Show EcOFF COPYRIGHT RIGHT SECURED BECU BEDl A treatise on the present state of hor I 1 I 1 ti culture in utah BY E sayers SATER Sj horticulturist no 10 7 THE HOP GARDEN in treating on the culture of the hop I 1 shall refer to my early days being a native of the vicinity of canterbury kent england and mv my father having been a considerable planter the care of the hop garden fell to my charge I 1 shall therefore in this part of my treatise follow the system adopted by the kentish hop planters the or hop being a plant having male mile and female flowers on distinct plants the male mate plants are of no use to the planter being by nature designed for no othar other purpose than to fertilize the female hence i i is that the female hop exclusively is is cultivated it being customary with the planter it if by chance a male find its way into the garden to immediately root it out as useless VARIETIES there are several varieties of the cultivated hop the primitive or original which is called the flemish or red vine is supposed to have bee been n first imported from french flanders this variety has long iong straggling branche the hops growing in pairs they are large and coarse of poor quality and not worth cultivating there is also another variety of the same type called the Ruf feler a large 9 coarse variety with the singular habit of having small green leaves growing between the leaves or chives of the hop RUNNING WILD when a hill of hops runs wild 11 as it is called it returns to its primitive state stale into either of these varieties and is marked at the time of picking for being 11 rooted out as useless THE cultivated VARIETIES are first the canterbury white grape which is universally sally saily cultivated as a standard variety for the london u 0 n porter brewers this variety has fine large bunches hunches in form like bunches of grapes the hops are of a moderate size white of an oval form small cored and are of the very best quality ad the white early grape comes into maturity ten days babore the above is a larger hop of 0 a bright white while color large bunches in form of bunches of grapes of good quality and is well adapted for fine pale ales for which it is used the planter manufactures this hop and packs in po pockets ekens for the london merchants who export it t to all parts of the kingdom for private brewing to make fine ale there is another of the same variety called the green grape the bunches being more closely set with large green hops of a coarse inferior quality the only good property of which I 1 is it its hard kard hardiness iDess and bearing when other varieties fail fall from the hop blight insects etc to the above may be added several bub tub varie varle ties of hops as the born grape farnham etc merely arbit arbitrary assuming names of cultivators places of growth etc PREPARING THE GROUND FOR THE HOP GARDEN the culture of the hop is is so general in kent that almost every kind of land is i chosen for the hop garden although the hop like every other production gives the best produce on a rich y well cultivated spot of f land A rich hazel loam of a good mellow subsoil is is the best land for the culture of the hop the year previous to planting the planter prepares the ground by plowing into it in the fall a heavy coat of good rich manure plants the ground with wilh potatoes and gives extra culture during the season to prepare it for planting the hop bop PLANTING THE TUB hors HOPS early in the spring the ground is prepared for planting wanting b by tevel plowing it deep and dressing it dowid ine fine and fevel the ground is then set out for planting this is done by squaring ott off the ground when a garden line is laid on the outside row this line is marked at equal distances with red worsted tied in the line to show the place of the hills when the line is properly placed the planter marks oft off the place for the hop bop hills b by y putt putting ingin in a small stick exactly at the red mark marks of the line which gives the proper distance from hill bill to hill when planted when the tho outside line is laid out the line is placed to the second row and marked off in in the same manner when tha the whole plot piot lot is thus marked ot off the hills will be in si straight raight iines fines hues as correct as a checker board which is is necessary because the hops are to be cultivated by horse culture each way of the garden after planting DIFFERENT dir DIt TERENT METHODS or PLANTING there are several different plants of the hop as the planter calls it viz 1500 1000 and hi hillel 11 Q to the acre the 1500 to the acre are planted in lines so that the hills are separated double the distance between the rows the 1000 and to the acre are what is called the square plant which is so arranged that the hills are equal distances apart each way NUMBER or roles POLES three thousand poles is the he given number for an acre of hops hence the first plant lant of 1500 hills bills to the acre will require two poles po fl ea to the hill the second of 1000 will require three poles to the hill hil and the third of hills bills four poles to the hill to ove give a full complement of poles PREPARING THE HOLES when the ground is laid out a laborer digs out small holes where the sticks slicks are placed for the bills and another follows follow fill filling the holes with good prepared compost of well weli rotted manure this done the ground is ready for planting PLANTING la done by putting two cuttings borsets or sets acts into a hil bill I 1 with a dibble the tho cuttings are prepared from the allais straps or cut cuttings curtins tins taken from oz th old hills bius at the time oc of cutting utting the hops these cutting cuttings are prepared precisely the tho bame flame as grape cutting taking off the top so as to leave two or three buds or eyes to each cutting when planted the ground is kept constantly hoed the bills hills worked round and everything is done relative to good goed culture to encourage the healthy growth of thi tho the young plants it is generally customary for planters to plant i a row of potatoes or other low growing ve vegetables eta blei blek between the rows of hops the hirst first year of clarit ing inz I 1 SECOND YEARS TEAKS CULTURE in the tha winter when the ground is frozen hard a quantity of well rotted manure is carted on the ground for the purpose of putting into the hi hills iii ilk in the spring 1 CUTTING DOWN THE HOP early in the spring when the ground is in good condition the tha hills are prepared for cutting by taking off the earth clear to the crown of the hill preparatory to cutting or prun arun pruning ing the tha ho hops for this purpose the hop cutter has a sharp crooked pruning knife the work is performed by taking