100 
Fruit-growing in Kent. 
interfere much with the price of Kentish apples. For example, 
last year, Newtown Pippins of splendid appearance and excellent 
quality were selling at rates which materially ^ depreciated the 
value of the best Kent apples, of which the crop was very small. 
There can be no doubt that so long as sugar continues to bo 
cheap the demand for fruit will be, as now, enormous, and will 
probably absorb even a largely increased supply. At the same 
time, such large additions are being steadily made to the home 
and foreign plantations,* that Kent growers, though they plant 
on, do it with a degree of anxiety which makes them, and ought 
to make them, most careful in their selection of proper kinds of 
fruit for their new plantations, as well as in the renovation and 
cultivation of those that have been long established. 
Having glanced at the history and conditions of fruit-growing 
in Kent, it will be well to describe the methods of cultivation 
usually adopted. 
Two principal systems or methods of planting fruit prevail in 
Kent. One according to which it is intended that the land 
under the standard trees shall be eventually laid down with 
grass. The other, where the land will always be cultivated and 
kept constantly filled up with fruit-trees, and bushes under the 
standards or half-standards. East Kent growers for the most 
part adopt the former method, because it is not good for cherry- 
trees that their roots should be disturbed after a certain time. 
The standard trees are planted first on well prepared arable land, 
with hops or fruit bushes, which give a return until the standards 
come in. When these have arrived at a good size the hops and 
bushes are taken away and grass seeds are sown. Apple-orchards 
are occasionally formed in this way ; but apples are generally 
grown on the other system — in permanent plantations set out 
and planted with plums, damsons, gooseberries, and currants, 
(and filberts in some parts of the Mid Kent district,) which are 
renewed from time to time as occasion requires. In an orchard 
which is eventually to be laid down with grass, the standard 
trees, if cherry-trees, are set from 33 feet to 24 feet apart each 
way, giving from 40 to 75 trees to the acre. If apples are 
planted they are set about the same distance apart. Plums or 
damsons are very often put between the apples or cherries, and 
are taken out when they get in their way. In a plantation that 
is to be permanently cultivated the apple-trees are set about 
30 feet apart. Plums or damsons would be set in between 
each apple-tree, and gooseberries or currants between the rows, 
6J feet apart, so that there would be 44 apple-trees, 44 plum or 
* The ' Garden ' for December 30th, states : " News reaches us from the Con- 
tinent that fruit culture is being extended in many agricultural and pastoral 
districts." 
