The  Progress  of  Fruit  Farming. 
371 
growers  are  getting  more  into  the  habit  of  sending  their  fruit 
direct  to  the  retail  shops  in  London  and  in  other  large  towns  ; 
and  of  supplying  co-operative  stores,  either  by  contract  or  by' 
agreement,  to  take  current  market  prices,  thus,  as  in  the  former 
case,  saving  the  expense  of  the  middleman.  It  is  also  the 
practice  of  some  growers  to  consign  their  choicest  dessert-fruit, 
carefully  and  tastefully  packed,  to  retailers  in  large  cities.  It 
is  most  desirable,  in  the  interests  of  consumers  and  producers, 
that  this  system  should  be  largely  extended.  Not  a few  gentle- 
men also,  having  greenhouses  and  hothouses,  and  a staff  of 
gardeners,  like  to  turn  an  honest  penny,  and  combine  the  useful 
with  the  beautiful,  and  send  the  choicest  fruits  and  flowers  to 
some  of  the  chief  London  shops. 
Notwithstanding  the  importation  of  fruit  from  divers  parts  of 
the  world,  the  prices,  taking  the  average  of  seasons,  are  very  high, 
and  the  prices  of  fine  fruit  for  dessert  purposes  place  it  beyond 
the  means  of  all  but  those  who  have  plenty  of  money.  It  may 
seem  strange  that  fruit  should  be  so  dear  as  it  was  in  1882,  for 
example,  when  it  is  seen  that  the  amount  of  raw  fruit  sent  into 
this  country  during  this  year  was  4,045,691  bushels,  of  the 
value  of  1,718,909?.,  independently  of  the  large  quantities  of 
fruit  in  the  form  of  pulp,  or  dried  by  the  sun  or  by  artificial 
processes.  The  annexed  return  will  show  the  amount  of  raw 
fruit  sent  into  England  in  1871  and  in  1882  respectively,  and 
the  various  countries  from  which  it  was  sent  : — 
1871. 
1882. 
Namb  of  Cocstet. 
Number  of 
Bushels. 
Value. 
Number  of 
Bushels. 
Value. 
Germany 
Holland 
Belgium 
France  
Portugal,  Azores,  and  Madeira 
Spain  and  Canary  Islands 
United  States 
British  North  America  . . 
British  West  India  Islands  .. 
Other  Countries  
Channel  Islands  
69.519 
160,392 
276,286 
354,606 
73,979 
59,712 
56,441 
55,150 
10,063 
12.520 
£ 
22,104 
59,542 
95,822 
214,542 
57,081 
48,795 
40,604 
37,004 
10,750 
9,863 
515,604 
444,886 
593,158 
524.683 
133,124 
462,082 
1 ,065,076 
222,128 
20,168 
14,197 
50,584 
£ 
151,096 
182,876 
669,164 
335,543 
81,245 
277,757 
387,190 
90,077 
15,810 
7,581 
20,574 
Total 
1,128,568 
596, 107 
4,055,691 
1,718,907 
When  it  is  remembered  that  the  population  of  Great  Britain 
was  over  thirty-two  millions  at  the  recent  Census,  the  amount  of 
the  importation  of  raw  fruit  appears  comparatively  of  small  im- 
portance. It  is  estimated  that  the  annual  average  amount  of  fruit 
