630 



Small Fruit Growing in Kent. 



[NOV., 



£ s. d. 



(November) Cuttting out old and thinning new canes ... ... ... o 5 o 



Tying up the canes cut out ... ... ... ... ... ... ... c 2 o 



Taking up spawn ... ... ... ..... ... ... ... ... o io o 



Hoeing out ... ... ... ... .. . . ... ... ... o 6 0 



Manuring (with say 1 ton of wool waste) ... ... ... ... ... 3 5 o 



Ploughing between rows, Js. ; digging between canes, Js. ; (or digging the 



whole space between the rows by spade, £1 is. od.) ... ... ... o 14 o 



(March) Heading canes off at about 2 ft. 8 in. high ... o 2 6 



(April) Forking out couch-grass ... ... ... ... 020 



(April-October) Horse hoeing five times ... o 15 o 



Hand hoeing, five times ... ... .. ... ... ... ... 1 10 o 



(July and August) Picking, say, \\ tons, at \d. per lb 5168 



Carriage to market in gallon baskets and tubs, \ \ tons, at, say, i6.>\ per 



ton ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1 00 



Market toll and salesman's charges, at 7| per cent, on ^28 15*. od. ... 2 3 2 



Rent, tithe, rates, and taxes ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 10 o 



Total cost ... ... ... ... ... £ig 1 4 



Receipt, i\ tons at ^23 .... ... ^28 15 o 



Balance to cover superintendence, interest on capital for two years (during 



which there is little return) and profit £g 13 8 



The year's cultivation of the raspberry begins after the 

 picking is finished, the rows are hand-hoed, and as soon as 

 the leaves have fallen the old canes that have borne fruit 

 are cut out near to the ground line, and the new canes are 

 thinned, these thinnings are tied up with string and used by 

 the pickers as fuel. The young plants that have been pro- 

 duced by the parent plant are then dug out. These young 

 plants, or u spawn," as they are called, when taken from 

 young plantations, and of a good variety, may yield a good 

 return, but it is not advisable to allow much spawn to grow, 

 as it takes from the strength of the parent plant, so it is usual 

 to hoe off and destroy most of these shoots unless specially 

 wanted for propagation. 



The plantations are usually dunged once in three }^ears, 

 using a truck that is narrow enough to run between the rows 

 without injuring them; if dung is not used, some other 

 manure is probably given each year. It is advantageous for 

 the land to be turned over early in winter to allow the frost 

 to pulverise it. After the winter is over, the canes are headed 

 off to a height at which they are sufficiently strong to hold 

 the weight of the fruit without requiring to be stringed. 

 Between March and October the land is horse-hoed; first 

 with a heavy two-horse hoe, then during the season with one- 

 horse hoes to remove the weeds and form a tilth. If in the 

 early part of the year the land is cloddy, a rib or flat roller is 

 used in the rows. Hand-hoeing is also frequently done in 



