Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-02-25
THE HERALD.
Communicated.
Hops and Hopmen.

EDITOR OF HERALD During sew
eral weeks of steady canvassing, prin.
cipally in Grant County, for the sale
OF hop roots TO set new Yards. some
items Of information arr learned
which may be ot general interest
concerning this branch of industry.
In all neighborhoods the idea pre-
walls that nearly everybody is en-
tering into the hop growing business
which is most certainly not the case
in this or any other section of the
State The various inclinations and
circumstances OF people, admit OF
but comparatively few, entering into
this new avocation in the west |
find The greatest objection to be the
fitting up for drying by the more
INDECENT part of tue people For the
benefit OF the people about Platte
VILE, | will say on authority, that
Mr.. Centliver of the brewery firm,
prefers 10 arrange his malt kiln and
large stone ice,housc. for driving
| small lots that may be grown about
town, aud il it is needed, he will add
the third dry kiln, affordlng drying
facilities for about thirty acres OF
hops. Ii Is general in hop growing
countries, to establish large dry
houses IN or near villages, which is
practical for Lancaster, Potosi, &c.
Secure the services of competent
dryer, % manage that important part
Of Che hop business During my
stay about Lancaster, visited
small yard, some two miles north
west OF the town, which is worthy of
mention, for several causes. The
yard belongs to Mr. Bresee, is sit
uatcd on spir of the buff, overlook
| ing branch Of the Grant River,
where nothing this side of Mount
st. Elias breaks off the north>west
wind. Soil Of light chocolate colored
clay, formerly wooded with white
oak timber. The history Of this yard
| OF two acres commences near two
years ago, with roots of so poor
| quality or condition, and unfavorable
time for setting that FIVE in six of
OF the hills died outright, and the
balance had hard struggle for exis>
tence. The prospect being SO poor,
the owner felt little interest in the
culture; last spring he sot pole to the
scattering hills, and let them pass
with the most imperfect cultivation,
as the old stalks of weeds now there,
truly testify. Yet hops grow in spite
Of the circumstances, many Of them
TO the length of 1 to IL inches. By
the aid of Mr.. Parks, an accomplish
ed English dryer, and a resident of
Lancaster, with the most rude con.
veniences, he cured and baed the
crop of the of an acre, and sold il
for 90 cts. per fb, realizing 1867 60.
Had his roots been good, his crop
would have amounted to $l605. 60
| called on Messrs Osburn and
Mount in Tafton, or Bloomington, and
CLEANED some points Of Interest,"
Mr.. Mount neglected to suppress the
growth OF the surplus vines, in part
OF his yard over the requisite number
two, to climb the pole; the consc-
quence was, a d0aUed hop, of an in
terior quality; says his experience
OF two years in growing hops here,
satisfies him of the perfect adapta>
ton Of this locality to its Success
Mr.. Osburn is building a fine dry
house, for his next crop, and to ac-
commodate others that are just start
ing small yards he has first class
Harris Press learned from him
that he could press 260 TBS of hops
into bale. where male hops were
properly distributed through the
yards and not exceeding 100 lbs into
a bale from yards that were not sup
Piled with male hops, demonstrating
the necessity Of getting roots from
some responsible parties. 1t is an
/ indisputable fact that the seed roots
from yards of five years old and up,
wards are not as vigorous as they are
in yards under that age, and no yards
grown from such Old sets will ever be
as profitable as those from younger
ones. Many unprincipied men, hays
/ ing old declining yards, are and have
been sending out canyasser and ap>
pointing agents to sell their roots at
any price they can get; representing
them to be OF the first grade have
met some cases, where the yards
were set from roots that had been
badly handled, the roots had heated
in The box, and been delayed in
transportion till the vitality was
much impaired. When the press of
the spring farming is on hand none,
unless they have the freedom Of their
time can we'll attend to the proper
delivery of hop roots in good order
that the planters can attain the best
results from their new enterprise.
W ". LORD.
Platteville, Feb. 10th 1868.