SUPPLEMENT TO 



84O 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



December 17, 1898. 



ENGLAND'S ORCHARDS AT HOME 



AND ABROAD. 



West 



consequence 

 of the limits 

 Editor has 

 found necessary to 

 impose upon me in 

 the matter of space 

 I shall not be able 

 to discuss the or- 

 chards whence the 

 United Kingdom 

 draws its 

 mous supplies of fruit so fully as 

 intended. This probably will be re- 

 garded as an advantage, for not even 

 the most enthusiastic 



enor- 

 I 



, , , . . . . 1 • . 11J " OL C1 ""usiastic nomologist 



would derive much pleasure at this particular season from an examination 



of the multitudinous details that it would be necessary to give in a full 



no intention of attempting the 

 impossible, or, to be exact, of giving details of England's orchards for are 

 they not to be found in all quarters of the globe ? tropical and temperate 

 regions alike contributing their share to the fruit supplies of this country 

 The object I have had in view has been simply to show how great are our 



in some degree the 



countries from which our mam supplies are obtained. In the considera- 

 tion of the question of our fruit supplies it is eminently satisfactory to 

 have undoubted evidence as to the increasing importance of fruit as an 

 article of diet. A quarter of a century since such choice fruits as grapes 

 and pineapples were during the winter months only within the reach 

 of the wealthy but now they are so inexpensive that the greater propor- 

 tion of the middle classes are able to have them on their table with more — - 



or less regularity. Changes in other directions have cheapened and durin S the autumn, 

 improved the supplies of fruit within the reach of the poorer members 

 of the community. Notwithstanding tho r ~j„^; nn :„ ..„!.._ .i 



portions, about 500,000 fruits being annually imported. The Azorean 

 pines have nearly killed the trade in West Indian pines, so far as this 

 country is concerned, and this is in no way surprising, when it is con- 

 sidered that second-rate fruits of the former can be sold at prices not 

 greatly differing from those f iT -~ " T — T ' 



superior to the best. 



Our own orchards contribute largely to the supplies of apples and 

 pears in the British markets, but not to the extent they might and 

 indeed should do. The most important of the English orchards 

 are in Kent, and from these much of the finest sent to the markets is 

 produced. There are immense areas under apples and pears in Devon 

 Somerset, Gloucester, and Hereford ; but, as so fully stated in the 

 Gardeners' Magazine in the reports on the English orchards two 



years since, the orchards in these counties are in a deplorable con- 

 dition. In some instances the trees are worn out or otherwise unpro- 

 ductive, and in others the varieties are so inferior as to yield fruit of 

 but little value for market. This is very regrettable, for in no country 

 are apples produced equal to those of Great Britain, and the demand 

 for these fruits is simply enormous. T 



mention that in December, 1897, the imports of apples amounted to 

 1,186,464 bushels, of the value of ,£280,203, and that during 1897 we 

 imported 6,177,192 bushels, of the value of £1,582,471. It is not possible 

 to apportion the immense sum paid by Great Britain for apples list year 

 among the several countries from whom we received supplies, but there 

 can be no doubt that the greater proportion came from the United States 

 where are to be found "--«---»•-■ - - 1 



In proof of this it will suffice to 



England's largest apple orchards. 

 America, Canada, and Nova Scotia we receive supplies from the 



From 



end of the autumn until the beginning of spring. These are followed by 

 Tasmanian apples, which are received in considerable quantities during 

 the spring and early summer months ; and in the latter part of the 

 summer and throughout the autumn Italian, French, and German apples 

 are imported in large quantities. The fruit from these countries is 

 inferior to that of home growth, but it comes to market in good condition 

 and materially helps to depress prices. We cannot control the climate 

 of this country, which is unquestionably fickle, but in ordinary seasons 

 there should not be room for foreign apples in the English markets 



No withstand t h e / ea ? ■ P °,° rer L members u Great Britain has !<>ng derived her principal supplies of pears from 



