The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-03-01
HOW TO TREAT HOPS.
Hints Upon Their Cultivation by HIr. r..
F. Wickham
FA1RvIEw, Feb. %. 1894.

FAIRvIEw, Feb. %, 1894.
Editor CHRONICLE:
| DEAR SIR-Seeing an article in re-
cent issue of your paper purporting to
be practical course to pursue in the
planting and cultivating of hop yard,
and as have had some experience in
the growing of hops in the state OF
New York, where they are extensively
and successfully grown, would say, in
the first place select soil that would be
suitable for growing fair crop of timo-
thy, though it is not altogether ueces-
sary that it should be quite so wet, as
the hopis a plant. that requires great
deal of cultivation, thereby creating
great deal of moisture. A northwest
slope is the best, and the next choice is
fat or level. Having such soil and
location, you need not hesitate in plant
ing hops and having good crop, if
properly attended to. If new land is to
be used, it would be better to have it
plowed in the fall or early in the
spring, SO as to give the soil chance to
pulverize and evaporate some of the
wild nature. 1t SHOULD be plowed
thoroughly and deep, well narrowed and
then rooted. Mr.. Carpenter says plant
your hops seven feet each way. Iwould
say eight feet each way, for hops require
a good share of sunlight and fresh air.
As marker for getting your yard square
and rows straight, Mr.. Carpenter ad-
vises the use of a wire or string. have
a better device. It is square frame
made from four pieces of 1x2, with a
one-inch hole in each corner, firmly
screwed together. with two pieces of the
same material screwed on top, about
sixteen inches apart, SO as to permit
man to walk between. 1t takes two
men to operate this, the same as the
wire or string, but it has many advan-
tages over the former. Just start your
yard from straight side; make four
pieces to fit in the holes of your frame
closely, so that you can raise your frame
and your pins will remain; have the
pins twelve inches long and pin for
each hill; one man to carry the frame
and the other to insert the pins, taking
two rows at once. You want to count on.
twelve hundred roots to the acre. 1t is
always best to put two roots in hill.
In planting withdraw the pins and
plant the roots in the hole. The roots
should not be less than five inches long
and cut from the runners of good thrifty
hills. Secure one male for every sixty, |
which will place them after the first row
in every sixth row and every tenth hill.
The male bills need permanent stake,
SO that you can at all times tell where he |
is. Your first hill in first row ought to
be a male, and so on on your return on
the sixth row.
Mr.. Carpenter thinks it is not worth |
while to pole the first year. Iwould
say pole your hops by all means, SO that
you can thoroughly cultivate them, and
you will have fine crop the first year;
then if the market is fair your labor is
not in vain. You can cultivate them
once week from the time they are one
foot high until they are in bloom, which
will be from the 1st to the Goth of July.
When the vines are about thirty inches
high if they are not inclined to climb
the pole they should be tied to the poles
lOOS6ly SO dS uOC TO OTQls0 LIE vines, anu
continue the tying about three times in
fourteen feet. Poles to be used should
not be less than fourteen feet and from
three to four inches at the but-end, and
should be set as soon as the young vines
make their appearance, and if one pole
only is used it should be set as near
plumb as possible; but if two poles are
used, they ought to be spread trifle at
the top. In setting all poles be sure and
set them six or eight inches from the
hill, in line with. the rows.
There is no question as regards the
growing of hops in large portion of
Wasco county, and especially on the
high bench land and foot hills. I have
on my place about one and half acres
which have been planted six years. but
have not attended to them more than to
cultivate until last year, when I poled
them, and / have never seen finer lot
of hops. They would easily have aver
aged one and half tons per acre; and
at ten cents per pound $500 per acre.
OF course you must not count this net
cash; but the expense is not SO alarm |
ing as some make it appear. In my