Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-05

FokTESEs m noRk
UTICA, n. Y, Dec. 1O.-A small section
Of country in Central New York. en-
bracing the counties Of Otsego, Oneida
Madison. Schoharie and Montgomery. |
IL the greatest hop raising region IN tho |
United States. There ID no market or |
trade that Affects the merchants in this |
section 20 directly or in % marked .
degree a. the hop trade. Great as y
the interest in the products of the dairy,
trade here ID but slightly induenced BY
. Mss or fall IN the dairy market. But
when the price Of hops reaches 30 cenfs
. pound, and especially at this tims,
when growers have realized IN many IN
stances 81 a pound, or nearly 1OO Per
cent. ON the cost Of production, the lux
uries of life meet with ready and quick
sales in this part Of the country, and
everybody has plenty of money.
Extraordinary stories OF fortunes 40
quired by hop raising are told by the
people Of Central New York. Men. wo-
men and boys are pointed at, as sney
pass along the street. az having made
fortunes varying from 5000 to $NU.uU
during the past two or three months.
indeed there has not in years been the
excitement in this section IN any trade
that now exists among the hop men,
and hop farms have this fall actually
doubled IN value, with ready ana even
eager buyers. Many appear TO have &C
tually gone daft on the subject, and are
laying great plans for the next year.
Growers have refused to make any con-
tract for next years crop, even when
thnnnh all Ah-
init that q largely increased acreage
will, in all probability, produce much
more abundant crop next yssr. ms
hopeful feeling - partially explained ~
the expectation that natural causes will
remove many old yards: The more
cautious, however, speak disooafaRin9ly
Of the coming few years.
'The history Of the past u promise
of the future" they say, and when the
new yards that will surely be planted
this spring shall bear fruit, hops must
take such tumble - to completely
wreck those Who are now thoughtlesaly
and extravaRantly paying $2OO an acre
for hop farms"
One dealer in this city has already
made A contract with Western brewer
TO furnish his supply of h0ps for the
0OIuluR tWV 00kb o. UA4O AOA4VW AAAA AssspSs
Next year, Is cents per pound; 1854, 10
cents per pound. One thing that may
serve as CHECK upon those DESTROYS of
becoming hop growers 10 the difficulty
experienced in obtaining poles. At
present all hop poles come from Cana
da, ind unless the winter brings an
abundance Of snow, it will be next to
impossible to supply tho demand. Last
~,>lo- vwapo au11oA for than
could be furnished. The duty ON the
poles is considerable, and therefore hop
poles form no uncomfortable part of the
expense of running yard.
Utica il naturally the center OF this
hop region, and Waterviile, Oneiea'
CoOperstown and One0nta are also inn
perhaps, the largest dealers, with ono
or two exceptions, in the country. This
year the price started at 30 cents, and
gradually increased, until 10 cents was
Offele 4, and then jump was made to
81. At present the market is compare
lively quiet and inactive. There are
very few good hoIs left in the hands OF
growers, and those who have "held on
are disposed to talk of great advance
| in the near future.
n ubtk0 0A0kt0U40ut wan G0009A tAAo
other day bv heavy decline in price,
the market touching 50 cents. In con-
versation with the leading hop men 1t
was learned that tho depression was
merely temporary, caused mainly by the
importation Of some old, inferior Ger
man hops, and the sudden thrustinR
upon sensitive market of few poorly
picked and poorly dried State hops.
Il k>vo ~~x~Ax1av.A that t,Srh
water mark has not yet been reached.
The entire crop Of the United States ID
carefully estimated at 12b,000 bales,
much LEES than enough for homo con-
sumption. Over 5000 bales have al
ready been exported this year. and it ID
argued that American consumers OF
sellers must b buyers in England and
Germany.
The amount Of hops raised in this re-
Ri0n this year il $1,000 bales, or more
than 100000 pounds. This is about
one third smaller than the crop OF last
year. Tho growers have received on an
average about GO cents per pound for
the crop, or over g. 100000: II will be
readily understood that thiAenormous
amount-leaving out Of consideration
the profits Of the middlemen-distribut-
~ bubO0SSo b0o 0v0 OOO0tSeoI BAvoO q
tremendous impetus to trade. The pro-
fits on hons arc greater than on any
other farm product. Il costs only from
10 to ID cents 10 cultivate and raise .
pound Of hops. This includes the in
tsrest on the land, labor, picking, dry
ing and getting 10 market. Il il little
wonder, therefore, that hop raising has
proved % attractive to the keen, intelli-
gent and thrifty farmer in Central New
York. The profits TO dealers this year
have bean commensurate with the good
fortune OF the grower. Very few hops
have been sold where . gain Of 10 cents
per pound has not been realized. The
average has been from 10 10 Is cents.
In the quantity raised tho ave ooun-
ties stand In the following order: Otse-
60, Oneida, Madison, 6choharie and
Montgomery. In this county nearly al
the hops are raised In the four towns Of
6sneer6sld, Kirkland, Aarshall and
Augusta. So far a. quality and price 10
oonoerned In the London market, Eng
land is hrst and New York State . Close
second.