Besides Bavaria and Bohemia, the chief European countries producing hops, it will be seen, are Upper Austria, Pomerania, Prussian Poland, Altmark and Brunswick, Baden, Wurtemberg, France, and Belgium.

BADEN.-In the Duchy of Baden the produce of hops is increasing. In 1867, 30,000 cwt. were sold in Mannheim for 1,500,000 florins, against 20,000 cwt. in 1866. Fears are, however, entertained of an unfavourable nature sooner or later, owing to the immense increase in the cultivation of hops in all countries.

There are now 4235 morgen of land under culture with hops. The morgen is equal to 0.8896 acre.

The hop trade of Baden is of great extent and importance, the average crop in good years being about 23,000 cwt. It is carried on in Mannheim by about 25 persons. About half the produce goes to Bavaria, Bohemia, France, England, Spain, and Portugal, and the other half is consumed in the country and in the other states of the Zollverein. The three first-named countries take the best-quality hops, and England the most ordinary sorts. The large hop trade with Bavaria and Bohemia is the result of the improvement in the cultivation of hops in Baden, which has taken place of late years.

AUSTRIA. In 1870 there were 17,770 acres under hop culture in Austria, which produced 7,710,444 lbs. In 1871 the yield in Upper Austria was 9,403,856 lbs.

A pamphlet recently published by Herr Noback, of Prague, stated that the total number of breweries in the Cisleithan provinces, Austria, which in 1860 were 2794, in 1869 were reduced to 2471; in spite of this falling off in the number of breweries, the annual production of beer had increased

from 11,495,723 eimers (18 gallons) to 13,984,132 eimers. Bohemia alone produces 5,650,085 eimers; Lower Austria, 3,435,953 eimers; Moravia, 1,163,310; the provinces on the Adriatic coast, 2692. In Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, and Slavonia, there were, in 1869, 318 breweries, producing 989,532 eimers; and in the frontier provinces, 31 breweries, producing 51,154 eimers. The total production of beer throughout the whole empire was 15,024,818 eimers, and the number of breweries 2820.

In Hungary wooden pegs or short stakes are driven into the ground at such distances apart as it is intended to plant the vines; and at longer distances—usually about 20 to 25 yards-light poles are erected, with a height of from 12 to 15 feet above the surface, so that there are parallel lines all over the ground of short stakes or pegs placed at certain distances, and projecting about 8 to 12 inches in height, while parallel rows of poles, from 12 to 13 feet high, cross these at right angles, and at from 20 to 25 yards distance apart. A stout wire is stretched horizontally from pole to pole all over the ground, while vertical wires, or tight rope, made of any suitable material, are attached to the pegs and carried up and fastened to the horizontal wires, thus offering a steady support to the hop vines during the period of growth. At harvest time the ropes are detached and carried to the picking stage with the vines, and the field cleared for the usual tillage operations, without the trouble and expense of shifting, stacking, and resetting the poles.

This plan has been introduced into Wurtemberg, Baden, Bavaria, and other hop-producing countries with satisfactory results.

In ROUMANIA the hop is not yet submitted to any system of regular culture, but the wild hops which grow in the woods are collected and used as a legume, and also in the manufacture of beer.

SWEDEN.-The hop grows spontaneously, and has done for centuries in a wild state, in many parts of Sweden, as far as Jemtland, and it is cultivated in Northbothnia (66°), at from 36 to 50 miles from the coast. The most common sorts are an early kind, a late variety, and the best and most sought after a variety with red bine and large reddish-brown cones. Many foreign sorts have, however, been introduced and tried of late years.

HOLLAND.-The following figures give the statistics of hop production in the Netherlands, as far as I have been able to ascertain it:

BELGIUM.-Although hop cultivation is carried on in six of the provinces of Belgium, there are only a small number of arrondissements where it has attained any real importance. All the arrondissements of Hainault, with the exception of Tournai, cultivate the hop, but in Brabant the culture is almost exclusively restricted to the arrondissement of Brussels, in West Flanders to that of Ypres, in East Flanders to Alost, and in the province of Liege to the district of Liege. Beyond these localities we only meet with insignificant hop grounds, generally for the special wants of the grower.

The Belgian hops of Poperinghe and its neighbourhood, and those of Alost, have a good reputation, but the careless mode of gathering and drying are much complained of. This depreciation in the value might easily be remedied by more care being paid to these essential operations. In 1846 2232 hectares were under culture with hops; in 1870, 3960 hectares, yielding an average of 1237 kilogrammes per hectare.

In 1866 the division for provinces, according to the census, was as follows:

The number of acres under hops in English measure was, in 1866, 9781, and the produce of hops 10,801,646 lbs.

The culture is now carried on on a much larger scale, judging by the great increase in the exports. Thirty years

ago they only amounted to about 1,200,000 lbs., now they exceed 11,000,000 lbs., and the local consumption of beer has also largely increased. In 1860 the quantity of Belgian hops exported, principally to France, England, and Holland, was only about 2,600,000 lbs., valued at 160,000l. In 1865 the exports were 5,570,000 lbs., valued at 243,000l., and in 1874 over 11,394,000 lbs., valued at 590,4007.

The imports of hops into Belgium were, in 1872, 284 bales ; 1873, 167 bales; and 1874, 880 bales. In the latter year 430 bales were received from Great Britain, 440 bales from Hamburg, and 10 from the United States.

The following table shows the countries to which Belgian hops are chiefly imported:

In 1851 Belgium exhibited fair samples of hops, and of several varieties, at the Great Exhibition, which ranked next to the Canadian in point of flavour.

The Mayentz hops were also of good flavour and well harvested, though rather small.

At the various International Exhibitions held since, the Belgian hops exhibited were favourably mentioned.