322 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
56 lbs. of fruit from bush trees under 7 feet high and 5 feet 
through, but to do this there must be close attention to feeding 
and all other necessary requirements. But take half this weight 
as an average picking from each bush tree, 28 lbs. per tree, 
and this sold at the rate of 12s. per cwt., returns 3s. per tree, 
and anyone fond of going into figures may easily calculate the 
gross profit per acre. However, it must be understood plainly 
that such results can only be obtained by planting a few 
thoroughly proved varieties on good land in a favourable situa- 
tion, with strict attention to pruning, manuring, destruction of 
insect enemies, and untiring energy. Under such conditions 
Apple-culture will be a great commercial success in the future. 
Plums. 
We find Plums next to Apples in giving profitable returns 
when they are grown as bush trees, and all the skill and attention 
given requisite to obtain good crops and fine fruit that will 
realise high prices. But to obtain such desirable results the 
land must be well adapted to the growth of the trees, and suffi- 
cient fertilisers applied to enable them to fully mature their fruit 
without enfeebling the trees for the next year's crop. When 
trees are liberally supplied with plant-food they are so little 
exhausted by bearing, that heavy loads of fruit arc borne every 
year unless climatic influences are exceptionally bad ; and it is 
a well-known fact that strong, vigorous, well-fed trees are able 
to resist without injury an amount of frost and cold that would 
seriously cripple weak and poorly fed ones. 
Of late years much has been heard of growers who have found 
the price of Plums so low that they did not pay for the picking, 
the fruit being, in consequence, loft to rot on the ground. Now 
wherever this was the case it points out to my mind very clearly 
that something was wrong ; either the size of the fruit must 
liavc been small, the varieties inferior, the soil and situation 
unfavourable, or the system of marketing stood in great need of 
improvement. As a proof of this, I may say that one season, 
when the wail was particularly loud as to the low prices prevail- 
ing for Plums, WO had a gross return of XI 70 from one acre of 
Victoria Plums grown on bush trees, planted at 8 feet apart 
each way. The lowest price we have made in the past ten years 
has been 7s, per cwt., and the highest 24s. per cwt. for Victorias, 
