CHAPTER XIX. 



A DIARY OF A FRUIT FARMER* 



January. — Cart dung, and when frosty 

 wheel dung, shoddy, fur-waste, fish guano, 

 etc., on to gooseberry, currant and rasp- 

 berry plantations. A horse-drawn trolley 

 can advantageously be used in fields of 

 raspberries (wheeling out and spreading 

 dung on rasps, used to cost about 12s. per 

 acre before the war). Cut out old canes, 

 and thin young canes in raspberries, dig up 

 " spawn," hoe, and dig, or plough. (Dig- 

 ging raspberries cost about 20s. to 24s. 

 per acre pre-war). Prune gooseberries, 

 red and black currants, clear prunings, 

 hoe out and dig. Prune apples, take any 

 dead wood oiit of cherries, clear up jtrun- 

 ings. Dig strawberry plantations. Stake 

 fruit trees. In bad weather, lime-wash 

 stables, poultry houses, pig-styes, etc. 

 Make splints for packing fruit; make 

 boxes for fruit. Sort and pack apples. 



February. — Cart and spread dung. 

 Hoe young and old raspberry plantations. 

 Dig up " spawn " if required for planting 

 young plantations or for sale (for which 

 work Is. 6d. per 1,000 was paid pre-war). 

 Cut out old cane from raspberries, tip 

 canes, and carry off, costing 2s. to 3s. 

 per acre (pre-war). Fish salt is good for 

 raspberries, fish guano for gooseberries, 

 black currants and raspberries. Plant rasp- 

 berry plants (only using young spawn), 

 cost of planting 15s. per acre (pre-war). 

 Plant gooseberry cuttings. , Ring hoe 

 gooseberries and currant bushes (5s. per 

 acre pre-war). Prune gooseberries and 

 currants; dig the plantations (24s. to 28s. 

 per acre pre-war). Prune apples, pears, 

 plums, Morello cherries. Re-touch grease 

 bands. Scrape bark and lime-wash 

 trunks of old fruit trees, or spray with 

 caustic potash or soda, or with lime-wash 

 (lib. lime to 1 gallon water), cleans trees 



*These notes are based on Labour account 

 books kept by the writer at Highlands Farm, 

 Swanley, Kent, for about 10 years, with the 

 addition of further notes. 



of mussel scale and other insect pests. 

 Spray trees that were last year attacked 

 by " scab " or " brown-rot " with copper 

 sulphate or lime-sulphur wash. Cut off 

 shoots of apple wanted for grafting, place 

 in earth near a north wall. Black cotton 

 may be threaded among gooseberry a.nd 

 currant bushes to keep birds from pecking 

 the buds. Soot and lime dusted over the 

 bushes deter the birds, repeat the dusting 

 when washed off. 



March. — Top raspberry canes (2s. per 

 acre pre-war) ; complete planting rasp- 

 berries. Hoe round and dig raspberries 

 (27s. per acre pre-war). Get up straw- 

 berry runners, mark out land, and plant 

 (if marked out by line), treading ground 

 each side of line (cost 5s. per acre, plant- 

 ing 16s. per acre pre-war) ; if marked by 

 machine, roll land lightly after planting. 

 Plant cuttings of gooseberry, red and 

 black currants. Where raspberry planta- 

 tions have been ploughed, "spuddle" (i.e., 

 dig lightly between the plants in the row 

 with a fork), cost 9s. to 10s. per acre pre- 

 war, taking out any couch which should 

 be put in a bucket and carried off. Graft 

 plums. Lime-wash apple and plum 

 trees, which kills apple sucker and plum 

 aphis, or spray with lime-sulphur just 

 before leaves and blossom buds open. 

 Finish digging all plantations and com- 

 mence hoeing. Canterbury pronged hoe 

 is a good tool for first time through, it 

 levels the ground (cost 4s. 6d. per acre 

 pre-war). Finish planting strawberries, 

 raspberries, bushes and trees. 



April. — Great month for hoeing. Where 

 raspberries have been ploughed run a 

 heavy two-horse brake through rasp- 

 berries with boy leading. Rolling may be 

 advisable afterwards, using a horse with 

 a small rib-roller (specially made for the 

 purpose), or a garden roller. Fill up 

 where any strawberry plants have failed. 

 Hoe strawberries (first time used to cost 



