In hop gardens a few male plants, usually three or four to an ac re, are sometimes planted, that number being deemed sufficient to fertrlm the female iiowers. 'lhe blossoms are produced in August, and the strobrles are nt for gathering from the beginning of September to the middle of October, according to the weather. The cultivation of hops for use in the manufacture of beer dates from an early period. In the 8th and 9th centuries liop gardens, callcd “ liumularia ” or “ humuleta, " existed in France and crermany Lntxl the 16th century, however, hops appear to have becn grown in a very fitful manner, and to a limited extent, generally only for private consumption; but after the beginning of the 17th century the cultivation increased rapidly. The plant was introduced into England from Flanders in IQZS, and in America its cultivation was encouraged by legislative enactments in 1657. Formerly several plants were used as well as hops to season ale, hcnce the name “ alehoof ” for .Vepela Glvr/zoma, and 'alecost ” for Balsamzta vulgarzs. lhe swect gale .Uyrzca Gale, and the sage, Salina 0 mCfIlUl1S, 7

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were also similarly employed Yarious hop substitutes, in the form of powder, have been offered in commerce of late years, most of which appear to have quassia as a chief ingredient The young tender tops of the hop are in Belgium cut off in spring and eaten like asparagus, and are forced from December to February

Medwal Use -The principal constituents of the strobiles are lupulm, one of the few liquid alkaloids, lupulzmc amd, a bitter crystalline body, soluble lll ether, which is without any other pharmacological action than that common to bitter substances, Valerol, a olatlle oil w hrch in old hops undergoes a change to the malodorous body valerianic aucl, rcsin, trrmethylamine; a peculiar modification of tannin known as humulotanmc aczd, and a scsqul-terpene. I he British pharmacopoeia contains tw 0 preparations of the strobiles, ian infusion (dose, 1 2 07) and a tincture (dose, § -1 drachm) The glands obtained from the strobrles are known in pharmacy as lupulin, a name which tends to confusion with that of the alkaloid They occur in commerce as a bright yellow brown powder, seen under a lens to consist of nnnute glandular particles The dose of this socalled lupulln is 2»5 grains I rom it thfrr is prepared the Tinctura Lupuhnae of the United States pharrnacopoera, huh 15 given in doses of I0-60 minims Furthermore there are prepared hop pillows, designed to procure sleep, but these act, when at all, mainly by suggestion. The pharmacological action of hops is determined first by the volatile oil they contain, which has the actions of its class. Similarly the lupulinlc acid may act as a bitter tonic The preparations of hops, when taken internally, are frequently hypnotic, though unfortunately different specimens wary considerably in composition, none of the preparations bcing standardized It is by no means certain whether the by notic action of hops is due to the alkaloid lupulih or possibly to the volatile oil which they contain Medical practice, however, is acquainted with many more trustworthy and equally safe hypnotics. The bitter acid of hops may endow beer containing it with a certain value in cases of impaired gastric digestion, and to the hypnotic principle of hops may partly be ascribed-as well as to the alcohol-the sopor1f1c action of beer in the case of some individuals. Hop PRODUCTION 11 ENGLAND 1

The cultivation of hops 1n the British Isles is restricted to England, w here it is practically confined to half-a-dozen counties »~four in the south-eastern and two in the west-midland districts. In 1901 the English crop was reported by the Board of Agriculture to occupy 51,127 acres The official returns as to acreage do not extend back beyond 1868, in which year the total area was reported to bc 64,488 acres. Thelargest area recorded since then was 71,789 acres in 1878, the smallest was 44,938 acres in 1907. The extent to which the areas of hops in the chief hop-growing counties vary from year to year is sufficiently indicated in Table I, which shows the annual acreages over a period of thirteen years, 1895 to 1907. The proportions in which the acres of hops are distributed amongst the counties concerned vary but little year by year, and as a rule over 60% belongs to Kent.

TABLE I -Hop Areas

nf England 1895 to 1907 Acres.

Kent Hereford Sussex Worcester. Hants Surrey. 1395 35»013 7553 7489 4024 2375 1733 1896 33,300 6895 5908 3800 2494 1623 1897 31,661 6542 5174 3591 2306 1416 1898 30,941 6651 4829 3567 2263 1313 1899 311933 7227 4949 3788 2319 1388 1900 31,514 7287 4823 3964 2231 1300 1901 $1,242 7497 A800 4029 2133 1 1232 1902 29»649 6915 4541 3779 2003 969 1903 29,933 6351 4454 3697 1920 901 1904 29,841 6767 4474 3752 1900 377 1905 301655 6851 4647 3307 1973 845 1906 29,296 6431 4379 3672 1939 777 1907 I 28,169 6143 4243 3622 1842 744 Less than 200 acres in all are annually grown in the other hop growing counties of England, these being Qhropshire, Gloucestershire and Suffolk

The average yield per acie in cwt in the six counties during the decade 1897 to 1906 was as follows-TABLE II

Kent Wlrlerefordy Sussex' !Wrrcestcr W lTaT1ts Surrey. TT V9 31 7'14 9 415 l 5 7 79 Q8 5 T23 Table III shows the average acreage, yield and total home produce of England during the decades 1888-1897 and 18981007 VIIABLII III

X , Kai/Qge Annual Average Annual Periods ~'0f§ 1sf= » ffm" uld per acre Home Produéea “Mgt (ct) (cwt)

1888-1897 56,370 7-76 433,215

1893-1907* 48,8415 5 5 55 8 84 5 434,567 The wide fluctuations in the home production of hops are worthy of note, as they exercise a powerful influence upon market prices. The largest crop between 1885, the first year in which figures relating to production were collected, and 1907 was See Report from the Selec! Commuter on [he Hop Industry

(London, 1908).