The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-01-12
Extracts From E. Meeker & Co.'s Hop
Annual and Hand Book.
The Industry Treated From start
To Finish-How to Produce n
Choice Grade OF Hop
Interesting Facts.

III tllOoC StnANo iu iDONs ttP
resents fifteen thousand acres of land
also permanent investment OF 81, 200, 600
and an annual outlay of half that much
as the cost of production and harvesting.
The acreage now. with the usual crop, is
sufficient to produce 100000 bales in
stead OF $4,000; in fact the districts on
the west side Of the mountains were short
$4,000 bales. The season of 1898 will
show large increase in acreage all along
the coast--so large that it is safe to pre-
diet that fully one-half the hops grown in
the United States will be produced on the
Pacific slope.
Hops will grow on a great variety OF
soil. The deep alluvial river bottom
land mixed with clay, Meeker claims to
be best, but it is generally understood
that the quantity and quality of the sage
brush lands of Yakima cannot be sur
passed. While a hep root must have
moisture, yet wet lands are unsuitable.
Hop roots in kindly soil will 60 down
four or five feet and draw moisture.
The first years crop is half cultivated
II the ground is properly prepared. After
marking out the rows each way, six or
seven feet apart, and setting the poles,
then the planting begins. Not less than
two, but rather three roots should be
planted in each hill. This will insure a
good stand, and if the roots are good and
other conditions are favorable, the first
crop is well assured. Cultivation should
be deep where practicable, on every yard,
new or old, early inf the season-snd
thorough. When the bloom appears 1t is
best, for several reasons, to let the yard
alone. Later cultivation, if judiciously
done, will bring heavier crops, but the
hops will be later in ripening, more
"chaffy" in spots, from excess of foliage,
and Off color from what the crop would
otherwise be. Hops are not ''hilled-up,"
as done in years gone by. The double
shovel or cultivator, with occasional re-
verse blowing with the side pillow, does
the work. Weeds and grass must Of
course be kept out of the hills.
The first move toward cultivating a
crop is the pruning. This should be
done early. All runners" should be re-
moved and the crown cut back where
growing up above the surface. 1t is well
to cut these, even to under the surface OF
the ground, exercising great care not to
cut the last or lowest buds. Heavy prun-
ing is not desirable, especially on light
soils; neither is it we'll to omit pruning
altogether in any year. In pruning, all
weeds and grass should be cleaned from
the hill and the ground stirred up with a
four-pronged hoe for distance of at least
fifteen inches from the center of the hill
be careful not to ''cut and cover" in the
centers, but see to it that every inch Of
ground is thoroughly plowed between
the rows and as close up to the hill as
possible.
The mistake is made of training Toe
many vines to a pole. This depends
somewhat on the richness of the ground
Three, two, and even one vine on the
strongest land has been known to raise q
ton and half to the acre says Mr.
Meeker. Two vines, If judiciously Sc
lected, or at most three vines is enough
for any soil. 1t is all plain sailing until
the vines reach the top of the poles
when, in the Irvine yards the fun begins
In bright weather the vine will "follow
the sun" and climb the poles almost un
aided, but when 1t comes to so "cross
begins. Because of this, it is very i'm
portant that the tvine should not be sc
high as to be out of reach-not more thar
seven feet from the ground. Great care
should be taken to ''stock" the Irvine ir
every direction, else there is sure to bt
punched" vines, producing trashy
bleached, immature, worthless stuff, re
sulting in very inferior quality to maj
the sample.
| NO UuJteT nON Wei ttlc Siop ifo bCOA
cultivated and trained, the work and cart
all goes for nothing through picking too
early. There is less danger of this il
Yakima, but it was done to a large ex
tent on the west side last year, on &C
count of the vermin, and the result was
an inferior, immature grade of hops that
goes a-begging at less than half the price
of the best qualities. This early picking
not only results in loss OF quality, but the
loss is carried into another season by the
weakening OF the vine from bleeding
when the pole is taken down and cut
and hops picked ten days too early will
lose fully 80 per cent. OF weight which
would otherwise be realized at maturity,
Growers almost universally deceive
themselves IN determining when theil
crop is ripe, by examining individual
specimens here and there through the
yard, readily finding some apparently
ripe. 1t is the mass Of hops that should
show ripeness, not selections alone, herr
and there. There is more real intrinsic
kalue developed in the last few days IL