The evening times., 1899-12-27
TO IMPORT HOP PLANTS
Cuttings TO Be Introduced From
Bohemia Into This Country.
The Department of Agriculture to
Make an Effort to Improve the
the United states Experimental
Samples Soon to BE Distributed.

A large number Of cuttings from supe-
rior hop plants will soon be received from
| Bohemia by the Department of Agricul-
/ ture. These cuttings will be distributed
throughout the hcp-growing districts of
I the United States, principally New York,
! Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, and Cali
fornia.
Frederick V. Coviile, Chief OF the Divis-
ion of Botany, stated to a Times reporter
today that these cuttings are from the
celebrated Ssaz and Auscha districts of
Bohemia which are said to produce hop
which is not surpassed by any other in the
world. aud is eaualed in aroma and fine
flavor oaly by the finest GoIding hop OF
Kent. England.
These new hCps, II was stated, Will be
used chiefly in the brewing of beer and it
is hoped that their introduction will give
to American beers some OF the best char
acteristics Of the European article. Thus
far. the hops grown in the United States
have been OF comparatively poor quality.
In Saaz there are very few varieties of
hops cultivated. the Auscha Red hop being
almost universally grown The prefer
ence is given 10 this variety because of It's
great prcdUctiveness. although II is eN-
ceeded by the old Szaz variety in fineness
Of aroma and bitter flavor
This Auscha Red hop is known among
Auscha hop growers as the Semsch hop,
having been found in a garden near Aus
cha by a peasant of that name.
II is said 10 be much superior 10 Ameri-
can varieties as known in Bohemia. The
uhie bay n
the Bohemian brewers TO utilize our much
cheaper American hops, have utterly fall
ed The brewers declare that American
hops are worthless for brewing such beers
as they have a market for. one OF the
best firms in Auscha informed David G.
Faircbiid the agricultural explorer, who
has furnished the cuttings, that in rating
American hops they would class them On
par with Belgian hops. which are noted as
the worst of all European varieties. On
the American market small quantities Of
the Semsch hop were sold by this same
firm last year. and brought IS cents per
pound. while American hops were selling
for 10 1-2 cents.
instructions upon the proper method of
cultivating these foreign hops Will be is
sued to the planters. In Bohemia the cut
tings are planted in April at the bottom
of holes dug with a mattock, being placed
IN pairS close Together Win theh .pPeA
ends seven inches below the surface of the
soil. AS the cuttings grow the holes are
gradually filled up with earth until level
with the ground. Although old hop plants
admittedly produce superior quality or
hop. they bear scantily. and it has been
found that seven years is the limit Of prof
liable cultivation. both from the stand
point of the plants and in order to allow
suitable rotation with lucern talfalfa), the
favorite green manure.
Great stress is laid upon the pruning in
the spring, care being taken that the last
years stems are cut back to the old stock.
and only two or three new shoots allowed
to grow.
The hop gardens are models Of clean
culture scarcely a weed being seen any
where. and every square inch OF soil is
utilized Farmyard manure is the only
fertilizer used to any extent, although pot
ash and phosphoric acid fertilizers are be-
ing introduced.
As the hop of commerce is the seedless
hover cluster of the female plant, quite
naturally only plants Of this sex are cul-
tivated in the gardens. although male
plants are sometimes seen in cultivated |
fields The greatest pains are taken to
Immediately root out any of the chance |
male plants which have come up from seed
or have otherwise gotten into the garden. |
In Auscha there are old laws which en- |
force their immediate removal. Such male |
plarts are called wild hops and are most |
abundant in waste places about the gar |
dens. A single male plant in garden |
will fertilize enough females to materially |
injure the whole harvest by the formation |
of a high percentage Of seed in the other
wise seedless flowers. When the number |
of hops with seeds reaches more than two
tenths of 1 per cent they are rated in Bo-
hemia as OF second grade quality.
English and American hops contain
quantities of seed even as high as 6 and
per cent The effect Of the seeds in the
brewing is that they give a peculiar flavor
to the beer, which is more Objectionable to
the Continental beer drinkers than to the
English.
It is worth remarking that very pala-
table salad called hop salad is made in
saaz from the very young blanched shoots
Of the hop before they are more than an
eighth of an inch in diameter. The shoots
are pulled off the stock. boiled in water,
and served with French dressing of salt,
pepper, and vinegar.
If sick headache Is misery. what are Carter's
Little Liver Pills II they will positively cure it?
people who have used them sneak frankly of !