195 



cwts. ; and an acre of cherries yielded 2^ tons of 

 cherries, on Mr. W. J. Jennings' farm, Kenning- 

 ton Hall, near Wye, Kent. 



In 1917, Sir Walter Berry, of Gushmere Court, 

 Selling, Kent, found his largest cherry trees bore 

 12 cwts. of fruit, the smaller trees (Early Rivers, 

 Black Circassian and Governor Wood) 4 to 5 

 cwts. each; he finds Napoleon and Kentish 

 Bigarreau flourish better on arable land than 

 most varieties of cherry do. 



Taking an average of 10 years' recent sales by 

 auction of some 179 acres of orchard fruit, chiefly 

 cherries, in seven parishes around and including 

 Sittingboume, in Kent, the average price per 

 acre was £24; in 1921 the highest sold at £50 

 per acre for the fruit. It is considered that a 

 really good, well-established cherry orchard 

 should yield, on an average, a return of £30 per 

 acre. Between Canterbury and Chatham good 

 cherry orchards let at £8 to £10 per acre and 

 sell at £200 per acre, and even as much as £300 

 per acre for the best in full bearing. 



Average Fruit Yield of England per 

 Acre. — Under a Census of Production Act made 

 in 1908 the following were the estimated yields 

 per acre : — Apple, 26 cwts. ; pears, 19 cwts. ; 

 cherries, 15 cwts. ; plums, 46 cwts. ; strawberries, 

 29 cwts. ; raspberries, 22 cwts. ; black currants, 

 9 cwts. ; red and white currants, 18 cwts. ; goose- 

 berries, 21 cwts. 



Sir Charles Whitehead estimated the average 

 apple crop of Great Britain to be 130 bushels 

 per acre (say 48 cwts.), but that up to 500 bushels 

 per acre had been obtained (say 9 tons 8 cwts.). 



Mr. Cuthbert Smith, a. very experienced and 

 practical Kentish grower, estimated the yield 

 of a well-cultivated standard apple orchard to be 

 280 bushels, the trees being on free stock, planted 

 40ft. apart with one in the middle, 56 frees per 

 acre, averaging 5 bushels per tree; and for bush 

 apples on Paradise, well done, 335 bushels per 

 acre, the trees 18ft. apart, 134 trees per acre, at 

 2^ bushels per tree. 



Return Expected. — ^It is stated that an 

 ordinary well-managed farm should realise 15 to 

 20 per cent, per annum on the capital invested. 



Price of Land and Orchards. — Much good 

 land suitable for fruit is sold at £30 to £50 per 

 acre; but in fruit-growing districts £100 is often 

 required. At Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, for 

 excellent land the lowest price is said to be £80, 

 ranging up to £150 and even £200 per acre; 

 whUst for good orchards £350 per acre has been 

 paid. In the well-known cherry district of 

 Sittingboume, in Kent, £200 for orchards is a 

 common price; and at Pershore, for plum 

 orchards, £200 or more. Tenant right for fruit 

 trees in the Evesham Valley araiounts to from 

 £60 to £120 per acre. 



Cost of being Pupil on a Well-managed and 

 Successful Fruit Farm. — For pupilage only, 

 £50 to £80 per year ; if with board and lodging, 

 £200 per annum for one year or better for two 

 years. For this payment the fruitgrower should 

 give time to teach his pupil, including manual 

 dexterity, management of labour, buying and 

 selling, also showing him his accounts and results. 



Necessaries for a Fruit Farmer. — Capital, 

 energy and diligence. 



The Advantages of Co-operative Marketing 

 OF Fruit are ; (1) Reduction of the cost of 

 marketing; (2) improvement in the distribution 

 of the produce; (3) increased demand for the 

 produce; (4) standardisation; and (5) protection 

 of the individual grower. 



Local and Central Fruit Griowers' Associations, 

 Demonstrations, Fruit Ezpeiiment Stations 

 and Colleges. 



Fruit growers should support and work with 

 the local fruit growers' associations and, if funds 

 allow, subscribe to the Central Federation, also 

 to the local Bee-keepers' Association, to encourage 

 the little helpmate of the fruit grower. They 

 should also take interest in any Fruit Experi- 

 ment Station or College dealing with fruit 

 growing in their district and visit and associate 

 with other fruit growers in their neighbourhood, 

 as it is — 



" By mutual confidence and mutual aid, 

 Great deeds are done and great discoveries 

 made." — Alexander Pope. 



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