136 THE DODFORD ESTATE 



orchards or grass plots, but most of the ground 

 is cultivated with strawberries, bush fruits, and 

 flowers. The soil is a heavy red clay. Poultry, 

 pigs, and horses are kept, but no cows. The build- 

 ings for the animals are mostly wooden sheds put 

 up by the occupiers. One holding which I visited 

 was rented by a man who had been in a Birming- 

 ham brass foundry all his life ; he had always been 

 fond of gardening, otherwise he had no experience 

 of cultivation. Most of his land was planted with 

 strawberries and potatoes and a few bush fruits. 

 He was engaged in planting out garlic between the 

 strawberry-plants. He hawked fruit and vegetables 

 amongst private customers at Kidderminster. The 

 place he was on had changed hands many times, 

 and had just been bought by a Birmingham manu- 

 facturer. The ground-rent charge was 4 10s. and 

 ' he daresay ed it had cost 300 to buy.' He him- 

 self paid 5 an acre rent. 



The drawback to the place seemed to be the 

 difficulty in getting manure and in the disposal of 

 produce, which went to Birmingham and Kidder- 

 minster for the most part. The people seemed to 

 be doing fairly well, although there were many 

 complaints about the low prices received for straw- 

 berries as compared with former times. 



How much longer the lots which have not been 

 already bought up will remain in the hands of 

 cultivating occupiers is problematical. The com- 

 petition of Birmingham capitalists is very strong 

 when the holdings change hands. Many of those 



