102 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



enabling him to pack and ship more cheaply than his confreres of 

 Australia and South Africa. Apart from the importance to Canada of 

 this large export trade, the fact that apples can be delivered here so 

 cheaply is a great boon to the poorer classes, which are unable to 

 purchase fruit at luxurious prices. 



South Afeica. 



No figures are obtainable as to the total production of fruits in 

 South Africa, but grapes are the principal fruit grown, the vineyards 

 being nearly 50 per cent, of the total area under fruit cultivation. 

 Fruit culture in South Africa is practically in its infancy, and every 

 effort is being made by the different Governments to foster an industry 

 which is yearly becoming more important and remunerative. Already 

 we are familiar with peaches, plums, and pines from that part of the 

 world. The Governments of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal have 

 adopted an active policy of encouraging the growers to produce for the 

 English market. This will undoubtedly tend to increased areas 

 under fruit culture, and the produce can be delivered here at a time 

 when fresh fruit is scarce and prices tempting. At the same time, 

 the local demand in the large mining centres must be great, and the 

 supply of fresh fruit to those places should, for a long time, ensure 

 the South African fruit-grower from the bugbear of over-production. I 

 am not, however, losing sight of the fact that carriage to such centres 

 may be at once difficult and costly. Viticulture is practically confined 

 to the Western Province of the Cape of Good Hope. About 50 per cent, 

 of the orchard area of that Colony is under vines. Experiments are 

 still being conducted with a view to ascertaining the best and most 

 economical method of shipping grapes, and the best kinds to send, 

 nevertheless the import of grapes to this country last year reached the 

 satisfactory total of 32,323 boxes. Apples are not grown to any ex'tent, 

 but it has been proved at the Hex Eiver Valley fruit-growing district 

 that they can be cultivated and brought to a high state of excellence. 

 It is simply a question of locality. Peaches, pears, plums and apricots, 

 and many other temperate fruits, grow in the west of Cape Colony, 

 certain parts of the Karoo midlands, and in the higher altitudes of 

 Natal. Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, grape fruit, naartjes, 

 &c., are grown in profusion, and of excellent quality, in every province 

 of the new Dominion and Ehodesia. Pines are grown in the eastern 

 parts of Cape Colony and also in Natal. In the last-named province, 

 bananas, custard-apples, pawpaw, and many other tropical fruits are 

 produced. The only drawback in Soutli Africa known to me is the 

 fact that the timber for fruit boxes has to be imported. 



India. 



Although it is not possible to obtain detailed figures as to the pro- 

 duction of fruit in India, some remarkable statistics are furnished as 

 to the acreage under orchards and garden crops in the various provinces. 



