Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-30
HOPE,
Manner Of Enthusiastically Eistory-
Visit to Some Bop Ranches.

Manner OF Cultivation-Early Eistory-
Visit to Some Eop Ranches.
1t is almost unnecessary I'd state that the
principal use to which hops ara put is in the
manufacture of malt liquors. Besides this.
they have q reputation in medical p-ac.
tice as tonic. and as an external sppli-
cation to swellings and parts affected by pair.
Within the past few years hop-growing on
the Pacific coast has become an industry OF
considerable importance. In order to be
cultivated successfully they should be planted
in light sandy sill nearly free from alkali.
After cultivatipg the soil to depth of twelve
or fourteen inches the. seedlings are set in
rows and hills ike corn. The lows are about
seven feet apart, and the hills about the same
distsncs from each other as the width between
the Iows. TIE seedlings are the tuberous
roots of older vines. They are cut about six
inches in length, and in appearance very
much resembt5 sTest potatoes, and with or.
binary care they msy be transported any dis.
tance. Tnree or four of these are placed in
each bill. GA the Pacific coast this planting
takes place about the middle of March in
colder regions as early in the spring as the
frost viii permit the working Of the soil. In
| aOCuS lOuT Weeks SILeT planning
POLES
| About 20 feet in length are set up beside The
| then-grow wing vines, from two to three poles
to each hill. After a week or two more has
| elapsed the youpg vines are tied to the poke.
| From this time until picking begins the only
| attention needed is the pruaing of surplus
vines which start from the hills. and the pre-.
vention of choking By a dense growth OF
weeds. About August ooh picking COM
mences. The poles are pulled MP with the
vines hanging to them, and the strobiles
| (hops) are gathered into baskets. They are
tea carried TO the kiln-called hop.oast.
| When the picking has been completed the
poles ara hauled from the tisld and the vines
cut of close to the ground. liz this way they
lie dormant until spring opens, when they
are pcuEed. This pruning resembles the
! pruning Of craps vines very much, excsp.i, g
that they are pruned beneath the ground, the
earth being removed by the aid Of a glow and
hoe prepared especially for that purp.s
Is 81 this time that the seedlings axe Oh.
t lined.
EARLY CALIFORNIA HISTORY.
Daniel Flint, the pioneer hop-grower of the
Pacific coast, gives the following in regard TO
the early # rvs in the direction of hop.rAisiug
lie bagan ths business in 1858 on q small
| ranch one and half miles from Sacramento,
| en- the Riverside read. The first experiment
c insisted Of one and hall acres. The first
season the neighbors attempted TO discourage
him by telling him they would all go 10
vn2s" on this coast and bear no catkins.
which are the commercial hops. However,
IN 1859 he raised 800 pounds Of very good
quality. In 1868 he raised from six aud a
| haf acres IL 1872 pounds. lie increased the
acreage from time to time in that vicinity IN
til the crop in 1874 ieaehei 5000 pounds.
In The following year he leased some land on
| the north side of the American river, opposit e
this city. Here by 1880 he had cleared and
planted in vines about fifteen acres, which in the
spring of that year was buried in debris so
deeply that it had to be abandoned. He
| then moved further up the American river,
on the same aide, where he now has, in COM
pany with Fay Raymond, twenty-eight acres
under cultivation. For several wears it was
most impossible to dispose of hops ra sei
on this coast, IS all that were used had been
imported heretofore, sud not being as strorg
as the fresh oaes raised here, the brewers did
not understand the using of them. How
ever, in later years the demand for those
bearing the brand of the Pioneer Hep
Yard was greater than Mr. Flint could sur /.
ply. When Mr.. Flint had Gle Irly demo asaratt
the pr actcabiity of raising hops in this section
others from year to year engaged In the bust
ness. The demand tor the Pioneer brand,
however, exceeded that of ali others, al d
frequent applications were mace to MIR,
Flint to place his brand upon the bales. Ia
earlier years the hops used IN California were
imported from New Y ork and Other Eastern
States, also from Great Britain. At tie
piesadt time tire export far exceeds the inn
port. HOPS raised IN Mendociuo county, on
THE RUSSIAN RIVER,
Have obtained considerable reputation.
