THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Vol. XIV. No. 10. 



JANUARY, 1908. 



CIDER ORCHARDS. 

 B. T. P. Barker, M.A. 



Director of the National Fruit and Cider Institute. 



There is one aspect of the cider industry to which com- 

 paratively little attention has been paid, notwithstanding 

 the general revival of interest in cider making and the scientific 

 study of its problems. While attention has been fixed upon the 

 fruit, the most profitable methods of extracting the juice, and 

 the most satisfactory modes of dealing with it during the course 

 of fermentation, the orchard side of the question — which is 

 equally important — has been somewhat neglected. There 

 appear to be no generally accepted ideas as to the principles 

 which should be observed in planting orchards for vintage 

 purposes ; and, as a result, many of those which are being 

 planted are stocked, with varieties reputed to be useful for 

 cider purposes, and of vigorous growth, without any regard 

 being paid to the question of suitable proportions of each kind 

 and similar points of importance from the vintage point of 

 view. 



Necessity for planting fresh orchards. — It is certain that 

 the future welfare of the industry depends mainly upon 

 a largely increased planting of fresh orchards during the 

 course of the next few years. Probably the large majority of 

 the existing orchards have long passed their best days and are 

 now dying out ; and few are being planted to fill their places. 

 In unfavourable seasons the supply of fruit is so small, com- 

 pared with the demand, that the high prices fetched by it 

 make it practically impossible for the buyer to convert it 

 (2783) 2 o 



