Glimpses of Faimxing in the Channel Islands. 393 
houses can be constructed in the most economical manner. Two 
if not three of the companies employ the same manager, Mr. 
Bulgaize, who appears to know how to make the undertakings 
pay. His method of gi'owing tomatoes is a peculiar one, as far 
as my limited experience enables me to judge. It is not nearly 
as pretty to look at as Mr. Bashford's, and it seemed to me that 
the plants were far too thick, so as to half smother each other ; 
but the test of results is the only one of importance, and it ia 
not for an outsider to criticise in positive terms an experienced 
grower. In some of the houses of the Guernsey Fruit Growers' 
Company, which were begun only in August 1887, and are in 
sets of spans without inside divisions, costing only hd. per 
square foot, French beans were grown in alternate rows with 
tomatoes, and after the beans were picked, the plants were taken 
out and tomatoes put in their places. There were then tomatoes 
in rows 3 feet apart, and 1 foot from plant to plant in the rows. 
This is very thick, and the only explanation of such thickness is 
that the plants are not allowed to grow more than about 3 feet 
6 inches high, or to produce more than a few clusters of fruit each, 
the idea being to get the fruit which comes first quickly ripened, 
and then to uproot the plants and put in others, so as to obtain 
two or three crops in a season. Melons and grapes are to be 
grown after this year. 
The Guernsey and Jersey Fruit and Produce Company has 
been established three years, and its establishment appeared to 
me to be the best worth seeing of any that I visited. Two crops 
at least are grown in a season in every house, and three of some 
kinds of produce, such as tomatoes. No grapes are grown. The 
chief crops are tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, potatoes, French, 
beans, and roses. About 30 tons of tomatoes are produced in a 
season, and 7,000 to 8,000 melons. A splendid crop of melons 
had just been picked, except a few of the latest, in the last week 
of J une, and a second crop was to be ready in September. After 
that cucumbers would be put in, for cutting in January and 
February, then melons once more, and so on. In this way two 
crops of melons and one crop of cucumbers are obtained in twelve 
months from the same houses. 
The great number of hot-houses and green-houses in Guern- 
sey make work for a large staff of employes. In the busy 
season men employed in them are paid 4s. a day, and women 
2s. M. 
The exports of vegetables, fruit, and flowers from Guernsey 
in 1887 were given as follows at the last annual meeting of the 
Guernsey Chamber of Cpmmerce : — 
