The Fortune 



beef than it fetches home, that there is not 

 enough margin on corn growing, that it takes 

 a sovereign's worth of straw to produce a crown's 

 worth of manure when trodden down, that sheep 

 are more nuisance than profit, and generally the 

 times are changing. The result may be seen in 

 such districts as that around Wisbech. Not many 

 years ago the land was considered poor and little 

 thought of until some genius, who surely deserves 

 a statue, tried fruit growing, and the farms have 

 doubled and trebled in value ! This means money 

 in somebody's pocket. 



A generation ago the district around Boston 

 was in the same position, but is now one of the 

 most prosperous localities. I visited one of its 

 extensive fruit orchards last summer, and was 

 astounded at the developments. Gangs of men 

 were packing apples, plums, gooseberries, and 

 strawberries for the great towns, and the whole 

 neighbourhood seemed alive and thriving. Celery 

 and potatoes have transformed thousands of 

 acres, and filled as many purses. One hears of 

 anything from .£30 to ^100 being cleared from 

 one acre, and such places as the Warp lands of 

 Yorkshire, with its celery, or the Blairgowrie 

 district of Scotland, with its raspberry gardens, 

 are straws in the wind. Of course the new culture 

 is intensive, and demands more capital per acre, 



3 B2 



