46 AGRICULTURE 



acres. We are essentially a fruit-eating 

 nation, so much so, that the foreigner l finds 

 a ready sale for the fruit he puts upon our 

 markets by the ton, whilst often in seasons 

 of glut ours is left to rot on the trees because 

 it does not pay to gather and send it to the 

 home markets, owing to heavy freight and 

 Transport bad packing. The whole question of trans- 

 port of our own agricultural produce is simply 

 crying out for a solution. The present railway 

 rates are prohibitive for any but the largest 

 growers and capitalists, and it is not the rates 

 only, but the shuntings and changes which 

 cause great damage and loss. Mr Rider 

 Haggard makes an excellent suggestion in his 

 book, "Rural England," just out (Dec. 6th), 

 which, if the Government in the person of 

 the Postmaster-General could see their way 

 to adopt quickly and comprehensively, might 

 give such an impetus to the " Lighter Branches 

 of Agriculture " that in another half century 



1 Between 1891 and 1901 over 45,000,000 bushels of apples 

 were imported, chiefly from America. 



