GROWTH OF THE FRUIT TRADE. 
265 
There is also a company being formed to bring bananas in large 
quantities from the West Indies ; if that succeeds we shall soon increase 
the supply enormously. 
Pine-apples. — Up till 1870 all those marketed fit for dessert were 
English forced, mostly grown in private gardens, and, the quantity being 
small, were very dear ; but the orange trees in the Azores getting worn 
out the growers turned their attention to the cultivation of pines, until they 
have become plentiful and cheap nearly all the year round. Those coming 
from the East Indies are used for preserving, as they do not arrive in fresh 
enough condition to adorn a dinner table. The numbers now coming 
from the Azores run into hundreds of thousands, as many as 20,000 
coming at a time. It is very probable that they may soon come from 
other sources. Growers in Florida and some other countries are very 
anxious to find a market here for them, and, as cool chamber treatment 
develops, it may be easily done, where now it is almost impossible. 
Grapes have always been a favourite fruit, and trade in them has been 
revolutionised by the enormous increase in the home-grown. Thirty 
years ago we had very few except the surplus of private places, and had 
to depend principally on the Dutch Hamburghs coming in round baskets, 
and the Lisbon Sweetwater through the autumn, and through the winter 
those coming from Almeria in barrels. The Dutch are never seen now, 
being quite superseded by Channel Island and English ; the Sweetwater 
from Lisbon and the Almeria come in much larger quantities ; and of late 
years many tons also come from Malaga, Denia, and Mercia, all packed 
in cork dust, while cool chambers bring a fair quantity from Cape 
Colony and a few from Australia. But with all the increase in imported 
ones, the quantity of home-grown has gone up by leaps and bounds. 
Thirty years ago there were none forced in Guernsey, and at only one place 
in Jersey (Mr. Pond's), but soon after that, one or two other people built 
for early work in Jersey, and a great many in Guernsey put up lean-to's 
at the side of their dwelling-houses, but did not heat them. It w^as soon 
found that the climate and soil suited the vine, and the growth has 
developed marvellously in early and greenhouse grapes, but the air being 
so charged with moisture in winter prevents growers keeping them 
late. The next place to go into them largely for market was Worthing. 
Twenty-five years ago there were only two or three small places ; now 
there are considerably over a hundred, the climate and soil there being also 
found suitable, especially for early ones. Also about that time came the 
great increase from Scotland, principally late varieties, as some six or 
eight followed in the steps of Mr. Thomson, of Cloverford, and for many 
years these all came to London and sold well ; but the quantity grown 
near here was steadily increasing, and, prices falling, caused all those 
grown in Scotland to be sold locally, and at present more are sent there 
from London than used to come from there. The quantity now grown 
under glass in the Channel Islands and home counties runs into thousands 
of tons, and covers the whole of the year. Of course the price has had 
to suffer, until the margin of profit is very small, even on the best-managed 
places, and with unsuitable houses or old vines they cannot possibly be 
grown to pay. Another thing has to be studied, and that is, to take into 
account the natural advantage of the different situations, and grow 
