The  Progress  of  Fruit  Farming. 
385 
description  of  these  trees  and  of  their  advantages  was  given 
in  a late  number  of  this  ‘Journal,’*  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  allude  to  them  further  here. 
Seeing  that  planting  land  with  fruit-trees  improves  its  value 
in  an  important  degree,  and  for  a long  period,  it  is  strange  that 
landowners  have  not  largely  embraced  so  good  an  opportunity 
of  increasing  the  value  of  their  estates.  It  is  exceptional  to 
find  any  one  who  has  done  this  upon  a large  scale.  Lord 
Sudeley,  to  whom  reference  has  previously  been  made,  is  the 
only  landowner  who  has  taken  up  the  question  in  a thorough 
and  business-like  manner.  He  has  already  planted  500  acres, 
and  is  intending  to  plant  200  acres  more  at  once.  The  land 
is  a fairly  free-working,  moderately  good  soil  on  the  Lias 
formation.  It  was  deeply  steam-ploughed  and  well  manured, 
and  standard  trees  of  apples,  pears,  cherries,  plums,  and 
damsons  were  put  in  16  feet  apart:  3000  apple-trees  were 
planted  of  the  best  sorts,  including  Lord  Suffield,  Keswick 
Codlin,  Grenadier,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  Cellini,  Warner’s 
King  : 812  pear-trees  have  already  been  put  in — -Beurre  de 
Capiaumont,  Easter  Beurre,  Louise  Bonne,  Jargonelle,  Beurre 
d’Amanlis,  Doyenne  d’  Ete,  and  other  choice  varieties.  There 
are  32,000  plum-trees  of  44  different  kinds,  such  as  Diamond, 
Pond’s  Seedling,  Early  Orleans,  Greengage,  Victoria,  Autumn 
Compote.  Of  damson-trees,  there  are  0000,  nearly  half  of 
which  are  the  sort  known  as  Crittenden’s,  so  largely  grown  in 
Kent,  and  the  remainder  are  the  Shropshire  Prune,  Cheshire, 
Common  Prune,  and  Black.  Only  522  cherry-trees  have  been 
hitherto  put  in,  as  Lord  Sudeley  is  not  quite  certain  as  to 
whether  they  will  flourish  at  Toddington.  These  are  of  the 
best  kinds,  such  as  the  late  and  early  Bigarreau,  Black  Heart, 
Kentish,  and  Flemish,  and  at  present  are  looking  very  well. 
Gooseberry  or  currant-bushes,  and  strawberry-plants,  are  set 
between  the  standards,  and  in  some  cases  raspberry-canes  are 
put  between  the  gooseberry  and  currant-bushes.  There  are 
over  50  acres  of  black  currants,  raspberries,  and  strawberries,  by 
themselves,  without  standards.  There  are  100  acres  of  straw- 
berry-plants in  all,  and  60  acres  of  raspberry-canes.  Some  of  the 
apple-trees  are  pyramids,  which  do  very  well.  Lord  Sudeley 
has  not  yet  planted  bush-trees  in  any  large  quantity,  but  he 
intends  to  plant  80  acres  of  plums  in  this  way,  by  which  the 
expenses  of  staking  are  avoided,  and  injury  from  wind,  and 
these  trees  come  into  bearing  more  quickly  than  standards. 
The  strawberries  are  the  kinds  known  as  the  Stirling  Castle 
and  the  American  Scarlet,  brought  from  Isleworth,  where  they 
* ‘ Hints  on  Vegetable  and  Fruit  Culture.”  By  Charles  Whitehead.  Vol.xviii. 
2nd  Series. 
