The Hop Crop.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 39, 11 January 1883, Page 2

The Hop Crop.

It.appears that owing to the partial failure of the last season's English hops, together with a large demand to supply the American market, values' hare advanced to such an extent that substitutes ate eagerly sought after m Mincing Lane Market, and drugs which can, on account of their bitter qualities, be used m the manufacture of beer, have been m speculative demand to such an extent that m some cases the values have advanced 800 to 400 per cent. It has generally been supposed that beer could only be made " bitter " through the medium of the hop plant ; but the innocent delusion (says the European Mail) must be given up, the laws of supply -and demand having taught us that there are other planta not familiar to Sent or Surrey which .can be used for the same purpose. Colombo root, welloknown fox its tonic, qualities, has advanced m value from 225, at which it was obtainable a ■ month since to 95s per cwt ; camomiles; from 40s to 120s ; quassia, sxom£s to £40 per ton ; Guinea grains, which, have always bWI more or less m use tor brewing purpo^s, from 32s to 60s per cwt ; and the most surprising ot all, Cheretta, a drug which a little time since was almost unsaleable at 3d per lb, has actually been sold at 3s to 3a 6d per lb.