■2-21 
Market-Gardening in the Scilly Islands, 
Out of the 3,560 1 acres — which are the figures of the last Govern- 
ment survey — 2,242 are tillable or improvable. 
Every farmer is, more or less, a flower-farmer; but the larger ones 
grow also potatoes, seakale, asparagus, and tomatoes for the markets, 
as well as flowers. They keep a small number of cattle and sheep 
and grow corn, but only sufficient for home use. They make their 
own butter, and keep poultry. But of all these last nothing is 
exported — they have sufficient only for home consumption. The 
butter is exquisite, and would be gladly bought on the mainland, if 
it could be spared ; and the same may be said of the fruit, which is 
grown principally at Rocky Hill and Holy Vale : it is excellent, 
but only sufficient for home use, and, moreover, the apples are too 
mellow to bear packing. 
St. Marys has an area of 1,527 acres, most of which is 
under cultivation. The largest farmer owns 70 acres of cultivated 
land. Eight of these are devoted to flowers, and 10 to potatoes. 
He grows no other vegetable but a large quantity of mangels. He 
owns 28 head of cattle, 3 horses, and 14 sheep. 
The cultivation of flowers has not reduced the amount of potatoes 
grown so much as one might think, and for this reason — every foot of 
land formerly waste, capable of cultivation, is laid under tribute for 
the flowers. 
An average-sized farm is held by a gentleman who farms 36 
acres of tilled land and 105 acres of common or waste land. Four 
or 5 acres are planted with flowers, and about 7 with potatoes. He 
has 20 horned cattle and 20 sheep. He grows enough corn to 
feed the cattle, and the grazing-ground is contained in the 36 acres. 
Seaweed is, he considers, by far the best manure for asparagus. 
Tomatoes have so gone down in price that 9d. per pound is the 
price during December, January, and February. In planting he 
would use about 25 cwt. of seed-potatoes to an acre, and he would 
consider between 4 and 5 tons an acre a good return. His pre- 
paration of the ground for receiving potatoes is to well press it, and 
plough it, and dress it twice with seaweed and compost, the latter 
consisting of road-scrapings, earth, and " anything good." It is 
then ploughed down, scarified with a cultivator, and left to rest. 
Sometimes artificial manure is given, and a small quantity of v guano 
is imported. On the waste lands an immense quantity of ferns grow, 
which, being cut, make excellent beds for the cattle, and when they 
have served this purpose they form a capital manure. May and 
June are the great months for sending potatoes to market, though, 
owing to the mildness of the Winter, potatoes planted in December 
are often drawn again in March, when there is a good sale for them. 
After potatoes, he gets a fine crop of mangel. 
Seakale is largely grown on the Islands, and sent to the London, 
Birmingham, and Manchester markets. It is grown in the open air, 
1 The surveys of 1851 and 1K(!I may be considered incorrect; every little 
barren rock must have been taken into calculation to have given 4.080 acres. 
That of 1883 seems the correct one. The sea, though ever making encroach- 
ments, would not have taken into itself 520 acres in so short a period. 
