_Of drying, and not drying of Hoppes, and of packing them when they are
dried._
Although there be much curiositie in the drying of Hoppes as well in the
temperature of heate (which hauing any extremitie, as either of heate,
or his contrary, breedeth disorder in the worke) as also in the framing
of the Ost or furnace after many new moulds and fashions, as variable as
mens wits and experiences, yet because innouations and incertainty doth
rather perplexe then profit, I will shunne, as much as in me lyeth, from
loading the memory of the studious Husbandman with those stratagems
which disable his vnderstanding from the attaining of better perfection,
not disalowing any mans approued knowledge, or thinking that because
such a man can mend smoking Chimnyes, therefore none but hee shall haue
license to make Chimnyes, or that because some men can melt Mettall
without winde, therefore it shall be vtterly vnlawfull to vse bellowes:
these violent opinions I all together disacknowledge, and wish euery one
the liberty of his owne thoughts, and for mine English Husband, I will
shew him that way to dry his Hoppes which is most fit for his profit,
safe, easie, and without extraordinary expences.
First then to speake of the time which is fittest for the drying of your
Hoppes, it is immediately as soone as they are gotten, if more vrgent
occasions doe not delay the businesse, which if they happen, then you
haue a forme before prescribed how to preserue them from mouldinesse and
putrifaction till you can compasse fit time to effect the worke in. The
manner of drying them is vpon a Kilne, of which there be two sorts, that
is to say, an English Kilne, and a French Kilne: the English Kilne being
composed of woode, lath, and clay, and therefore subiect to some danger
of fire, the French, of bricke, lime, and sand, and therefore safe,
close, and without all perill, and to be preferred much before the
other: yet because I haue hereafter more occasion to speake of the
nature, fashion, and edifice of Kilnes in that part of this Volumne
where I intreate of Malting, I will cease further to mention them then
to say that vpon a Kilne is the best drying your Hoppes, after this
manner, hauing finely bedded your Kilne with Wheate-straw, you shall lay
on your hayre cloath, although some disallow it, but giue no reason
therefore, yet it cannot be hurtfull in any degree, for it neither
distasteth the Hoppes, nor defendeth them from the fire, making the
worke longer then it would, but it preserueth both the Hoppes from
filthynesse, and their seede from losse: when your hayre-cloath is
spread, you shall cause one to deliuer you vp your Hoppes in baskets,
which you shall spread vpon the cloath, all ouer the Kilne, at the least
eight inches thicke, and then comming downe, and going to the hole of
the Kilne, you shall with a little dry straw kindle the fire, and then
maintaining it with more straw, you shall keepe a fire a little more
feruent then for the drying of a kilne-full of Malt, being assured that
the same quantitie of fuell, heate, and time, which dryeth a kilne-full
of Malt, will also dry a kilne-full of Hoppes, and if your Kilne will
dry twenty strikes, or bushels of Malt at one drying, then it will dry
forty of Hoppes, because being layd much thicker the quantitie can be no
lesse then doubled, which is a speede all together sufficient, and may
very well serue to dry more Hoppes then any one man hath growing in this
kingdome.
Now, for as much as some men doe not alow to dry Hoppes with straw, but
rather preferre woode, and of woode still to chuse the greenest, yet I
am of a contrary opinion, for I know by experience that the smoake which
proceedeth from woode, (especially if it be greene woode) being a strong
and sharpe vapour, doth so taint and infect the Hoppes that when those
Hoppes come to be brewed with, they giue the drinke a smoakie taste,
euen as if the Malt it selfe had beene woode-dryed: the vnpleasantnesse
whereof I leaue to the iudgement of them that haue trauelled in
York-shire, where, for the most part, is nothing but woode-dryed Malt
onely.
That you may know when your Hoppes are dry inough, you shall take a
small long sticke, and stirring the Hoppes too and fro with it, if the
Hoppes doe russell and make a light noyse, each as it were seperating
one from another, then they are altogether dry inough, but if in any
part you finde them heauy or glewing one to another, then they haue not
inough of the fire: also when they are sufficiently and moderately dryed
they are of a bright-browne colour, little or nothing altered from that
they held when they were vpon the stalke, but if they be ouer dryed,
then their colour will be redde: and if they were not well ordered
before they were dryed, but suffered either to take wet or mould, then
they will looke blacke when they are dry.
{SN: Of the drying Hoppes.}
There be some which are of opinion that if you doe not dry your Hoppes
at all, it shall be no losse, but it is an errour most grose, for if
they be not dryed, there is neither profit in their vse, nor safty in
preseruing them.
As soone as your Hoppes are sufficiently dryed, you shall by the
plucking vp of the foure corners of your hayre-cloath thrust all your
Hoppes together, and then putting them into baskets, carry them into
such dry places as you haue prepared of purpose to lay them in, as
namely, either in dry-fats, or in garners, made either of plaster, or
boards: and herein you shall obserue to packe them close and hard
together, which will be a meanes that if any of them be not dry, yet the
heate they shall get by such lying will dry them fully and make them fit
for seruice.
{SN: Of packing Hoppes.}
Now to conclude, if your store of Hoppes be so great that you shall
trade or make Marchandize of them, then either to conuay them by land or
Sea, it is best that you packe them into great bagges of canuas, made in
fashion of those bagges which woole-men vse, and call them pockets, but
not being altogether so large: these bagges you shall open, and either
hang vp betweene some crosse-beames, or else let downe into some lower
floare, and then putting in your Hoppes cause a man to goe into the
bagge and tread downe the Hoppes, so hard as is possible, pressing downe
basket-full after basket-full, till the bagge be filled, euen vnto the
toppe, and then with an extraordinary packe-thriede, sowing the open end
of the bagge close together, let euery hollow place be crammed with
Hoppes, whilst you can get one hand-full to goe in, and so hauing made
euery corner strong and fast, let them lye dry till you haue occasion
either to shippe or cart them. And thus much for the ordering of Hoppes,
and their vses.