104 DISTRICTS OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE 



are those in extreme old age or a widow with a 

 large family. 



There is only one public-house where the older 

 residents can remember four or five. 



FRUIT-GROWING DISTRICTS OF CAMBRIDGE- 



SHIRE. 



There are now 4,500 acres under fruit in a radius 

 of seven miles round Wisbech, of which about 

 200 acres are held by occupiers of from 1 to 3 acres, 

 and 1,000 by occupiers under 10 acres. This was 

 formerly a wheat-growing district ; the fruit in- 

 dustry dates from about 1875, at which time it was 

 estimated that there were only about 200 acres 

 under fruit. The pioneers of the industry were 

 Messrs. T. and J. Cockett, who now have over 

 250 acres, and Mr. Bath, a fruit-grower from Kent, 

 who has 600 acres. The total wages paid by the 

 latter amount to 10,000 a year, the regular hands 

 receiving at the rate of l a week for men and 12s. 

 for women. As two-thirds of the hands are local 

 people, it would appear that indirectly these larger 

 growers have considerable influence in the develop- 

 ment of smaller holdings by supplying labour which 

 enables the ordinary working man gradually to get 

 in a position to acquire a holding of his own while 

 still working for good wages and learning the 

 business. 



There appear, moreover, to be no very large 

 landowners in the district, so that there is not the 

 usual difficulty in obtaining land, which is said to 



