The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-03
No 47SS
CAROLINA HOPS.


Growth and Early Maturity of Eops.
Hops of a quality only equalled by
the best Bohemian are grown here,
says Southern Pines, N. O., CORE.
spendent of one of our exchanges, and
made ready for market weeks before
the New York or Western grower can
begin the picking of his earliest vari-
ETY. and as the cost Of production is less
than in any other hop growing region
it is plainly to be seen why these peo-
pie early became owners of land and
are now utilizing it to their profit.
That they are doing SO is attested by
the fact that they already have more
than four thousand acres in fruit. eev-
eral hop yards OF five to twenty acres
each and a considerable number OF
mixed farms, larg9 and small, within
convenient working distance of their
homes in town.
It is uuQuestionably true that North
Carolina is the native home Of the nor.
as i6 is of che grape and it is equally
true that the best section for hop grow.
ing is the one where nature started the
business.
In this section where the soil is a
sandy clay loam of great depth, are
hop vines which are known to have
produced crops annually for more than
seventy five years. These native vines
are prolific. the hops produced vary
ing greatly in quality and siz9 and
time of ripening. They usually con-
tain an abundance of lupulin. The cul-
tivated varieties tran splanted from the
North do well here. The English cIug-
ter grown here differs materially from
the clus ter grown in New York in that
it contains much larger per cent. Of
lupulin, is seedless and has en- aroma
that is considered 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 gath
cred and the vines cut after the hops
are eff. The pea vine hay is stacked
around poles in the yard and is used
the fol owing spring as a mulch around
the hop vine. Cotton seed is an ex,eI.
lent and cheap fertilizer, 's applied and
turned under with the pea stubble at
cay time during the winter The COW
pea thus grown and utilized, il pay
ing crop, lesseniCg the work of cult
vstion and greatly Improving the land.
From one yard OK ten acres was har-
vested q considerable crop OF hops four
and half months after planting and
sold at % cents a pound when choice
New York hops were oucted aE II
cents. The crop of q six acr5 Yard was
put through the kiln in July. By
judicious selection of varieties tho
plching 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. s me ex.
perienced hop growers from Germany
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 hops here cheaper
than in Germany.
Experience has demonstrated the
fact that the business of hop growing
can be carried on under more favorable
circumstances and with greater profit
in the native land of the hop than else
where. Here in Carolina, climate, soil
and other natural conditions are favor
able to hop culture and these condi-
tions combine to produce the earliest
and the best and to make the cost Of
production less than it is in any other
hop growing State in America.
Good field labor costs less than half
az much and the cost of picking is not
one fourth as much as in New York.
B Iildings cost much less. Hop poles
cost 925 to S45 per thousand. Two
crops are grown upon the same land
for less than it costs to grow a single
crop at the North. Hop growers at the
North and West alike should note and
remember that the Carolina hop is
ready for market long before any other
American hop and therefore &C mmands
higher price than is ever paid for the
earliest, but later coming New York
hop. Being seedless it has a still greater
selling value and this selling value is
still further increased because Of it's
greater strength and finer quality.
Note also the fact that hops grown in
other sections cannot be Dut on the