hops will cook in 
 the steam. At the end of three hours, more or 
 
 FiQ. 23. Pl.\n of Dryino-Floor. 
 A, floor covered with slats. J5, steps to store-room, G, store-room, 
 holes for baling. 
 
 less, as the state of the hops require, they must 
 be turned. This is warm work, but soon done. 
 The drying is continued until no vapor arises, 
 when a pound or two of sulphur is thrown on 
 the fire. When the sulphur fumes have passed 
 off, the hops are removed to the cooling room. 
 The sulphur brightens the hops, as well as pre- 
 vents crispness after drying. Before the sul- 
 phur is used, the fire is suffered to subside some- 
 what, so that the fumes may act with more uni- 
 formity. After removing the hops from the kiln, 
 replenish it with more, and proceed as before 
 until all are dried. As soon as the cooling cham- 
 ber is full, or so near full that more room is 
 needed, the hops are trodden into bags or pock- 
 ete. A bag holds about throe hundred pounds. 
 
 The pocket holds one bundled and. fifty to two 
 hundred pounds. It is made of strong sacking 
 twenty-two inches wide, si.xteen feet long, and 
 sewed with sail-twine. A handful of hops is 
 placed in each corner and tied Avith a string, to 
 serve for handles. The top of the bag or pocket 
 is fastened to a hoop of suitable diameter, and '.s 
 then let down through a hole made in the cham- 
 ber floor, with the ring resting on the floor. 
 Two bushels of dried hops are emptied into the 
 bag, and a man gets in and presses them by 
 treading around with his heels striking the bag. 
 In the middle of this bag the hops are pressed 
 by means of a fift3^-six pound weight, 
 having a cord fastened to the ring^ 
 to raise it by. The hops are intro- 
 duced and trodden down a bushel at 
 a time, until the pocket is filled. 
 The bag is then raised from below, 
 and whilst in the hole in the floor, 
 the hoop is unfastened and the bag 
 sewed up ; two corners being formed 
 into handles, to assist in moving it. 
 The bag is then let down through 
 the hole into the storage- room below, 
 weighed, marked, numbered, and 
 stamped with the owner's name, 
 when it is ready for the market. 
 Sometimes a press is used to pack the 
 hops in a bag, but they are apt to burst the bag, 
 and do not press the hops as tightly as when 
 trodden with the feet. 
 
 Manures. — Woolen rags, chopped in shreds, 
 are good to dig in, in the spring. These are 
 largely used in England. 4lso " shoddy " (the 
 combings of cloth manufacturers) is used. There 
 is much virtue in these articles on heavy soils. 
 Barnyard manure is good, worked in among the 
 roots. Guano was used "iu England for many 
 years quite freely, but it was considered as too 
 expensive. A large growth of vines was thereby 
 secured, but the hops were rather premature, 
 and did not ripen evenly. Hop culture is healthy 
 work. I worked on upwards of an hundred acres 
 for years, and never saw a dryer or treadcr s-ick 
 
 D,P, 
 
EXPERIKXCE OF PRACTICAL GROWERS. 
 
 NO. V.-BY ALBERT W. MORSE, EATON, MADISON CO. N. Y. 
 
 The importance of hops as an agricultural pro- 
 duct in this country will bo perceived upon ex- 
 amination of the census reports. Tlie total pro- 
 duct of the United States in the year 1850 was 
 about three and a half millions of pounds. In 
 1860, the production increased to nearly eleren 
 millions of pounds. Of this amount New-York 
 produced over nine millions of pounds. Nearly 
 all are grown north of latitude forty. Their cul- 
 tivation extends from the sea-coast to the Missis- 
 sippi River. In the year 1801, about eight mil- 
 lion pounds were exported. 
 
 Selection and Prepakatiox of Ground. — It is 
 generally considered that hops can be grown to 
 advantage on any land that will produce good 
 Indian corn ; but this rule will not alwaj's hold 
 true. From long experience and careful observa- 
 tion, the writer has become satisfied that the ie.-<f 
 hops are grown upon new land, rich in organic 
 matter, in elevated locations, with slight inclina- 
 tion of surfiice, to prevent water from standing 
 thereon, and protected by wood-land, or high 
 gi'ound, on the north and west sides. The 
 ground should be prepared the same as for corn, 
 that is to say, manured on the surface, plowed 
 deep, and sub-soiled. The sub-soihng will pay 
 better for this crop than for almost any other, as 
 the roots penetrate to a greater depth. Green- 
 sward is considered as good, and by some better, 
 than land that has been cropped. Harrow the 
 land well, and roll. 
 
 Marking Out. — Provide as many sticks, fifteen 
 or eighteen inches in length, as there are to be 
 hills. Procure twine, (that used for t^-ing wool 
 will answer,) say two hundred feet, more or less, 
 dip it in boiled linseed oil, and expose it to the 
 sun to dry. This prevents the string from length- 
 ening and shortening. When dry, measure it off 
 into distances of eight feet, at which points pass 
 a feather part way through the line, and allow it 
 to remain there. Also prepare two more strings 
 like the above, and mark them off at seven feet, 
 more or less, according to the distance intended 
 for the hills. Draw one of the last-named strings 
 along the edge of the field, and the other parallel 
 with it. Moye the first-named along at right an- 
 gles with these, taking care that the feathers are 
 directly over each other. Employ a number of 
 hands to stick stakes at each feather in the cross 
 string ; and in this manner go over the field. 
 
 Roots, or Sets. — Procure from an established 
 
 plantation, five bushels for each acre to be 
 planted, of what are termed "runners," or grow- 
 ing shoots. These have eyes, or sets of eyes, 
 from two to three inches apart. Cut them care- 
 full}'- into pieces containing two sets of eyes, re- 
 jecting all bruised ones. After they are cut, and 
 immediately before planting, sprinkle the sets, 
 and cover them with all the plaster (gypsum) 
 that can be made to adhere to them. They are 
 now in condition for planting. Runners, before 
 or after they are cut in pieces, may be trans- 
 ported to any part of the country without in- 
 jur}'. They should, however, be unpacked a3 
 soon as received, and be placed in a damp, co >1 
 place, away from frost. 
 
 
 Fig. 24. Manner op Planting. 
 
 Showing the jiosition of the sets, and the manner of covering 
 them and placing the stake. 
 
 Planting should be done as soon as the sea- 
 son will permit, which will be about the last of 
 April or the first of May. The ground being 
 prepared, the roots cut, ar>d all ready, a hand, 
 with a hoe, removes the earth from around the 
 stake that marks the hill, making an opening 
 three or four inches in deptli, and ten or twelve 
 inches broad, and of the form shown in the en 
 graving. Fig. 24. Provide a dibble, or a sharp 
 piece of iron, to make the holes in the manner 
 shown in the cut. The sets are inserted ir. 
 these holes, takinrj ca-re that the eyes on the set 
 point upward. Four sets, at equal distances 
 apart, form the hill, their upper ends approxi- 
 mating as in the figure. A handful of bones, 
 broken fine and thrown into the hill, will prove 
 of great value by producing a rich, high-flavored 
 hop. To cover the sets, take hold of the upper 
 ends and pack the earth carefully around and 
 over them, as shown in Fig. 24. The sets are 
 sometimes planted like potatoes, and sometimes 
 an iron crowbar is used, the sets being held by 
 one hand and the earth filled in around them. 
 On examination of hills planted in this manner, 
 they are frequently found twisted together in 
 the form of a rope, much to the injury of the 
 
28 
 
 UOW TO KAISE HOPS PROFITABI.Y. 
 
 hill. There is another mode, that is regarded by 
 some as having advantages over the above 
 methods, which is as follows : Take the prepared 
 sets and bed them, or plant them in rows suffi- 
 ciently wide to admit of the free use of the cul- 
 tivator ; a single set in a place from five to six 
 inches apart. The bed should receive careful at- 
 tention in t^e way of hoeing an'' weeding. A 
 dressing of s^jecial manure is useful. The best 
 that I have ever used consists of six or eight 
 parts of charcoal dust, two of pulverized hen 
 manure, and one of plaster. This js also a valu- 
 able manure to be used yearly, after the first 
 hoeing. The sets should be taken up the 
 next October, and planted with great care. One 
 strong healthy set will make a hill. Imme- 
 diately after planting, the hill should be covered 
 with two or three shovels of manure. A yard 
 planted in this manner will come into bearing the 
 next season, the same as if planted out, as in the 
 man.-.er first described. It is customary to plant 
 corn, potatoes, beans, tobacco, or an}^ other hoed 
 crop, with hops the first )^ear. The crop that 
 shades the least is best. 
 
