Hop

a twining, rough-leaved vine of the nettle family. The common hop is native to Europe and North America. Hop vines are excellent arbor plants, but are cultivated usually for their loose, papery, fragrant catkins which are used in the brewing of beer. The valuable part of hops is the bitter principle contained in the granular powder on the scales and the inner shell of the tiny seed. It constitutes a sixth of the weight of the best hops. Hop yeast is the best also for raising bread. Southern England is famous for hops. Bavaria has a reputation for the best. Two regions of the United States raise excellent hops. The first extends from Maine to Iowa; the second from California to Oregon. The annual hop production of the United States is over 90,000,000 pounds, and is valued at $3,600,000. Hops are planted in hills. Each hill requires a pole ten to eighteen feet high, to support the vines. After the bearing season the vines die to the ground, the poles are stacked away for next year's use, and the field is cleared of old vines. The hop twines toward the right or with the sun; that is to say, the tip of the vine points toward the west when it is on the south side of the pole. Named in order of productivity for the year 1908, the leading hop countries of the world are Germany, England, the United States, Austria, Belgium, France, Russia, and Australia. The world's crop for the year 1905 was 274,626,000 pounds. In 1908 it was 208,000,000. See Bavaria; Beer