Fruit-grooving in Kent. 
Ill 
earliest sort, allied to the White Heart according to Dr. Hogg, 
but a better bearer. The Black Heart, a very old standard 
cherry, the Elton Heart, Black Eagle also an early sort; May 
Duke, Turkey Heart, Frogmore, Early Bigarreau, Waterloo, 
also early ; the Early Purple Gem, Bigarreau, a large, firm- 
fleshed, somewhat late and most saleable cherry ; Morello, used 
lor making cherry-brandy ; Kentish and Flemish, both of which 
are admirable for cooking and bottling, having a fine sub-acid 
flavour, and a brilliant colour. Mr. Darwin remarks upon the 
first-named of these cherries that " the stone adheres so firmly 
to the footstalk that it could be drawn out of the flesh ; and 
this renders the fruit well-fitted for drying."* Nothing, it must 
be added, can be more grateful to convalescent patients than the 
flavour of dried " Kentish " cherries. Mr. Webb, in his paper 
on ' Fruit Cultivation,' remarks, " It is odd that, although our 
great propagators have added of late years so many excellent 
and useful varieties to the stock of apples, pears, and plums, yet 
with cherries we have had but few additions." f Picking is 
principally done by women, who mount the tall ladders with 
great agility, and get from 9c?. to Is. 3d. per sieve, containing 
each about 48 lbs. of fruit. A large proportion of the cherries are 
sold upon the trees by public or private sale in June and July 
to fruit-buyers, who take all risks and further expenses upon 
themselves. Mr. Webb gives a table of prices made at sales by 
auction of certain well-known orchards. For instance, he states 
that one large orchard of 88 acres averaged 19/. 9s. Gd. per 
acre for fourteen years; another, of 3 acres, has made 37/. 4s. 
per acre for thirteen years. From trustworthy information from 
another source as to seven typical orchards, it is shown that the 
fruit growing upon one of these realised by auction 27/. 14s. per 
acre in 1874, 24/. per acre in 1875, and 41/. 2s. per acre in 
1876 ; giving an average of 30/. 18s. 8r/. per acre for the three 
years. In another case 43/. per acre was obtained in 1874, 
33/. 10s. in 1875, and 32/. 8s. in 1876 ; showing an average of 
36/. 6s. per acre for three years. This, it must be remembered, 
is for the produce, clear of all expenses of picking, packing, 
carriage, and commission. The expenses up to the time of sale, 
for rent, tithe, ordinary and extraordinary — for all fruit-land 
pays an extraordinary tithe-charge, varying from 6s. to 8s. per 
acre, in addition to the usual charge — rates, manuring, mainte- 
nance, pruning, amount to from 12/. to 14/. per acre, from which 
must be deducted the value of the grass under the trees. For 
the last twenty-six years the average price made in London for 
* Loc. cit. ante, p. 12. 
t ' Transactions of the Institution of Surveyors,' vol. viii. pt. 2. 