 Male Hops. — In the center of every hundred 
 hills, or at regular and known intervals, should 
 be planted a male hill. The poles should be left 
 standing at these hills. When the shoots are 
 taken from these, they should be tied in bundles 
 and put by themselves, to prevent their becom- 
 ing mixed with those of the bearing plants. The 
 male plant is of the utmost importance ; for with- 
 out this, it is impossible to produce good hops. 
 
 Poles. — As soon as the plants have taken well, 
 which can be determined by the middle of June, 
 the poles should be secured, as they should have 
 time to season. Any kind of poles may be used, 
 but cedar is much the best. Their length is 
 generally from eighteen to twenty-five feet, and 
 not over four inches diameter at the large end. 
 On strong land the longest poles should be used. 
 There are various methods of training the hop 
 other than on poles. [As these are described 
 elsewhere, we omit the account of them. — Eds.] 
 
 PiQ. 25. Grdb-Hook. 
 
 "Work pok the Second Season. — Plow the land 
 each way, as near the hill as can be done with- 
 
 out breaking the roots. Remove the manure U 
 one side of the hill ; then with an implement 
 called a "grub-hook," (Fig. 25,) loosen and re- 
 move the earth from around the hill to the depth 
 of three or four inches, and pull up the sui'face 
 runners, and trim them off near the hill. Also 
 cut off the crown or top of the hill from one Id 
 two inches. See Fig. 26, which represents the 
 plant before trimming, and Fig. 27, which showe 
 
 FiQ. 26. Plant Usthimmed. Fir. 27. Plant TniMJLED. 
 
 it after trimming. Break the manure and mix 
 it with the earth around the hill. After which, 
 cover with fine earth. The above should be the 
 treatment each year. The poles should be put 
 up immediately after the grubbing above referred 
 to. Provide a bar of the form and 
 proportions indicated in Fig. 28, with 
 which make two holes, twenty inches 
 apart, on opposite sides of the liill, 
 inclining them outward at the surface 
 sufficiently to spread the top of the 
 pole three or four feet. The strong- 
 est and best poles should be used in 
 the outside rows, as this will, in a 
 great measure, prevent damage from 
 wind. In sticking the poles, they 
 should be lifted vertically, and thrust 
 into the hole. By the middle of May 
 the shoots are long enough to tie up. 
 Generally a number of them will wind them- 
 selves around the pole, but all should be remov- 
 ed but two of the most thrifty to each pole, but 
 not the rank blue vines. It is well to save for a 
 short time a number of vines, say two or three 
 to each hill, to put up, in case of accident to 
 those that have been trained up. The rest of 
 the vines should be either pulled out or broken 
 down and covered with earth. The head of the 
 vine sometimes becomes destroyed after the vine 
 has srrown too high to bo removed. In such 
 
 Fig. 28. Crow 
 
 BAR. 
 
EXrERIENCE OF PKACTICAL GROAVERS. 
 
 23 
 
 cases, the first set of arms will start out in oppo- 
 Bite directions, one of which should be removed, 
 and the other be tied to the 
 pole. A ladder, represented in 
 Fig. 29, will be found very con- 
 venient. The cultivator should 
 be used sufficiently often to 
 keep down weeds, and the hills 
 should be dressed with a hoe 
 three or four times. On moist 
 land, hill up ; on open soils, 
 keep the hill level with the 
 Fio. 29. Step-ladder, ground. The middle or last 
 of July, before the blossoms appear, the ground 
 should be cultivated, and also the last of August 
 or a short time before picking. . , 
 
 The kilns are round in form, and may be con- 
 
 H 
 
 Fio. .30. Elevation of Double Kilk. 
 E, wood-room. O, press-room. IT, press. </, store-room, m, drying floor. 0, plat- 
 form from which to charge the kiln through the doors P. Q, ventilators or cowls. R, low- 
 er veiitilators. S, conductor of cloth to convey hops to press. 
 
 The Kiln. — This should be built prior to the 
 tenth of September, when, in ordinary seasons, 
 the hops will be in condition to begin harvest. 
 The size will depend upon the number of hops 
 grown. For a five-acre field, two hundred square 
 feet of surface of drying room will answer. For 
 yards of ten or more acres, two drying-rooms will 
 he found convenient. The hops picked in the 
 forenoon should be put on to dry at noon, and 
 those picked in the afternoon arc placed in the 
 kiln at evening. Figs. 30 and 31, with the descrip- 
 tion, will give an idea of what 13 needed for a| with which this can be done much better than 
 large yard. I with a common broom. The pipe should be sup- 
 
 Fig. 31. G-RonND Plan of Doudlb Kiln. 
 A, stove-rooms. B, stoves. (7, pipes. D, doors to wood, 
 room. F, stairs. 6', press-room. II, press. K, chimney. 
 
 structed of wood or stone. If of wood, a balloon 
 frame will be found most 
 convenient. The floor .shown 
 at m, Fig. 30, should be fif 
 teen or sixteen feet from the 
 ground. It is generally 
 made of one by one and a 
 half inch strips of boards, 
 set on edge. Over this floor 
 is a cloth, somewhat resem 
 bling that used for strainers, 
 hard twisted with small 
 meshes. On the cloth the 
 green hops are deposited to 
 be dried. The kiln, if con- 
 structed of wood, should be 
 lathed and plastered, above 
 as well as below the floor. 
 Air-holes are shown at R, 
 which should have a door, 
 so as to be able to close 
 down at pleasure. There are 
 large doors, P, P, into which 
 the hops are thrown from 
 the platform 0. A ventila- 
 tor, Q, is placed at the top of each kiln. The 
 other parts will be understood from the refer- 
 ences below the figures. The stoves should 
 be large enough to receive three-foot wood, 
 and the stove-pipe not less than ten inches 
 in diameter, so arranged as to equalize the 
 heat, and dry the hops evenly. The horizon- 
 tal pipe should be six or eight feet from the 
 kiln-cloth, and extend slightly upward. All dust 
 is to be removed from the cloth daily, and before 
 starting a fire. Fig. 32 represents an implement 
 
30 
 
 HOW TO RAISE HOPS PROFITABLY. 
 
 Fio. 32. Brdsh for Carpet. 
 
 ported upon standards, with forked iron tops. 
 The utmost precaution should be taken against 
 fire, as the building, 
 during the drying sea- 
 son, will be like a " tin- 
 der-box," and it should 
 not be intrusted to a 
 careless hand. The 
 time required for dry- 
 ing a kiln, with the 
 hops say twelve to fif- 
 teen inches deep, will 
 be twelve to fourteen 
 hours. To determine 
 when the hop is dry, 
 examine the inside. Three fourths of all should 
 break or crumble w-hen pressed by the hand. 
 During the drying, it is customary to burn brim- 
 stone three or four times ; first, when the hops 
 are warmed one third of the way through, and 
 last when the heat has reached the surface. The 
 amount of drying required will depend upon the 
 condition of the hops. If it is rusty, more will be 
 required than at the beginning of picking. The 
 person having charge must determine this mat- 
 ter ; from two to three ounces are generally used. 
 Two or three hours before allowing the fire to go 
 lown, the hops should be stirred. This is gene- 
 rally done by going through them, taking care to 
 keep the feet under them ; then level them off. 
 During this operation the air-holes should be 
 closed. Some turn them over with a shovel, 
 when two thirds dried. The hops are now ready 
 to be removed from the kiln, but there is no ob- 
 jection to allowing them to remain on the kiln 
 until it is wanted for another lot of green hops. 
 Care should be taken not to break them. 
 
 iiG.ay. Picking-Bos. 
 
 Picking is generally performed by women. The 
 boxes are made to accommodate four pickers, hav- 
 ing for each a compartment three feet long, eigh- 
 
 teen inches wide, and thirty inches deep inside 
 measurement. (See Fig. 33.) Men are employed 
 to take down- the poles, and place them on the 
 box. One hand can generally attend to eight 
 pickers, and stack the poles in parcels of fifty or 
 seventy-five in lines, on every fifth or sixth row. 
 A hop is considered in condition to begin pick- 
 ing when the color begins to change from a light 
 green to a deep yellow, and the seed is hard. 
 Generally, about two weeks is taken for hop 
 picking. Green hops are liable to become heat- 
 ed, if allowed to remain in bulk even over night, 
 and it is advisable to stir them late in the even- 
 ing. Heating will cause the ^'^ lupulin" to drop 
 out. The plantation is much injured by early 
 picking, on acc(Junt of the bleeding of the vines. 
 The vine should be cut off from fifteen to twenty 
 inches above the ground ; the stump will stand 
 erect, and the cut end will soon dry over. 
 
