Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-22
Hop Raising and Hop Gathering in
southern England.
POET WAKEMAh'S WAHOERlNGS
Take Him to Kent where He Sees the
Women aud the Men Manipulating
the Piumy Fruitage of the Plant
That Enters So Largely Into Beer.


A traveller iourneying through the may
niiiccnt garden shire of Kent cannot
fail TO DO impressed with the amplitude
and snugness of most of its country
homesteads. They are very ancient,
stone-built, and exceedingly large; low,
but wide, with outspreading wings and
'lean-tos'. Centuries-od ash, lime or
oak trees cluster about them. Fine old
walls enclose shaded lanes leading to
and from them, The outbuildings are
large aud substantial. Great orchards
are set about them. The groupings are
pictures of rustic opulence, thrift and
good husbandry. They almost cause the
wanderer TO long to know and tarry
within them. But a stranger not under
standing one Of the sources of the great
wealth of Kent, will curiously regard
certain strengthening structures stand
ing near every farm house in many dis
tricts.
They are round and tall and white
Some have red-painted cones, and these
are in turn surmounted by white cows,
shaped like an arched fan, their mouths
always opening in the direction opposite
that from which the wind blows.
Against gray and wintry horizons these
odd structures form weird silhnuettes.
But wherever you see them. you may
know, at any time of the year, that you
are in the l0ng-famOus hop country of
Kent. 1t is to these quaint and always
picturesque old kins. or 'oast-hOuses"
as they are here called. that the hops
are brought for drying or curing, after
they are picked pN tue motley throngs
in the odorous gardens and fields.
In all ut England perhaps SnNn acres
are planted in hops. Nearly One-half of
the entire area Is within the shire of
Kent. The system of hopraiSing, pick
ing and drying Is simple and interesting
Tile plants. which are perennial, are
and in rows, as we plant Indian corn
in America. These hills from being
rounded are called crowns There are
about 1900 to the acre, and each one re-
qulres from two to four poles from ten 90
sixteen feet in length, according to the
variety of the hops planted. These poles
are of larch alder, ash. chestnut, and
occasionally of oak. and owing to the
scarcity of woods in England, in them
selves represent a very large outlay.
Early in April the crowns are opened
and trimmed of the last years shoots
which have been cut lose to the ground.
and these 'sets" are used for prOpOgn-
stem now springs from dhc bottom of
the permanent setting, In the open win
ter months the hOp-Gar1en has been dug
TO depth of eight inches with tiat-tlned
forks Shortly after the opening of the
"crowns' and trimming of the old blues
"polling' Is begun. This is done by the
acre, or by the hundred poles. The
laborer's wife and choldren lay ont tile
poles while he makes the holes with an
iron hoppitcher. Women are solely
employed in the next process, called hop
Tying. The pnny shoots must be trimihed
away, and two or three of the hardy
ones tied to the poles. This is done by
the acre and whatever portion of the
lOp-glrden Is thus attended 10 by one
woman is called 'iakng," For Sc
curing the shoots 10 the poles without
injury. PUSHES are exclusively used, and
these are harvested from marshes, haughs
hest lie streams or wet meadows, and dried
in a manner TO render them tough. by
children The women mnst % over their
"takngs" many times cutting Out sirkly
or broken hines and tying in newer and
healing their older ones until the work
is heyond their reach.
Then the men resume the work, They
go over the ''rakings' as the women have
done, standing upon short. rough step-
ladders, until they reach Tie top Of the
poles. Then "niggeting" season begins
and only ends when the hop gardens are
in full bloom. The nugget Is an inple-
ment with iron tines. something like
huge hoe slit into several narrow divisions.
With this the ALLEYS" between the rows
are kent clean of weeds MS n newly
ploughed field. and the soil is constantly
broken and pulverZcd about the crowns
that the roots may derive all possible
nutrition, air and free moisture; These
comprise all the necessities OF cultivation
but the alarms, yeNati0ns and anNieties
of the Eop-plOwer are only fairly begun
as his heaviest lahOrs are ending.
No one ever knew Of an American peach
crop. good or bad. that was not half II
dozen fimcs menaced 10y this or that.
Or ruined by something else altogether.
SO it is with the hOp-yincs and hops In
Kent. For nearly two munths before
they are secure from danger every true
Briton wl.n quaifs his -four ale or hit
ter" is subjected 10 qualms and starts
and pangs, through announcements of
successive impending calanaucs In the
Draw bantling of Kent; aud every hop
district of that shire is In perturbation
and turmoil Understandable. The mil
dew has rotted the Top; the wet wealth
er has drowned II; the drought has
scorched it: the light Las taken the very
lifp ont If II; tie smut has sinOtll-
cred It: the flies from which ii can
OILY be rescued Ivy millions OF mysterious
~ arriving ''lndy-hir,ls,' nre eating It's
head on; innmerblr insects are prey
ing upon its tcndrils and body: AMI even
the pcstiferous fic1s have made. deadly
assault upon its very stem aud roots.
Bulletins are posted az every ale house IN
Kent Nothing else Is talked IN every
parish of the shire. The London market
is 'feverish.' while the hop Is in It's
tl.roes. In fact, all southern England is
solemn and serious until the hop crop
has passed from hine to bud and bloom
and is ready for the tens of thousands of
hands that are tingling to wiring lis neck
for gain.
itN.ng AMI curing are the final pro
cesses.. Perhaps from $1,000 TO 10000
souls could Ut one ti'nr l., found In the
hop gardens Of keni. Half Of these
are Rom London, and comprise the
most iudtmrihable lot Of ''huinan war
ions" ever drawn together BY common
interest IN all the world. II . field o.
twenty acres is TO be picked. there viii
be from six to ten sets of ertkers
with from half tlogan 70 score Of
pickers In each set. These, ranged
along the entire length Of the field, are
each supplied with a bin The bin
- n rude low framework Of old poles,
built after the fashion Of an American
settlers log cabin. about . feet wide aud
6 feet long. with elevated cross-staks
At each cad supporting stout pole