590 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



freely, many which are newly planted die after a few years. I attribute 

 this to the use of the Paradise stock. It must be understood I am not 

 referring to those places where head gardeners are kept, as under skilful 

 management this stock can be made to answer, even upon these thin light 

 soils. At Sutton-on-Hull there is a large Strawberry farm of about fifty 

 acres ; this is in the Holderness district. Mr. C. F. Thompson, the 

 grower, says : " There are no large fruit-growers in this immediate neigh- 

 bourhood. A good deep soil with a clay subsoil, well drained, and sheltered 

 from the north and east winds, if possible in a sunny valley, are the best 

 conditions for successful Strawberry-growing." 



Between Malton and York, in places, according to the character of the 

 soil, some good fruit is produced mostly by private growers, and round 

 Malton and Y^ork in market gardens also. The Burr-Knot Apple is quite 

 a favourite amongst cottagers near Castle Howard, as it rarely fails to 

 produce good crops. From York to Selby and following the River Ouse 

 on its eastern side, the soil is very variable, breaking up into small patches 

 of heavy land, loam, sand, and gravel, and here it is particularly notice- 

 able what a remarkable influence this has upon the different varieties of 

 fruits grown. To mention one case, Mr. James Hornby, head gardener at 

 Heslington Hall, says : " ' Ne Plus Ultra ' (syn. ' Sir Joseph Paxton ') 

 does not succeed in these gardens, while in this same parish it is the 

 principal market Strawberry. Some of the finest Apples in Yorkshire are 

 to be found about here, whilst quantities of other fruits are grown for 

 market. At one time many good standard Cherries were to be found 

 about York, but from time to time these have been destroyed, the land 

 being required for building purposes. Selby is a good fruit market. The 

 rich warp lands on each side of the Ouse, between Selby and the Humber, 

 and the rich alluvial soils about Thorne and Doncaster, form some of the 

 best fruit-producing land in Yorkshire. Many of the farmers about 

 Thorne and some parishes westward of it have considerable orchards, and 

 on the cool soils Apples succeed well. At a hamlet called 1 New Zealand,' 

 close by Thorne, some fine Cherries are produced. Some of the land 

 between Thorne and Doncaster is very light, so that even in this part of 

 Yorkshire great care should be exercised in choosing suitable positions 

 for planting fruit-trees. Much of the fruit grown about here is taken to 

 Doncaster." 



Crossing the narrow line of magnesian limestone, in this part of the 

 county, along which in certain parts some of the fruit grown will compare 

 very favourably with that from some of the more favoured fruit-growing 

 counties of the South, the great coal formation is reached, and passing 

 over this to the west we get into the factory districts. These extend all 

 over the south, middle, and west of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The 

 smoke which pours forth in volumes from the thousands of chimneys, 

 from the collieries and factories, joined with that from the houses of the 

 numerous workers, one would naturally think, would not be conducive to 

 the culture of good hardy fruits. Yet near Barnsley I have seen some 

 very fine Apples, but this is only exceptional. It is only here and there, 

 and in private places, that hardy fruits are grown to any great extent. The 

 soil of a great portion of the western side of Yorkshire is largely composed 

 of the millstone grit. Gooseberries are largely grown, and Gooseberry 



