OUR LARGE IMPORTS 147 



country with fruit and vegetables, but also to 

 export annually £230,000 worth more vegetables 

 and £480,000 worth more fruit than she imports. 

 Her exports should put our market-gardeners to 

 some shame for they are chiefly sent to England. 1 



But these figures alone do not show to what 

 extent there is a large opening for increase in our 

 market-garden industry. We realise it most when 

 we learn that from 1901 to 1905 the United King- 

 dom imported, on an average, vegetables to the 

 value of £2,638,787 per annum more than she 

 exported. 



What acres of intensively cultivated gardens 

 such a sum represents ! Are we, in spite of the 

 threatened blockade to our commerce, inspiring 

 our country people sufficiently with a wish to 

 emulate what has been done by hard-working 

 Belgians ? My answer is that as a nation we 

 are allowing golden opportunities to pass. A few 

 energetic individuals, some co-operative bodies of 

 workers are greatly improving fruit and vegetable- 

 growing in England, but are impeded by lack of 

 capital. In order to make a real success of it they 

 require monetary as well as appreciative assistance 

 and, above all, the guidance of Government as 

 well as the encouragement of the majority. It 

 seems indeed to be regretted that such a prospect 

 of additional wealth, to say nothing of the health- 

 giving properties of the profession, should be so 

 lightly passed by. Surely it is worthy of all 

 possible assistance, not only from Government but 



1 These figures are averages for the years 1901 to 1905, 

 and do not include exotic fruits such as oranges and lemons. 



