These are native in this country, being found, growing spontaneously, by
many of our rivers. There are four or five varieties, but no preference
has been given to any particular one. Moist, sandy loam is the best
soil, though good hops may be grown in abundance on any land suitable
for corn or potatoes. Plow the land quite deep in autumn; in the spring,
harrow the same way it was plowed. Spread evenly over the surface
sixteen cords of manure to the acre, if your soil be of ordinary
richness; cross-plow as deep as the first plowing; furrow out as for
potatoes, four feet apart each way. Plant hops in every other hill of
every other row, making them eight feet apart each way. Plant all the
remaining hills with potatoes. Four cuttings of running roots of hops
should be planted in each hill. Many hop-yards are unproductive on
account of being too thick;--less than eight feet each way deprives the
vines of suitable air and sun, and prevents plowing them with ease. The
first year, they only need to be kept clean of weeds by hoeing them with
the potatoes. In the fall of the first year, to prevent injury from hard
frosts, put a large shovelful of good manure on the top of each hill.
Each spring, before the hops are opened, spread on each acre eight cords
of manure; coarse straw manure is preferable. Plow both ways at first
hoeing. They require three hoeings, the last when in full bloom in the
beginning of August. Open the hops every spring by the middle of May; at
the South, by the last of April. This is done by making four furrows
between the rows, turning them from the hills; the earth is then removed
from the roots with a hoe, and all the running roots cut in with a sharp
knife within two inches of the main roots. The tops of the main roots
must also be cut in, and covered with earth two inches deep. Set the
poles on the first springing of the vines; never have more than two
poles in a hill, or more than two vines on a pole, and no pole more than
sixteen feet high. Neglect this root-pruning, and multiply poles and
crowd them with vines, and you will get very few hops. Select the most
thrifty vines for the poles, and destroy all the others. Watch them
during the summer, that they do not blow down from the poles. They must
be picked as soon as they are ripe, and before frosts. The best
picking-box is a wooden bin made of light boards, nine feet long, three
feet wide, and two and a half feet deep; the poles are laid across this,
and the hops picked into it by hand. In gathering hops, cut the vines
two feet from the ground, that bleeding may not injure the roots.
_Curing_ is the most important matter in hop-growing. Hops would all be
of one quality, and bring the first price, if equally well cured. The
following description (with slight abbreviation) of the process of
curing, by William Blanchard, Esq., is, perhaps, as complete as anything
that can be obtained. Much depends upon having a well-constructed kiln.
For the convenience of putting the hops on the kiln, a side hill is
generally chosen for its situation; it should be a dry situation. It
should be dug out the same bigness at the bottom as at the top; the side
walls laid up perpendicularly, and filled in solid with stone to give it
a tunnel form: twelve feet square at the top, two feet square at the
bottom, and at least eight feet deep, is deemed a convenient size. On
the top of the walls sills are laid, having joists let into them, as for
laying a floor, on which laths, about one and a half inches wide, are
nailed, leaving open spaces between them three fourths of an inch, over
which a thin linen cloth is spread and nailed at the edges to the sills.
A board about twelve inches wide is set up on each side of the kiln, on
the inner edge of the sill, to form a bin to receive the hops. Fifty
pounds, after they are dry, is all such a kiln will hold at once. The
larger the stones made use of in the construction of the kiln the
better, as it will give a more steady and dense heat. The inside of the
kiln should be well plastered with mortar to make it air-tight. Charcoal
is the best fuel. Heat the kiln well before putting on the hops; keep a
steady and regular heat while drying. Hops must not remain in bulk long
after being picked, as they will heat and spoil. Do not stir them while
drying. After they are thoroughly dry, remove them into a dry room, and
lay in heaps, and not stir unless they are gathering dampness that will
change their color; then spread them. This will only occur when they
have not been properly dried. They are bagged by laying cloth into a
box, so made that it can be removed, and give opportunity to sew up the
bag while in the press. The hops are pressed in by a screw. In bulk they
will sweat a little, which will begin to subside in about eight days, at
which time they should be bagged. If they sweat much and begin to change
their color, they must be dried before bagging. The best size for bags
is about two hundred and fifty pounds' weight, in a bag about five feet
long. Common tow-cloth or Russia-hemp bags are best. Extensive
hop-growers build houses over the kiln, that they may be able to use
them in wet weather. In this case, keep the doors open as much as
possible without letting in the rain. Dried without sufficient air,
their color is changed, and their quality and market-value injured.
These houses are made much larger than the kiln, in many instances, for
the convenience of storing and bagging the hops when dry; in this case,
tight partitions should separate the storerooms from the kiln, to avoid
dampness from the drying hops.
The form of manuring recommended is contrary to the old practice of
putting a little manure only in the hill: that practice exposed vines to
decay and destruction by worms, and this does not; our system also
produces hops equal to new land.