The record-union., 1899-09-22
The HOP CROP OF ENGLAND.
FACTS OF INTEREST TO CALI
FORNIA GROWERS.
This Years Crop in That Country
Estimated to Yield Close on
to 27, 500 Tons.

| to 27,5OO Tons.
The following reports on the growth
of hops in the English plantations fol
the week ending Wednesday, Septem-
Der 8. 1899. are furnished by THE
Kentish Observer of Canterbury
Kent, and presented with the conf
pliments of M. III. burst of Al EfIra
Road, Brixton, S. W., London, resi-
dents agent in England for the burst
Bear River Hops of Yuba County, Cal
These reports are furnished gratuit-
| ously, and in the hope that they viii
be of service in keeping the growers
advised of the crop prospects abroad.
Magnificent weather is attending the
ingathering of the hop crop, and con-
siderable progress has already been
| made with the work. The showers
at the week end were helpful both &c
the hops that are ripe and those that
are maturing, though it is doubtful
whether heavy rain would be much use
| to the latter at this advanced stage
Unfortunately in many grounds there
is tendency to deterioration either
through red mold or scalding, the lat
ter resulting from morning fogs fol-
lowed by scorching sunshine. But II
is usual for a proportion of the cones
to go off," and on the whole the crop
| is keeping better than in ordinary sea-
sons, while damage from white mold Is
far less than what has been expert
enced for many years past.
The quality of the early pickings, as
we'll as of the Bramlings now in course
Of gathering, is pronounced by experts
to be extraordinarily good, and there
is every reason to believe that the 1898
crop, besides being the largest since
| 1895, will be a record one in point oi
| quality. AS to the probable yield WE
are of opinion that, provided the hops
keep we'll so that all but a moderate
| proportion are picked, it is likely &c
range from $4,000 to $4,000 cwts
| The acreage has been officially re-
| turned at 81 ,S43 acres, against 49. 73c
in 1898, but as many growers never
| fill UP the papers sent to them, these
returns cannot be relied upon as ac-
curate.
The present years crop has been
grown probably upon an acreage Of
from $4,000 to $500 acres, and it Is
regarded as a certainty that the aver
age per acre will exceed 10 cwts.; some
authorities putting it at over IL cwts,
An average of II cwts. per acre wouto
give upon $1,000 acres yield of 572,-
900 cwts., but we will not put it so high
as that. We think, however. it viii
reach an average of at least 101a cwts
which would mean upon $4,000 acres
an aggregate production Of not less
than SAC, 900 cwts.
The estimated production in 1895
was 553, 1856 cwts. grown upon an es
| timated acreage of 5S,940 acres. If
therefore, this years yield reaches 546,-
000 cwts. the average will be a gooo
deal in excess Of that year. OF
course much may happen between the
present time and the completion Of the
| harvest, and the result may come out
very different from our anticipation
but Judging from present appearances
| we feel fully justified in estimating
| the crop at from $4,000 to ooO,OOt
cWts
We observe that experts in the Bor-
ough mot factors) are setting the crop
at 100000 cwts., but we consider thai
most excessive estimate. It is quite
possible that this year, the crop be-
| ing admittedly an unusually heavy one
the Board of Agriculture's estimators
will err on the side of excess, just as
| last year, when the crop was admitted
/ ly an exceptionally short one, they
underestimated it.
| In all the districts there are numer-
Gus instances of a ton to the acre
many more, in fact, than in averages
| good years, while yields averaging IL
and is cwts. are quite common. Or
! the other hand several of the principal
parishes in East and Mid Kent will
not grow much larger crop thar
| they did in 1893, and it is probable
| that this will be the case also in Sus-
| sex and in the Midland districts
| though the aggregate production ir
every county and division of coun-
! ty will be considerably in excess ol
last year.
ashford District)
! The hop-picking has begun under
| favorab BILE circumstances, and the croI
being gathered bids fair to be one ol
the largest and best ever picked ir
| the district. Yields of a ton to the
| acre will be by no means uncommon
and there are some gardens where ever
| that amount will be largely exceeded
always supposing that the red ane
white mold do not come In to upset al
calculations based on present appear
/ ances. We hear complaints of botf
/ these diseases from the neighborhooc
! of Egerton and Little Chart, and the
| picking will be hurried forward as
much as possible in order to save the
/ samples. There is some mold to be
| found in the Ashford gardens, but i
/ does not seem to spread with any de
gree of rapidity, and it is hoped thai
| the crop may be picked without any
great damage being done after all. As
/ to the prices to be realized growers
are sanguine that with the decreased
acreage and the exceptionally fine quail
| ity of this years growth they may
| be able to command something like the
| rates that prevailed last year wher
| the yield was so much smaller. Mer.
chants, however, are already beginning
to express their pity for the growers
| in the disappointment which they de-
/ clare awaits them when they begin te
put their produce on the market.
(Biddenden)
The hops are standing fairly we'll al
! places, whilst inrothers they are going
| off, and it looks very doubtful if they
will all be picked in time. Some grow
ers will have months picking from
now. The crop comes UP to what was
expected, and quality first rate and
1 OUGHT To- com m q nd q good nrfcp