482 
The Sources of Siipphj of the 
" prohibitive duty," at least a " protection " to the local grower, 
to say nothing of him being enabled to bring his goods to market 
in a fresher condition. Besides, the words, " My own growing," 
have a magical effect, and seldom fail to secure the preference 
of the purchaser ; indeed, so much are these words valued by 
the seller — and abused — that I once heard them used by a fellow 
selling cocoa-nuts I 
There are yet growers bringing their goods to the Manchester 
market who can remember the time when they had no foreign 
fruit to compete with. Oranges, lemons, and the dried fruits of 
the " Sunny South " were merchandize that never excited their 
jealousy : but it would be difficult to say in these days what 
kind of fruit is not imported and pitched in our markets 
alongside, and in competition with, the home-grown. If we 
had to depend solely upon the British grower now, however, I 
fear fruit would be a luxury out of the reach of the working- 
class of the community. Up to the 16th of August, 1838, the 
duty on imported apples was 4s. per bushel, and in that year 
but 20,502 bushels were imported. The duty was then reduced 
to 51. per cent, ad valorem, and the very next year 120,000 bushels 
were imported into the port of London alone, and the average 
price they were sold at was 4s. 9d. per bushel. The importation 
of apples went on steadily increasing up to the year 1846, when 
it received a great impetus by the total abolition of the duty. 
Yet the price of good apples is higher now than when the maxi- 
mum duty was exacted. I learn from the evidence given before 
a Select Committee of the House of Commons which sat in 
1 839, " to inquire into the Fresh Fruit Trade," that the reduc- 
tion of the duty had driven the Kentish growers to despair, and 
that they talked of grubbing up their orchards. That did not 
take place, however, to any great extent ; but where apple-trees 
were removed, cobnut-trees and raspberry canes were put in 
their place, and l)oth these pay much better than common 
apples. Home-grown fruit has, and must always have, a great 
advantage over the imported by being delivered in our markets 
fresher and in a generally better condition. It is the better 
sorts of apples that are imported, such as the French " Royal 
Russet," and the incomparable " Newtown Pippin " from 
America, that the English grower has most to fear from. Five 
other sorts of apples, beside the " Newtown Pippin " and " Rib- 
stone Pippin," are now sent from America, some only fit for 
culinary purposes, and all far inferior to the pippins named. The 
cost of bringing them from New York to Liverpool, last season, 
was 2s. 2d. per barrel, weighing upon the average 1 cwt. 1 qr. 
nett, and lOd. from Liverpool to the Manchester market. In 
1877, there was shipped from the United States to this country, 
