February 13, 1904. 
The Gardening World 
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Views and Reviews. 
To Specialise Fruit Culture. 
For the last decade or two a, good deal 
has been said about the cultivation of fruit 
in this country and the possibility of making 
it a commercial enterprise. We are re¬ 
peatedly told that our climate is not so bad 
compared with that of various other 
countries from whence they send usi im¬ 
mense importations of Apple®, not to mention 
other fruits. When our Colonies send us 
fruits we wink at it, and even encourage the 
business, not thinking, perhaps, that we are 
even encouraging the; best and most enter¬ 
prising of our own people to: go abroad for 
the purpose of fruit-farming, thus depriving 
the country of its most, enterprising workers, 
and sending millions of money out of the 
country, a. fair proportion of which at least 
should be kept at home. Mr. J. M. Hodge 
lias just been discussing this question at a 
meeting in Glasgow, to a crowded audience, 
under the auspices of the Scottish Council 
for a number of social trade societies. He 
finds, from the Board of Trade return®, that 
we import., foreign fruit to the value, of 
£ 10 , 000 , 000 . 
The subject of his remarks was “ Back to 
the land'; is fruit-farming a solution,?” He 
said that the cry of “ Back to. the Land ” 
had become more insistent, in consequence 
of the small holders of other countries de¬ 
priving us of our markets. The depopula¬ 
tion of the country and over-crowding in 
town® also- h-ore upon the same question. 
We think it would be a vast improvement 
upon the existing order of things if security 
of tenure were rendered more certain, than 
at present, and if the railway companies 
would give equal facilities instead of pre¬ 
ference fares which they give to the goods 
of foreigners a.t the present time. 
Another point of importance, and a far- 
reaching one, is that of specialisation in 
fruit culture, whereby only certain portion® 
of the country could be planted with those 
particular fruits which succeed there. A 
very good instance of what we mean is fur¬ 
nished by Mr. Hodge in, dealing with the 
movements, at Westfield, Blairgowrie. The 
soil and climate of that district of Perth¬ 
shire is of such a, character that Raspberries 
can apparently be grown to greater perfec¬ 
tion in Blairgowrie than in any other portion 
of the United Kingdom. If that, fact were 
sufficiently dwelt upon we think it would 
tend more to revolutionise fruit culture in 
this country than in trying to, grow fruits 
under adverse circumstances. Those who 
have studied the science of the subject are 
well aware that climate is of more import¬ 
ance in the bearing of heavy crops of pro¬ 
duce than all the manures, and cultivation 
that can be given. In veiy dry seasons the 
land may be cultivated to perfection, but if 
the rainfall is insufficient the trees and 
plants upon the land are unable to avail 
themselves of the wealth of plant, food at 
the roots, but which, cannot be carried in 
owing to tfie lack of moisture, which is the 
vehicle for carrying it from the soil to the 
plant. Temperature also, plays an im¬ 
portant part, and there are other necessities 
which it is unnecessary to detail here, but 
the, fact remains, that if moisture is sufficient 
and the temperature high enough, good 
land, or suitable land, will produce magnifi¬ 
cent crop®. 
We have, often remarked the futile at¬ 
tempt at Raspberry-growing on the dry 
exposed hillsides, of Kent, where the plants 
are put out, in rows in tfie full sun, and cut 
down to a height of 2 ft. to 21 ft,., in order 
that they may stand upright without stak¬ 
ing. If Raspberry culture can pay under 
such conditions, it- must be entirely due to 
the high price obtainable for the fruits. 
The quantity m-uist, indeed, be very small 
in proportion to the, extent of land under 
crop. The Raspberry is a shallow-roofing 
plant,, and likes: its, roots in a damp, situation, 
amongst leaf mould and other decaying vege¬ 
tation. Under such conditions, and in half- 
shaded places in woods of the North, tfie 
wild plants, both the ordinary red and the 
yellow-fruited varieties, fruit abundantly 
without, any care whatever. The old canes 
and the young ones and other vegetation 
are often struggling together, but, notwith¬ 
standing this, the plant® are enabled to bear 
immense crops owing to the' suitability of 
the condition®. 
That is a pattern that need not be copied 
in cultivation; that is, the cultivator need 
not plant dense bushes in moist and half- 
shaded situations, in glades and borders of 
woods. The Scottish climate is much more 
suitable than that of England for the cul¬ 
tivation of Raspberries. The open field in 
the Northern counties would answer the pur¬ 
pose very well, provided the situation i® not 
absolutely dry. The suitable areas of land, 
however, can always be selected there, and 
with or without mulching, the canes would 
produce heavier crops than they could in the 
dry soils'of a, southern county. 
