OCR Text |
Show LU The Zfex Planters account a moory Land the propereft for Hops, tho’ there are feveral other Sorts of Soil that are efteem’d very good. Some account that Land that has aroffelly Top, and a brick-earthy Bottomthe beft: A true Roffel or light Landis what they generally plant in, whether it be white orblack. Moory Landis of different Sorts; fome being fix’d and heavy, fo as tocrack in Sum- mer 5 and fome fo light, that in dry Seafons it will blow away with the Wind ; and fome are of a middle Confiftence, being composd of both. Thefe Moors, for Goodnefs and Value, are according to the Nature and Goodnefs of the Soil that is underneath them; which being flung up upon the Surface, will make a very good Mixture, it being beft to fling the under Soil downward for Hops, becaufe they naturally root downwards, fometimes four or five ‘ards deep,andtherefore the deepeft and richeft Soil is beft for them. ew are acquaintedwith the Value of Moors, youdefign your Hop-bills to be at, about eight o or nine Feet Diftance the whole St the Ground, and place af thharp eee pointed Stick 1 deftroy’d; ’ prove very wet: But the procuring themis in March ps are cut and dreffed. iner ofplanting the Sets, you at every Knot; then lay afide the Line, and with two forked Sticks of about eicht oF ie nine Feet long, you may from that fit ft Rowfet out the whole Ground, by applyi ng the two Forks to twoofthe Sticks which Ware firft fer up, and placing another Rowa t the Ends where the forked Sticks meet triang ularwife: Then you fhould dig a Hole at every Stick about a Foot andan half wide, andfill it full of the good Earth you brought in. If you plough the Ground with Horfes between the Hills, it will be beft to plant them in Squares Checquerwife, but the une Form is the be better for But if the Groundbe fmall, that it done with the BreaftPlough or Spade, it will do very well; but h Way foever you make uleof, a Stake fhould be ftuck down at all the Places where is to be plac’d in the Middle, 1 about, floping, the Tops necting at the Center: They mutt ftand even with the Surface of the Ground; let them be refs'd clofe with the Hand, and cover’d with Jarth, and a Stick fhould be plac’d.on each Je the Hill to fecure ir, The Ground being thas planted, all that is to be done more that Summer, is to keep the Hills clear from Weeds, and to dig up the nd about the Month of May, and to the Stones, if moreare turn’d up gsing, to raife a {mall Hill round about And in Fune, you mutt twift the Bindsor Branches together into a Bunch the Hills are to be made. Perfons and likewife that the Sets may be > ought to be v yery curious in the becaufe they do not fearch into the Bottom of Choice of the Plants and them, byreafon of the Expenfivenefs ofdoing it, and the Difficulty of carrying off the Water. If the Land be moift, it ought to be laid up in high Ridges, and to be well drain’d, and the Drain kept clear and open, efpecially in Winter, that the Water do not rot, or too muchchill the Roots. If the Land be four, or cold, it will be very much help’d by burning it; andif the Haulm and Strings of the’ Hops be burnt every ear, and fome ofthe Paring or Sides of the Garden or other Earth be laid on them as they bu rfn, and then more Haulm be laid over 1 fo continu’d Layer upon Layer, it ff an excellent Compoft to make the h. ituation of a Hop-Ground, one inclines to the South or Welt is the moft ble; but if it be expos’d to the Northor South-Weft Winds, there thould be ter of fometall Trees at a Diftance, becaufe the North-Eaft are apt to nip the tender Shoots in the Spring, and the South-Wett frequently break and blowthe Poles at the latter I nd of the Summer, and very much endanger the Hops. - Hops require to be planted in an Open Situa- tion, that the Air mayfreely pafs round and between them, to dry up and diffipate the Moifture, whereby they would not be fo fubje& toFire-blafts, which often deftroy the Middles of large Plantations, while the Outfid es remain unhurt. . As for the Preparation of the Ground for Planting, it fhould, the Winter before, be plough’d and harrow’d even; and then lay Upon it in Heaps a go0c ity fre fk or ‘ap 280 = ey = si . a together, eee ee pene fufficient toope but |half Hf, a BBufhel hel in i every‘ Ges ie t t ne ops in, unlefs the natural und be very freth. “ I nen lay a Line acrofs it, from the Hed ce in which Knots have been a oo ty’d » at the Diftance of Ho at feveral Times, it will