402 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



our home-grown ones are ready, and the Dutch have not the 

 quality of our English fruit. 



Cherries are largely grown, particularly in Kent, where the 

 cherry orchards are usually sold as a crop season by season. 

 The chief market varieties are May Dukes, Eltons, Bigarreaus, 

 and Morellos. The grower of Plums and Cherries has an object 

 in securing early varieties, and with Plums late ones also, so as 

 to avoid a glut as much as possible by lengthening the period 

 for marketing. 



Soft Fruits. — Strawberries, Raspberries, Currants, and 

 Gooseberries. Of these, Strawberries come first in area and 

 extent of cultivation. They vary much with the soil and situa- 

 tion, and are more subject to change of variety. The Cornish 

 and Southampton fields have done much to drive French Straw- 

 berries out of the market, and the South-Western and Great 

 Western Railways are assisting distant fruit growers. For 

 flavour there is none equal to the British Queen, but its cultiva- 

 tion is more difficult. Paxton is by far the most largely grown 

 market variety. President is a very useful old variety. Napier 

 is too soft, and so is Noble, which, though of good size and pro- 

 lific, lacks quality as a market fruit. Eleanor is late and sharp- 

 flavoured. Royal Sovereign is perhaps the best of the newer 

 varieties. 



Bush fruits, as they are called, are very much more largely 

 grown than formerly. 



Gooseberries have a double advantage, there being a great 

 demand for them in their green and unripened stage. Lads, 

 Bobs, Warringtons, Industry, Ringer, and Rifleman are the chief 

 market varieties. 



Currants, both red, black, and white, could with advantage 

 be even more largely grown. They doubtless suffer somewhat 

 from being often an undercrop. 



Raspberries are usually grown in the open field. They are 

 a difficult fruit to handle except in tubs, and more Raspberries 

 in proportion go to the jam factory than to market. 



In some fruit districts local jam factories have been erected 

 to deal with such surplus as cannot be more advantageously 

 disposed of, particularly districts far from large towns, such as 

 some parts of Kent, Worcestershire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucester- 

 shire, &c. 



