While they generally produce an article that commands the very highest price in market, some, especially in the southern part of this county, have obtained yields which it is believed have never been exceeded, if ever equalled, in any part of the world.

The hop (Humulus lupulus) is too generally known to render an extended description of it necessary. Still it may not be improper to say, briefly, that it is a perennial plant, epiphytic in its character, with vines weak and slender, and sometimes growing to a great length, needing support, and readily attaching themselves to, and winding around, any suitable substance within their reach. For this reason, Dr. Webster supposes the name of the plant may have been derived from the word hoop, from its winding about or encircling whatever it attaches itself to. The strobiles, or blossoms, are cruciform, and grow in clusters on the upper portion of the vine. Under favorable circumstances these are produced in great profusion; so much so, indeed, that the plant has sometimes been considered as an emblem of fecundity. With this significance it was formerly used by the Russians at their nuptial ceremonies.

The blossoms, which may, at the same time, be also termed the fruit of the plant, are the only part of it that is valuable. They are quite bitter to the taste, and are slightly narcotic. They are considered of great importance in brewing, their tendency being to preserve malt liquors, and, as is supposed, to render them more salubrious.

The plant requires a climate rather cool and moist for its most successful cultivation; and for that reason, perhaps, it has been brought to greater perfection in England than in this country. Still, with deep tillage, on suitable soils, it is enabled to withstand successfully our American summers, if the ground is kept mellow, as the roots will penetrate to a great depth, and thus obtain the necessary supply of moisture, a superabundance of which would, however, be as injurious to this as to other plants.

The cultivation of the hop in this country may be considered as yet comparatively in its infancy. The quantity grown in England exceeds probably that of any other portion of the world of equal extent. Its importance there may be inferred from the number of acres in cultivation. I have not the means of ascertaining precisely what that is at present; but as far back as 1836, it was stated to be 55,422 acres, and it is presumed that it is fully equal to that now. The principal hopgrowing counties are Kent, Surry, and Worcestershire. The latter has annually 4,000 acres devoted to the crop-a quantity equal, probably, to the entire crop of the State of New York, which is by far the greatest hop-growing State in the Union; the yield in this State, in 1849, having been, according to the census of 1850, more than five-sevenths of the produce of the whole United States. It would seem, however, that the cultivation is rapidly increasing in this country, there having been an increase from 1840 to 1850, of nearly 200 per cent. It appears also that nearly the whole increase has been in this State, which, from less than half a million pounds in 1840, returned more than two and a half millions in 1850; showing an average annual increase of 40 per The entire crop of the United States in 1850, was 3,497,029 pounds. Of this quantity, 2,536,299 pounds were the product of this

cent.

State, and the remainder, 960,730 pounds, was principally made up by the New England States, together with Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Nearly every State in the Union, however, contributed a portion; but in most of the Southern States the quantity was merely nominal.

It will be perceived from this statement that New York is the greatest hop-growing State of the Union; and it may not be improper to mention, in this connection, that she is also the greatest consumer, standing forward as she does in the manufacture of malt liquors, requiring the consumption of the larger portion of the hops she raises. In 1850, the breweries of this State produced 645,000 barrels of ale, beer, &c., which was more than one-third of the quantity returned for the whole Union. It would seem, however, that the supply of hops grown in this country is not all required for home consumption, as more than one and a quarter million pounds-a quantity exceeding the whole produce of the United States, except New York, in 1850-was exported during that year, about one-half of which went to the English market. But the export of 1850 was an unusual one as to quantity, and would furnish no safe criterion for an estimate, as is shown by comparing it with that of the succeeding year, in which it fell to less than one-tenth part of that

amount.

This occasional foreign demand has a tendency to affect materially the prices in this country, and its irregularity produces great fluctuations in the market. Although hop-growing has generally proved profitable in this State, still this great variation in price renders the business one of more than ordinary risk. This has not only deterred many from entering into the business who would otherwise have been likely to have done so, but has also induced many growers to turn their attention to other branches of agriculture. While, therefore, there has been a rapid increase in the production during the last ten years, that increase is probably small to what it would have been, had there been more stability in the market, prices having ranged in that time from 6 up to 40 and even 50 cents per pound. Although the latter prices, if sustained, would have afforded the producer a very rich profit, still he feels no assurance that they will not, before he can prepare his field and mature his crop, fall to rates that will prove absolutely ruinous.

In the cultivation of hops, one of the most important things necessary is, the selection of a suitable piece of ground, not only as regards the soil, but also with reference to location. The soil should be both rich and deep. That depth of soil is of consequence, is evident from the fact that the roots not unfrequently penetrate directly downwards to the depth of three or four feet. They have also been known to extend laterally to a distance of twenty feet. Some cultivators, it is true, do not deem an unusual depth of soil of much consequence, and very many are of opinion that any good strong soil that is suitable for corn, may, by proper cultivation, be adapted to the wants of this plant. English hop-growers are of opinion that, in order to produce the best quality of hops, the substratum of the soil should be calcareous. With us, such a substratum is not so readily to be met with. It is evident, however, that such soils as are composed of, or contain certain neces⚫sary elements, essential to the growth of the plant, are best adapted to its successful cultivation. What those elements should be, can be best

ascertained by a careful analysis of the plant for the purpose of ascertaining what ingredients enter most largely into its composition. This has been done by one competent to the task, with the following result, viz:

Composition in 100 parts of the inorganic matter contained in the ash of the

plant and blossom.

