- 905 
upon the stupendous foreign importations." If this be so, it would 
X interesting to know what becomes of the get quantities ‘produced 
n Bedfordshire € some other of the counties. As we have frequently 
sinted, we do not grow this esculent so largely as we should do, but 
this is a very different matter from depending “ wholly ” upon foreign 
supplies. With reference to cabbages, the writer states, “ that the poor 
would be badly off indeed for this healthy vegetable if they relied 
only on the English growth," and “that the cabbages sold at the 
Borough Market, at Spitalfields, and along the wharves are in almost 
all cases impor ted from Holland.” To confute these statements is 
wholly unnecessary. Nor, indeed, is it possible to seriously discuss 
such assertions as “the best vegetables of all grades are of foreign 
importation," the “ English produetion is but a small.item in the 
20 years ago, yet for almost everything that is in it, hrs ‘ened he 
urchas p ooks to the Continent for his-supply;," of 
the fact d that last year we devoted 1,652,860 acres to the iiaia of 
fruits and vegetables, of which the greater proportion was sent to market. 
But we must. confess to some surprise that they shouid have been 
considered deserving of * permanent preservation.’ 
The Gardeners’ Chronicle for August 11th, 1894, contained the 
following paragraph :— 
* Tn this article one side of the question ae but the writer has 
not availed himself of the very striking facts which were published on 
this subject in our columns last year, nor does T deal with the. very diffi- 
cult problems connected with markets and the means of distribution.” 
The general tendeney of the professional journals, it will be seen, is to 
minimize the state of things to which attention was called. This is of 
course one way of dealing with it. Perhapsa more prolitable one is to 
extract from the Annual Statement of the Trade of the United King- 
dom with Foreign Countries and British Possessions, the statistical 
“facts as to the actual importation of vegetables into this rae A and 
their value. The classification, unfortunately, is not carried i very 
great detail, but it brings out some striking point - 
PRINCIPAL ARTICLES (Vegetables) of Foreign and Colonial Merchandise 
1894. 
imported in 
| oai 
Ontons, Raw: M Bushels. 
From Germany - - - =al 227,175 31,758 
ollan j r 1,088,610. | 137,799 
» Belgium - - - a] 266,099 | ,89 
3 France B - - 697,620 | 90,162 
» Portugal - - - - 283,671 | 53,001 -~ 
» Spain - - - 1,189,528 | 196,210 
3 aid - - jJ - 54,701 11,476 
5 & 1,400,793 197,751 
$ United States of America - 17,757 | 3,79 
5 er foreign countries - - 7,883 | 1,715 
Total from foreign countries | -. - 5,233,847 | 757,161 
From Malta T 51,239 7,393 
» Other British potsegione - - 3,426 486 
_ Total from British possessions - — - | E 665 ns "BRE 
CNR CECE am ob. i E he AR C Richa iuo T UR ESI E m bod ualde 
a tdi ri Dota LOS 6c R icu cip p ot 765,040. | 
ones . UO IAE C AME De SOR A VOR. 2 