Son or! bus^ne,? lin" r ^ UCtl °? m V f 1UC ' th ° Se W *° °E nar ?. OUtside of her boundaries, and unless some drastic reform is 



of the community ™„ M|5 llJC lcuui;uon in vame tnose wh0 



engage m fruit production on business lines appear to make a respectable 

 profit, for we see them continually enlarging their borders. In some 

 instances the values have been so reduced as to leave no margin for 

 interest on capital, and what the economists designate the 



effected in methods of procedure she will continue to depend upon foreign 

 orchards. There is considerable difficulty in making any great changes 

 n the market culture of the pear, for that fruit is less certain in cropping 



uperTntendence and [ many eood men hr' StS h desi ?, nate the w ?S es of than the apple, and if the weather happens to be unfavourab e whe^he 

 asTconseq^ g T t0 * he treeS ar * in b,oom > or the f ™« « Passing through its earliest stage, the 



during the oast twentvve?" ^ haVG been brOUght about cro P - w,1 l probabl y be lost There are, however, some thousands of 



during the past twenty years 



made in connection with fruit pro- 



tion 01 Lite vears than in irnnp mlt.,^ ^~ j 4.1 i s 



a r i is. \ ■ ° " xiic*<ac lu ^uuiicciion wun iruit pro- 



duct.on of late years than in grape culture, and there can be no question 

 that the community has immensely benefited from the largely increased 

 production of these fruits. Happily the British orchards or vineyards 



production of these fruits. tilc omiw orcnaras or vineya rcls 



fully maintain their supremacy, for no grapes the world has yet produced 



can comoare with Mima trrnu/n at h^™~ wr„ i . % r , . 



. . . ^ m I * w * ** v 5 _ 



can compare with those grown at home. We have not only been able to 

 hold our own ,n the British markets, but we have made some progress in 



... . — — -~«~) uui wc nave niaue some progress in 



obtaining supremacy m the American and French markets, where exces- 

 S ,! p e J ties sreatly hindered us ,n our competition with the American and 

 S, powers. Twenty years ago we were largely dependent upon the 



?hJ^£h g 3* n LT P ? llCS ° u grapes at P rices that P laced them within 

 Sift 1 lddle , c,a f es > but the development of the grape-growing 



O fcElilSS C J / SlandS com P letel y stopped these importations g 



S I e Zr~ reCe n Gd A largC S ? Pphes from Bel S ium that have sold at low 

 prices, more especially during the past autumn, these supplies being in a 



J neas , U f re due - t0 the heavy duty excluding them from the French 

 ESS S a 2 estimated that the Belgian supply is equal to two 

 nnlv f ty ° nS an , nuall y> a quantity which, if a small proportion 



2S2n? ^ annU S ^ Pply ' ,S suffic5en t to depress the prices of the 

 IrlZt grapCS ^ - Fr T the ChanneI Islands immense quantities of 

 fhnntL/t re £ e '^ d J" thG ^ nglish markets > th e total being about two 



ntSSfl WfcSft - t0nS> J hC EngHsh cr °P' which is of ""surpassed 

 2™/' a CSS one thousand tons. The total supply of grapes 

 grown «nder glass is therefore, three thousand seven hundred and fifty 



mU inn h.r d r n i, the • Bm,sh markets are supplied with about half-a- 

 ar wln J of A lm e"an grapes, which, if thick skinned and flavourless, 

 Doorer ,L g qUaIUy ' refresh ing to the palate, and they afford the 



fs also well dh£! °K P ?^K mty ° f taSting gra P es - The B "tish cultivator 

 CaTforn^n r ^ ^ OWti m com Petition with the produce of the 



virk? 5 I™?' an , d Cape orch ards, imported peaches being in- 

 variably tough and tasteless. 'ft- s 



British ont;£ r ,° dUCl L 0n °\ the Pineapple for commercial purposes 

 vl o tvith th. 5 . haVC *f en beaten b y the growers in the Azores, 

 at a cost tt t ; grCat "S?* advan tages are able To carrv on the industry 



^^^St!y&^^^^ The h-t shipment 

 corded that tK» r .' cuaei s was ma de during the sixties, and it is re- 



realiMd uldlr ft WCre Se ^ m ° ver on the plants, and that fifty of them 

 we iTht-t t l ! i ammer ^ Previous tithe shipment English pines 



^^ISn^'SS^^tSlSS / 0 fiVegUme f t*^ f ° r 



crop will probably be lost. , m „ 



acres in the more favoured of the English' counties on which pears might 

 be cultivated with profit, provided suitable varieties were planted, the 

 trees properly managed, and the fruit carefully packed. Williams's Bon 

 Chretien, Hessle, and Windsor are the varieties grown the most largely 

 at home, but Pitmaston Duchess and Doyenne du Cornice are 

 favourite varieties for high-class trade, and both might be planted in 

 mucri larger numbers, in districts favourable to the pear, with advantage. 

