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XVII. — The  Progress  of  Fruit  Farming.  By  Charles  White- 
HEAD,  F.L.S.,  F.G.S.,  of  Banning  House,  Maidstone. 
The  increase  of  the  acreage  of  fruit-land  in  England,  according 
to  the  Agricultural  Returns,  was  26,696  acres  between  the  years 
1872  and  1882.  It  will  be  seen  by  an  analysis  of  these  Returns 
that  an  increase  has  taken  place  in  twenty-four  counties,  and  a 
decrease  in  the  remaining  counties.  The  most  important 
additions  to  the  acreage  have  been  made  in  five  of  these 
counties,  which  have  been  distinguished  for  several  centuries 
as  fruit-growing  counties,  viz. — Gloucester,  Hereford,  Kent, 
Somerset,  and  Worcester,  in  the  following  order: 
Names  op  Coontt. 
Increase  of 
Acreage 
from  1872  to 
1882. 
Hereford  
Acres. 
5944 
Kent 
5362 
Somerset  
4324 
Worcester 
4290 
Gloucester 
3251 
In  Devonshire,  which  has  long  been  celebrated  for  its  fruit- 
production,*  the  increase  only  amounted  to  358  acres  in  the 
same  period,  owing  probably  to  the  fact  that  the  many  late  wet 
seasons  have  been  especially  injurious  to  the  apple-crop  in  this 
county.  No  important  additions  have  been  made  to  the  fruit- 
acreage  in  any  other  county  which  would  tend  to  show  that  the 
occupiers  of  land  were  seriously  thinking  of  adopting  fruit- 
culture  as  a possible  means  of  improving  their  position.  This 
is  somewhat  remarkable,  and  is  additional  evidence  of  the  fact 
that  English  farmers  are  slow  to  embark  upon  what  they  term 
“ new-fangled  ” schemes.  It  is  not  by  any  means  because 
the  soil  and  climate  of  other  counties  are  unsuitable  for  fruit- 
growing that  fruit-cultivation  has  not  been  adopted,  for  almost 
all  sorts  of  fruits  are  successfully  grown  in  the  gardens  in  all  but 
the  most  northern  districts ; and  in  all  but  these  there  are  parts, 
and  large  parts,  of  all  the  counties  of  England  where  the  most 
useful  fruits  might  be  successfully  grown.  But  it  is  difficult  to 
induce  farmers  to  make  experiments  of  this  kind,  even  though 
experts  may  tell  them  that  all  the  conditions  essential  to  ensure 
success  are. present;  and  they  shake  their  heads  dubiously  when 
they  are  reminded  that  the  kinds  of  fruit  suitable  for  market 
Records  show  that  apples  were  cultivated  in  Devonshire  in  1520. 
