The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-16
EZRA MEEhER IN ENGLAND.
He Visits the Kent Hop Fields and
Considers the Hop Situation

He Visits the Kent Hop Fields and
Considers the Hop Situation
London. Jan .. iSsS
To the Editor: I was out today TO that
quaint old town. Maidstone. on the Md
way. 81 the great East Kent hop district
OF England. Many o. the principal streets
are crooked. narrow lanes. not more than
3 rod and a half wide, with narrow side
walks OF stone. attn gravelea roaased for
the street or the $50 acres OF hops in
England. 15.lss are IN the Kent districts.
much OF which IS tributary 10 this town:
in fact. it Is the great hop center Of En-
gland
went out on market day" when
many factors og London and grow
ers meet and saw a number OF growers
who were anxious 70 see that arch enemy
OF the mop growers Of England some Of
whom could not disguise their iil-feeIing
against the Yankees for destroying their
business. The English growers attributed
ali their wees 10 the American hop grow
eFs. forgetting that tssir heaviest losses
are caused b. the production Of poor quail
ify. In this district. however. the proper
ton OF poor hops is much less than in
many other parts. In nearly every
case the growers insisted they would go
right on growing hops until YOU have
enough OF il" meaning that pay or no pay,
tiev intended 70 hight the American hop
growers 10 the bitter end. Some. no doubt,
VIII. while others VIII not.
I walked out in the early morning 10 the
old church yard and TO see the old hop
house just beyond. said 70 have been built
By the monks A ID. 1870. The position or
the old church TO the hop houses was SUCH
that one could readily see that each formed
a part of large Enclosure wall Of a large
court in the midst Of which stood a group
OF low buildings known as the 1.-THE sta
and
deposit their tenth bushel or part OF all
they produced in kind. and IN return re-
cetved dissolution from their sins. present
and future. At one end OF the hop build
ings. which were OF stone. was massive
stone archway Through which IS now
wagon passageway). that shows plainly
Was one OF the entrances TO the court. Ira
ditiou says on one OF the angles was
brewery. where the monks used to brew
their beer and have a jolly good time after
prayer. There are yet traces Of the old hop
yard near by, known TO have been In hops
80 years. but now laid by To rest. ! could
NOT trace inscriptions on the tomhstones
much over 10 years old. though IL was said
there were graves both inside and outside
The church over 500 years old. Those old
stones outside were SO weather worn that
the inscriptions were destroyed. showing
how vain it was Tor man 10 undertake TO
psrpetuate the memory OF the dead. except
for few fleetlng years.
But IL was not Of this that | set out 10
write, nor Is II what your readers want to
hear. The question Is. what about the
hop situation? What is 10 become OF us
poor mortals engaged in this "nefarious'f
traffic. cursed by God?' That Is what
the troubled hop farmers Of England are
asking themselves. and asking. What are
We TO do If we go out of the hop business?
Grain does not pay the expenses of rails
ing. Yankee beef is cutting into the cattle
trade. hay won't pay. What shall We
doF' the English farmers are asking them
selves. Thousands upon thousands OF
acres o. wheat land (one-hfth OF the areaD
was last year turned cat to pasture. and
now the seeming alternative is To do the
same with hops. All agree there are too
many hop growers. Last years crop sold
for less than cost OF production. and this
years dss5 CROP is much worse. causing
the loss Of vast sums OF money. The hop
warehouses OF London are fun of hops
Recently 5000 bales of English growth OF
the lS9i crop sold for . cents per pound
and this year more than five times 500
bales Of the 1886 crop have sold for no more
than cents per pound. or. in other words
about one-third the cost OF production.
Nevertheless there are large blocks OF the
English growth that have been taken at
equal cost and in a few cases more.
Choice hops frem all districts. either En-
glish or American, are scarce and relative
~ high. yet dragged down by the dead
weight OF lower grades. I told the English
growers that whore they have not hereto
fore been producing choice hops they had
better quit The same remark VIII apply
10 the American grower as well. wherever
he is. The present excess of acreage. IL
continued. is certain 10 keep choice hops
down I'm the markets 20 cost and the lower
grades 20 the point or heavy loss.
No one can even guess how many hops
less viii De grown IN England this year
than last. There viii be few yards
grubhed. yet more turned out TO pas
ture and the roots preserved. while the
greater part viii De cultivated more or less
caFelessly. all OF which VIII tend 70 mate
rally lesser next years crop IN England
Surplus or no surplus. II our Pacific
coast hops are promiscuously thrown upon
this market. as for a few years last past
they VIII be ruthlessly slaughtered Is in
the past Twenty different houses have
been receiving cousignments competing
against each other. some % whom are
strangers 10 the value OF such hops II
one crop IS slaughtered another Is sure
soon In follow. and again another until A
lower market rate becomes an established
fact. The English are shrew8 buyers. and
know how 10 bide their time and wait
The growers haVe recently had the expert
Ft9ss Nft+e the 1HEtfS rave gotten the
hons almost 8 their own price. This Doubt
less IS the greatest hop market in the
wofl3. but IL IS also the greatest mill TO
grind down prices. Great suuz are invest
"a ia the baslness-scne would estimate
81 go 5ssA--so one can readily see how now
erful is the arm that Influences 1he market.
landed aere amidst the storm OF mad
excitement that swept over the island first
because 81 President Cleve. srd's message
and then Dr. Jameson's foolish act IRE
newspapers here tanned the Same 81 war
cry fcr while assuming t9at the Arrerl
car people were ret jn earnest. hut now 4,
different tone ls noticeable both from gov
eEnrneat sources aad press. The paIa.t
spoke right ala TIE time. Bat au .ais IS az
ciene HISTORY Ia measure. having has,
anticipated BY the cable
l.. MEEkEE
DIVISION or IAunp