 Pressing and Sacking may be done as soon 
 as the hops are cold, but it is better to allow 
 them to remain for fifteen or twenty days, stir- 
 ring them occasionally, after which time there 
 will be little danger from heating, if they are 
 properly cured. Presses may be had, made ex- 
 pressly for this purpose, with full directions for 
 using. Hop-sacking can be procured from mer- 
 chants ; it is known as ''Dundee bagging." The 
 size of the bales will be regulated by that of 
 the press ; they generally weigh from two hun- 
 dred to two hundred and fifty pounds. 
 
 The value of hops depends upon the amount 
 of "lupulin," commonly called Hour, which they 
 contain. It is therefore important that they 
 should be picked with gr'eat care, and that all 
 foreign matter be kept out. A prime article will 
 generally command twentj^-five to thirty per cent 
 more than those that contain even a small amount 
 of leaves and stems. It is not uncommon for 
 growers to make two or three sorts. A very 
 good mode of preventing foreign matter, such as 
 leaves, stems, bark from the poles, etc., etc., from 
 mixing with the hops, is to partly cover the 
 boxes with sacking, giving it an inclination suffi- 
 cient to allow the hops to roll into the box. By 
 this arrangement, much worthless matter will be 
 excluded. It is surprising to see the amount of 
 filth that will accumulate even in the picking of 
 a single box. Its exclusion will lessen the gross 
 weight, but the increased value of the article will 
 doubly compensate the grower. 
 
 Preservation of the Yard. — The best mode 
 of keeping a hop plantation in a healthy condi- 
 tion, is a matter of great importance. It is a 
 
EXPERIENCE OF rRACTK'AL GROWERS. 
 
 31 
 
 well-known fact that some yards begin to fail in 
 three or four years, and are thenceforth hardly 
 worth the trouble of cultivation, and that others 
 last ten, fifteen, and even twenty years. This is 
 doubtless owing to a number of causes, the most 
 prominent of which is the following, namely : 
 The planting upon ground that is over-charged 
 witli water; neglect or want of proper cultiva- 
 tion ; exhaustion of the soil, of some of the prop- 
 er ingredients for the growth of the vine. All 
 may guard against the first two causes of failure. 
 The last will be found more difiicult. It may be 
 done by supplying the soil with the necessary 
 ingredients in the form of wood ashes, which are 
 exactly suited to the wants of the hop, and tend 
 to promote a vigorous growth of vine. The re- 
 fuse vines can also be used to advantage, if cut 
 and mixed with the soil in proximity to the 
 roots. Another important advantage is derived 
 by ushig the vine in the manner above stated, 
 namely, it tends to lighten the soil which, by the 
 yearly application of barnj^ard manure, not un- 
 frequently becomes heavy, and the root soon be- 
 comes unhealthy. The use of charcoal dust, 
 
 which I have before recommended, together with 
 a thorough loosening of the soil, will tend to 
 keep the plant in a healthy condition. When 
 charcoal dust can not be procured, decayed 
 wood, leaves, and such other vegetable matter 
 as can be collected from the forest, will be found 
 valuable. Like most other plants that require 
 high manuring, a dressing of lime will, upon 
 most land, prove valuable, applied as often as 
 every two or three years. 
 
 Yield and Price. — The yield per acre, as 
 shown by the last census, in counties where 
 hops are most extensively grown, has an aver- 
 age of about eight hundred pounds. By high 
 cultivation, two thousand pounds, and in some 
 instances, twenty-five hundred pounds are ob- 
 tained. The fluctuation in the price of hops 
 is greater than that of any other form pro 
 duct. Good hops often sell as low as ten cents, 
 and not unfrequently as high as forty, fifty, and 
 even sixty cents per pound. They may be con 
 signed to commission merchants the same as 
 other farm products, or sold to dealers at home. 
 
 NO. VI. -BY T. A. COLE, SOLARVILLE, SCHOHARIE CO., N. Y. 
 
 Preparing the Soil. — Hops should be planted 
 upon sward-ground if possible, and it is best to 
 turn it over the previous fall. Decomposed sod 
 -. peculiarly adapted to this plant. It is highly 
 necessary in planting a yard that every hill 
 should grow. Out of three thousand hills plant- 
 ed in the way I shall describe, I lost but twelve. 
 After the ground is plowed, go over it with a 
 heavy roller, which smooths the surface and 
 prevents the sod being loosened by the harrow 
 or cultivator. Then manure the ground on the 
 surface with compost. I prefer any good com- 
 post to barnyard manure, and also hold that a 
 hop-yard never should be allowed to rob the rest 
 of the farm. The usual time for planting is from 
 the first to the twentieth of May, but never until 
 the ground is dry and warm. 
 
 Sets for Planting. — Procure shoots for 
 planting as soon as they are taken from the 
 ground, and prepare them by cutting them in 
 pieces from four to six inches long, being sure 
 that they are sound and contain two sets of buds. 
 Then put them in the cellar and sprinkle them 
 every day or two with rain-water, until ready 
 for planting. All that are good will sprout in a 
 
 very short time. Care should be taken not to 
 break off the eyes when planting. 
 
 Marking the Hills. — Prepare stakes, one for 
 each hill, about twenty inches long and one half 
 inch square. After the ground is thoroughly 
 cultivated and harrowed lighciy, it is ready for 
 staking out. My hop-rows are seven feet apart 
 one way, and eight feet the otner, running with 
 the points of the compass as neox as possible. 
 To stake out a yard, take a strong cord and 
 mark it once in seven feet by tying on a piece of 
 colored j'arn. Tie each end of the cord to a 
 stick about two feet long, sharpened at one end. 
 Square the piece of land, then draw the cord 
 across the piece from north to south, place tho 
 sticks firmly in the ground. Now put one of the 
 small sticks in the ground opposite to where the 
 yarn is tied, and so on the length of the cord. 
 Move each end of the cord exactly eigb . feet at a 
 time, and continue the staking. After the polea 
 are set, the amount of ground to be worked with 
 the cultivator is the same each way. Experience 
 and observation have taught me that seven feet 
 by eight is the true distance. 
 
 Planting. — The best metliod of plarH-)^ i-. to 
 
33 
 
 HOW TO RAISE HOPS PROFITABLY. 
 
 pull up the stake which marks the hill, and 
 preciselj'- where it stood make a hole with an 
 iron bar, just deep enough to get through the turf. 
 I take four sets for a hill, placing one between 
 each two fingers and one between the thumb 
 and forefinger, with the buds pointing upward. 
 If the set be inverted it will not grow. I place 
 the hand holding the roots perpendicularly over 
 the hole, and with the other hand fill in the 
 dirt; keeping the fingers spread so that the sets 
 do not touch each other, the upper end of the 
 sets being held even with the surface of the 
 ground. As soon as the roots become fost in 
 the dirt, I take both hands and cover the whole 
 1| to 2 inches deep. The stake that belongs to 
 the hill is set into the ground, about four inches 
 from the hill and lengthwise of the row, letting 
 it slant directly over the hill. 
 
