, 1877-09-29

low; so that farmers are very blue over
it. Last year there was IN excellent
market tor hops in Germany, which was
shut to American growers, because the
hops were not picked clean enough, and
| free from all stems and rubbish.
This year. the hop growers of the Puy
allup have determined to have their hops
picked cleaned enough to compete in
any market, and have taken great
a'aount of pains to have them picked us
clean as possible. With very few eHcep
tions, the hops in the valley will be as
cleanly and carefully picked AS those in
the best English aud German hop yards.
They are well matured, carefully cured.
and superior to any other hcps grown in
the L..
The Pacific coast hops hnve always
ranked higher in price than either New
York or Wisconsin hops The Puyallnp
brands ranking along with the best Cali
tornia brands. this year they will proha-
bly, be much superior to them, because
the Puyallnp hop growers realize that it
is only by furnishing very superior
article they can hope to realize in II mar
ket where there is SO much competition.
1t n, ID Il long article to properly de
scribe the dry houses, leading feature
OF the valley.
They are usually tall buildings, in the
shape of a heXagon, and two stories IN
height, the root hipped for each side.
The lower story is the furnace room.
This is kept ut about l50 degrees Faren'
heit, above zero. The hops are spread
above, about eight or ten inches sume-
times foot deep. The heated air passes
UP through them. About two tloorngs
are dried every twenty-Iour hours. Mr.
Woorry has II single house about double
the usual capacity, Others AS tneir fields
increase usually build two houses to-
gether. The warehouse is nearly always
II separate building. Here the hops are
stored tor bailing. The bales weigh
nearly two hundred pounds apiece.
The large hop yards have several
different kinds OF dry houses and ware
houses, which show the several stages Of
growth OF their business.
Thompson & Meade claim the greatest
capacity. Mr.. Meekers seems the most
OF curiosity to look through.
He has NO chimney to his furnace.
Tue smoke is all consumed by fresh air
blowing over the fire in the turnoce ny
well MS below. Then the hops are not
dumped onto floors, but run into the
dry houses in five hig cars, which are
also when dry withdrawn, and run To
the warehouse on an elevated tramway
where they are dumped.
To 90 aro nd some OF these furnaces,
when in full blast, WAS very powerful
reminder of tue frey furnace heated seven
tines hotter than it was wont to be
heated into which the Jewish princes
were thrown. Altogether to warm TO
think Of sweating.
No view OF the Puyallup is complete
without q few words relating to the
aop pickers. With good weather, and
everything favorable, it needs about five
pickers t0 every acre to pick the hops
inside OF three weeks.
Most OF them have greater number.
Thus the three largest hop yards each
have from $50 to l75 pickers for the sea-
son.
About one third OF these are China
men, the rest Indians. There are at
least $500 all told in the valley. They
come from all parts of the Sound coun-
try. The Indians in canees, and the
Cinnamon in gangs from Tacoma. Be
sides the salt chuck Indians, are great
numbers of Klickitats, who cross
Nntchess Pass with the ponies.
Frequently there will be three or four
times as many ponies to pasture, as In
dians to work. The Kickitats carry
themselves very haughtily, are not always
either courteous or polite, frequently
warning the whites that they possess the
,,.,,,,.,h % nu,,hnrs ,u1 shnuld hp tho