The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-10
HOW TO PACK HOPS.
Ezra Meeker Advises Growers
to Bale Hot and Whole.
WAREHOUSE STORING UNSAFE.
Absence Of Moisture Imror&.c%rn.
Old Time Presses Not Fit
to BE Used.
From Ezra Meeker', New Handbook


at some future date not definitely deter
mined. of baling after the hops have
"toughened." or gone through sweat, ,
is often as fatal to the quality as actual
SLACK drying. In this climate in particu,
lar, IN open warehouses. there is certain
carnage. We repeatedly find hops tina,
nave gone down Hat and lifeless into the
bale from this cause that otherwise would
have been strictly choice. lively hops.
No grower should have a warehouse
other than his hop press, except for baled
hops, away from his hop kiln, and to you
that have the big houses. our advice is to
turn them into dry houses, SO that you can
have more drying capacity.
have had experience of TWENTY-FIVE wears
in hop-raising, and during the last fifteen
years l think it is safe to say that have
baled fully 10000 bales right from the kiln
into the baler without cooling. andkyet l
am often and often asked: ''Why, do you
actually bale your hops hot?"
VI course We do. If q flooring is ready
TO come of in the night, and We do not
care to start the press and the hops lie
until morning We invariably start the fires
under them and heat them up before bal
ing, to the end that there shall be no
moisture lett in them.
Moisture is an element of decay, and
that process goes on in the ratio of the
presence of large or small quantities of it,
and tpr the best hop to keep well, there
must be an absence of moisture either
within or without the hops, either that
lett In curing or that coming to the hop in
the pile in the warehouse.
AS before mentioned. we do not now
stir or turn flooring of hops or handle
them in any way except to carefully take
them to the baler. We have large wheel
scoop that will carry about third of
bale that is run on the floor until load
accumulates, and then is backed out with
its load on, and taken direct to the press
and tilted up until the hops slide
Oft into the press. To do this the
doors to the kiln must be wide.
the press so arranged that the top of the
box is even with the upper floor and the
press all below. We have three such in
our three groups of buildings, where the
baling does not cost to exceed So per ton,
and with such an arrangement it fire.
quently happens that the hops are in the
cars and on the way to market within
twenty-fOur hours after curing.
The English consumer wants a whole
hop. All other things being equal, he will
pay all the way from to Is shillings more
per cwt. for whole hops than he will for
broken hops. Hence we have found that
not have to tramp the hops.
If man would offer me one of those
old-time presses where the hops had to be
tramped and $500 besides for each seasons
use, | could not be induced to accept such
an offer.
Some growers this year have been care
less about the weight of bales. We en-
countered one lot in which some of the
bales ran as high as $50 pounds. Such are
thrown out entirely in the New York hop
exchange. while in London they are only
taken at greatly reduced prices.
There is good reason for this, in that
heavy bales, even if otherwise in order
will not keep well, that is, they become as
like old hops much quicker than light
pressed bales. go off color as the season adj
vances and finally must be used early or
become what are known as persisted"
hops. This objection particularly lies
against our Washington and Oregon hops
because their market value has been de-
termined by their keeping qualities for a
summer-use hop.
Our export trade is very much affected
by the question OF the manner in which
the hops are baled.
While this firm is deeply interested in
building up this trade for the gain there is
in it. yet the growers are yet more so, be-
cause of the effect this competition has
upon the price.
1.-THE export trade was lost we would
have to pillow up some of our hops, as the
home market could not demand all raised
in the United States; and even if it did.
the lack of competition would inevitably
lead to ruinous prices. Hence the life, so
~ i .,tt b.,o, Of 10
depends on keeping firm hold on the
foreign market.
Speaking of the effects of whale oil soap,
Prot. Hilgard says:
'.It is most commonly combined with,
or made the vehicle for other insecticide
substances. Instead. common soft soap
is also employed. but its chief merit lies in
the fact that it, in common with other soapy
compounds. serves to conserve the
efficacy and maintain the action of
other insecticides for which it serves
as vehicle. This il does partly
by virtue of Its property of promptly Wet
ting even hairy. greasy or polished sur
faces whether of leaves or insectsl. from
which simple water would rebound or
gather in ineffective drOplets: partly be-
cause il remains more or lss- moist. and in
that condition forms q soft. ciinging warn
ish. under which the action even of voia-
tie agents tsuch a. kerosene 90 the ~
tract Of powder "a 'tuharh } eau coz
tnue FOR some time wifheut 80 marh
wasting Il the.r strenein snta s1a ssr-
rounding ar. ~ svararst
Again, in the sama aa eta. NJ M
rari saFs
''An rHrs afnsfter ~ s'se severe aFaafs
90 haae as sE M
uarss. hss Hsrrf
I.rEaeuH fNr Dis
flH-s fEtae .asasr na sae.l.ea