 Cultivation the First Year. — Plant corn and 
 potatoes with hops, and as the stakes show pre- 
 cisely where the hop-hills are, you can plant and 
 hoe other crops without injiuy to the hops. I 
 plant one hill of corn or poliitoes between the 
 hop rows the narrow way, and two the wide 
 way. Do not plant any thing nearer than eigh- 
 teen inches. A small handful of wood-ashes 
 and plaster to each hill once or twice during 
 the summer acts as an excellent stimulant. 
 I hoe the hops verj^ much the same as corn, 
 keeping the ground loose and free from weeds. 
 The last time of hoeing, I make a slight hill by 
 raising up the vines and putting the dirt about 
 the roots. Nothing more can be done until the 
 corn or other crop is removed. I prefer to wait 
 until the ground is frozen before manuring ; if 
 there is a little snow, it is all the better, as the 
 stakes will show precisely where the hill is, and 
 the manure should be placed directly upon it. 
 If the manure is applied too eai-ly in autumn, it 
 has a tendency to smother the hill. I use ma- 
 nure or muck one year and lime the next, alter- 
 nating each year. I can not speak too highly 
 of the beneficial effect of lime upon hops. I 
 used it upon a piece of hops that had been four 
 years planted, and which had been heavily ma- 
 nured with barnyard manure each year ; yet 
 the greatest yield in any one year had been but 
 one thousand pounds of dried hops per acre. I 
 placed about one quart of fine un slacked lime 
 directly upon each hill late in the fall, and cov- 
 ered it with dirt, all other treatment being the 
 game as in the four previous years ; yet the next 
 year the yield was 2S00 pounds of prime dry 
 hops per acre. When lime is used, I give no 
 
 other dressing whatever. If manure or muck n 
 used, I apply a dressing of ashes, plaster, and 
 salt in the spring, after the hops have been tied 
 up. Four barrels of ashes, two of plaster, and 
 one of salt is sufficient for one acre. The effects 
 of this application will be apparent not only in 
 the growth, but in freeing the hill from worms. 
 
 The Poles are most economically drawn upon 
 the ground during the winter afttr planting. I 
 set my poles the second season, as soon as the 
 frost is out of the ground, having the rows of 
 poles run from east to west, using two poles to 
 each hill and placing them six or eight inches 
 from the center, on either side. Good hop- 
 growers concede that nothing as yet has been 
 invented equal to good cedar poles for raising 
 hops — at least my experience has taught me so. 
 Second Year's Cultivation. — As soon as the 
 ground is dry enough, I plow the yard both 
 ways, using a light steel plow and only one 
 horse. The whiffietree is very short, so as to 
 allow the horse to travel close to the poles with- 
 out hitting them. Four furrows between the 
 roM's will be sufficient, turning the furrows from 
 the hill both ways. The dirt about the hill is 
 then loosened with a grub-hoe or hook, such as 
 is used by fruit-growers. The first 3"ear there 
 are no ruimers to be taken out, but afterwards 
 there will always be more or less of these. The 
 runners strike out horizontally from the hill, 
 coming out of the ground two to four feet from 
 it ; these are dug up with the hook and cut off 
 close to the hill, also the old stalk or vine is cut 
 off close to the ground, and a little fresh dirt 
 thrown upon the hill. This is called grubbing. 
 When a yard is planted as above described, the 
 main root of the hill strikes perpendicularly into 
 the ground to a great depth. After the vines 
 have been grubbed, they are allowed to grow, 
 and many of them will find their own way up 
 the poles. They will, however, need looking to 
 verj'' frequently, and those that do not climb 
 must be tied upon the pole with a bit of yarn 
 long enough to reach around the pole and have 
 the ends lap a little. These are twisted together 
 with the thumb and finger, leaving it loose 
 enough for the vine to grow. Two vines are 
 allowed to each pole. After they have got well 
 started, I plow the yard again, turning the fur- 
 row toward the hill in plowing both ways, and 
 plow four farrows between the rows ; this will 
 cover all the vines not needed upon the poles^ 
 leaving the yard level and clean. The remainder 
 of the season I use a cultivator with teeth long 
 
EXPKmENOB Ot'i PKACriCAI. GROWERS. 
 
 83 
 
 enough to keep the ground loose as deep as it 
 was plou'ed, using the same short whiffletree as 
 on the plow, cultivating frequently both ways, 
 or at least three times dm-ing the summer. By 
 running close to the hill, especially at the last 
 cultivating, which should be just before picking, 
 most of the runners are destroyed. This obvi- 
 ates the necessity for digging them out in the 
 spring, which weakens the hill, and, if there are 
 many runners, sometimes destroys it entirely. 
 
 Picking. — Hops are generally ripe enough, 
 here, to commence picking from the first to the 
 tenth of September. When ripe, the hop has a 
 yellowish hue and a strong, rich smell, and the 
 seed is brown and hard. Care should be taken 
 in picking to have them as free from stems and 
 leaves as possible. Boxes for picking in are gen- 
 erally made of half-inch stuff, in order to liave 
 them light and easy to handle. They are made 
 6 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 26 inches deep, and 
 are divided into four apartments of 3 feet long, 
 18 inches wide, and 26 inches deep. Each 
 of these holds very nearly eight bushels. At 
 each end of the box there is a standard rising 
 about two feet above the box, upon which a bar 
 is placed, projecting about two feet at either 
 end. Against each end of this bar a pole is 
 placed while the hops are being picked, one pole 
 at a time. The box is to accommodate four 
 pickers, one to an apartment. The apartments 
 are generally called boxes, and the picker re- 
 ceives so much per box. Care should be taken, 
 before pulling the pole, to cut the vine as high as 
 possible, and have it stand up after the pole is 
 taken away, as the flow of sap is much less than 
 when cut lower. The poles should be trimmed 
 and set up in stacks as fast as cleared. Bags or 
 sacks are prepared to hold the green hops ; they 
 are usually made about six feet long, and will 
 hold two boxes of green hops. The same bags 
 are used to press the hops in when cured. All 
 the hops picked each day should be placed upon 
 the kiln for drying, as they are liable to injure 
 by lying in the bags over night. 
 
 Drying-Kilns. — I prefer a good wooden build- 
 ing for a kiln, as it can be used for many other 
 purposes when not required for hops. My kiln 
 3 20 feet wide by 36 feet long, with 16-foot posts 
 placed upon stone-work 3 feet high. It is di- 
 vided into four apartments, two below and two 
 above. The stove-room occupies about one half 
 the lower part of the building ; this contains the 
 stove with pipe running around the entire room 
 before it enters the chimnev. There are four 
 
 small doors in the wall, one upon either side, to 
 admit the air, and they may be opened or shut 
 as occasion demands. This room is plastered 
 upon the sides. The floor overhead is 15 feet 
 from the ground, and 7 feet from the pipe ; it i.s 
 made of joists, with .slats 1 X 1| inches, placed 
 edgewise and nailed upon the joists one inch 
 apart. Over these a thin strainer-cloth is drawn 
 and tacked down along the sides. The room di- 
 rectly above the stove-room is called the curing- 
 room, and is plastered upon the sides and over- 
 head, except under the ventilator. The vent:.la- 
 tor is upon the roof of the kiln, directly over the 
 center of the curing-room, and is constructed 
 with four glass windows or doors, one upon each 
 side. These are hang upon hinges, aad may be 
 opened or shut at M-ill. A door connects the 
 curing-room with the store-room. The floor of 
 the store-room is some si.x feet lower than that 
 of the curing-room, and is directly above the 
 press-room. A door opens from the curing-room 
 upon an outside platform that projects from the 
 kiln about six feet. The ground here rises ab- 
 ruptly, making it very easy to remove the green 
 hops from the wagon to the platform. 
 
 Drying. — The bags are taken from the plat- 
 form and emptied upon the floor of the curing- 
 room, and the hops leveled with a common hand- 
 rake. One or two of the doors in the ventilator 
 are opened to allow the steam to pass off. Wher 
 the fire gets well started, the small doors, or air 
 holes, in the stove-room should be opened and a 
 good fire kept up until the hops are thoroughly 
 cured. As soon as the steam begins to rise, a 
 little brimstone should be burned upon the 
 stove; this helps the drying and improves the 
 hops. As soon as the hops nearest the cloth 
 become dry, they should be turned over, and 
 again leveled with the rake, and a steady fire 
 kept until they are sufficiently cured. Too 
 much drying injures them, while too little spoils 
 them entirel}^ hence it needs good judgment and 
 some experience to do it right. The hops should 
 be allowed to cool before being removed to the 
 store-room, and they should be handled over 
 once or twice after being placed there. If possi- 
 ble, it is better not to press the hops under two 
 or three weeks after being dried ; yet if it is 
 necessary, it may be done within a day or two. 
 
