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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  26,  1903. 
The  Market  Culture  of  Fruits. 
The  following  questions  are  in  answer  to  a  corresiiondent  :■ — • 
1.  A  dozen  of  the  best  Apples,  to  come  at  a  time  when  the 
markets  are  least  likely  to  be  burdened  with  fruit  from  abroad, 
is  a  bugbear  that  places  the  grower  at  a  great  disadvantage, 
as  he  goes  in  for  late  summer  and  autumn  fruit,  instead  of 
boldly  facing  competition  and  growing  fruit  of  superior  equality 
that  can  hold  its  own  with  the  best  imported,  and  that  is  from 
November  to  March  or  April ;  and  the  consequence  is  the 
markets  are  glutted  in  the  late  summer  and  autumn.  Probably 
the  best  marketing  Apples  are  :  Dessert^ — Mr.  Gladstone,  Devon¬ 
shire  Quarrenden,  Lady  Sudeley,  Yellow  Ingestrie,  Worcester 
Pearmain,  King  of  Pippins,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  Brownlee’s 
Russet,  Hubbard’s  Pearmain,  Scarlet  Nonpareil,  Gascoigne’s 
Scarlet,  Baumann’s  Reinette,  Hormead  Pearmain,  and  Stunner 
Pippin.  Kitchen — White  Transparent,  Duchess  of  Oldenburg, 
Lord  Grosvenor,  New  Hawthornden,  Golden  Noble,  Lord  Derby, 
Bismarck,  Queen  Caroline,  Lane’s  Prince  Albert,  New  Northern 
Greening,  Newton  Wonder,  Bramley’s  Seedling  and  Dume- 
low’s  Seedling  (syns.  Wellington  and  Normanton  Wonder). 
The  last  named,  in  some  soils  and  situations,  is  prone 
to  canker.  Blenheim  Orange  or  Pippin  is  perhaps  the 
most  popular  of  all  Apples  in  its  season  (November 
to  Christmas,  or  later),  but  somewhat  slow  in  -  coming  into 
bearing.  Warner’s  King  and  Tower  of  Glands,  with  Ecklinville 
Seedling,  are  also  popular  marketing  sorts,  and  so  ai’e  many 
others  in  certain  localities,  for  a  variety  does  not  do  equally 
well  everywhere. 
2.  As  to  the  least  amount  of  capital  necessary  on  which  to 
start  fruit  farming,  a  great  deal  depends' upon  circumstance^ 
such  as  land  in  a  poor  and  foul  state,  requiring  draining,  muen 
cleaning,  deep  stirring,  and  heavy  manuring  to  render  it  at 
all  suitable  for  fruit  farming,  and  this  alone  entails  an  expendi¬ 
ture  of  about  £20  if  done  with  steam,  horse,  and  hand  power, 
and  when  done  by  horse  and  hand  power  alone  £30  per  acre. 
On  the  other  hand,  land  already  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
having  been  drained,  deeply  stirred  with  spade  or  plough,  well 
manured,  and  kept  clean,  will  not  cost  as  many  shillings  to  fit 
it  for  fruit  farming. 
Ordinary  arable  land  may  be  regarded  as  representative  of 
the  former,  and  Hop  grounds  and  market  gardens  of  the  latter. 
There  is  also  the  matter  of  fencing  and  of  roadw’ay  making  to 
be  considered  in  the  case  of  arable  land;  also  that  of  a  shed 
for  tools  and  packing  i^urposes,  &c.  Thus  the  fitting  of  ordinary 
arable  land — away,  as  it  should  be,  from  lar'ge  towns  or  centres 
of  manufactures  or  industry,  and  of  nominal  value  for  fruit 
farming — costs  as  much  as  the  land  is  often  worth,  and  the  capital 
in  such  instance  should  not  be  less  than  twice  the  cost  of  the 
land,  and  its  being  made  suitable  for  fruit  culture.  In  the  case 
of  renting,  the  tenant  should  be  secured  in  tenure  by  a  lease 
not  expiring  until  the  crop  to  be  grown  has  reached  the  year 
of  prospective  unremunerative  production. 
