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Jens Hofgaard at Hoen
-a proprietor and his use

Jens Hofgaard was among Drammen's largest timber traders for several decades. He owned sawmills in Ringerike, Modum and Eiker, but chose to concentrate his business on the Hoenselva to an increasing degree. He is known for having built the large cart at Hoensbruket, and it was he who ordered the famous "Hoens trophy" from Nøstetangen glassworks. But he was also behind a comprehensive regulation of the Hoensvassdraget, among other things through the construction of Himsjødammen.

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The last decades of the 18th century were a golden age for timber trade and sawmill operations on Eiker. It was the heyday of the "trade patrician", also called the "plank nobility". Perhaps best known is Jørgen von Cappelen, who built Fossesholm Manor as a memorial to himself. Another of the large timber traders was Jens Hofgaard, owner of the farm Øvre Hoen with underlying delights, including the water rights in Hoenselva. His predecessors had also expanded the sawmill operation quite significantly by transferring quantity allocations from sawmills they owned further up in the Drammensvassdraget. But Hofgaard continued this strategy, and he ensured adequate water flow through a purposeful and comprehensive regulation of the entire watercourse.

 

Map Hoen 1784 (from the National Library)

Picture below shows a reconstruction of the cart in Åsa (by German Kehrrad, 'turning wheel')

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Ø Hoen Homlegård.jpg
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Bumblebee farms were common in the 18th century

 

 

Hops (Humulus lupulus) is a species in the hemp family (cannabaceae) that grows wild over large areas in Norway. It has also been cultivated in this country for many hundreds of years. In the Nordic countries, hops were used for  beer brewing  alled in_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf5d .

It must have been the monks who introduced the plant in Norway. I  middelalderen  var ølbrygging en del av husholdningen, og humlegårder var vanlige.  Landkommisjonen  i_cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ 1661  pay all landowners / farmers to grow a certain amount of hops. Hops were used for beer brewing both to give the beer a good taste and to improve its shelf life. The hops contain a bactericidal substance.

It is a perennial meandering herb that grows quickly, and quickly grows 8-10 meters long each year. The leaves are large and woody. Stems rough. The part of the plant that is above the ground withers every autumn. It does not climb by itself but must have something to sling for; logs, wall or trellis. The herb is unisexual, and when growing hops, the male flowers are removed before the female flowers are pollinated. The male flowers grow in clusters with 5 light green flower petals. The female flowers look like small cones. These are the ones used in beer brewing. The hop cones give a bitter taste that balances the sweet taste of the malt, and the hops' oils give taste and aroma to the beer. Flowering takes place July to September depending on place of growth. The flowers (hop cones) are dried before use.

Model Ascending saw

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