 Pressing. — A small hole is left in the floor 
 between the store-room and press-room, in which 
 is inserted a bag, open at both ends. Through 
 this, the hops are allowed to fall directly into the 
 press. The press is so constructed that it is 
 
HOW TO KAISE HOPS PKOFITAHLr, 
 
 easily taken to pieces and put together. One 
 of the bags used for carrying the green hops is 
 cut in two, making two pieces. The bags are 
 made of coarse sacking, usually about forty 
 inches wide. Four yards of it is used for each 
 b;ig, being doubled together and sowed up at the 
 sides. When cut in two, there are two pieces 
 six feet long and forty inches wide, making just 
 enough for a bale. One of these pieces is placed 
 upon the bottom of the press lengthwise, then 
 
 the sides of the press are put up, and the hops 
 allowed to run into it from above, two men 
 treading them down until the press is full. The 
 other piece of cloth is then placed over the hops 
 at the top of the press, and is forced down by the 
 follower until the etlges of the two pieces meet, 
 when the sides of the press are taken off and the 
 bag sewed up on each side. The follower is then 
 loosened and the bale is taken out and sowed up 
 at each end, when it is ready for market. 
 
 NO. VII. -BY ZUAR E. JAMESON, IRASBURGH, ORLEANS CO., VT. 
 
 Soil and Planting. — The soil best adapted to 
 hops is that which will yield good corn. It should 
 approach nearer a sandy than a clayey nature, and 
 si lould be sufficiently dry to be worked early and 
 through the season. Prepare the soil as for corn, 
 ai d either early in the spring, or in the fixll, pro- 
 cure cuttings from a mature yard. These cuttings 
 ai 8 white runners that are under the surface of 
 the ground, with buds from 2 to 5 inches apart, 
 ai d as they are not roots that nourish the plant, 
 taking them away does not damage the hills, 
 while, if allowed to remain, they would produce a 
 gieat surplus of vines. Mark the hills eight feet 
 a{ art each way, which will give 730 hills to the 
 acre. A good way to do this is to have a string, 
 10 or 12 rods long, with strips of cloth tied upon 
 It eight feet apart. Provide as many stakes, a 
 foot long, as there will be hills ; draw this string 
 across one side of the piece, and set a stake by 
 each mark on the string ; move both ends of the 
 line forward eight feet, and again stick stakes ; 
 and so continue until the whole plot is regularly 
 staked eight feet apart each way. Cut the hop- 
 runners in pieces, leaving two eyes on each piece 
 or set. Put three of these into each hill, about 
 10 inches apart, at the corners of a triangle. If 
 this work is done in the spring, plant corn, the 
 hills in the rows alternating with those of the 
 hops, and a row of corn between those of hops. 
 The hops will be sufficiently cultivated if the corn 
 is well cared for, as no crop of hops is expected 
 the first year. After harvesting the corn, and 
 about the time frost kills vegetation, put a 
 shovelful of well-rotted manure, compost, or leaf- 
 mould upon ea-oh hill ; this will be a protection 
 against frost as well as a fertilizer. If the yard 
 .s sot in the fall, plant and manure in the same 
 way. A small crop will be yielded the following 
 year. On an acre, there should be distributed ten 
 male hills, and, as they do not produce hops, part 
 
 of each hill may be female vines. If there are no 
 male vines, there will be no seeds, and not much 
 flour, and the hops will be light and inferior. 
 The leaf of the male vines is more notched about 
 the edge than that of the female, it blossoms 
 earlier and the flowers fall oft while the female 
 hops are growing. 
 
 Second Yeaii's Culture. — In the spring, before 
 the hops start, which is quite earl}^ pulverize the 
 nianure and work it into the earth about the hill. 
 If all the sets grow, set three poles to each hill, 
 and let two vines run up each pole. Let the 
 poles incline outward, so as to be three feet apart 
 at the top. They should be from ten to fourteen 
 feet long, and from two to four inches in diame- 
 ter at the base, which is sharpened to a point and 
 stuck about ten inches into a hole prepared with 
 an iron bar. The best wood found in Northern 
 Vermont is red cedar. Spruce, ash, fir, and hem- 
 lock are preferred to birch, maple, and poplar. 
 Small trees are much used, and cost here from 
 two to four cents each. Some have tried poles 
 sawed from three-inch p4ank, square at one end 
 and tapering to a point, but they are not as strong 
 as small trees. The main point is to have poles 
 that will bear the weight of vines and hops in 
 the severest wind. The method of having one 
 pole to each hill, with strings radiating in four 
 directions to other poles, and a vine to each string, 
 has not been tried here. When the vines are 
 from two to four feet long they should be tied to 
 the poles with woolen yarn. Cut the foot from 
 an old stocking and place the leg over the left 
 wrist and unravel as it is needed. Tie the vines 
 so that they will run from east to west. Re-tie 
 any that fall or are blown down. For these 
 operations a short ladder or steps are necessary. 
 Cut down all other vines that appear during the 
 summer. The tillage is mostly done with a cul- 
 tivator. Sometimes good crops are raised among 
 
EXPERIENCE OF PRACTICAL GROWERS. 
 
 weeds, but the prejudice is decidedly in favor 
 of clean cultivation. It is not advisable to have 
 high hills ; keep them rather flat. 
 
 Insects and Diseases. — The cut-worm, or grub, 
 will often eat the vine hclow ground. Its pres- 
 ence is shown hy the wilting of the leaves. The 
 ofTonder can often be found and killed, and some- 
 times the vine, when partially severed, will root 
 above the injury and grow. Worms breed in 
 stable manure more than in hog manure or leaf- 
 mold. Rust affects hops as it does the other 
 cultivated crops. If they are nearly matured 
 when attacked by rust, pick them without delay. 
 Lice very much damaged the crop of 1864 ; they 
 
 The Kiln. — The hop-house is often made of 
 some old out-house, but if built specially for the 
 purpose, it should be a tv/o-story building, on a 
 hill-side, if convenient, as it is easier carrying the 
 hops to the dry-floor on the second story. I.n 
 the lower story, where the heating apparatus and 
 press are situated, no floor is necessary. Tiie 
 second floor is occupied by the kiln and storage- 
 room for the dried hops. For a yard of two or 
 three acres, a building 25 x 30, with 14-feet posts, 
 is large enough, and need not cost more for out- 
 side finish than a barn of the same size. The 
 lower room of the kiln should have a double 
 wall, the space filled with sawdust or spent tan- 
 
 covered the leaves and stopped the growth. Yards bark, or it should be lathed and plastered, so as 
 on high land were least affected. No remedy is [ to be nearly air-tight. Heat may bo "-enerated 
 
 by charcoal burn>t upon the floor, or in a stove 
 
 Known : brimstone has been tried with no defi- 
 nite result. Frost occasionally comes before the 
 hops are harvested, in which case hasten the 
 picking as rapidlj'' as possible. 
 
 Picking. — The proper time for picking is known 
 by tlie hops changing from green toward a stra'W 
 
 with plenty of pipe, or in a brick or stone arch. 
 The pipe should go quite around the room and 
 across the middle before it enters the chimney. 
 The stove or arch may open into the press-room. 
 The Drying- Room above may be plastered for 
 
 color. Picking is generally done by girls, who | four feet up, to keep off cold currents of air. This 
 are paid from 33 to . room is open to the roof, where there is a venti- 
 GO cents per day, and i lator for the escape of steam. The floor is made 
 will pick from one to! of sawed slates, 1} inches square and one inch 
 three bo.xes, according | apart, over logs or joists 18 inches apart. This 
 floor is covered with dry cloth sewed together 
 and fastened down like a carpet. After drying 
 is over, take the carpet up and keep it safe from 
 rats and mice. Cover the carpet from 6 to 10 
 inches thick with hops, according to their damp- 
 ness and greenness ; start a moderate fire ; as 
 soon as they are thoroughly warmed through. 
 
 Via. 84. PicKiNO-Box. 
 
 to the yield. Care 
 should be taken to 
 exclude leaves and 
 stems. The boxes are made of half-inch boards, 
 are five feet long, twenty inches wide, and two 
 feet deep. In each corner is a strip 1^ inch 
 square to nail to, and give firmness. For han- 
 
 dles, nail on each side a 1 x 3-inch strip Ti feet , increase the heat and dry rapidly, for if dried 
 long. The man who pulls the poles should have slowly, the steam will condense upon the top 
 A corn-cutter to cut the vines near the ground ! hops and turn the color dark and dull. Ten 
 and any straggling vines that may have become | hours will generally be long enough to dry them, 
 attached to other poles ; he then pulls the pole so that two kilns can be dried in twenty-four 
 and lays it with its burden of hops over the box, ' hours. The test of dryness is when the stem in 
 one end resting on the ground and the other sup- | the middle of the hop will break easily ; if it can 
 ported on a cross pole lashed to two upright ones, | be twisted and bent, it is not dry enough. There 
 as shown in Fig. 34. When the hops are picked, \ should be a door to rake the hops througli from 
 
 he draws the pole out of the 
 vine and puts it in the stack. 
 The stack is commenced by ty- 
 ing three poles together, as in 
 Fig. 35, ai.d sta iding the other 
 poles against them, in which po- 
 sition they are left through the 
 winter. Two men will wait 
 
 the kiln to the storage-room, where they should 
 lie up light, until cool, after which, if necessary, 
 they ma}' be trodder down. 
 