The  capital  for  this  ought  not  to  be  under  the  outlay  incurred 
up  to  the  year  of  commencement  of  remunerative  return.  This 
varies  with  different  kinds,  and  even  varieties  of  fruits,  so  that 
fruit  farming  is  often  Jiiore  a  matter  of  knowledge  and  of  judg¬ 
ment  than  of  amount  of  capital.  Some,  of  course,  is  required, 
and  an  idea  may  be  gleaned  from  the  data  of  outlay  and  gross 
return  given  shortly  under  the  several  kinds  of  fruit  commonly 
grown  in  the  British  Isles  for  marketing. 
As  to  size  of  fruit  farm,  it  may  range  from  a  rod  or  two 
in  a  cottager’s  garden,  several  rods  in  an  allotment,  roods  or 
acres  on  the  division-of-farm  system,  up  to  tens,  hundreds,  or 
even  thousands  of  acres.  The  grand  .secret- is  to  make  sure  of 
the  capabilities  of  the  soil,  the  possibilities  of  the  situation, 
and  a  market  for  the  produce.  Thus,  it  is  always  wise  to  begin 
fruit  farming  in  a  relatively  small  way,  aiming  at  quick  returns 
by  between  cultures  'when  the  permanent  crop  plants  are  some¬ 
what  long  in  coming  into  remunerative  production,  and^  from 
this  feel  and  make  sure  of  a  sound  road  trod  by  experienced 
head  and  hand  and  pocket  steps  to  extended  cultures. 
3.  All  kinds  of  hardy  fruit  pay  when  grown  on  intelligent 
lines  and  sound  commercial  principles,  regard  being  had  to 
the  outlay  as  justified  by  the  capital  at  command  and  certain 
returns  on  the  investment. 
Straavbeeries  give  the  earliest  remuneratiAm  return.  The 
cost  per  acre  of  planting  and  first  year’s  culti\'ation  is  about 
£24,  and  the  returns  nil,  as  in  field  culture  the  plant.s  are 
lilantcd  in  March,  and  only  a  feAA'  plants  here  and  there  produce 
fruit  during  the  first  season — not  worth  more  than  £1.  Up 
to  the  first  crop,  or  for  one  and  a  half  years,  the  total  cost  is 
about  £45,  and  the  returns  for  that  period  are  about  £43,  the 
land,  including  rates,  being  £2  per  acre,  thus  being  deficit  £2. 
The  annual  cost  of  cultivation  per  acre  comes  to  about  £22, 
and  the  gross  returns  are  about  £42,  thus  leaving  a  balance  or 
profit  of  £20  per  acre  for  superintenclence,  unforeseen  expenses, 
interest  on  capital,  and  proportionate  cost  of  planting  and 
profit. 
The  commencement  of  remuneratiA’e  return  in  the  Strawberry 
under  field  cultiA'ation  is  the  second  year,  the  period  of  best 
production  the  third  year,  and  the  duration  of  the  plant  pro¬ 
fitably  five  years,  and  this  only  on  strong  soils,  three  years 
being  the  duration  on  light  land. 
Raspberries  are. the  next  fruit,  and  it  is  a  British  one,  wild- 
lings  often  producing  finer  fruit  than  the  so-called  cultivated 
plants,  yielding  an  early  profitable  return.  The  cost  per  acre 
of  planting  and  first  season’.s  cultivation  is  about  £38,  including 
£2  for  rent  of  land  and  rates,  and. the  returns  are  practically 
nil. 
The  annual  cost  per  acre  of  cultivating  the  Raspberry  is 
about  £25,  this  also  including  rent  of  land  and  rates,  £2 ;  and 
the  gross  returns  total  £46,  so  that  £21  represents  the  balance 
in  favour  of  the  groAver,  being  absorbed  by  unforeseen  expenses, 
superintendence,  interest  on  capital,  and  proportionate  cost  of 
planting. 
The  Raspberry  attains  remunerative  bearing  in  the  third 
year,  the  best  period  of  production  in  the  sixth  season,  and 
ceases  to  afford  a  profitable  return  after  the  tenth  year,  though 
I  haAm  knoAvn  grand  annual  crops  in  gardens  over  tAvice  that 
period. 
