764; 



Notices of Books. 



[Nov.; 



NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



Raspberry Growing in Scotland— By J. N. Hodge. (Edinburgh : 

 The Scottish Smallholders' Organisation, Ltd., 1921.)— In this little book 

 Mr. J. N. Hodge traces the history of the growth of the raspberry industry in 

 so far as the district around Blairgowrie, in Scotland, is concerned. The writer 

 appears to have been connected with a company which, at the early stages, 

 purchased blocks of land for re-sale to small holders for fruit-growing 

 purposes, and he gives figures showing clearly the cost of the land to the 

 holders, and the return they secured during several years' work. He states^ 

 that the industry was started over 20 years ago at Blairgowrie, when a 

 farm of 30 acres was purchased and split up into small holdings. From 

 that date the history of the industry is traced, and details are given of one or 

 two large holdings, such as that at Essendy, a holding of 400 acres, and that 

 at Aberuthven. The writer concludes from the figures that it was possible 

 for a business organisation to acquire agricultural land for the purpose of 

 small holdings for fruit culture, with results favourable both to the company 

 and to the small holders. By so doing, he says, the capital value of the land has 

 been considerably increased, being sufficient to employ an increasing number 

 of workers and bringing greater prosperity to the rural population. Ulti- 

 mately the prosperity is shared b}' the railway companies which transport the 

 goods from the district, and by the tax collector, who increases his assessment 

 of the land, which is now used for market garden purposes. 



Not the least interesting portion of the book is the chapter dealing with the 

 gathering of the crop. Before the War the work was done principally by 

 tramps, who came into the district at stated seasons and did the work moderately 

 well without requiring the grower of the fruit to make any provision for his 

 reception ; for he slept, as was his custom, on the roadside or in the woods. 

 In the first year of the War, however, the tramp failed to return ; other pro- 

 vision had to be made, and the task proved unduly heavy. A big organisation 

 had to be placed on foot to secure workers from every possible source, taking 

 women and children from the slums of large cities, boys from Industrial 

 Schools, and other war workers of any class or sex who were willing to do the 

 M-ork ; even German prisoners were engaged to help. Having secured the 

 supply it was a big task to arrange for the sleeping and feeding of such a 

 large number of people, drawn from different parts of the country, of various 

 classes, and of both sexes. Mr. Hodge's story of this is well worth reading, 

 and he says : " We worried on through these years, grateful to those who had 

 helped us, willing to take back those who wanted to come, but always looking 

 forward with a great longing to the end of the War and the return of the 

 tramp." 



Those who are interested in statistics — yield of the crops per acre from 

 year to year, and the price realised for the fruits — will find much information 

 in this little book. Further, there is food for thought in the chapter dealing 

 with the limitations of the industry, for it appears from the Blairgowrie 

 experience that where a block of land is planted to any one crop continuously 

 the yield is influenced both by soil limitations and ravages of insect pests. 

 The yield's per acre at Blairgowrie have steadily declined ; areas that in 1909 

 were yielding a crop of 2,603 tons produced only 1,500 tons in 1919, and 

 between those years the decline was persistent and gradual. — H.V.T. 