13.24

7.73

3.77

0.13

21.49

34.79

4.09.

4.63

6.34

3.79

100.00

The quantity per cent. of these mineral ingredients that are contained in the plant is about 9, or, more accurately, 8.8 per cent. From this analysis, the intelligent cultivator will at once perceive what ingredients are more particularly essential in the soil, and make his selection accordingly; and should any one of them be wanting, he will be enabled to adapt his manures with reference to the supply of that particular deficiency.

The next thing to be considered is locality. The field should not be ● in an exposed situation; otherwise, much loss may be sustained by the poles being blown down when loaded; and even if this does not occur, the hops are liable, when near maturity, to be bruised, and the branches. broken off, by high winds. The ground should also be level, or nearly so; otherwise, the high cultivation necessary, which should keep the ground constantly loose and mellow, will render it liable to wash and gully. For this reason, steep hill-sides should, by all means, be avoided. If practicable, the field should be selected at least one year previous to that in which the hops are to be planted, in order that it may be put. in a proper state of cultivation, which can be most readily done by high manuring, and by thorough culture with some hoed crop. It would, indeed, well repay the expense to subject it to the best garden cultivation from the commencement.

The time for planting having arrived, which with us is usually about the first of May, the ground should be marked both ways with a line, or otherwise, so that the rows shall be perfectly straight, and crossing each other exactly at right-angles. Care, in this respect, not only adds much to the beauty of the field, but facilitates the cultivation. Hopgrowers differ in opinion as to the distance which the rows should be made apart, ranging from six to eight feet; a medium between the two is, perhaps, to be preferred-such as will give 888 hills to the acre. When set in this manner, two poles will be necessary for each hill, and : two, or at most three vines, will be allowed to each pole.

The plants may be procured from cuttings, or from the seed. Those procured directly from the seed are preferred in England to cuttings," as being more luxuriant in their growth when matured, and much less liable to be affected by the blight. Plants raised from the seed will not require to be poled till the third year, while those raised from cuttings will be ready the second year. The latter is the method almost universally adopted in this country. These cuttings, or layers, are procured without much expense, and are taken from fields already in cultivation, usually at the time of the spring dressing, by taking the head of the root, and the upper branches which form near the top of the ground, and are called runners. The head of the root is undoubtedly to be preferred, as being larger and more vigorous; but it is not always practicable to obtain a sufficient number of these, and the runners are therefore used with them, indiscriminately. These runners are full of joints, or eyes, and are cut in pieces containing two or three sets of eyes each. These are planted at the intersection of the rows in the field, by placing three or four in a hill at a little distance from each other, and may be laid down horizontally and covered with earth, or set in perpendicularly by making a small hole in the ground with a stick, and the earth then pressed around them. As the plants require no poling the first year, and do not produce any crop, the ground may be planted with corn between the rows. This will give three-fourths of a corn crop, which will be cultivated in the usual manner, and the hops hoed at the same time. Nothing more will be necessary the first year.

The field will be ready to be poled the second year, which should be done as soon as the frost is out, and the ground settled. The poles should be from 18 to 25 feet in length, according to the strength of the plants, and usually consist of cedar, pine, spruce, ash, or chestnut. Cedar poles are generally preferred, as combining both the desirable properties of lightness and durability. They are sharpened at the bottom with a regular taper, and firmly set in holes made with a heavy crowbar, two poles to a hill, standing about a foot apart, north and south, if practicable. The tops should be inclined a little apart, as this will give the vines more room, and prevent their becoming intertangled. As soon as the vine is of sufficient length, it is coiled around the pole and fastened by tying, for which purpose a piece of woolen yarn is most suitable. This operation should be repeated from time to time as may be necessary. Two, or, if small, three vines are sufficient for a pole, and all extra vines should be cut off, or pulled up, so that the whole force of the plant may be directed to those on the poles. The ground should be kept perfectly clean between the hills by a free use of the plough or cultivator, worked both lengthwise and across the field, and the hills should be kept entirely clean and free from weeds and grass. This should be done without hauling dirt to the hills, as these should be left quite bare till after the disappearance of the grub, which frequently preys upon the vine just at the top of the ground, and will commonly be found to have finished his work early in July. Then the field may be hilled, after which it should be left till the picking season arrives.

The hop is an enduring plant, and it is said that some fields in England have been cultivated with it beyond the memory of man. Still it is deemed

The annual exports from the British North American colonies for ten years ending in 1709, were 28,868,666 pounds; from 1744 to 1776, the average annual exportation was 40,000,000 pounds; from 1768 to 1770, both inclusive, 67,780 hogsheads of about 100 pounds each, or 67,780,000 pounds;* in 1772, 97,799,263 pounds; in 1780, 17,424,267 pounds; in 1782, 9,828,244 pounds.

The following table exhibits the quantity and valuation of tobacco, and its products of domestic growth and manufacture from the adoption of the constitution up to 1853:

*Formerly, hogsheads of tobacco were much lighter than at present, owing to the less compact manner of packing, averaging only about 600 pounds prior to 1770, but gradually reached an average of 1,000 pounds. The present average of those of the tobacco-growing States is estimated at 1,200 pounds. Those of Kentucky often exceed 1,300 pounds each.