Bush  Fruits — Gooseberries,  Red  .  and  Black  Currants 
entail  a  similar  cost  per  acre  of  planting  and  first  year’s  cultiva¬ 
tion,  the  Gooseberry  plants,  costing  about  £2  more  than  those 
of  Currants,  or  £26  and  £28  respectively.  The  second  year’s 
cultivation  amounts  to  about  £8,  and  the  cost  per  acre  of  annual 
cultivation  Avhen  mature,  including  rent  of  land  and  taxes,  £2  : 
Gooseberry  £21,  Red  Currant  £18,  and  Black  Currant  £21. 
When  the  bushes  attain  profitable  production  the  gross  returns 
are  about' — for  Gooseberries  £25,  for  Red  Currants  £24,  and  for 
Black  Currants  £34.  Thus  the  balances  for  unforeseen  expenses, 
superintendence,  cost  of  planting,  interest,  and  profit  are : 
Gooseberries  £4,  Red  Currants  £6,  and  Black  Currants  £13. 
Tlie  commencement  of  remunerative  return  is :  in  the  Goose¬ 
berry,  fourth  year;  in  the  Red  Currant,  third  year;  and  in  the 
Black  Currant,  third  year.  The  period  of  best  production  is 
attained  about  the  seventh  year — all  three — Avhen  the  Goose¬ 
berries  may  yield 'three  tons  of  fruit  per  acre,  value  £25;  the 
Red  Currants  tAvo  tons  per  acre,  A'alue  £30;  and  the  Black 
Currants  three  tons  per  acre,. value  £75. 
Gooseberry  bushes  remain  profitable  until  the  tAvelfth  year, 
and  Red  and  Black  Currants  until  the  fifteenth  year ;  but  T 
haA^e  knoAvn  Black  Currants  continue  to  bear  abundantly  over 
tAventy  years  and  more,'  the  AA'ood  being  renewed  from  time  to 
time  by  cutting  aAvay  the  old  branches,  some  annually,  and 
supplanting  them  by  young  and  vigorous  from  the  rootstock, 
Avhicli  is  the  better  Avay.of  groAving  Black  Currants  than  the 
single-stem  system. — G.  Abbey. 
(To  be  continued.) 
Apples :  Three  Samples  in  One  Barrel. 
Speaking  to  a  London  grocer  a  week  or  tAvo  ago,  he  remarked 
that  he  sold  Apples.  I  asked  Avhether  he  stocked  Cox’s,  to  which  ^ 
he  replied  that  he  had  only  one  sort,  American  Baldwins,  and 
one  barrel  had  to  serve  his  three  grades.  The  finest  fruits 
fetched  4d.  per  lb  if  highly  polished ;  samples  almost  as  good,  left 
unpolished,  sold  for  3d.  per  lb,  and  the  remainder  were  his 
cooking,  or. third  grade  Apples! 
Pear,  Josephine  de  Mallnes. 
Again  aao  figure  (page  190)  a  AA’ell-known  and  highly  prized 
dessert  Pear,  and  the  photograph  will  shoAV  how  Avell  it  can  be 
cropped  Avhen  culture  is  good  and  checks  nil.  The  fruit  is 
slightly  above  medium  size,  of  true  Pear-shape,  having  an  open 
eye  in  a  distinct  depression,  and  nicely  rounded  shoulders.  The 
skin  is  yelloAvish  and  ruddy  next  the  sun;  while  the  stalk  is  long 
and  stout.  It  is  a  rich,  melting,  juicy  fruit,  and  is  in  season 
from  the  middle  of  January  to  May,  being  best,  hoArever,  in 
February,^ March,  and  April.  The  tree  is  generally  prolific,  very 
hardy  succeeding  on  the  Quince.  For  pyramids  and  cordons  it 
should  be  double-grafted.  Our  photogtraph  came  from  Mr.  Q. 
Jones,  of  Ote  Hall,  Burgess  Hill,  Sussex.  This  A^ariety  wa.s 
raised  by  Major  Esperen,  of  Malines,  in  1830,  and  bears  the  name 
of  his  wife. 
