The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-12-15
CAkNLlNA HOPS,
Soil and Climate of q Portion Of Norti.
Carolina Admiralty adapted 10 ;!.e
Growth and Early Maturity OF :icps.

q resort
winter home for invalids and others |
who come to enjoy and be benefited
by the climatic and other conditions
existing here, we must look for other
facts and conditions than such as 90
to the making of health resort. 10
account for the increase of popula-
ton in this rapidly growing youne
city The population has doubled
during the last three years. Ninety
five per cent. Of the permanent all
the year round" residents are from
the North. Pennsylvania Ohio. New
York and every one of the New Enr-
land States has contributed excellent
material for the making OF The pro-
gressive and prosperous community,
Those wkc came here as invalids are
no longer such. The majority are
here to do business, to better their
condition, and to enjoy life in a eli
mate GncXcellcd for lis salubrity and
healthfulness. Finding that the cost
OF living is less than at the North:
that land, labor, lumber ard other
building material are plenty and
cheap; seeing how readily all the ve~-
etables and fruits desired for family
use and grasses, grain. roots and
fodder for stock can be grown: that
the grapes, peaches and other fruits
produced here are Of the finest quail
lty and bring the highest prices in
Northern markets. and that hops OF
equality only equaIlcd by the best
Bohemian are grown and made ready
for market weeks before the Nc4.
York or Western grower can begin
the picking OF his earliest variety
and the cost Of production is less
than in any other hop-growinm region
it is plainly to be seen why these
people early became owners OF land
and are now utilizing it TO sthcir
profit. That they are doing 50 is at
tested by the fact that they already
have more than four thousand acres
in fruit, several hop yards of five to
twenty acres each and i considerable
number OF mixed farms, large and
small, within convenient working
distance of their homes in town.
1t is unquestionably true that
North Carolina is the native home Of
the hop, as it is of the"grapc and ii is
equally true that the best section for
hop growing is the one where nature
started the business.
In this section where the soil is a
sandy clay loan OF great depth, are
hop vines which are known to have
produced crops annually for more
than seventy-fivc years. These native
vines are prolific, the hops produced
varying greatly in quality and size
and time of ripening. They usually
tai al, nd of La no
cultivated varieties trans planted
from the North do well here. The
English cluster grown here differs
materially from the cluster grown in
New York in that it contains much
larger per cent. Of lupulin, is seed
less and has an aroma that is consid
cred finer than that of any hop grown
in this country.
The cultivation of the hop in Caro-
lima is different from the cultivation
given to it in New York fields and is
done at less cost. Cow peas are
grown in our hop yards, the peas
being gathered ana the vines cut
after the hops are Off. The pea vine
hay is stacked around poles in The
yard and is used the following spring
as mulch around the hop vine. Cot
ton seed is an excellent and cheap
fertilizer, is applied and turned
under with the pea stubble at any
time during the winter. The coW
pea thus grown and utilized. is Il pay
ing crop, lcssening the work Of Guilt
Walton and greatly improving the
land.
Foom one yard of ten acres was
Il ii / 10 Of
four and a half months after plant
ing and sold at % cents pound
when choice New York hops were
quoted at Il cents. The crop of :;
siN acre yard was put through the
kiln in July. BY a judicious sclec-
ton of varieties the picking season is
extended from the middle of July to
late October.
Hops have never been grown for
market by Carolina farmers and the
business for some years to come will
undoubtedly be in the hands of men
coming from other sections. Some
experienced hop growers from Ger
many are now clearing land and
planting hops near here. They tell
us our hops are as good As the best
German and that they can grow hop,
here cheaper than in Germany
Experience has demonstrated the
fact that the business Of hop growing
can be carried on under more fayora
BILE circumstances and with greater
profit in the native land OF the hor
than elsewhere. Here in Carolina
climate, soil and other natural con
dtions are favorable to hop cultur,
and these conditions COMBINE To FKO
DUCE TIE EARLIEST AND THE BEST an,
to make the COST OF rRODTCTION
LESS than it is in any other hop grow
ing State i'll America.
Good field labor costs less than
half hs much and the cost of picking
is not one-fourth as much as in New
York Buildings cost much less. Hol
poles cost SO to SO per thousand
Two crops are grown upon the same
land for less than it costs to grow
single crop at the North. Hop grow
ers at the North and West alike
should note AMI remember that the
Carolina hop is ready for marke
long before any other American ho[
and therefore commands a higher
price than is ever paid for the earli
est. but later coming New York hop
Being seedless it has Il still create
selling value and this selling value i
still further increased because of it:
greater strength and finer quality
Note also the fact that hops grown il
other sections cannot be put on th'
market until after the Carolina hop
are out of the growers hands. These
facts make it apparent that grower
of hops in North Carolina can real
izc greater profits annually than it i:
possible for growers in other sections
10 snrure and that in time. Of nNnr