150 



FRUIT FARMING. 



[Dec. 189 4.. 



ripens. And as by far the largest part of the fruit grown in 

 this country is prodviced in counties near London, the three- 

 fruit- mai'kets of the Metropolis — the Borough, Coven t Garden, 

 and Spitaltields — are frequently glutted in seasons like the last, 

 and fruit is occasionally unsaleable, or is sold at absurdly low 

 and unremunerative rates, because the supply exceeds a demand 

 limited by the capabilities of the disti'ibuting machinery of these 

 three centres. At the same time, in some of the suburbs of 

 London, in many of the large provincial towns, and even in many 

 country towns and villages, fruit is either not obtainable, or only 

 to be purchased at prices which make it a luxury. Fruit is 

 sometimes consigned to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and 

 to Scotch towns, but the cost of carriage for such long transit is 

 often prohibitory to the fruit growers in the South Eastern; 

 counties. 



It is probable that many house-keepers would have rejoiced 

 to have been able to purchase damsons and plums this season at 

 Hd. per lb., equal to 7s. per sieve, but had no chance of getting 

 them at all. Large quantities of this fruit were retailed in shops 

 and by costermongers at from l|c?. to 2d. per pound, while the 

 growers obtained only Id. or fcZ. per pound, or from 2s. 4id. to 

 3s. 6d. per sieve in very many cases, and out of this commission 

 and carriage, amounting to about lOd. per sieve, had to be paid. 



Again, Williams' Bon Chretien pears, of which the crop was 

 large beyond precedent, could not be purchased during this last 

 season in shops, on costers' barrows, or in retail markets under 

 l^d. per pound, or about Id, per four or five full sized pears. 

 At some distance from the large fruit markets the prices ruled 

 higher, and in many localities the pears could not be had at any 

 price. Yet, at the same time, numbers of the producers could get 

 only ^d. io Id. per pound, or from 3s. 6d. to 4s. Sd. per sieve, of 

 about 335 pears, from which commission and carriage must be 

 subtracted. 



So long as the practice continues of consigning the chief part 

 of the fruit grown in this country to the few existing markets 

 there must be occasional gluts. Even in seasons of average 

 production the grower does not get the full value of his fruit, but 

 clings to the system because it saves trouble. He need not 

 search for customers, and payment is punctual and certain. 

 The system would be more defensible if there were many 

 more markets or channels of distribution. 



Direct sale to consumers has been often advocated. The 

 Parcel Post has been recommended as a means of distribution. 

 These methods can be adopted by small growers for the more 

 choice and dear kind of fruit ; but large fruit farmers consider 

 them utterly impracticable as a means of disposing of large 

 masses of fruit. 



Co-operation has been tried in a half-heaiied manner, as in 

 the case of some other agricultural products, and quickly 

 abandoned. It has been suggested that a large co-operative 



