The  Progress  of  Fruit  Farming. 
387 
fruit-trees  is  a most  important  factor  in  the  success  of  fruit- 
plantations.  Many  who  have  been  inspired  with  the  laudable 
intention  of  planting  fruit  have  been  estopped  with  grief, 
because  they  had  not  courage  enough  in  the  first  place  to 
give  high  prices  for  the  best  sorts  of  trees,  strong  and  healthy  ; 
nor  in  the  second  place  to  carry  out  the  planting  thoroughly 
well.  To  succeed  in  this,  as  in  most  other  agricultural  ventures, 
not  a little  capital  and  no  end  of  judgment  are  essential.  It 
makes  one  gnash  the  teeth  to  note  the  manner  in  which  some 
set  about  fruit-growing,  who  buy  whatever  trees  come  to  their 
hands  most  easily,  and  above  all,  most  cheaply,  and  stick  them 
in  a pasture,  putting  a few  thorns  round  them  to  keep  animals  off. 
Probably  no  stakes  are  provided,  and  on  passing  by  two  years 
after,  it  is  found  that  the  trees  are  barked  and  bitten,  that  they 
are  twisted  and  bent  in  every  way,  and  the  would-be  fruit- 
grower declares  in  disgust  that  he  has  had  enough  of  this  game. 
Or  another  sets  the  trees  on  arable  land  in  pretty  much  the  same 
fashion,  and  goes  on  ploughing  and  harrowing  and  sowing 
almost  as  if  they  were  not  there,  and  wonders  that  they  have 
become  in  two  years  or  so,  cankered,  distorted,  stunted  objects. 
A third  plants  standards  on  ordinary  arable  land,  and  puts  bush- 
l'ruits  beneath  them  as  thickly  as  he  can,  and  crops  the  inter- 
stices with  mangolds,  potatoes,  cabbages,  until  the  trees  bear, 
without  manure,  or  without  extra  manure,  wholly  ignoring  the 
fact  that  the  fruit-trees  require  every  atom  of  fertility  that  the 
soil  and  the  heavens  above  can  supply.  Naturally  the  results 
of  these  experiments  prevent  the  extension  of  fruit-growing  in 
the  neighbouring  districts.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Toddington 
plantation  is  a standing  example  of  success,  and  should  serve 
to  encourage  waverers  and  those  disheartened. 
It  will  be  gathered  from  the  foregoing  pages  that  rather  more 
attention  is  now  being  paid  in  this  country  to  fruit-growing, 
and  that  some  progress  has  been  made  during  the  past  few  years 
both  as  regards  planting  fresh  land  and,  in  a degree  also,  the 
improvement  of  existing  orchards  and  fruit-plantations.  That 
this  recent  increase  in  the  plantations  is  utterly  inadequate  and 
insufficient  goes  without  saying  ; while  the  amount  of  improve- 
ment to  the  existing  orchard  and  fruit-plantations  must  appear 
ridiculously  small  to  those  who  know  the  state  in  which 
thousands  of  acres  are  still  allowed  to  remain  with  the  trees 
unpruned,  covered  with  moss  and  lichens,  and  the  ground 
unmanured.  It  is  high  time  that  this  state  of  things  were 
changed,  and  that  fruit-growing  were  seriously  adopted  by 
British  agriculturists. 
