FRUIT-GROWING ON A LARGE SCALE. 



161 



will also affect any given statistics. For the purpose of rough 

 calculation we find 20 per cent, from the gross returns covers the 

 cost of packing, carriage, and salesman's commission. 



We now come to the planting of standard fruit-trees and 

 mixed plantations. 



Plums. — Plums, Gages, and Damsons are usually planted 

 15 feet apart, with two rows of bush-fruit (Currants and Goose- 

 berries) or five rows of Strawberries between. At Toddington, 

 out of the forty varieties of Plums I select Rivers' Early Prolific, 

 Czar, Violet, Pershore Egg Plum, Victoria, Black Diamond, 

 Burns, Orleans, Belgian Purple, Prince Engelbert, Cox's Em- 

 peror, Pond's Seedling, White Magnum, and Grand Duke as the 

 most profitable varieties to plant. The Pershore Plum is the 

 Plum of our district ; by many it is considered as an inferior 

 Plum, but as a great and regular bearer we find it very profit- 

 able. It is grown from suckers, and is one of the quickest Plums 

 to give a return after planting that I know. The other varieties 

 named are all excellent. Care should be taken to keep the sorts 

 together in planting, as the picking of the fruit is then greatly 

 simplified. A good return is obtained the seventh or eighth 

 year after planting, and at twelve years the trees may be con- 

 sidered in full bearing. The following extract, taken from the 

 Evesham Journal, giving the prices of Plums at Smithfield 

 Market, Evesham, from 1886 to 1891, is interesting. Per pot of 



72 lbs. :— 



















1886 



1887 



II 



88 



1889 



1890 



1891 





s. d. 



s. d. 



s. 



d. 



5. d. 



s. d. 



8. d. 



Pershores . 



. 2 3 



5 9 



5 



9 



6 8 



13 8 



3 9 



Orleans 



5 0 



11 9 



11 



8 



11 0 



19 9 



11 0 



Prolines . 



8 3 



14 6 



13 



8 



19 0 



24 6 



14 2 



Victorias . 



5 0 



11 0 



7 



9 



19 0 



23 8 



6 0 



Damascenes 



. 3 4 



8 0 



7 



1 



9 0 



20 6 



5 4 



Damsons . 



. 3 2 



8 6 



8 



2 



8 6 



20 6 



5 4 



Prunes 



. 4 0 



9 3 



8 



2 



9 6 



27 9 



7 0 



For the years 1892-3-4 the prices have been about the same 

 as in 1891. 



The picking is done by the cwt. ; about Sd. per cwt. is given 

 for a fair crop. I have known a plantation of Black Diamonds 

 — twelve-year-old trees— in a good year yield 10 tons per acre, 

 and although they only averaged ^8 per ton net, the crop was, 

 needless to say, remunerative. Two to three tons of Plums per 

 acre may be taken as an average crop, at £10 to £12 per ton. 



M 