 Pressing and Baling. — The essential requi- 
 sites in a press are a wooden screw, turning in a 
 wooden nut fastened in the floor of the second 
 
 iK'is> I stor3% with the head of the screw underneath, 
 ■■•^noH, 
 Fig. 35. Commenxe- ' ^'^^ * ^'^^ "''''^ movable sides and ends, a hot- 
 upon a dozen pickers. When ment of Pole-Stack, i torn, and a follower. The press was foi'merly 
 seven or eight boxes are picked there will be made of heavy timbers, securely framed togetner, 
 «nough to commence drying. i but \ve now use a better style. Procure (iiur 
 
HOW TO KAISE HOPS PROFITABLY. 
 
 rods of 3i-inch iron, about 16 feet long, and have 
 the ends of each welded together like a large 
 link of chain. Make four mortices in the floor 
 above each corner of the press, to receive one 
 end of the links which are supported by a piece 
 of strong scantling (4 X 4 or 4 x 5) passed through 
 the links above the floor. These pieces also rest 
 across the ends of the wooden nut. (Fig. 36.) 
 
 In the lower 
 
 ends of the 
 links place two 
 pieces of tim- 
 ber 4x6 for 
 bed -pieces to 
 rest the bot- 
 tom of the 
 press upon. 
 The bottom is made of pieces of 2-inch planks, 
 two feet long, with end-strips 3^ feet in length. 
 The shape of the bottom is shown in Fig. 37, 
 with the bed-pieces ex- 
 tending out at the ends. 
 The mortices in the bot- 
 tom are for studs which 
 hold the sides of the box, ^ 
 and are 2x5 inches, cut 
 into a tenon 2x4, which ^"'- 37- Bottom of Press. 
 leaves a shoulder. The upper ends of the studs 
 should be tapered off toward a point ; thej^ are held 
 by a strip with two long mortices, which strips 
 are placed on the top of the studs, as in Fig. 38. 
 n []_^ The back side of the press is in 
 
 Fio. 36. Manner of Supporting Press. 
 
 a 
 
 one piece, with cleats near the end 
 
 to hold upright the end pieces, 
 
 which may be made of one plank 
 
 18 inches wide and 6 feet long, 
 
 standing on end. The front side 
 
 of the box should be in parts. 
 
 The box may be 5 feet long in- 
 
 „ „o „ side, 18 inches wide, and 6 feet 
 
 FiQ. 38. Studs to ' ' 
 
 HOLD Press to- high. Fig. 39 shows the press 
 GSTHER. pyj. together. Put two yards of 
 
 hop-sacking on the bottom, and provide a cloth 
 spout from the storage-room through the floor to 
 the box, for conducting down the hops. Have 
 a man treading them down, and when they are 
 
 five feet deep in the press-box, put two yards Oft 
 
 hop -sacking on top. Then place the follower and 
 
 turn the screw, which, as it works down, makes 
 
 it easy to take out the front side of the box one 
 
 plank at a time, till the 
 
 mass is less than two 
 
 feet deep. Then take the 
 
 piece of plank from the 
 
 top of the studs and they 
 
 will fall apart and can be 
 
 taken out, when the box 
 
 may all be removed. 
 
 Sew up the cloth along 
 
 the sides and fold the 
 
 ends. If the cloth is 
 
 Fig. 39. Tue Press. 
 
 quite loose, on removing the screw it will be full. 
 The press described can be packed away, leaving 
 the lower story as a wagon-shed or store-house 
 during most of the year. 
 
 Inspection. — Formerly, in this State, (Ver- 
 mont,) an inspector was appointed by the Gov- 
 ernor, but the office is now abolished. His fee 
 was one mill per pound for inspection. It was 
 done by piercing the bale, and judging by the 
 sample extracted. Hop-gi'owcrs should use their 
 influence to secure the appointment of a reliable 
 and experienced man to this office. If the crop 
 is marketed through a commission merchant, the 
 inspection should be reliable. The amount to be 
 sold will vary from one thousand to two thousand 
 pounds per acre, and the price will vary from five 
 to fifty cents per pound. If a good i^rice can be 
 obtained, it is better to sell soon after packing, 
 on account of the rapid loss of strength by keep- 
 ing, and a corresponding decline in price of old 
 hops. As regards the varieties of hops, there is 
 no distinction made in the market ; yet there is 
 a difference in the varieties, and those who have 
 yards that produce large, nice hops, find a ready 
 market for their surplus roots among those who 
 are starting new yards. In cultivating hops, in 
 connection with other crops, the tendency is to 
 apply manure to this crop to the great damage 
 of the rest of the farm. This should be guarded 
 against, for those crops which furnish the food 
 upon which we live must not be neglected. 
 
EXPERIENCE OF PRACTICAL GROWERS. 
 
 NO. VIII.~BY EDWARD FRANCE, COBBLESKILL, SCHOHARIE CO., N. Y. 
 
 Soil. — Deep, gravelly uplands, exposed to a 
 free circulation of the atmosphere, are best, for 
 upon these the hop is not so liable to be attacked 
 by blight, mold, and mildew, as on low lands or 
 where there is not a free circulation. After a 
 proper selection is made, the soil should be freed 
 from foul weeds, especially quack-grass, as the 
 roots of this grass, when allowed to remain, fre- 
 quently destroy whole plantations. Ground 
 that has been cultivated to corn or potatoes the 
 previous year is preferable. The soil should be 
 deeply plowed late in autumn, thus exposing the 
 roots of weeds to hard frosts, which cause them 
 to decay. As early in spring as the ground will 
 permit, it should be again plowed, after which a 
 coat of good manure is applied and plowed in. 
 
 Setting the Plants. — About the 8th of May 
 is a good time to set hop-roots. The hills should 
 be made in squares, about 7^ feet apart each 
 way. Every fifteenth hill each way should have 
 a male plant, to assist in perfecting the others. 
 The male plants can be readily distinguished in 
 the month of July, as the blossoms are different 
 from those of the female plant. These bear no 
 hops, but finally wither away. Much care should 
 be taken in selecting good, healthy roots for set- 
 ting. They are generally taken from old, well- 
 established plantations, and are commonly termed 
 runners ; they are found near the surface, and 
 should be carefully taken from the mother plant 
 by the aid of a pruning-hook or knife, severing 
 them about eight inches from the plant. The 
 main root must not be disturbed more than can 
 be helped, as it is easily injured, and without 
 extra precaution the hills will be destroyed. 
 The runners for setting should be taken as early 
 as possible. They must be protected from the 
 sun, and be kept in a cool, damp place until the 
 day for setting. The English cluster hops are 
 the best variet}^ as they ripen early, seed well, 
 iiour heavily, and are of richer quality than 
 other varieties. After the ground is properly 
 prepared, commence setting the roots. They 
 should be cut midway between the joints, leav- 
 ing two sets of eyes on each piece. In setting, 
 take care that the rows are perfectly straight and 
 uniform. The best method of setting the roots 
 is to make holes with a stick or dibble, about 
 seven inches in depth. In thes? holes put two 
 
 ground. Then press gently around the root.-^ 
 soft and mellow earth, covering the top about 
 one inch. This manner of setting is preferable 
 to all others, as plants set thus will not be affect- 
 ed by drouth, as the lower ends of the sets, be- 
 ing deep, will soon take root and become strong, 
 healthy vines. 
 
 First Year's Culture. — The best crops to 
 cultivate with hops the first year are potatoes 
 and corn, and of these two, potatoes are prefera- 
 ble, as they shade the young vines less. The 
 hops should be hoed often enough to prevent the 
 weeds from growing, and at the same time give 
 strength and vigor, to the vines. The ground 
 should be kept as level as possible. Some time 
 during September, each hill should receive a cov- 
 ering of half a bushel of well-rotted manure, 
 which will keep the roots from being injured by 
 the winter, and prepare them for yielding more 
 abundantly the following j^ear. 
 