Trouble, and be a grea Owner, The two beft Sorts are the white and the y ire of Compoft or Dung beingpref the beft Time for s of the Dung-Cart nor furrow the not done then, you muft grey Bind; the latter’ is a large {quare Hop, more hardy, andis the more plentiful Bearer, and ripens later than the former. There is alfo another Sort of the white Bind, which ripens a Weekorten Days before the common ; but this is tenderer, anda lefs ple tiful Bear But it has this comes firft to Market. But if three Grounds, Parts of one Ground Advantage, it become ripe. “ The Sets o be pick’d fucc hey q to be procur’d out of Grounds that are intirc y of the fame Sort you would have ; they fhould be five orfix Inches long with three or x ore~Joints or IR3 all the old Bind and hollow Part of caft out every If you have good will be to { t sround being cut off, If there be a Sort of H - almoft of Dung, thebeft Alleys, all over yi; i nt inter folity they will require, will to an ae oe ner oftener than once in twenty Loads upon an Acre every Our sd, th lay only on the Hills, or in the Spring, wh belt me s Time, evr 3 fowing Seeds ; but that turns to no Account, becaufe that Wz y is not only tediou i Hops fo produc’d are commonly Kinds, and manyof tt before, Oéfober and well; but the common in Ofober, unlefs from fome make the Stock bare to the principal Roots, with a fharp Knife you muft cut off all the Shoots which grew up with the Binds the laft Year; and alfo all the young Suckers, that nonebe left to run in the Alley, and weaken the Hill. It will be proper to cut one Part of the Stock lower than the other, andalfo to cut that Part low that was left higheft the preceding Yez Bypurfuing this Method, you may expect to have flronger Binds, and alfo keepthe Hill in good Order. In dreffing thofe Hops that have beenplanted the Year before, you ought to cut off both the dead Tops andthe young Suckers which have {prung up fromthe Sets, and alfo to cover the Stocks with a Hive with fine Earth a Finger’s Length in thicknefs. About the Middle of z 4 § are tO bepol’d, when the Shoots begin to fprout up 5 the Poles muft be ferto the Hills deep into the Ground, with a fquare fron Pitcher or Crow, that they may t better endure the Wi ; three Poles are fufficient for one Hi TI fhould bepla near the Hills as be, with their bending Tops turn’d outwards from the Hill, to prevent the Binds from intangling, and a Space between two Poles ought to be left open to the South to admit the Sunbeams. > The Poles ought to be in Length fixteen or twenty Feet, more or lefs, ording as the Ground is in Strength; and great Care is to be taken not to over-pole a young or weak Ground, forthat will w the Stock too n and weaken it: If a Ground be over-pole you are not to expect a good Crop from for the Branches which bear the ill very littl > Binds have over Poles, whi y cannot d10 when are too long; two fmall Poles are fufficient fora Ground that is young, If you wait till the Sprouts or young Binds are grown to the Length of a Foot, you will be able to m Judgment where to place the largeft Poles; it if you ftay till they are fo young as all ir 1€ L S, If will be i ijurious to them, becaufe they will intangle one with another, and will not clafp al { Maple or Afpen es are accounted the beft for Ho s, on which they are thought to profper beft, becaufe of their Warmth; orelfe, becaufe the he Hop is furthered by means of the inefs ve Bark. But Poles are for Laftingne preferable ut Chefnu are moft durableof all. If after the Hop of them have may be placed near thofe that to rec the Binds from them. to cover them aft and become a good Set te Some have try’d to raife a 1 rai 5 reckoning about hels to the Load. enough tocoverall y lay it on one and on the reft in another, or is no Occafion to dung the +h } this they are ty’d, cutting off the Tops, and themin the Hill; or when the ogdBa : e but a fmall Quz fually content themfelves with laying would increafe Plants and Sets from, fluous Binds may be laid down when Part will grow, next Sp on your new Then having, with an Iron Picker, clear’d away all the Earth out of the Hills, fo as to decay’d, and to I be be plant three Sorts, there will be this Conveniency, that they may | the Froft has harden’d the vill be Dung-Cart: March will be a good Time; andthe latter End of March, if it be apt to produce overrank Binds, or the Beginning of April may be foon enough, Fy MMi > Jvil1adl ? the hat do Pole |