Pip Fruits: Apples 



lacking in accommodation as the baby grows into manhood. It is the 

 same with fruit trees; space must be allowed for development. The 

 man who takes on a thickly planted garden, under the impression that 

 he will get more fruit from 1000 trees to the acre than he will from 

 320, simply does not know his business, or the laws that govern plant 

 life, and he is sure to fail. The annexed sketches show what too 

 frequently happens to fruit trees planted too closely together. One 

 (fig. 332) represents a plum tree about fifteen years old; the other (fig. 333) 

 one about twenty years of age, both taken from actual examples. It will 

 be seen that instead of being in the prime of life and capable of yielding 

 good crops, they are in a miserable, decrepit condition, cumbering the 

 ground upon which they stand within about 8 ft. of their neighbours. 

 The main stem has been cut out long ago, and side shoots have struggled 

 up in search of air and light, but even they are already in a mutilated 

 condition. 



The following analysis of 1795 trees (mostly Plums with a sprinkling 

 of Apples and Pears) in a market garden will show the evils of over- 

 crowding from a financial point of view. The garden is considered a 

 good one as market gardens go, but it will be seen from the figures 

 that over half the trees are a long way below par, and do not pay their 

 way as they ought. 



If all these 1795 trees on about 4 ac. of ground had been in a 

 proper state of growth each one would have yielded at least 10s. worth 

 of fruit annually, making a total of 897, 10s. Owing to the wretched 

 condition of most of them, however, the entire crop could be valued at 

 only about 550 in a good season, representing an annual loss to the 

 grower of 347, 10s. In other words, he paid the terrific fine oi 347, 10s. 

 per annum for having overcrowded his garden. At the end of a twenty- 

 one years lease this would represent at least a total loss of about 2000, 

 to say nothing of the cost of labour of cutting out the dead wood in the 

 winter. If 800 trees, instead of 1795, had been properly planted on the 

 same area, the crop of fruit would probably have been worth 15s. per 

 tree, giving a total revenue from top fruit alone of 600. With 800 

 trees, therefore, the grower would have obtained 50 a year more than 

 he did with 1795, and the cultural expenses would have been lighter in 

 proportion. [j. w.] 