 I he earliest supplies of foreign pears come from France and Italy, and 

 consist chiefly of Jargonelle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Williams's 

 Bon Chretien. During the autumn and early part of the winter large 

 quantities of Williams's Bon Chretien, Beurre Hardy, and Doyenne du 

 Cornice are received in excellent condition from California. The 

 imports of pears from California vary, but in some weeks they have 



Easter Beurre, of 



reached the 



. respectable total of 5,000 cases. ~ , — 



Californian growth, is also received in large quantities during the winter, 

 the imports averaging during December about 1,000 cases, and, as the 

 truit can be imported without being placed in the cool chambers, it 

 keeps longer after arrival here than does the fruit of the varieties ripen- 



ru m vf autumn ' w hich has to be subjected to cool storage. The 

 Channel Islands, France, Germany, and Holland also send us consider- 

 able quantities of these fruits. 



The market supplies of plums have increased by leaps and bounds of 

 late years, as the result of increased activity on the part of home and 

 foreign powers. The area of British plum orchards has of late been 

 materially increased, and with more judicious selection of varieties 

 and improved methods of management the newer orchards are giving good 

 returns. The principal foreign supplies come from Italy, France, Belgium, 

 and Germany, and extend over about three months, and from 10,000 to 

 15,000 boxes are sold daily before English plums are ready for the 

 market. Our annual imports of plums now exceed a million bushels. 

 Cherries are also imported in large quantities, the annual value of the 



/ 1 OO, 000. 



o— ~- titunot compare wun «un «j* »»*#»..■>- & 



ine imports of figs have materially increased of late years, the largest 

 quantities being sent from the Channel Islands and France a ™ 



su 



Oranges and lemons constitute a large proportion of our foreign fruit 

 pplies, nearly all the countries in which these fruits flourish sending in 

 large quantities. ^ -• * " - J — *- — : * u : - * Um 



o.\ki>t 



• — J 1 luc countries in wnicn inese iruua uwui™ — 0 



uantities. The orange supplies were so fully dealt with in the 

 ^ners Magazine Christmas Number of 1896 by Mr. J. R. 



Jackson that it would be superfluous to enter into details, and it will no* 

 suffice to say that the annual value of the imports of these fruits li above 

 £2,000,000. Bananas, which are sent chiefly from Madeira and the 



iu grow pines tor m»rt*»t «»r,~.. „ »u .1 j • r ' » . , "" a " a;5 > wnich are sent cnieny irom nuww" " 



consequence the commercial culture ■ of thJ f srifi 1>T' ^ I l lands » form • Part of our fruit supplies, as indicated by the 



time Smooth Cavennes t^ L!^?.!? 9" fruit d'.ed out. At the present fact that between MloohV^ ™ L K„n^^re received each month 



" — - i^uiius, ana m th< 

 shops at five shillings each. 



season 



°°o and 40,000 - br, 



London markets. As these fruits arc not 



^ethS^fi ^ >^*SrS SeP f tel >; e K ntCred [ >" "Cr^itV^P^^™ the exact 



to the grower it is difficult to ay it cannnt^ * ESS ^ Umber of bunch es annuaUy received, or the value of the imports, but 



that it is possible to produce them In?. * a W ,' * but ^ may u be lher , e Ca , n L be no d °nbt that bananas help very materially to swell «he 



l-nce. However tha^ may be thTinH ! ,a ^ e scale, with profit, at this totals of the unenumeratedl fruits 



may be, the industry has grown to enormous pro- aiea trmts - g u Commissioner. 



