STRAWBERRIES 3 
are found settled in districts, and to these districts the 
name of the despatching centre is generally given. The 
earliest large district for outdoor strawberries is the 
South Hampshire one of Botley and Sarisbury, known 
in market parlance as the Southampton district. Mr 
Bear states that in a recent good year the district sent 
away about 7,000 tons of strawberries. This at the 
average of 2 tons per acre means 3,500 acres under this 
crop, but this is a far larger area than the official returns 
give for the whole acreage under small fruits, con- 
sequently one is compelled to assign a much higher 
average crop to the successful Hants growers, and put 
the area down as considerably under 3,000 acres. 
From around Penzance, in Cornwall, and Exeter, in 
Devonshire, small supplies of early out-door strawberries 
come, preceding those of Hampshire by a few days. 
The Kent districts come next in chronological order 
and follow about ten days after those of Hampshire. 
The chief centres are Swanley, from whence 75 tons 
have been despatched by rail in one day, and 600 tons 
within one month, independent of road-borne consign- 
ments, Crockenhill, St Mary Cray, Sevenoaks and 
Maidstone. Surrey does not contribute strawberries 
largely, but in Middlesex, around Feltham, Cranford 
and Teddington, there are large areas under the crop, as 
also there are round Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire. In Cam- 
bridgeshire, especially around Willingham and Wisbech, 
strawberries are extensively grown, and one firm has 
been known to send away 40 tons on one day. And so 
the season progresses right up the country, Bedford, 
Gloucester, Hereford, Worcester, Yorkshire all con- 
tributing to the great and extended demand. Round 
Alnwick, in Northumberland, a large industry in late 
strawberries has grown up in recent years, while farther 
north, Scotland has its strawberry districts at Perth and 
Aberdeen. 
