191 1.] Fruit Farming in West Kent. 



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namely, 5 ft. x 2J ft. They are well cultivated and manured to 

 make them grow strongly so as to yield well, and after about 

 six years are grubbed up. In a good season black currants 

 will yield ij tons per acre, and the price per ton is good, 

 as they are rather scarce. To plant black currants 2 J ft. 

 apart, with three plants between each bush apple, costs about 

 ^10 per acre additional, allowing js. 6d. per 100 for the 

 black currants. Red currants and gooseberries are usually 

 planted alone, though some mixed plantations include them. 



The varieties at present found best suited to West Kent are 

 for black currant, Baldwin and Boskoop ; for red currant, 

 Raby Castle; for gooseberry, Lancashire Lad, Whinham's 

 Industry; for raspberry, Superlative and Hornet; for straw- 

 berry, Royal Sovereign and Laxton. 



Priming. — The bush apples are summer pruned, keeping 

 the trees somewhat open in the middle and cup-shaped. The 

 branches are pruned like a cordon, the lateral shoots being 

 cut off at about four inches from the stem, the leading shoot 

 being left untouched to be shortened in the winter pruning. 



Protection against Insect and Fungus Pests. — Trees 

 are grease-banded about October, and when the bands are 

 taken off in spring the trunks are lime-washed, to counteract 

 any damage by grease running down the stem. For winter 

 spraying of the bush and other trees either lime and salt 

 spray or caustic alkali spray is used about February. In 

 using the caustic alkali and lime sprays vaseline is provided 

 for the men to put on their hands and faces before commencing 

 work. If the trees have been attacked by apple scab or other 

 fungus disease, they are sprayed during the winter with 

 copper sulphate. For spring and summer spraying paraffin 

 emulsion, made with sulphate of iron, and the Woburn 

 Bordeaux mixture paste have been used. 



Manuring. — As a general manure the following quantities 

 are used for apples when in bearing : 3 cwt. superphosphate, 

 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia, and either 2 cwt. kainit or 1 cwt. 

 of either sulphate of potash or muriate of potash ; or as an 

 alternative 7 cwt. bone and meat meal and 1 cwt. sulphate of 

 potash. 



Yield. — The yield from a plantation of bush apples, say, 

 eight years old and after, is considered good if it averages 

 one bushel per tree. Bramley's Seedling half standard on 



