AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPLIANCES FOR TRAINING HOPS AND OTHER CLIMBING PLANTS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Hales Wilkie, of Ramsgate, in the County of Kent,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPLIANCES
FOR TRAINING HOPS AND OTHER CLIMBING PLANTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Hales Wilkie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd May 1877.
EDWARD HALES WILKIE, of Ramsgate, in the County of Kent, Gentleman.
« AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPLIANCES FOR TRAINING HOPS AND OTHER CLIMBING
PLANTS."
My Invention relates more particularly to the cultivation of hops, but it is also
applicable to the cultivation of other climbing plants which require support while
growing.
In carrying out my Invention, I take strong wooden uprights or standards, say
six feet long, which after being properly treated with creosote or other chemical
agent to prevent them from decaying prematurely, are fixed in the ground, one at
each plant or hill, so that about four feet of each upright or standard shall be above
the ground, and at the top of these uprights or standards, I secure in any convenient
manner, loops, rings, or staples, made by preference of galvanized iron wire. I then
take three or four ordinary hop poles, and after they have been sharpened and
creosoted in the usual manner, I bind them loosely together towards their upper
ends with wire cord, old hop bines, or other suitable material, which I first pass
through eyes, loops, rings, or staples, secured to or fixed in the pole to prevent the
binder from slipping; I then place the poles in position by opening out the feet of the
poles, of a set of say, four poles, and I insert the point of each pole into a loop or ring
on the top of the four corresponding standards, in such a manner that the set will
form, when opened out, a framework of a pyramidal form, the angles of the base of
the pyramid being at the top of the uprights or standards, and the apex where the
poles are bound together, the poles diverging above the point at which they are tied,
thereby forming a second but inverted pyramid.
By this arrangement of poling I obtain great strength, and the power of resisting
the force of the wind is much increased, as there is mutual support, no matter from
which direction the wind may blow, I am also enabled to distribute the bine much
Davis Gl

page_text: better than on the ordinary plan of poling, so that the hops are more exposed to the
sun and air, and therefore will ripen and develop more freely.
My arrangement also offers great facilities for picking the hops as the bines
may be cut near the heads of the standards, and the sets of poles may then be
lifted out of their loops by a common pitchfork and placed before the pickers
with the points of the poles on the ground in the same pyramidal form as they
were on the standards. By this means the hops may be gathered more quickly
and with less waste and bruising than heretofore.
Small or cheap poles can be used instead of large and expensive ones, and will
answer the purpose better, and consequently considerable economy in the original
cost of poling is effected. Moreover the uprights or standards may remain
permanently fixed (except such of them as it may be necessary to remove
to allow for the carting of manures into the garden) and the light poles forming
the pyramids may be replaced in their position by women or boys as soon as the
old bines are stripped off; thus the annual expense of poling is nearly entirely
done away with, and the poles will last for a long period as they are never inserted
in the ground,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Hales Wilkie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
November 1877.
" AN
EDWARD HALES WILKIE, of Ramsgate, in the County of Kent, Gentleman.
IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPLIANCES FOR TRAINING HOPS AND OTHER CLIMBING
PLANTS."
My Invention relates more particularly to the cultivation of hops, but it is also
applicable to the cultivation of other climbing plants which require support while
growing.
In the ordinary method of growing hops, each plant is allowed to climb up a long
pole, say from fourteen to sixteen feet long, and as soon as it has reached the top, it
forms a large thick bunch which makes the pole top heavy, and the least wind will
cause it to fall on one side or break and so greatly damage the fruit which is ripening.
The cost of obtaining these long poles is, moreover, very great, and without them a
good crop is not so certain, as the plants cannot get sufficient air and sun to ripen
the fruit, while the annual cost of "poling" or setting up these poles forms a serious
item in the accounts of the hop grower.
Shorter poles are sometimes used to save the expense above stated, but the
disadvantages attendant upon the long pole system are considerably increased.
The object of my Invention is to reduce to a large extent the annual cost
of "poling," and obviate the disadvantages inherent in the pole system, whether
long or short.
In the accompanying Drawing I have illustrated at Fig. 1 my improved method
of training hops, and have shewn in Figures 2, 3, and 4, detached views of the
appliances employed therein.
In carrying out my Invention, I take strong wooden uprights or standards A,
Figures 1, 2, and 3, say seven feet long, which after being properly treated with
creosote or other chemical agent to prevent them from decaying prematurely,
are fixed in the ground, one at each plant or hill, in such a manner that about five
feet of each upright or standard A shall be above the ground. At the tops of these
uprights or standards A, I secure in any convenient manner four loops, rings, or
staples a made by preference of galvanized iron wire, I then take four ordinary hop
poles B, say from eight to ten feet long; and after they have been sharpened and creo-
soted in the usual manner, I bind them loosely together towards their upper ends with
wire, cord, old hop bines, or other suitable inaterial which I first pass through an eye,
loop, ring, or staple b(see detached view, Fig. 4), secured or fixed in each pole to prevent

page_text: the binder from slipping; I then place the poles in position by opening out the feet
of the poles of a set (say of four poles), and I insert the points of the poles into the
loops or rings a on the top of the four corresponding standards A (see Figures 1
and 3), in such a manner that the set of poles will form when opened out a frame-
work of a pyramidal form (see Fig. 1), the angles of the base of the pyramid being
at the top of the uprights or standards A, and the apex at the point where the poles
are bound together, the poles diverging above the point at which they are tied,
thereby forming a second but inverted pyramid.
By this arrangement of poleing I obtain great strength, and the power of resisting
the force of the wind is much increased, as the poles mutually support one another,
no matter from which direction the wind may blow. I am also enabled to distribute
the bine much better, and the bunches of fruit will hang more freely than in the
ordinary plan of poleing, so that the fruit is more exposed to the sun and air and
therefore will ripen and develop more readily.
My arrangement also offers great facilities for picking the hops, as the vines may
be cut near the heads of the standards, and the sets of poles may then be lifted out
of their loops by a common pitchfork and placed before the pickers with the points
of the poles on the ground, as shewn at Fig. 5 in the same pyramidal form as they
were in on the standards. By this means the hops may be gathered more quickly and
with less waste and bruising than heretofore.
Small or cheap poles can be used instead of large and expensive ones, and will
answer the purpose better, and consequently considerable economy in the original
cost of poleing is effected.
Moreover the uprights or standards may remain permanently fixed (except such
of them as it may be necessary to remove to allow for the carting of manure
into the garden). The light poles forming the pyramids may be replaced in their
position by women or boys so soon as the old vines are stripped off, and thus the
annual expense of poleing is nearly entirely done away with, and the poles will last
for a long period, as they are never inserted in the ground. Or, if preferred, the sets
of poles may be shut up or folded together, as shewn at Fig. 6, and stacked for
future use. My system of poleing will also be found very convenient for "washing"
or "sulphuring" the plants.
Having now described the nature of my Invention for "An Improved Method of
and Appliances for Training Hops and other Climbing Plants," and having explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim,-
The mode herein shewn and described of arranging and combining poles and
standards for training hops and other climbing plants, whereby I am enabled
to distribute the bine in a better and more convenient manner than heretofore.
I also claim mounting the training poles B in sockets, loops, rings, eyes, staples, or
analagous devices attached to the upper ends of the vertical fixed standards A, as
and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Hales Wilkie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Second day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
EDW. HALES WILKIE. (L.S.)