The  Progress  of  Fruit  Farming. 
383 
apples  for  jam  and  preserve-making,  and  the  saving  of  trouble 
and  risk  which  cider-making  entails,  as  the  fruit  is  sold  by  the 
ton  on  the  trees  to  the  agents  of  the  jam-makers.  New  sweet 
sorts,  of  a late  habit,  have  also  been  planted  for  cider,  to  avoid 
the  action  of  spring  frosts.  In  Somersetshire  there  have  been 
rather  more  movement  in  the  introduction  of  new  sorts,  and 
considerable  additions  to  the  acreage,  in  which  the  trees  have 
been  judiciously  selected,  more  carefully  planted,  and  not  put 
so  closely  together. 
In  Worcestershire  fruit-bushes  have  been  extensively  planted, 
either  alone,  or  with  plums,  damsons,  and  apples  over  them. 
Plum  and  damson-trees  have  been  preferred  generally  to  apples, 
as  coming  to  bear  more  quickly.  The  sorts  chiefly  planted 
are  the  Pershore,  Egg,  Victoria,  Early  Prolific,  with  goose- 
berries and  black  currants  under  them.  The  extension  of  the  fruit 
acreage  has  been  larger  in  Herefordshire  in  the  last  ten  years 
than  in  any  other  county,  and  mainly  consists  of  grass-land 
planted  with  apple  and  pear-trees  of  approved  sorts  for  cider- 
making and  dessert  purposes.  Heading  old  trees  has  been 
carried  out  here  and  there,  and  grafting  with  new  quick- 
bearing kinds.  One  enterprising  landowner  planted  several 
acres  with  Lord  Suffield  apple-trees,  an  early  cooking  apple,  much 
grown  in  Kent,  and  considered  as  good  as  the  Keswick  Codlin 
by  many  persons  ; but  finding  they  did  not  do  so  well  as  he 
wished,  he  headed  them  and  grafted  them  with  the  Ecklinville 
Seedling,  a cooking  apple  of  vigorous  growth  and  a free  bearer, 
whose  fruit  ripens  by  the  end  of  August,  at  a time  when  there  is 
no  foreign  competition.  These  trees,  grafted  in  1881  with  grafts 
not  so  thick  as  a pencil,  have  fruit  upon  all  of  them  this  season. 
This  apple  is  not  yet  generally  known  ; when  it  is,  it  will  without 
doubt  be  largely  planted.*  There  are  in  this  county,  and  in  the 
western  part  of  Worcestershire,  many  orchards  in  a wretched 
condition,  just  as  in  Devonshire  and  Somersetshire,  with 
closely  interlaced  trees  spoiling  the  grass  beneath  and  bearing 
fruit  only  in  their  upper  branches.  It  is  not  satisfactory  to 
note  that  so  much  of  the  finest  fruit-land  in  the  kingdom, 
situated  in  these  cider-making  counties,  is  in  a sadly  neglected 
state,  and  not  producing  a tithe  of  what  it  should  and  would  if 
it  were  properly  cared  for.f  However,  there  are  signs  that  this 
* Another  fine  apple  of  brilliant  colour,  and  a good  bearer, — the  Worcester 
Peannain — is  being  largely  grown  in  many  fruit-growing  districts.  This  apple 
is  ripe  in  September.  The  trees  are  hardy  and  good  bearers,  and  do  well  as 
bushes. 
t In  a much-quoted  article  in  ‘ Macmillan’s  Magazine’  for  August,  1879,  this 
passage  occurs.  “ Is  it  not  piteous  to  see  in  some  of  our  counties  the  large  old 
trees,  picturesque  certainly  at  all  times,  and  gloriously  beautiful  when  laden  with 
their  blossom,  dying  away  for  want  of  proper  manuring  and  pruning,  and  pro- 
ducing in  the  best  season  only  small  and  inferior  fruit  ? ” 
