100 FRUIT FARMING 



requisite qualities for the purpose, being a handsome 

 glossy fruit, of good firm substance, a great bearer, 

 and a hardy free grower, with good foliage and stout 

 footstalks to keep the fruit off the ground. Stirling 

 Castle (or Vicomtesse de Thury) is also grown, and a 

 few Eleanor and Elton Pine for later crops. Since 

 this paper was written, Royal Sovereign has been 

 introduced, and is the best for early crop ; but 

 Monarch is also a favourite where it succeeds, though 

 often blind under garden culture. Other novelties are 

 the Laxton, Fillbasket, Bedford Champion, etc. 



The usual proceeding is to place the finest and best 

 fruit into i-lb. punnets, and later on, when the price 

 falls, into i2-lb. peck baskets, which are made with 

 necks slightly smaller than the body, so that they do 

 not require covering when sent by rail, but pack one 

 on another, and the fruit is thus sent in special trains 

 to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, etc., in better 

 condition than would be expected. The punnets are 

 put into cases made to hold 24 or 48, or into light 

 open boxes with handles at each end; some cover the 

 layers of punnets with cabbage leaves to keep them 

 cool. A large sale is also effected in handled-chip 

 baskets holding 3 and 6-lb. each. 



In recent years, the " King " or giant fruits are 

 sent to market in special punnets, and being the very 

 largest berries they obtain a high price, and are 

 neatly furnished with fresh leaves. 



Planting. The plants are set in the fields in straight 

 rows, 32 inches wide, the plants being 16 inches apart ; 

 such a plantation lasts from four to seven years 

 in good bearing, according to the soil or the seasons. 

 The hot seasons, by encouraging red spider, con- 

 siderably weaken the plants, and make gaps in 



