October 18,1894 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
357 
of the Apple crop rests more with individuals than aught else. 
Plant those kinds extensively that succeed in your own district. 
That, in my opinion, is the way to make Apple growing pay.— 
E. Molyneux. 
DOES GRAPE CULTURE FOR MARKET PAY ? 
I AM tempted to ask this question, not that 1 do not believe such 
fruit culture does not pay, but because there are pessimists who hold to 
the contrary, and delight in telling the British public that all such 
culture is conducted at a loss, and that the trade is going to the dogs. 
The most striking evidence to be furnished as to the paying nature of 
the vocation is found in the exceeding extension of glass houses for the 
purpose that is going on in all directions. If market growers can afford 
A short time ago I called for a few hours at Messrs. Qaertiers’ vineries, 
Fordingbridge, where Mr. Stephen Castle, one of the most able of Grape 
growers for market in the kingdom, has charge ; and there I found that 
the little town of glass, really a fine number of houses, chiefly devoted to 
Grape culture, had not only, since my last year’s visit, been extended by 
a large 150 feet span, but that also a group of five noble span houses, 
making a total of some 800 or more feet run, was in process of erection, 
and would, so soon as ready, be also planted with Vines. These houses,, 
as one solid block, will have no party walls, only brick piers, so that air 
can circulate throughout them. One thing will seem to be imperative 
in this case. It is that all the blocks must be kept at the same tempera¬ 
ture throughout. The plan, however, has not badly answered in some of 
the older houses. That such an extension of glass in a place so remote 
from large markets is held to be needful, shows that Grape growing, in. 
to extend their houses and operations on losses, then have we to face 
one of the most astounding financial trade problems of modern times. 
If I am told that profits are not what they were, I can very well under¬ 
stand such is the case. Without doubt, formerly those engaged in this 
form, or indeed in any similar form of market trade, made money too 
fast. They aggrandised and enriched themselves at the expense of the 
consumer ; but they also had restricted outputs and more costly 
methods of production. 
Now that much is changed, and whilst the output is enormous, more 
economical methods of production prevail. The grower is getting a 
very fair return for his expenditure, and the consumer can now obtain 
the best of produce at fully one-half the cost he had to pay for it not so 
many years ago. I thought of all this some time since, when Mr. 
Cannell was driving me past that huge town of glass houses, where 
10,000 troops could well be housed, that Mr. Ladds has at Swanley, and 
where I counted no less than sixty 200 feet span houses all side by side, 
and then left many others uncounted, besides one, a tremendous house 
of 650 feet long, a span of some 25 to 30 feet wide, all planted, so Mr. 
Cannell told me, with Gros Guillaume Grape. Well, all about that locality 
small areas of glass houses are springing up in all directions. Over at 
Hampton in Middlesex one need not go far to count somo fifty groups 
of glass houses, really an immense extent if all were counted, all devoted 
to market work, and largely to fruit culture. 
spite of all that is said about it, must pay. That is at least my very 
natural deduction ; but then it must be done well as is the case at 
Fordingbridge, where not only is everything first class, but, rara avis in 
such establishments, everything outside and in is as clean and as neat 
as a new pin. That shows that Mr. Castle is, besides being a good' 
Grape grower, also a lover of order. 
Perhaps some of the success which comes to this establishment is 
due to the fact that few of the Grapes, besides Tomatoes in enormous 
quantities always selling well. Peaches and French Beans, go to the 
greatest markets, They find their way direct to the shops in numerous 
towns from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, and thus secure the best 
prices devoid of commissions. Still the fine, nay, superb, quality of 
the material goes a long way to secure good returns, whilst besides this, 
the produce can only be relatively described as enormous. The greatest 
weight carrier is Gros Colman, which still remains the most popular 
and perhaps profitable of market Grapes. 
Just take one huge lean-to house, devoted to latest Grapes, divided 
into three compartments of equal length. In the first is a heavy crop of 
Alicante, very hard thinned in the bunch. These are for bottling, to 
hang in the Grape-room, just being extended to hold 2000 bunches, till 
April, when the price is much higher than it is in the winter. In the 
farther compartment are two-thirds Gros Colman, and, curious mixture, 
two Vines each of Black Hamburgh, all cut; Madresfield Court, a 
