412 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Currants, and the mite Phytoptus had increased to such an 

 enormous extent that large plantations had to be entirely given 

 up. Red Currants were no doubt very useful, but the importa- 

 tion of a large quantity of cheap wines had almost done away 

 with that old English beverage the Currant-wine. With regard 

 to the black Currant, the trouble was that they had not been 

 able to find anything that would kill the mite without killing 

 the trees. As much young wood as possible should be kept on 

 the plant. Much discredit had been cast upon this wonderful 

 industry of fruit-growing by amateurs and others, who made 

 grievous mistakes in their methods of treatment, and did not 

 forget to air their opinions in the gardening and daily papers. 

 There was no risk if people would take a wise view of the 

 question. A man should not put all his eggs in one basket, and 

 he would find his profits remunerative. A good haul should not 

 be expected every year. He suggested that farmers and fruit 

 growers should combine more than they did for mutual pro- 

 tection and mutual benefit in fighting the excessive competition 

 on the part of Continental growers. As to Peaches, there was 

 no doubt that the large sizes would always command fine prices ; 

 but they should be sent to market in the best condition, and it 

 would pay any grower better to keep his rubbish at home than 

 put it upon any market. 



Mr. Assbee, replying, said that the subject of the supply 

 of foreign and colonial market garden produce and its effect 

 upon the English market was much too large a one to be treated 

 except incidentally in the paper of to-day. New fields in 

 distant countries were being continually opened up, but 

 these competed more with each other in many respects than 

 with British growers. Jamaica, for instance, had recently 

 entered the field with Oranges and Bananas. The Californian 

 trade, to which allusion had been made and products exhibited 

 on the table, was, like the American and Canadian Apple 

 trade, likely if largely developed to have a very considerable 

 influence on home-grown fruit. With regard to Antipodean 

 fruit, it was a welcome addition to English markets, as its season 

 of ripening was the reverse of our own, and any importations 

 which tended to a continuous yearly business of the same kind 

 had an advantage over others which created a glut at one time to 

 be succeeded by a scarcity at another. 



