HOP GARDENS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXX, Issue 40, 16 February 1894, Page 3

HOP GARDENS.

A visrr to Messrs Dodson and Oo.'a famed hop gardens is always a pleasurable experi. enoe, but all the more bo this year, since the orop, we arc glad to say, has beon cultivated with unusual suooess andpromises a particularly rich harvest. Passing through the brewery, whioh has a commendable appearance of oleanliness, and where the renowned XXX beer reposes m. barrels arranged with a uniformity and method whioh finds a oounteipart only m the past and present managemeat of the whole establishment itself, the journalistic throat is regaled with a journalistic draught (not a very big one), and the courteous and cammunioative oultivator of the hops, Mr H. W. Gibson, stands ready to lead the way to the gardens. The view from the river bank is really a fine one and the green twining shrubs m regular rows have a most oaarming and graceful appearance. It would not perhaps be tod muoh to say that even a prohibitionist would relent on looking from that bank on such a scene of beauty, and would experience feelings of oompunotion on thinking that, if his noble efforts to render beer a nonentity and raise "fallen humanity " were attended with suocess, suoh " a thing of beauty " as a hop garden would net exist. There are three varieties of plantß m the garden, viz., the " grape," "green grape," and "golden" heps, and eaoh plot ia looking exceptionally well. The braots premise to be unusually large, and eaoh plant is bearing very heavily. Suoh a thing as a weed is not to be teen, and as for that bane, the red spider, it is oonspiouous by its absence this Beaßon. This latter faot is due, we quite unexpectedly learned, to the merits of a drench whioh is specially prepared by Mr Gibson. This preparation m an elementary state was first compounded and used by the late Mr Henry Dodeon. That gentleman was engaged m perfecting the drench at the time of bis death, and Mr Gibson continued experiments with surprising results. He has parfaoted the composition, and has succeeded ia manufacturing a mixture, the efficacy of wbioh is attested by the oomplete absence of spider and weed. The preparation is also certain death to many other blights and iossots, and Mr Gibson hopes to still further improve on the merits of the mixture. The three and a half acres of hops are sur» ronaded by a protection of poplar tre»s, which have grown considerably lately, and there is little fear of even a hurtioane damaging the orop to any great extent. If the weather continues favourable the hops will be ready for pioking m about a month, when an unusually- merry scene may be anticipated.