Agricultural Exports from Cherbourg. 229 



Potatoes are grown in very extensive market gardens in 

 the neighbourhood of Cherbourg, at Tourlaville, and St. 

 Pierre, where an excellent chemical manure, specially mixed, 

 is extensively used in their cultivation. The potatoes are 

 packed in small barrels weighing about 4"okilos. (88 lbs. 

 English), and shipped to London, via Southampton, by boats 

 leaving nightly, the cost of freight being 32s. 6d. per ton. 

 The highest figure reached in the export of potatoes was in 

 1899, when 3,510 tons were despatched from Cherbourg. A 

 slight diminution is shown for 1900, when 2,923 tons were 

 exported. On the whole, this trade was well maintained. 



Cauliflowers and cabbages are very largely exported to the 

 United Kingdom, w« Southampton, their average price being 

 is. per dozen net, and the freight to London 32s. 6d. per ton 

 In 1899 2,700 tons were exported, but in 1900 only 1,104 tons 

 were sent from Cherbourg. 



The export of fruit did not assume very considerable 

 proportions from Cherbourg during 1899, scarcely more than 

 20 to 25 tons being despatched to the United Kingdom 

 during that year ; the year 1900, however, showed a great 

 improvement, principally due to shippers having recognised 

 the advantage possessed by this port, where steamers can 

 nearly always enter and leave at fixed hours, thus ensuring 

 a more punctual delivery of goods. In 1900 the export of 

 fruit to the United Kingdom reached 525 tons, an increase 

 of 500 tons on the previous year. Formerly, considerable 

 ■quantities of strawberries, grown mostly in the neighbour- 

 hood of Brest, near Plougastel, and Dooulas, were exported 

 via Cherbourg to the United Kingdom. This trade has 

 greatly, if not almost entirely, fallen off since the establish- 

 ment of a direct steamer calling at Brest during the straw- 

 berry season, and going direct to Plymouth. 



Fruit of all kinds, i.e., pears, apples, nuts, and prunes, 

 grown in Anjou, are mostly exported to the United King- 

 dom through Honfleur and Caen, and a certain quantity 

 passes through Cherbourg. A great deal of this fruit is sent 

 to Birmingham and Manchester. 



[Foreign Office Report, 'Annual Series, No. 2670. Price 2d.] 



