More about the, obviously, futile attempt to grow hops in Egypt. This time it's the report complied by Mr. Linton which was mentioned in part one. It doesn't make happy reading.
The School of Agriculture,
Ghizeh, 22nd September, 1902.
Report on the Cultivation of Hops at Ghizeh.
The hop sets were planted on the 7th March, 1898, so that they have now passed through their fifth season of growth. The sets were planted in deep alluvial soil, the plants being 2 yards distant from each other, and the rows a little over 2 yards apart. The initial planting proved very successful, only a few of the sets failing to take root. The whole area occupied by the crop is about three quarters of an acre. To give the hops every chance, no other crop has been sown under them, and by deep hoeing, the surface soil has been kept free and clean. Each year farm-yard manure has been applied around the roots of the plant.
Training.— During their first seasons tho bines were trained up vertical ropes attached to horizontal wires; but for the last two years, to save the plants from the high dry winds, they have been trained vertically to a height of about 8 feet, and then led over more or less horizontal ropes. Experience has shown that this change has had practically no effect on tho amount of vegetation produced by tho plants.
Season of Growth.— From November until the beginning of March the hops received no irrigation, and only enough cultivation to keep the land free from weeds. About the 1st of March the crowns of the hops were cleaned, and shortly afterwards growth began. From this time the plants received a full supply of water, at first being irrigated every 16 days, but later receiving two waterings in this time. This season, in order to retard growth as much as possible, the crowns were undressed, and water was withheld until the shoots had been some time above the ground. During the months of April, May, and June the bines rapidly increased in length, but invariably failed to send out any considerable show of lateral shoots or flowers. The bines about June 15th would average 10 to 12 feet in length, more in the first years, less in the last two seasons. In July the hops “hung fire,” some of the flowers becoming quite ripe — at least dead — while others were still undeveloped. Towards the end of August new bines were produced while the old ones gradually became brown, lost their lower leaves and often died. During September, the young bines kept their green colour but were never very vigorous, although they produced mature flowers. While the quick-growing bines produced few side branches, those bines in active growth during the hottest weather produced few flowers, many exceedingly frail lateral branches, and seldom attained a length of 8 ft. About October 20th the plants were all ripe or dead, and no further increase in vegetation took place. At this time there was the greatest show of crop, and picking was carried out. However, to have obtained all the yield of hops, it would have been necessary to collect intermittently from July. This would have entailed great trouble, and on a largo scale would scarcely have been a financial success, as at no season was there ever any abundance of vegetation or number of mature flowers. The hot months of July and August seem to be more than the plants could bear, and in those months what flowers were produced were always exceedingly small and brittle. The roots of the plants seem also to gradually weaken, and the number of bines produced from the crowns are decreasing, and a good many of tho roots are dead. During this last season it was hoped that by retarding growth in spring the development of the flowers might be kept back until August or September, so that they might escape the deadly month of July. This attempt ended in failure, as the plants without attention or irrigation sent up their bines at their usual season, March. Some of tho plants suffered from the aphid fly, but the attack of this insect was never sufficient to interfere with tho trial with the cultivation of the crop. Of the varieties under experiment the East Kent Goldings have done worst, the other varieties have been also bad.
Briefly, the following are the outstanding features noticed in tho cultivation of the hops:—
1. On planting few of the hops died.
2. The amount of vegetation produced by the crop has always been exceedingly little.
3. The flowers have ripened at various seasons.
4. The bines gave fair promise until the hot weather, when they gradually browned and died.
5. With the return of colder weather in autumn the younger bines wore fairly healthy, but never had anything like the amount of vegetation usually produced by the hop.
6. The vigour of the plants is gradually decreasing, and each year there is less show of leaf and stem. At the same time the stems are shorter and the leaves scarcer.
7. The plants are dying off in gradually increasing numbers.
As the hops have proved such a failure when exposed to the Egyptian summer sun, next year the crop will be restricted to about l-20th of an acre, and will be roofed over with some sacking material. Under those conditions the plants will have a moister atmosphere, and will be protected from the sun during the hottest months. If the hops fail when sheltered, their cultivation at Ghizeh will be given up, as the crop will not do without some great improvement over its present unsatisfactory growth.
[Since the above was written, Mr. Tripp informs us that he will be sending out to Dr. Mackenzie some hop sets from California within the next few weeks.]
The Brewers' Journal vol. 38 1902, November 15th 1902, page 644 - 645.
It's all rather sad. I feel quite sorry for the poor hop plants, struggling to survive in a totally unsuitable climate. I'm surprised at how long they persisted with these experiments, given how badly they went.
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