PROCEEDINGS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
1G5 
for fruit of all kinds is increasing, and yet there is not half 
enough of it used. I long to see the time when every 
working mau in this country will have his barrel of 
apples, as well as his potato store, and when 
every working woman will be able to cook them in 
various way as an article of diet. Instead of tea, so 
common now with our agricultural labourers, and I believe 
with many of our urban population as well, how much 
better would it be at dinner time to have even a few well- 
cooked potatoes with good milk, and a few stewed apples 
for dessert;—better both for their health and their purse. 
There is not nearly enough of fruit used in this country as 
an article of diet. In France, they use very much less 
butcher-meat than we do, and a great deal more fruit. The 
latter is seen almost at every meal. In America, also, a 
great deal more is used than in this country. I am happy, 
however, to see, by the statistics of the country, that the 
demand for fruit is gradually, though slowly, increasing. 
Our supply is also increasing, but not nearly fast enough, 
when we consider the enormous sums we pay for fruit im¬ 
ported from other countries, a great part of which we 
might raise ourselves, if more attention were paid to its 
cultivation. 
I am happy to learn that fruit cultivation is now 
beginning to extend in Great Britain. In Gloucestershire, 
Lord Sudeley is setting a noble example. At Toddington, 
he has already 500 acres under fruit, and is about to plant 
200 more. He has planted 3000 apple trees of the best 
sorts, 812 pear trees, 32,000 plum trees of 44 different sorts, 
about 9000 damsons, and 522 cherry trees; and be¬ 
tween the trees he plants gooseberries, currants, rasps, and 
strawberries. Besides using the ground in this way, he 
has over 50 acres of black currants, raspberries, and straw¬ 
berries by themselves. There are 100 acres of strawberry 
plants in all, and 60 acres of raspberry canes. Apple trees 
are grown as pyramids, a few as bushes, and the rest as 
standards. Gooseberry bushes number no less than 
130,000, representing 45 varieties; and it may interest 
some here to know that for the main crop Warrington, 
Lancashire Lad, Whitesmith, Lancashire Prize, and Cram 
Bob are the chief ones. Of black currants there are no less 
than 228,000 bushes, chiefly Lee’s Prolific, Baldwin’s 
Black, Black Naples, and Prince of Wales. Raspberries 
are chiefly Carter’s Falstaff, and the red currants Robey 
Castle and Scotch Red. Some may suppose that 
where so many trees and bushes are planted, a great 
many will be apt to go back; but where a little 
attention is given this is not the case. Among his 40,000 
plum and damson trees, not 5 in 1000 have gone wrong. 
After hearing of such extensive fruit-growing as that of 
Lord Sudeley’s, some may suppose that the thing will be 
overdone in a very short time; but, so long as we pay 
so much for foreign fruit, which, with a little attention, 
we might raise ourselves, there is no cause to fear. 
Just think for a moment of the enormous sum of 
over £2,000,000 which we paid for foreign fruit in 
1882. It would be very much better for us as a nation to 
raise as much fruit as we can, and keep as much as possible 
of that £2,000,000 at home. I am delighted, however, to 
think that public attention is being aroused on this sub¬ 
ject. Already, even in the Carse of Gowrie, more atten¬ 
tion is being given to it. Some have begun to improve their 
orchards and gardens, and are giving more attention to small 
fruit. One enterprising landlord, to the east of Errol, is 
this season planting over a dozen of acres of small fruit; 
and another, a little to the west of the village, has already 
planted part of a very large field (over a dozen of acres), 
which is to be wholly devoted to the same purpose; and it 
is to be hoped that others will follow their example. If 
only some enterprising individual or firm would start a 
jam and jelly work in the Carse capital (Errol), we believe 
more fruit would be grown in the Carse. Mr Charles 
Whitehead, a great authority on this subject, says 
that he “is glad to learn that Cambridgeshire must 
now be included among the fruit-growing counties. In 
the neighbourhood of Wisbeach a large quantity of fruit is 
grown, and the gooseberry crop in 1883 fetched £75 per 
acre, and in 1882 the same crop realised nearly £100 per 
acre.” 
While speaking of gooseberries let me tell you some, 
thing more of what we can do nearer home. Shortly after 
reading my last paper to you on fruit, I received a note 
from a gentleman in the legal profession (I am not at 
liberty to mention his name) who cultivates a large piece 
of ground in growing gooseberries, I believe as a specu¬ 
lation. In his letter he says he has 7000 gooseberry 
bushes, which in one year yielded £205. In 1881, 
from 1700 bushes, he had an average of 2s per 
bush, and some of them were by no means large. 
This should be encouraging to fruit-growers, but let me 
give you one or two more examples. Only a few weeks 
ago, I was discussing the fruit trade with a traveller for 
a Dundee nursery firm, and, in speaking of gooseberries, he 
told me he was lately in a market garden near Forfar, and 
saw the gardener there get from a customer 3s 6d for fruit 
off one bush. A gardener about a mile from Errol told me 
that from one bush he sold last year 6s worth. It was 
the kind called “Langley Green.” While speaking of 
gooseberries, allow me to give amateurs a hint how to 
economise space. If you grow your bushes in the usual way, 
