Chap Xiiii
Of drying, and not drying of Hoppes, and of packing them when they are dried.
Although there be much curiositie in the drying of Hoppes as well in the temperature of heate (which hauing any extremitie, as either of heate, or his contrary, bréedeth disorder in the worke) as also in the framing of the Ost or furnace after many new moulds and fashions, as variable as mens wits and experiences, yet because innouations and incertainty doth rather perplexe then profit, I will shunne, as much as in me lyeth, from loading the memory of the studious Husbandman with those stratagems which disable his vnderstanding from the attaining of better perfection, not disalowing any mans approued knowledge, or thinking that because such a man can mend smoking Chimnyes, therefore none but hée shall haue license to make Chimnyes, or that because some men can melt Mettall without winde, therefore it shall be vtterly vnlawfull to vse bellowes: these violent opinions I all together disacknowledge, and wish euery one the liberty of his owne thoughts, and for mine English Husband, I will shew him that way to dry his Hoppes which is most fit for his profit, safe, easie, and without extraordinary expences.
First then to speake of the time which is fittest for the drying of your Hoppes, it is immediately as soone as they are gotten, if more vrgent occasions doe not delay the businesse, which if they happen, then you haue a forme before prescribed how to preserue them from mouldinesse and putrifaction till you can compasse fit time to effect the worke in. The manner of drying them is vpon a Kilne, of which there be two sorts, that is to say, an English Kilne, and a French Kilne: the English Kilne being composed of woode, lath, and clay, and therefore subiect to some danger of fire, the French, of bricke, lime, and sand, and therefore safe, close, and without all perill, and to be preferred much before the other: yet because I haue hereafter more occasion to speake of the nature, fashion, and edifice of Kilnes in that part of this Volumne where I intreate of Malting, I will cease further to mention them then to say that vpon a Kilne is the best drying your Hoppes, after this manner, hauing finely bedded your Kilne with Wheate-straw, you shall lay on your hayre cloath, although some disallow it, but giue no reason therefore, yet it cannot be hurtfull in any degrée, for it neither distasteth the Hoppes, nor defendeth them from the fire, making the worke longer then it would, but it preserueth both the Hoppes from filthynesse, and their séede from losse: when your hayre-cloath is spread, you shall cause one to deliuer you vp your Hoppes in baskets, which you shall spread vpon the cloath, all ouer the Kilne, at the least eight inches thicke, and then comming downe, and going to the hole of the Kilne, you shall with a little dry straw kindle the fire, and then maintaining it with more straw, you shall kéepe a fire a little more feruent then for the drying of a kilne-full of Malt, being assured that the same quantitie of fuell, heate, and time, which dryeth a kilne-full of Malt, will also dry a kilne-full of Hoppes, and if your Kilne will dry twenty strikes, or bushels of Malt at one drying, then it will dry forty of Hoppes, because being layd much thicker the quantitie can be no lesse then doubled, which is a spéede all together sufficient, and may very well serue to dry more Hoppes then any one man hath growing in this kingdome.
Now, for as much as some men doe not alow to dry Hoppes with straw, but rather preferre woode, and of woode still to chuse the gréenest, yet I am of a contrary opinion, for I know by experience that the smoake which procéedeth from woode, (especially if it be greene woode) being a strong and sharpe vapour, doth so taint and infect the Hoppes that when those Hoppes come to be brewed with, they giue the drinke a smoakie taste, euen as if the Malt it selfe had beene woode-dryed: the vnpleasantnesse whereof I leaue to the iudgement of them that haue trauelled in York-shire, where, for the most part, is nothing but woode-dryed Malt onely.
That you may know when your Hoppes are dry inough, you shall take a small long sticke, and stirring the Hoppes too and fro with it, if the Hoppes doe russell and make a light noyse, each as it were seperating one from another, then they are altogether dry inough, but if in any part you finde them heauy or glewing one to another, then they haue not inough of the fire: also when they are sufficiently and moderately dryed they are of a bright-browne colour, little or nothing altered from that they held when they were vpon the stalke, but if they be ouer dryed, then their colour will be redde: and if they were not well ordered before they were dryed, but suffered either to take wet or mould, then they will looke blacke when they are dry.
Of the drying Hoppes.
There be some which are of opinion that if you doe not dry your Hoppes at all, it shall be no losse, but it is an errour most grose, for if they be not dryed, there is neither profit in their vse, nor safty in preseruing them.
As soone as your Hoppes are sufficiently dryed, you shall by the plucking vp of the foure corners of your hayre-cloath thrust all your Hoppes together, and then putting them into baskets, carry them into such dry places as you haue prepared of purpose to lay them in, as namely, either in dry-fats, or in garners, made either of plaster, or boards: and herein you shall obserue to packe them close and hard together, which will be a meanes that if any of them be not dry, yet the heate they shall get by such lying will dry them fully and make them fit for seruice.
Of packing Hoppes.
Now to conclude, if your store of Hoppes be so great that you shall trade or make Marchandize of them, then either to conuay them by land or Sea, it is best that you packe them into great bagges of canuas, made in fashion of those bagges which woole-men vse, and call them pockets, but not being altogether so large: these bagges you shall open, and either hang vp betwéene some crosse-beames, or else let downe into some lower floare, and then putting in your Hoppes cause a man to goe into the bagge and tread downe the Hoppes, so hard as is possible, pressing downe basket-full after basket-full, till the bagge be filled, euen vnto the toppe, and then with an extraordinary packe-thriede, sowing the open end of the bagge close together, let euery hollow place be crammed with Hoppes, whilst you can get one hand-full to goe in, and so hauing made euery corner strong and fast, let them lye dry till you haue occasion either to shippe or cart them. And thus much for the ordering of Hoppes, and their vses.