Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-02-25
Agricultural.

American agriculturists IN some por-
tions of the country has of late become
absorbed in the culture OF hops as
marketable commodity, with degree
of success scarcely commensurate to
the labor, care and expenditure invested
in the undertaking. Hence many have
abandoned the experiment, under the
impression that soil and climate are
unfavorable in most of the Atlantic
States for the successful cnlture of the
plant. This is altogether an erroneous
idea, the fault being in the manner Of
cultivation, and the soil selected for its
production. The hop plant is peren-
NAL, and although Indigenous to Great
Britain and different portions OF the
European continent, 1t was not until
some time during the reign of Henry
VIII. that the culture of hops was
introduced into England from Flanders.
All previous attempts to cultivate the
plant successfully as mercantile com
modify were failures from the simple
fact that it was not properly under
stood. In 1897 the number of acres of
hops, under cultivation, in England
alone, was sc, 1913, and in the same year
the excise duty, levied at the rate 1Ss.
Sd. per cwt was e310, 794 As, equal to
81, ,553, ,97l of our currency. Since that
period the average is 6S, 900 acres, and
the annual yield is measurably greater.
Now it is very evident that the same
causes which appear to operate so un-
favorably with the American agricuI-
turist attended the efforts of the Eng
lish hop-grower prior to the period indi-
Gated, when the Flemish introduced
the proper method of hop culture into
England. The wonder is that our
people, who are apt in most things,
have not profitted by the experience of
their transatlantic brethren.
To produce hops abundantly for mar
ket, the plant requires to be carefully
cultivated in good soil, in temperate
climate that is not subject to heightened
extremes of heat or cold, or long spells
of rainy weather; even then IT is one of
the most precar1ous of crops. The fol-
lowing hints will be of service to Ame-
rican hop-growers:
Select loamy soil on dry subsoil,
and place the plants in hills or groups
of three or four in group; the hills
should be in rows five or SIX feet apart,
add about the same distance in the
row. A full crop is not produced until
the fourth or fifth year after planting.
Every year the ground should be dug
in Winter and kept clear of weeds dur
ing the Summer. When q hop planta-
tion is first made, as the plants are
weak, the poles for the support of the
vines are not required to be more than
five or six feet in length, but in the
third or fourth year they require to be
ten or twelve feet in length, and three
or four to hill. ANY kind of young
trees or saplings may be used as hop
poles, but the most durable are those
of the chestnut, oak and ash. To pre-
serve the poles they should be taken up
after the crop has been gathered and
stacked away in a dry place until again
needed in the Spring.
The hops, when mature, should be
carefully packed by hand, and immedi
ately thereafter taken to drying kiln.
When thoroughly dried, pack in bags,
taking care to compress closely to ex-
clude the air as much as possible, the
better to guard them from dampness,
dust, insects, &c. The hop plant is
particularly liable to be injured by in
sects, extreme cold, continued rains,
thunder storms, &c. T; hence the neces-
sity of the utmost care in its cultivation.
After the crop has been packed, the
bags should be kept in dry, airy lofts,
neither too warm nor too cold, avoiding,
above all, exposure to q damp atmos-
phere.
The favorite varieties are the Hilton
Goldings, the Bramling Goldings,
Fugle's Goldings, and Whites Early
Goldings. These are mostly seedlings
that have been brought to high state
of perfection, and afterwards selected
from particular stocks which have been
noticed to possess certain qualities in
marked degree. As regards manure,
the choice should be given to phos-
pilates where they are available; there
can be no objection, however. to a top
dressing of stable manure in the Fall
Grubbing should be frequent during
the late Fall and Winter months.
DRESSING MUrroS IN TExAs.-A Texas
correspondent of the Mobile Register
tells how he dresses sheep for mutton.
Hang the sheep by the heels and cut
his throat oroughly-wind-pipe swal-
low, jugular vein and all. He will die
very quick So soon as life is extinct,
or motion ceases, remove the entrails
with sharp knife, opening completely
from tail to tongue. This job l gener-
ally get through with in Just about half
a minute. / am satisfied that the pecu-
liar flavor of badly handled mutton,
said TO cone from the wool, is due to
the entrails lying too long in the ami
NAL. L pay no particular attention to
the wool other than is demanded by
neatness. On the plan above named,
frequently kill mutton four miles from
home, tie them to my saddle, take them
home, and even allow them to remain
over night, without skinning, and no
woolish flavor results. My mutton is
proverbiRl for its delicacy and sweet
ness, and now You know exactly how i
manage 1t.
AGRICULTURE IN FRASCE.-A traveller ]
says-"We see no pastures anywhere. /