These beans: then, It; or, |. and with llow- llow} heat. crop, y by ad at

1 ctop ot find 1 large

Most

The-

d off. feed. quar- a last; pounds to feed

winter,

eed in

gene- Clay going tomed qual- every

a

OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. 39 year, and others taken up. It is supposed there are not so many now grown as thirty years ago, but that the cul- ture has increased within the last ten years. Mr. Bower, to whom I am indebted for the agcurate account of the management of them in the following letter, supposes the number of acres now so employed in thé whole county 1100: others carry them as high as 1400.

West Drayton, January, 1, 1194. eee ISal Ran

‘¢ When I had the pleasure of spending a few hours

with you at Clumber, you desired me to procure you an account of the number of acres planted with hops in this county, and likewise the expence of their cultivation. According to the best information I can get, there is about 1100 acres of hop ground. It consists of different kinds of soil, but chiefly strong clay, and bog or black earth. This,(the Eastern) part of the county is strong clay: The plantations here lie in vallies and wet lands for the most part, not very valuable for other purposes. The common price of first taking up, or converting grass land into hop ground, is fifty-shillings per acre; exclusive of sets, plant- ing, and draining, which cost about as much more. Poling new ground is the heaviest expence; it will(if new poles are used) cost at least twenty-five pounds per acre. The best managers here set but two poles at each hill,(and where the bind is strong) but two binds upon each pole. *¢ The common price of what is provisionally called, * looking after an acre of hop ground,’ is from forty to forty-five shillings: this work only consists of digging, picking, cutting, poling, twigging, once hilling and hoeing, and poles stacking. Good managers add at least two hoeings more, which cost half a crown an acre each. Then there is is the draining every other, or every third year, with fresh earth getting, catch poles sharping, car- rying in, and setting, with many other little works, which are for the most part here done by the day. The men’s