92 GARDENING FOR ALL. 
The same is true of vegetables. In the year 1894 I saw 
beautiful Autumn Giant cauliflowers offered in the streets at 
twopence and threepence each, the growers were receiving 
three farthings each for them. During the summer of 1896 
a dealer bought vegetables of me, took them straight to the 
consumers and charged double what I charged him. He got 
his money, but I still wait for payment,—January 4th 1897. 
And so the robbery of the producer and consumer continues 
year after year. I do not suggest how this comes about, 
I only state the facts, and indicate the great blot which stains 
the fruit and vegetable commerce of this country. 
The remedy for such a state of things, is to do all that is 
possible to bring the producer and consumer into closer 
contact with each other, to their great mutual advantage. 
Allotments are doing much to mitigate the evil of a 
scarcity of vegetables and fruit among the poor in rural 
districts, and to a lesser degree near large centres of 
population, but hundreds of thousands remain at the mercy 
of dealers and middlemen. 
At no previous time has such a general desire shown 
itself for improving the condition of artizans and labourers as 
the present, and lor developing the resources of the soil by 
the production of an adequate supply of home grown fruit. 
Fruit culture, well and wisely conducted, may be, and is 
a source of profit to many; and a good supply of sound and 
ripe fruit is a great benefit to the general community. But 
care must be taken not to be misled by foolish statements 
seen in print of immense sums per acre being realised for 
certain kinds of fruit. I do not say that those statements are 
inaccurate, but I do say that they are misleading, inasmuch 
as they represent very exceptional cases and are far removed 
from average prices, which, after all, form the only sound basis 
upon which to make safe calculations. 
We have orchards in great numbers, but their occupants, 
in far too many cases, are trees that were planted generations 
ago and are now too old, or are very inferior varieties. 
These ought to be superseded by young trees of the best 
varieties, carefully selected, and planted in good positions. 
And, in addition, we ought to pay more attention to the art 
