1 88 Strawberry Growing in Hampshire, [june, 



five to two acres, or even less ; while the fact that one acre of 

 strawberries may realise a profit of £50 is responsible for 

 the general air of respectability and good management pre- 

 sented by these holdings. Among the population composed 

 of strawberry growers, there are no signs of poverty, such as 

 are witnessed in many semi-rural districts. A man can make 

 a moderate living from two acres of land, while in many 

 instances a man, his wife, and family are comfortably pro- 

 vided for on a holding of four acres. House accommodation 

 is scarce, as in most instances the houses attached to each 

 holding are either the property of the small holder himself, 

 or are being gradually acquired by him on a system of easy 

 payments, in addition to which, in the majority of cases, he 

 is gradually paving for the freehold of his land. 



While ^50 is given as the average return per acre, the 

 figure may fall as low as ^30, or even ,£20, while in a 

 favourable season it may rise to as much as ^100. It 

 must not be supposed that strawberry growing is unattended 

 by any risks, and the beginner who is only possessed 

 of a limited capital* will find that such influences as, for 

 example, late frosts towards the end of April or in early 

 May may spell disaster to his crop, and involve the loss of 

 the greater portion of his capital. 



Varieties. — The varieties of strawberries most extensively 

 cultivated are Royal Sovereign, Laxton, Leader, and Bed- 

 ford Champion. The latter has gained much favour among 

 the growers, and is of more recent introduction, having been 

 derived by crossing Royal Sovereign and British Queen; 

 the fruit attains an enormous size, and is of a rich flavour. 

 Unlike the Royal Sovereign, the flesh is red throughout, the 

 outer skin being of a glowing crimson. As a market variety 

 it possesses the advantage of having firm flesh, thereby with- 

 standing packing and travelling. 



Planting. — Breaking up and planting fresh ground is 

 attended with considerable labour and expense, land occu- 

 pied by "brush or scrub " costing from £20 to £30 per acre 

 to prepare, while to trench some of the lighter peaty or sandy 

 soils will not cost more than £10 per acre. To plough land 

 previously under cultivation to a depth of from 12 to 15 inches 

 will cost from 15s. to 255. per acre. 



