The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-05-31
IMPORTANT HOP news
Fears Of England Imposing a Tariff and
Running the American Industry.
MANY hop HOUSES BEING BUILT.
us Yakima's Hop Acreage Great
EaeaEhT-where Are We % Ges
Our PieksrsT-Assecisti meet.
ing SATURDAY..

NO less than thirty-six new hop houses
will be- the record for this season in
Yakima. Some have been completed,
others are under construction and most
OF the balance have been contracted.
| Notwithstanding the hard times and
indications Of low prices prevailing for "a
hops, it is the sense Of most OF the grow
ers Of Yakima not to reduce the price Of
picking, but to maintain the dollar per
box rate. This should insure sufficient
number Of pickers. 1t is difficult to esti.
mate how many pickers will be required.
Had the Hop Growers association been
better organized last year II would be an
easier matter to figure upon, but there
was no account kept OF the number Of
acres or OF the pickers. Old and ex-
perienced growers in Yakima claim that
four pickers are required to the acre,
while Ezra Meeker states that on the
Sound the estimates are based on three
picke,s per acre. Yakima will have
1900 acres of old hops this season, and
calculating four pickers to the acre, the
number required would be 10, 400. Max
ing the estimate on the Sound basis, 1890
would be the number.
Most Of the hop cloth to be used by the
Yakima growers this year will come
from the penitentiary at walla Walla.
The quality is said to be good and the
prices slightly lower than has usually
been paid here.
w. E. Thornton claims to have the
best hop yard in the county. This is ite
second year, and he estimates the yield
at upwards Of ton an acre. Many Of the
vines are two feet over the twenty. foot
trellis.
Saturday afternoon the first m.eting
for the year Of the Yakima Hop Growers
association will be held at Mason's opera
house. 1t is very essential that there be
full attendance OF growers. The organ.
iza,ion last year was not sufficiently per-
feet to obtain the best results, and the in
dustry has now grown to such proper
tons that organization will not only
prove beneficial but is absolutely neces-
sary.
Lombard & Horsley are about to begin
the erection of one kiln Hop house !;
Wiley Bros. are building a large hop
house and the Yakima Hop company
are to put up three kiln house at cost
Of $1,000.
Samuel Storrow has Just finished hop
house with Hopper. kiln and storehouse
for George Rankin. He has similar con-
tracts with Cyrus Walker and Baker &
Halstead.
There is growing feeling that Yakima
has about sufficient number Of acres Of
land devoted to hops. This is not on &C.
count OF OVERRIDING the business, although
there is danger in that, but because of
the belief that We have all that we can
attend to. In Yakima county there are,
all told, 1900 acres in hops. That means
1900 acres OF old hops and 400 OF this
years. With the hops all matured, from
twelve to sixteen thousand pickers will be
required, and the question forces itself
upon us, where are they t., be obtained?
As 1t is now we have TO draw upon the
Sound country, Oregon, Idaho and British
Columbia. Next year from 1900 to 5000
additional pickers will be needed, and il
the acreage is still further increased there
is serious danger that in some yards the
hops will hare to rot upon the vines.
The HERALD sounds this warning note,
and the Hop Growers association and
those who propose to engage in the bust
ness should carefully consider the aues-
ton id all OF its phases and bearings. The
HERALD does not want to pose as an
alarmist, but certainly there is food for
thought here.
The report that the English growers
are trying to get tariff imposed on hops
has somewhat started the American pro-
ducers. In this connection the Home.
stead says:
English growers are alarmed at the fact
that the United States has exported to
that country during the past season near
ly twice as many hops as during the pre-
vious year. The English hop growers
have great fears OF the competition from
Washington and Oregon.
A high tariff, such as the English
growers desire, would mean ruination
to the American industry. The actual
cost in England, of the hop when ready
for the market is Is cents and as a result
the American hop is crowding the British
grower out. The danger OF a tariff
however is nil, according to MIR William
Ker who says that the English hop grow
er has been asking for protection for the
past two years, to his knowledge, and
probably much longer. but that Britian's
policy is firmly fixed at free trade with
tariff on teas, coffees, liquors, tobacco, etc,
for revenue and nothing more, and that
with the well known British tenacity she
is going to stick TO it.
The Kentish Observer OF May 8 SAYS:
The growing weather Of the past week
has worked change in the appearance
OF the hop bine, and the tyers are now
busy in most OF the gardens. Many COM
plain OF wire worm and unevenness Of
bine, and there are a great many slugs
and insects in and around the roots.
Waterville, N. Y, Times. The quality
OF New York state hops, up to within the
past five years. always has been con-
sidered to be the best produced in the
United States, but the past five years has
seen the Pacific coast hops take prefer
ence, not alone with our home brewers,
but also on the London market. Is it be-
cause the Pacific coast growers have been
producing 6ner quality than in former
years, or has the quality in New York
state deteriorated: We have seen the
crops in the states Of Oregon and Wash
ington affected by vermin for the past
| few wears, and vet this season hops from