 Second Year's Culture. — As early in the 
 spring as the frost disappears and the ground 
 gets dry enough to work, the manure should be 
 removed and the poles set, which should be done 
 befoT e the hops start. Collins's " hoi-izontal stake 
 and strmg yard " is highly approved by all who 
 have tried it. It is seventy-five per cent cheaper 
 than the long pole method. In using long poles, 
 two are required to each hill from 20 to 25 feet 
 long. The plow should be used after the poles 
 are set and the manure removed from the hills. 
 The first plowing should be turned from the hill, 
 then with a hook loosen the soil around the 
 roots, always removing the runners to within six 
 inches of the hill. After the vines have grown 
 about two feet long, four of the best are tied to 
 each pole in the stake and string method, and 
 two to each pole where long poles are used. 
 Woolen yarn is used for tying, which should be 
 done just below the second joint of the vine from 
 the head ; they must be tied looselj^ The sur- 
 plus vines should not be removed from the hill, 
 but be laid down and covered. The tender vines 
 are very easily wounded. The plow and hoe are 
 not to be spared throughout the season, but the 
 ground should be kept in a good state of cultiva- 
 tion. Hills must not be made, but the ground 
 must be kept level, as described for the first year. 
 About the first of June, a pint of compost, 
 
 or three " sets," with the " eyes " up, leaving j formed by mixing ashes, lime, plaster, and hen- 
 'ihe top ends on a l«vel with the surface of the manure, should be applied to each hilL Tiiis 
 
38 
 
 HOW TO RAISE HOPS PROFITABLY. 
 
 will be valuable for strengthening the vines, and 
 v,'ill free them from insects or worms. 
 
 Picking. — The time for commencing the pick- 
 ing is to be determined by the hops ; when the 
 seeds are dark brown colored and hard, and the 
 scales commence to loosen, they are ready for the 
 harvesting. This usually takes place about the 
 first of September. Hops are picked in boxes, 
 which arc generally divided into four compart- 
 ments containing about ten bushels each. A 
 man, called a box-tender, is required to attend 
 the boxes. His duties are to bring the poles to 
 the box ; stack them after the picking ; sack the 
 hops, and see that they are properly picked. 
 There should not be more than two hops on a 
 stem, and they ought to be picked free from all 
 stems or large leaves. After .the boxes are full 
 they are emptied into sacks, where they should 
 not be left more than one or two hours ; for, if 
 they remain longer, they will commence to heat 
 and color. In this waj^ thousands of pounds are 
 yearly injured. 
 
 Dkyixg. — After a sufficient quantity of hops 
 are picked to spread over the surface of the kiln, 
 from 12 to 15 inches thick, drying should com- 
 mence — the sooner the better. Drying usually 
 requires, by tlie method described, from four to 
 Bix hours according to the thickness of the hops, 
 the kiln being heated to about 150°. [The author 
 here describes his patent kiln, but as it was al- 
 ready figured and described in Essay No. I., it is 
 unnecessary to repeat it here. — Eds.] In drjung. 
 
 the kiln must be properly and freely ventilated, 
 both from beneath and above ; when the steam 
 begins to rise, a piece of brimstone, about the 
 size of a hen's egg, should be burnt upon the 
 furnace, and after the smoke disappears another 
 is burned. This should be repeated several times 
 whilst drying, for it will give the hops a rich, 
 bright yellowish color. When the hops are 
 frost-bitten, or otherwise injured, the amount of 
 brimstone should be increased according to the 
 amount of injury. After the steam begins to 
 rise, a very uniform heat should be kept up, until 
 the hops are nearly dry, when the heat should 
 begin to slacken moderately until they are quite 
 dry. The proper dryness is tested by examining 
 the inside of the hop, which must be free from 
 all its sap, and so dry that about one third of the 
 stems will break when bent. In this state they 
 should be removed to the storing-room. After 
 drying, the hops should remain in the storing- 
 room from three to four weeks before being baled. 
 This gives them time to acquire a uniform mois- 
 ture, which adds to their weight and quality. 
 They must now be baled and made ready for 
 market. In the fall, the vines are cut about sis 
 feet from the ground, to prevent the flow of sap, 
 after which they are coiled upon the hills and 
 covered with manure, as before described. The 
 refuse vines are gathered into heaps and burned, 
 and the plantations left to await the opening of 
 another spring. 
 
 NO. IX.-BY JAMES WOOD, SARDONIA, ERIE CO.. N. Y. 
 
 Soil and Planting. — I prefer a rich loam rather 
 than a gravelly soil for growing hops, as the worms 
 M'ill not destroy the roots so badly as in a gravel- 
 ly one — good corn-land is needed. After ferti- 
 tilizing and plowing, mark out the rows 7x8 
 feet. The outside rows should be 12 or 15 feet 
 from the fence, to allow a double team, in plow- 
 ing, to clear the outside row and then to come 
 around and not disturb the hills next the plow. 
 Sticks should be prepared in leisure or wet wea- 
 ther; one stick a foot long is needed for each hill, 
 which will require about 700 for an acre. For 
 the male hills, two sticks are required. By means 
 of a line and measure, mark the places for the 
 hills. The ground being marked with a stake 
 showing the plasc of each hill, and two for each 
 male hill, of which there should be five or sis to 
 in acre, we procure the 
 
 Plants. — Go to an old hop-yard and take the 
 runners which come from the crown of the hill. 
 Cut them in pieces of 5 or 6 inches in length, with 
 two sets of eyes on each. Some consider that 
 three bushels are enough for an acre, but I think 
 four none too many. Plant the yard between 
 the middle and last of April. One person takes 
 an iron bar and another carries the sets. A hole 
 is made with the bar each side of the stake which 
 marks the hill, and the person with the sets puts 
 two of them perpendicularly into each hole, and 
 presses the earth well around them. In this way 
 they stand the drouth better than if planted in 
 any other manner. The male plants are set be- 
 tween the two sticks which mark the hills. 
 
 Cultivation. — I plant corn or potatoes — two 
 hills between each two hills of hops, and a row 
 between everv two rows of hills. The ground is 
 
fiXPEKlENCK OF PRACTICAL GKOWERS. 
 
 39 
 
 to b". kept clean through ihe summer by use of 
 the hoe, and about the last of September a shovel- 
 lu) of manure is put upon each hill. I do not 
 plant any thing in the yard after the first year. 
 The following April, say about the 20th or 2oth, 
 I stick the poles. T do not care for a pole over 
 15 feet long, as we get more hops from them than 
 when we use longer ones. I have had poles 25 
 feet long, but never found them profitable. The 
 poles should be set in range, and on the same side 
 of the hill all over the yard, as this much facili- 
 tates the plowing. It is well to have some hills 
 in reserve in a convenient place outside of the 
 yard, from which missing plants can be replaced. 
 ff a hill is destroyed by worms or any other 
 cause, a root with its adhering earth can be taken 
 from the reserve and set in its place. After the 
 poles are stuck, and the vines are about a foot 
 high, the yard must be plowed. Back-furrow 
 about four furrows each way betvi-een the rows. 
 "When about two feet high the vines must be tied 
 to the poles with old stocking 3'^arn, or with wet 
 oat-straw. In a few days they will cling to the 
 poles without further tying. I have two poles 
 to the hill, one on each side, and allow two vines 
 to a pole. The surplus vines are twisted into a 
 mass and placed upon the hill with a stone or 
 clod upon them. The yai'd will need thorough 
 cultivation all summer, and if any profit is ex- 
 pected, not a weed should escape the hoe and 
 cultivator. [The author here describes his kiln, 
 but as it does not essentially differ from those 
 already illustrated in the other Essays, it is 
 omitted. — Eds.] 
 
