Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-10
THE HOP BOOM,
Opinions of Eastern Hop Men on the
Subject.

cplniOhS Oh eastern Hop Men the
Subject.
| NEW YORK, July 9th.-The7e is intense
excitement in the hop market here over
| the reported condition of the crops. Cali
| fornia dealers are jubilant, believing that
| they see an opportunity of placing Pacific
| coast hops on the market on more favor
able terms. At first nlany dealers we're in
chned to regard the reports as exaggerated.
believing they were made for the psrpose
of raising prices. Later dispatches have
fully confirmed the frat reports, however,
and it is believed if one-third of the crop
is harvested this year growers may con-
slider themselves well off
Your correspondent saw several leading
hop dealers this morning. ell of whom eT-
pressed alarm at the situation Thsy
claimed the market was overstocked now
and they were in good condition to stand 4.
short crop.
Lilienthal Bros. talked on the subject in
q more conservative way They said
There is undoubtedly an unusual amount
OF vermin on the hop vines. Within the
next ten days, provided the vine has suf-
fieent vitality, hops will come into burr.
If the lice should not have been destroyed
by that time, they will attack the flowers.
and the crop, of course, will sustain very
serious damage. It is asserted by num-
Der of dealers that no matter how favor
ably things may change, we cannot have
over one-third of a crop. The prices in
New York are under the country market
price now. L is well to remember that
growers already have fairly large stock"
Z" But how about the prospects for Cali
fornia hops 2" queried your reporter.
California new hops will have decided
preference and obtain good prices if the
crops here turn out badly, as expected.
Foreign advices are favorable for the grow
ing crop, but it is too early yet to hear au-
thentically from them
member of the firm of Valentine, Low
&, Co said "The seriousness of the situa-
ton has not been at all exaggerated, and L
don't believe the worst has yet been told
We look for very high prices
Can California hops be sold to ad-
yantage?"
Certainly. They can get their own
price
a dispatch from Waterville says the lice.
have come unusually early this year, and
under conditions which old growers say
have no precedent. They have been looked
for with hot, muggy weather day and
night, and dry atmosphere, though with
cool nights has been regarded as good as
surance of the absence of vermin. There
has been no muggy weather to speak of be-
really hot weather, and the nights have
been uniformly cool, yet the lice are here,
and in quantities not known before in
good many yearS-tifteen at least They
have already injured the vine so seriously
that if they should disappear tomorrow
| there is only life enough left to produce
light and very inferior fruitage. The Hum
phrey variety is at the beginning of bios
soming. As soon as the buds open the
vermin leave the leaf in preference for
more succulent feeding, and the hop is
either killed or given only a young and
fruitless life.
Sales at is and 10 cents are already re-
ported, and predictions are made of %
cents at the end of the week. Unless evil
falls TO the lot of English and German
growers, or those of the Pacific coast, the
failure of the New York crop will not Gre
ate famine.
The Journal Of Commerce to-day says
Consumers of hops made stand yesterday
against the further advance in prices. At
least there was q pause in the upward
movement, which has been caused in part
by the scarcity of choice hops, but more by
the persistent reports of vermin in the
growing crop and drought These reports
have been received from the start with
good deal of stubborn unbeljef, finding
more ready credence among holders in the
country than here. with the result that sales
have been several times within few weeks
reported at higher prices in the hop dis
tricts than ia New York.
ALMOST TOTAL FAILURE.
UTICA IN. ", July 9th.-Reports from
Montgomery county to the Herald show
that the hop crop in that county will be
almost total failure. Many growers say
that it will not pay to pick them. They
are confident that good hops will command
| 25 cents or more.