168 
Fiflij Yearn of Fruit Farming. 
finite number of acres planted with soft fruit, which mayor may 
not have been inchidecl in the column giving the " acreage of 
arable or grass lands also used for fruit trees of any kind." It 
is most difficult to assess this. Looking at the large acreage of 
land planted with strawberries and raspberries, which would not 
of course be returned in this column, as not being " fx'uit trees," 
and considering that many fruit-growers would not return soft- 
fruit bushes as "fruit trees," it is thought that 15,000 acres 
should be added to the whole amount, making this stand at 
about 214,000 acres. This is by no means a satisfactory or 
sufficient increase, nor is the amount of fruit land in this country 
as large as it should be, seeing that fruit-growing does pay well, 
taking the average of seasons, if it is properly managed, and 
that there are many acres of land in the various counties of 
Great Britain that would grow fruit as well as those where fruit 
is now produced. 
Allusion has been made to new systems and better methods 
that have been adopted in fruit culture in recent years. Among 
these may be placed modes of forming orchards on grass by 
putting the usual number of apple or pear trees, at the usual 
distances, and planting plum, damson, or greengage trees be- 
tween them. By the time the former have obtained a good 
growth the latter will be past their prime and be removed. 
This has also been adopted to some extent in cherry orchards. 
Good manuring is essential to keep both sets of trees growing 
and producing. 
Another form of plantation that has been practised is where 
standard plum or damson trees, or plum and damson trees in 
alternate rows, or by alternate trees of each kind, are put about 
15 feet apart, taking 193 trees per acre — or 18 feet apart, taking 
134 trees per acre. Under these gooseberry or currant bushes 
are set, 5^ or 6 feet each way, requiring 1,440 and 1,210 trees 
per acre respectively. 
Fruit bushes have been planted alone in many cases where 
occupiers of land have not capital enough to plant standard 
trees, or can get no assistance or assurance of compensation 
from their short-sighted landlord. Gooseberry bushes have 
in many such instances been planted either by themselves or 
with red currant bushes in alternate rows, 5 feet apart, or 1,742 
trees per acre. Black currant bushes have also been planted 
alone, or with damson or plum trees. 
In some localities, for example in West Kent, near London, 
large plantations of raspberry canes have proved very profitable. 
The canes are set in rows just wide enough to admit of cultiva- 
tion between them, and about 15 inches between the stocks, 