 Picking. — Hop-boxes, in order to have them 
 light to handle, should be made off-inch pine or 
 basswood boards. Mine are 8 feet long by 3 
 wide and 2 deep, inside measurement. About 
 10 or 12 inches from the top of the box a strip 
 six inches wide on each side runs the whole 
 length, and projects far enough beyond the ends 
 to serve for handles. The boxes have partitions 
 dividing the inside into four equal parts, e;ich of 
 which will hold about 10 bushels of grain. 
 Upon this box I put what hop-growers call a 
 table. To make the table, saw boards about an 
 inch longer than the width of the box, and 
 enough of them to half cover it. Fasten these 
 pieces together by means of a cleat six inches 
 wide, nailed through its middle to their ends ; 
 this will leiive a ledge projecting both above and 
 bolow the ^uifaces of the table. Other cleats, 
 not projectuij^ below the lower surface of the 
 tJible, are nailed to the other two sides, the whole 
 
 when finished forming a shallow box or tray, the 
 ledge all round preventing the hops from being 
 blown off, while those projecting below keep it 
 in place on the box. Sacks will be required to 
 carry the hops from the yard to the kiln. Cloth 
 three yards long and one wide, will make a bag 
 sufficiently large to hold the contents of one of 
 the boxes. The time to commence picking is 
 shown by the turning brown of the seed. In 
 this locality, picking commences about the 25th 
 of August, but it varies in different seasons. 
 Pickers and box-tenders are engaged about two 
 weeks before picking commences. The boxes 
 are moved to the yard, and a crotched stick is 
 driven into the ground within a few feet of each. 
 They are placed in the middle of four ron's, and 
 the box-tender pulls the poles from the rows for 
 four pickers. For three acres, I employed twelve 
 girls as pickers and three boys or young men as 
 box-tenders. It is best to have older men, as 
 they will attend to their business and see that 
 the hops are picked clean. In picking-time, all 
 hands have their breakfast b}'' candle-light, and 
 are at work by the time there is suflacient day- 
 light. The box-tenders are each charged to see 
 that his own box is picked clean, and all coarse 
 leaves and branches removed, and to allow no 
 more than three hops in a cluster. The box- 
 tender sets one end of the pole in the crotched 
 sticks before mentioned, and pulls off the vines 
 and lays them on the table which is over the 
 box. Before taking up the poles, he should cut 
 the vines as high up as he can reach. After the 
 vines are removed, the poles are placed in conve- 
 nient stacks, and the vines when dry are burned. 
 When the boxes are full, the hops are put into 
 the sacks, but not crowded, as there is then dan- 
 ger of heating. The sacks are taken to the kiln 
 and left outside over night. 
 
 Drying. — At sunrise, I empty the hops from 
 the sacks on to the drying-floor, and spread 
 them evenly by means of a rake. A good tire is 
 made of dry, split wood, and at the end of an 
 hour the steam will commence to rise, when I 
 throw two handfuls of brimstone upon each 
 stove. When the vapors of the brimstone have 
 passed off, I start up the fire, and repeat the 
 operation, and continue doing so until the hops 
 are bleached. It usually takes me from sunrise 
 until one o'clock to complete the bleaching. I 
 then stir the hops with a rake and continue the 
 tire, using larger wood, to make a slower lire and 
 avoid scorching, which will readily happen when 
 the hops are nearly dry. It requires judgment 
 
40 
 
 HOW TO RAISK HOPS PROFITABLT. 
 
 and practice to dry hops properly. Tlie hops 
 are left on the kiln until cool, and are then re- 
 moved to the store-room by means of a scraper. 
 Alter a few batches are dried, I let them through 
 the trap-door from the store-room to the base- 
 
 ment. The hops should not be in a mass aaore 
 than two feet thick, and when there is a damp 
 day they should be stirred to toughen them. 
 Hops will be fit to press and may be baled at 
 the end of two or three weeks after curing. 
 
 Method of Making Holes for Hop-Poles. 
 
 Mr. Amos Turner, of Peru, Oxford county, Maine, 
 communicates the following account of an implement 
 used by the hop-growers in 
 his vicinity : " Instead of 
 using a crowbar, we make 
 holes for the poles with a 
 pod-auger. The blade is of 
 steel, and an old mill-saw 
 is just the thing to make it 
 of. Cut a piece of saw- 
 plate 18 inches long, 2J 
 inches wide at one end and 
 (i inches wide at the other. 
 This is to be bent so that 
 a section of it will be semi- 
 circular. A shank of | 
 inch iron and one loot long 
 is i-iveted to the larger end 
 of the blade, and it is fur- 
 FiG. 40. nished with a wooden han- 
 dle in the same manner as a common 
 auger. The engraving. Fig. 40, shows 
 the shape of the implement. In using it, 
 the auger is pressed into the soil by the 
 foot, then, by turning it half-way round 
 and lifiing it, the dirt is brought out, and 
 a liole made to receive the pole, with one 
 half the labor of using a crowbar." 
 
 book was printed, and are appended here. The presa 
 
 is portable, and may be taken apart so as to pack in 
 
 j quite a small space. It stands upon a strong frame- 
 
 I work of timber, to which all other parts are attached. 
 
 Description of Press. 
 
 The drawings of the press noticed in the first essay, 
 iiage 10, were not ready at the time that portion of the 
 
 fi«. 41, Thk Harris Press Completh. 
 
 Fig. 42. The Press with Front Removed. 
 Fig. 41 shows the press complete. The sides. A, hook 
 into the bed-fi-ame in such a way as to be readily re- 
 moved. They are held in place by means of a latch, 
 C, which drops into a catch which is attached to the 
 ends, B, and passes through the frame of the sides. 
 The ends, B, are only about half the hight of the sides, 
 and the space above them is filled up 
 by four movable pieces, secured by 
 buttons, and which may be removed 
 one at a time as the pressing pro- 
 ceeds. One of the pieces, I, is shown 
 in place and the others removed. At 
 the top of the press is a strong frame- 
 work, G, upon the projecting ends of 
 which work the levers, D, upon the ends 
 of which is a pair of pawls, E, which work 
 in the teeth, F, which are upon the face 
 of two strong side-posts. The frame, G, 
 presses upon a follower, H, Fig. 41. The 
 action of the two pawls, E, is such that 
 when the lever is worked in the manner 
 of a pump-handle, they force down the 
 frame, G, with great power. When the 
 hops are pressed sufficiently, the sides 
 and ends of the press may be removed 
 by lifting the latches which hold thera 
 together, and the bale may be sewed. 
 In Fig. 42 the press is shown with the 
 front side removed and the rear side in- 
 clined backward, exposing the bale. The 
 letters refer to the same parts in both <iu- 
 gravings. 
 
Barn Plans and Outbuildings. 
 
 TWO HUNLREL AND FIFTY-SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 A Most Valuable Work, Ml of Ideas, Hints, Suggestions, Plans, etc., 
 
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 CHAPTERS ABE DEVOTED, AMONG OTHER SUBJECTS, TO THE 
 
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 Root Cellars and Root ^S^uses. 
 
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 In iJity^ Village, and. Country. 
 
 THF 
 
 American Agriculturist 
 
 roR TnK 
 
 Farm, Garden, and Houseliold, 
 
 Including a Special Department of Interesting and Instructive Reading 
 for CHILDREN and YOUTH. 
 
 The Agriculturist is a large periodical of forty-four quarto pages, beautifully 
 printed, filled with plaiii^ jyractical^ reliable^ original matter, and containing hun- 
 dreds of bemiti/ul and instructive Engravings in every annual volume. 
 
 It contains, each month, a Calendar of Operations to be performed on the Farm, 
 in the Orchard and Garden, in and around the Dwelling, etc. 
 
 The thousands of hi.its and suggestions given in every volume are prepared by 
 practical, intelligent working men, Avho know what they Avrite about. 
 
 The Household Department is valuable to every Housekeeper, affording very 
 many useful hints am] directions, calculated to lighten and facilitate indoor work. 
 
 The Department for Children and Youth is prepared witli special care, to fur- 
 nish not only amusement, but also to inculcate knowledge and sound moral princi])les. 
 
 TERMS — ENGLISH EDITION. The circulation of the American Agricul- 
 
 ttirist is so large that it can be furnished {postage jyrepaid hy the publishers) at 
 the low price of 11.50 a year ; four copies, one year, for |5 ; six copies, one year, 
 for $7 ; ten or more copies, one year, ll each ; single copies, lo cents each. 
 
 C^^ Try it a Ykau. 
 
 A GERMAN EDITION, containing all the ])rincipal articles and engravings of 
 the English edition, and other matter of special interest to German Americans, is 
 furnished at the same rates as above stated for the English edition, postage prejtaid 
 by the Publishers. 
 
 ORAITGrE JUDD COMPANY, PnHlisliers and Proprietors. 
 
 No. 751 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 
 
 J 
 

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