tailieunhanh - HOP-GROWING

The period we have now reached was one of steady growth in the value of land and its products. In 1543 Henry VIII, who had given away or squandered, in addition to the great treasure left him by his thrifty father, all the wealth obtained from the dissolution of the monasteries, debased the coinage in order to get more money into his insatiable hands, and prices went up in consequence. But there were other causes: the influx of precious metals from newly discovered America into Europe had commenced to make itself felt, and the population of the country began. | HOP-GROWING PROGRESS AT LAST. HOP-GROWING. PROGRESS OF ENCLOSURE. HARRISON S DESCRIPTION The period we have now reached was one of steady growth in the value of land and its products. In 1543 Henry VIII who had given away or squandered in addition to the great treasure left him by his thrifty- father all the wealth obtained from the dissolution of the monasteries debased the coinage in order to get more money into his insatiable hands and prices went up in consequence. But there were other causes the influx of precious metals from newly discovered America into Europe had commenced to make itself felt and the population of the country began to grow steadily. Also it must not be forgotten that the seasons which in the early part of the century had been normal were for the next sixty years frequently rainy and bad. It is unnecessary to say that this must have largely helped to raise the price of corn. The average price of wheat from 1540-1583 was 135. 101 2d. a quarter from 1583-1702 39s. 01 was still subject to extraordinary fluctuations in 1557 Holinshed says before harvest wheat was 53s. 4d. a quarter malt 44s. After harvest wheat was 5s. malt 6s. 8d. the former prices being due to a terrible drought in England. Oxen in the period 1583-1703 were worth 75s. instead of under 1 in the period 1400-1540. Wool was from 9d. to 15. a lb. instead of about 31 2d. and all other farm products increased with these. 215 Hops were from 1540-1582 about 26s. 8d. a cwt. and from 1583-1700 825. 91 2d. In 1574 Reynold Scott published the first English treatise on hops 216 in which he says one man may well keep 2 000 hils upon every hil well ordered you shall have 3 lb. of hoppes at the least one hundred pounds of these hoppes are commonly worth 26s. 8d. one acre of ground and the third part of one man s labour with small cost beside shall yield unto him that ordereth the same well fortie marks yearly and that for ever an optimistic estimate that many growers to-day would like