hold of the tops or straps of the shoots of last years growth and pulling up all runners close into tb be e crown or top of the hill he then cuts aff off every shoot close into the hill to one eye or more pr properly opery two eyes or buds as they are in pairs this is the first formation of the hop bop hill af after afier ter cutting a second follows and covers each hill with a shovel full of the rotten totten manure this doke done the garden is ready for digging DIGGING THE GROUND when the hops are cut and the hills are the tha ground is neatly dug over with a three pronged baade made for the purpose this done lone the next thing to be done is to stick the hops hopi which is done by placing in the ground one ona stick cut for the purpose about four teet feet long to each hill when the plants begin to make vines they are neatly tied to the sticks with rushes by women who tie the hops at a certain price per acre CULTURE the manner of culture is the same as the first year keeping the ground loose and free from weeds and every thing is done for the encouragement of a strong vigorous growth of the yo young ung plantation in the fall the sticks are cleared from the garden ithe the hop hopi are picked and a quantity of manure is carted on the ground for the hills hilla in the spring as in the preceding year THIRD YEARS TEARS management early in the spring the bills are uncovered tb the same as before stated the shoots are cut the hills replenished with manure and the ground is again dug preparatory to poling the hops are now arrived at an age ago for bearing a crop ot of hops and poles of from 13 12 to 14 feet long are placed to the hills at to tho acre which gives two poles to the hill of 1500 plant three poles to the bill of 1000 plant and tour four poles to the hill of plant the poling the hills bills being performed by the workmen making holes with an iron crowbar crow bar by the side of 0 the hill in such a manner that when poled they form straight lines each way of the garden when the holes are made the shepola pole is inserted by throwing it in the hole with a smart jerk by which it is 13 fastened to the ground the first thing to be done after the poling is is the thinning out regulating the young vines and tying them to the poles in which the tho person pemon leads two of the best young shoots in the hill to each pole and ties them neatly with rushes she then pulls out all other shoots and runners that come coma from the billas the season advances and the vines make their growth they are daily looked over and tied to and led up the poles in a regular manner until each pole is well furnis famished tied and there is no more need of tying and the vines run up the poles GENERAL CULTURE the culture of the hop garden is one regular routine namely in cutting the hops early in in the spring digging the ground poling tying up the tha vines to the poles etc the ground is often loosened by stirring with a small one horse plow harrowing it fine and level and a continual use of the hop cultivator between the rows the hills bills are also hand worked by digging round each hill which is called ro rounding and is done to keep the ground loose and mellow this is done when the vines are fairly started when a little more mora grown the hills bills are again dug round and while doing this the workman forms a small hill digging around in such a manner that the earth lies high highest est in the cantre this is done to nourish the young fibrous roots and give strength to the tha vines THE GROWING SEASON SEMON during the season of growth everything is done to add strength and vigor to the vines in indeed deed there is nothing more highly cultivated and better cared for than a hop garden aff 4 iilo tho budding season has again come and should not pass without improvement get some choice cuttings from your friends sharpen your knives and enter upon the labor of improve ing not destroying your orchards all ye yo that have bem them hem those who have not should not let another season pass without setting out one if no bore more more plant on your jour lot at least one treet treb tree that bat will bear fruit that you may rejoice in the fruits of your own labors in answer to a question HOW long will the grape vine vino live the ed editor tor of the genesee genelee fajner replies ter so go long that we can not an answer your question I 1 it will r live as long as astha lithe tha the oak ok rl pliny iny tny speaks of vine which vineyard had bid elster goo years yeara there are gin gln sIn italy luly which have been bee in a flourishing state tat for tor upward 0 years 5 ser er and miller states statts that thit a Tine yard years yean old Is conid could dered young there li is a vine at hampton courty court near condou of the red hamburg supposed opposed to tv be 31 3 years year old it occupies about quare quire yard yards one branch measures mea mei tures lit feet in length it his bit produced in a single singie cealon season 2200 2100 bunches averaging one pound each A vine tine at bately dead about the same aam age was wab w even still uli larger the stem near the ground grounds lu in 1785 1783 measured 4 feet in circumference the ile editor has exceeded the truth in his statement of the age of the hampton court vine as a will be seen by reference to air nir sayers treatise series feries no 4 in which it is stated that that celebrated vine is now neaily neally nearly neatly one hundred years old in the game fame paragraph we learn that it is of the black 11 hamburg amburg imburg not the red hamburg 11 ae as stated in the farmer that the grape vine when to 0 o treated as to bring it to perfection and full maturity i Is long lived we are abundantly assured in this connection it affords us great satisfaction silis fac to announce that there is a project in contemplation temp lation for introducing into utah those hardy hard y varieties the catawba isabella etc which will afford us opportunity of more fully testing the capacity of our mountain climate to mature the grape and arid also tend to abolish the practice now no w prevalent of cutting the vine down to a stump and burying it every fall while in elder woodruffs Ps garden a few days since he showed us one or two small shoots of the isabella also one of the catawba which with considerable care he had kept dive ulve r they arenow in a la thriving condition several small cuttings cuttina cuttin a were received last spring by y mr all geo B wallace ward wards which be he fortner informed ia fori fort ned us he had bad not succeeded in starting tho they received all necessary attention A new species of grape has recently been brought into the united led ted states from Hun hungary Zary which is highly spoken of by eastern journals |