Ltrse quantities are raised in Santa Clara
county and, to some extent, in various places
over the STATE. There are none, however
that command as good prices 10 the narkets
as those raised IN Sacramento county.
Ths large quantities OF hops coming to tbi5
| city dauy Tor shipClens attracted the stteu-
! ton Of a RECORD UNION TspDrter, ard for
the purpose of Obtaining soma Information as
TO the extent of the industry in this vicinity
| and the process of cu,inZ for the market, q
trip YVES made to the hap-raisiug section on
5fe moth side of the American riger above
| this ely. After croasilg the AnsTic N river
| bridge on the extensi IN If Twelfth STREET, and
wiGdins through the gcoat tn OF willows and
uGderbTush for some iou- miles up the river
| Hoptown" came in view. At the first
r2Ech t5e:e appeared to be TO person who
| had lime 20 he interviewed The second
proved to be that belonging to Flint & Ray.
u.oud, beto e mentioned. MIR. Raymond was
- cha~ge, aud thorough iuspC cticn of the
place was made. They have twenty eight
acres IL vines thi year, ard, win the bsIrng
is complete /. viii have ovuI $50 bales. The
land is 20 ton OF the
RANCHO DEL PAso GRANT,
Ard is Z light, sandy loam. The crop has
been al LIlksd anG cured aCd portion of It
only rcmsins TO be bs!5d. Tbs heating room
OF The ki!a is 26x24 feet The Fl ,oc IS q
wooden gr"tinq covered will coarse hu'lap
| and about thh5een feet sbyve the heating
furnaces. Over this suri.ce the hops, just
fr39 the field, are spread y tie depth Is
about twenty iHcHes. The air below il
raised BY Che furnaces to q temperature of
about 1857. After drying for al hour fumes
OF turning sulphur ara adnitted from belnw,
b. which the hops are partially blaschsd.
his bleaching gives a batter appear
ance, and is supposed to assist
IN preserving the aroma. After lying
for five or six hours, the burning sui phur is
removed and the hops are turned Ia "a few
hours after-about twelve hours in aIl-shsy
are removed to the cooling room. Ia this
rom, which is well ventilated, they are per
nittad to remain for period Of xix days,
after which they ready to be baisd.
About three and half pounds OF green are
| required to make one pound of dry hops.
THE BALISG MACHINE
Ii sinilarin construction to that of a hay press.
The bale when it leaves the press is in size
4 feet 10 inches loGg, 20 inches wide snd %
inches high. 1t is now ready for the market.
! Mr.. RaymoEd's attention was called to e
number Of scattering paiss still standing in
the iield. He explained thai those were male
vines, aud bore 10 hops. These are planted
| st intervals of 100 hills The poles cost.
when delivered, $40 per l 600. and 500 ara
Iequired to he ace. They are DeComag qui e
scarce, snd this year many were saippsd n
hargss from the upper Sacrament river.
tAe kin, press and her improvements on
the remi7es HAYS cost over So coo. Osher
/ hop cards were vi,iei, among which may be
Inan toned those heipagipg TO C4sselman &
| Whi2e, Camp & Brew er, Is. Wittenbrook,
and Gerber Bros. Some have d greater mum
her OF scres under cultivation than is coz :
I tailad Ia the one aOoye described, but in
ether resp Cts sro very similar.
OTHER Hop TOWNS "
Besides tbs s6ove.describsd location there
are several other groups of hop-ranches in
the vicinity of Sacramento. Ga the south
side OF .hs' American river there are several
tracts. That belonging to A. MeSke COM
prisss cv,r 20 acres, besides several smaller
ones. Th5re are s number Of acres under
GU tiyation on the Hoi0 side Of the Sacra-
mento river. Ga the Riverside road below
this city there are nearly 800 acres in hops,
distributed among dozen owners It is
hsre that Mr. Flint first began the growing
Of this product, and he has now 40 acres
of thrifty vines. Here it was that he erected
the first bsling- press, being one of his own
invention. BE has at the pre- eat time the