Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-08
rAndrex b. Saxon in n T. Snn.l

,,assed. begins 10 see strange aoo ~
s-,strvnsd vegetation. Occasa Sualiy q
,nYnria,t growth Of vines - net. vnicH
$3.50 THE earth entirely from the isf-
vsrt midday sun, and rises fross tseave
20 ,veuty feet in the air. DE y N TIE
ontskirts of the hop district IL y onis
.f,ar he has gained the summit aooos
6ftv miles vsSt Of the Capital City. ana
,oiis svif,iv down the long slope OF me
SDso oshann. valley. that he reAiizes Iiia'
Tire beart of bop growing AneFlcs =
r..rhed He is IN Otseeo-a county
n ,rh excels aIi others ~ acreage ana
amount aud value OF crops
Esre the hop fields become larger sns
mora nurnsro1s- Hop growers are no
ionprr the exception but the raie: iou
-. drive the whole day and hardly
nsss a farm which has not FROM tao 70
fst- .rrss of the vine. This acreage u
co.stantIv increasing. The small grow.
Ar of Eve years ago shows his brosd
f,slds today. and even the ilfnio' Gu
Fash,onsd farmer of that TINE pss
cauchf the infection and boasts MOD
- screae,e of his own. The nercnsnt,
TIE rnschauic, and even the day lAborer
moi infrequently hires plot OF GROUND
f,on sorne nelgkborlng farmer sho
s.tries his fortune with the resi-.
stanoss are not uncommon OF those wno
rent A fev acres and rely enfire'y upon
the crop produced, spending toe wnoie
yexr in and about tns hop yard III -
maria: and a. in the oil regions notn-
inc is heard save oal yields ana on pros
r,,ctg. 20 h-re nothing Is heard from
wear end 70 year cad, save 3 drsaFy re
Iteration Of hop prospects. mop SAFES.
hon Yields. and hop blight 1t u region
of uuouestlsned fertility, and one Oh
the best grazing ana dairyin2 sessions
nj the State. All tie cereals fuflisn
certain and abundant hArvesfs- ine
root crops are prolific. aud the orcnafos
redundsut Of fruitAce. AL, however
are subordinated TO the uncertain mop
industry, and the rich n u iooss Tor ms
luxuries and tbs poor man Tor ms ne
ooau,t,es 20 the value of t6ss crop alone
Hcp growing il always uncertain
Therein lies rnnch OF its fascination. IL
h the suirit of Wall street carried aneio-
The dairyman or grain grover looks TOT
INT slight hnctnation IN the value OF
his products from year TO year gam
or loss of city ps7 sent. void be remark
able. Within a much smaller hmt ne
il safe. But the hop cultivator Knows
that the price of this year bears no as
yerabls relation 10 that OF the next
IL NAV be three or four hundred per
csnt HIGHER or I.wer, withoat exciting
auy great surprise. As great changes -
that have occurred within tbs past fes
mopths. Last DeceBsef tue prioe
touched hioh-va mark, and hops
touched fl.25 Der pound. Today II
q, a. -. az ~ HAnsS.
There hundreds of farmers IN central
New York 10 whom this dsciin. means
loss OF thousands OF dollars, Tor tnefe
we're few who c4ught she tide AZ us
food. Who jcould deulot that *i1o
or even 81 would be reached IN a
few daysf "fhe brewers fnnsf nave
then, rs Was the general Try. Men who
had sold their own crops At the TIL then
unheard OF 60 or Is cents. IN sde haste 10
buy OF their Neighbors at VI or more
For time every man With sp re dol
lar invested it in hops, and looked with
out fear for the golden harvest. The
madness ran ahead OF the year, and fu-
lures we're bought when possible, not a
few being offered 30 cents pound for
this years crop. Today no one il san
guine enough to predict the value this
years yield.
when We reflect that hops can. under
favorable circumstances, be fitted for
market for 10 cents per pound. aud that
Ii ceuts yields q margin of profit. We get
at the fail Significance Ut these figures.
Eight TO ton cents per pound has not In
frequently been the price for year or
morc--followed. II may be. the next
season by from 40c 70 Toe. Ye' the de-
cline il ~ sudden and unexpected.
have in mind grower who WIS some
years ago offered 6211c per pound fol
his crop of 5000 pounds. Refusing "a
sell nj that time, he sftervard accepted
&c per pound. which was much more
than many others received. Another
sold his whole crop for SO. One man
fed them - his sheep. while another
used them for horse bedding. Bat IN
the overturn Of things produced by last
years supposed immense shortage some
Of those hops which had by some ch ,ncc
been kept were sold fo- more than they
we're worth when new. II wonld be ia
terastiug TO know IL they have at last
gone into Use, or are still kept III store
perhaps 10 pass into greater worthless
nsss than before.
The factors which produce this vast
huctuatiou OF prices are many. Per.
haps there Is no other plant subject &c
~ many vicissitudes Of climate M the
hop. The roots may winter kill over
vast areas. A slow, cold summer may
retard the growth. A hot, wet August
may bring moald in the wake of that
dreaded insect enemy, the fly. Tue
iouss, AN immature fly, may cover the
leaves by thousands, causing that pecu.
liar black and shining appearance
known as honey dew. Add to these thu
depr~dasions Of the hop grub, which
working under ground. DESTROYS thu
root, and the myriad forms Of caterpil-
lars and OF insect life which IN IKE then
home In the hop plantations, aud yot
Get sane idea Of the enemies with which
the planter must contend. Daring tn,
present year there has been added Il
these q hight the nature OF which il
mot yet precisely determined. Man,
hills. after attaining hight OF froi
nix 10 ten feet. suddenly stoppe grow
ING, aud the head or terminal joint tool
on . withered Appearance. This Thu
plant ssemiagly overcome. but late
u appeared. attacking the ends o
the branches In the full grown vine
Thess vithcred, dropped their leaves
and In some Gases become dry aud hard
The loss from this cause will not b
Considerable this year. but no on
knows IL cause or how TO successful
coutsnd With IL and no little anxiety
folt leat Il reappear next season.
Today the hop fields have taken Of
the dirty shade of greenish white whic
distinQuishes the plant in bloom. 4
Len than ono mouth the picking wi
have begun, and by the middle Of Ser
tsmbsr BE- nearly completed. The ont
look Ut present Ia no, as favorable for
large crop a. It seemed few days ago
The l0use and ay have made their APP
pearAnce In large numbers. have seel
NJ yard that was entirely exempt. i
several which have personally exam
tned the leaves are covered with Al
alarming number Of hies. lice and M
hatchsd e9gs. Ths lady bug. their ma,
ural eLemy, 10 everywhere busy; hu
their numbers are too small TO conten
With the le0ions that swarm on ever
vine, and those spectators who bonsh
during the present decline may not b
altogether unlucky. So many thing.
however. influence the price. that an
prediction would be merely q guess
Not only the effect OF the dangers b.
fore enumerated. but the condition Q
English aud continental fields aud Cd
comparative strength of the old an