200 FRUIT FARMING 



The Departmental Committee of the Board of Agri- 

 culture has issued a voluminous report, which may be 

 obtained from the Office, Whitehall, London, S.W., 

 or, in a condensed form, from the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, Vol. 29, Part 4, at 15/-. 



Beyond the statistics of the fruit acreage in the 

 different counties, the progress of the industry, the 

 benefit of fruit on the national health and sobriety, 

 the question of the industry being overdone was 

 emphatically denied by many of the speakers, the 

 increased employment provided by the growth of fruit, 

 the raising of the tone of the labourers in fruit 

 districts, in consequence of the intelligence necessary 

 for success, a glance at the chief fruit districts, the 

 differences and drawbacks, the still insufficient know- 

 ledge, notwithstanding the County Council Lectures, 

 the many works on Pomology, and the efforts of the 

 chief Society (the Royal Horticultural), land tenure, 

 taxation grievances, railway troubles, foreign competi- 

 tion, the insufficient inspection of imported fruit, pulp 

 and jam, the labour difficulty, distribution troubles, 

 bird and insect ravages, bee keeping, in all, a com- 

 prehensive threshing out of the entire subject, can be 

 found in the report, which all interested in fruit 

 culture should study. 



Following up this report, a very large gathering 

 waited on Earl Carrington to urge the adoption of 

 several pressing matters arising therefrom. Want of 

 funds was naturally pleaded by the noble lord (then 

 Minislcr of Aijfriculture), but he was impressed by the 

 fact that the gathcrinjjf represented no less than 20 

 vi-ry important Societies, and promised liis attention 

 and sympathy. The deputation was ably introduced 



