April  23,  19W. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
361 
Repopulation  ol  Rural  Districts. 
When  the  British  nation  actively  bestii's  itself  in  any  cause, 
its  citizens  are  at  once  inspired  by  hope  and  trust  in  the  success 
ot  that  cause.  During  the  passing  years  the  public  interest  lias 
largely  been  engaged  in  the  discussion  and  consideration  of  the 
problem  of  rural  repopulation,  and  one  of  the  largest  practical 
movements,  having  decentralisation  as  its  object,  is  witnessed 
in  the  formation  of  the  Garden  City  Association.  “  A  work 
begun  is  half  done,”  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  a  wide¬ 
spread  united  effort  by  various  responsible  governing  and  other 
bodies  will  result  in  the  healthy  regeneration  and  steady 
development  of  rural  activities  and  country  life. 
On  Tuesday  evening,  April  o,  in  Dowell’s  Rooms,  George 
Street,  Edinburgh,  Mr.  AVm.  AVilliamson,  of  Logie  Green  Nur¬ 
sery,  read  a  paper  entitled  “  Hardy  Fruit  Culture,  and  its 
Bearing  on  the  Repopulation  of  the  Rural  Districts,  or  the 
Ideal  of  Rural  Economy.”  After  describing  the  various  causes 
which  led  to  the  depopulation  of  the  country  during  the  la.st 
half  century,  and  the  state  of  matters  at  present  existing  in 
our  large  towns  and  cities  in  consequence,  the  lecturer  dealt 
with  the  means  by  which  the  people  would  be  attracted  again 
to  the  land  and  induced  to  remain  upon  it.  Small  farms  or 
holdings  on  the  old  lines  would  be  no  inducement,  because  these 
cannot  now  be  so  profitably  managed  as  tho.se  of  larger  area, 
and  the  solution  of  the  question  rested,  he  thought,  on  the 
principle  of  securing  the  commodities  of  greatest  value  the  land 
can  produce,  and  for  which  there  is  a  demand.  These  are 
fruit  and  dairy  and  poultry  produce,  of  which  we  import 
annually  to  the  value  of  £43,000,000,  according  to  the  Board  of 
Trade  returns.  The  production  of  these  commodities  conjointly 
would  be  most  economically  conducted  on  small  holdings  with 
a  minimum  of  30  acres,  one-third  in  fruit,  and  two-thirds  in 
farm  crops,  the  livestock  consisting  of  one  horse,  four  cows,  and 
100  head  of  poultry.  A  few  of  such  holdings  around  our  half 
deserted  villages,  where  the  soil  is  good,  would,  by  providing 
labour  for  numerous  families,  old  and  young,  revive  rural  life 
and  interest  in  country  affairs.  The  income  and  numbers 
^employed  betw'een  the  two  methods  of  culture — agriculture  and 
mixed  farming — was  then  compared,  showing  a  difference  in 
both  cases  of  about  300  per  cent. 
After  giving  a  few  practical  instructions  on  the  management 
of  the  dairy  and  poultry  to  ensure  success,  hardy  fruit  culture 
w'as  then  considered,  and  chiefly  the  culinary  Apple,  which  in 
Scotland  has  been  sadly  neglected,  giving  colour  to  the  general 
idea  of  the  impossibility  of  growing  it  profitably  so  far  north. 
It  was  asserted,  however,  that  by  a  proper  selection  of  varieties 
and  rational  cultivation,  better  Apples  for  culinary  use  could 
be  grown  north  of  the  Tweed  than  in  any  foreign  country.  A 
few  of  the  varieties  suitable  for  planting  and  training  as  dwarf 
bushes,  pyramids,  or,  in  the  case  of  exposed  positions,  espaliers, 
were  named,  such  as  Rivers’  Early,  Lord  Grosvenor,  Stilling 
Castle,  AA^arner’s  King,  Prince  Albert,  and  Newton  AAhnder, 
providing  a  succession  from  September  till  May.  In  order  to 
ensure  yearly  crops  of  large  fruit,  attention  was  .specially 
directed  to  surface  feeding,  cleanliness  of  the  foliage,  and 
proper  thinning  of  the  fruit.  Unsatisfactory  fruit  and  crops 
frequently  re.sulted  from  neglect  of  the  latter  operation,  but 
which  is  usually  attributed  to  uncongenial  conditions  of  weather 
at  the  time  of  setting.  It  w^as  contended  that  fruit  buds  well 
matured  and  perfect  at  the  time  of  flowering  withstood  a  degree 
of  cold  which  destroyed  the  blossom  on  trees  of  the  same  variety 
overcropped  the  previous  year. 
Small  fruits  were  next  dealt  with,  especially  the  Raspberry, 
w'hich  was  characterised  as  one  of  the  most  profitable  crops, 
producing  four  tons  to  the  acre  in  several  places  in  Scotland,  a 
record  rare  on  the  Continent.  After  giving  the  value  of 
average  crops  per  acre  of  the  different  kinds,  the  method  of 
collection  and  disposition  of  the  various  products  was  alluded 
to.  The  association  of  small  producers  in  the  different  districts 
for  mutual  help  and  accommodation  was  considered  essential 
for  the  despatch  in  quantity  of  the  goods  to  the  best  market. 
Undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  interesting  recent  addresses 
on  and  practical  discussions  of  the  vexed  question  of  gravita¬ 
tion  of  rural  life  to  the  cities  and  consequent  handicapping  of 
the  agricultural  interest  in  this  country,  was  given  by  Mr.  T.  AA". 
Sanders,  F.L.S.,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  monthly  dinner  of  the 
Horticultural  Club  at  the  Hotel  AVindsor  on  Tuesday,  the  19th 
instant,  and  contributed  to  by  many  of  the  members  and  guests 
present.  Mr.  Sanders  attributed  this  undoubted  evil  to  the 
nature  of  the  education  imparted  to  the  rising  generation  and 
to  the  unattractive  character  of  the  rural  surroundings  which 
w'ould  later  form  their  environment  as  agricultural  labourers  or 
workers  in  local  associated  industries,  such  as  basket-making, 
smithwork,  &c.  He  consequently  advocated  reform  in  both 
directions,  the  children  being  brought  up  with  a  better  know¬ 
ledge  of  horticultural  and  agricultural  pursuits,  imparting  a 
greater  tendency  to  follow  them,  and  cottages  being  erected  of 
a  more  up-to-date  class  for  their  accommodation  as  adults,  while 
coincidently  the  smaller  towns  and  villages  should  be  more 
amply  provided  with  institutes,  to  supply  at  once  instruction 
and  recreation  for  leisure  time. 
The  chief  reform,  however,  Mr.  Sanders  considered  to  be  the 
wider  extension  of  what  he  termed  “intensive  culture” — that 
is  to  say,  the  culture  of  market  produce  on  properly  guided 
lines,  which  produce  should,  moreover,  not  entirely  gravitate, 
as  it  does  at  present,  to  the  large  cities,  prodticing  gluts  which 
lead  to  loss  instead  of  profit,  while  for  lack  of  proper  grading 
and  packing  the  grower  furthermore  suffered,  owing  to  the  often 
unmarketable,  because  unpresentable,  character  of  his  consign¬ 
ments.  The  profitable  culture  of  cereal  crops  Mr.  Sandeis 
looked  upon  as  a  thing  of  the  past  in  this  country,  and  hence  it 
was  desirable  to  substitute  for  it  the  intensive  culture  he  advo¬ 
cated  for  the  benefit  of  local  markets. 
Air.  Sanders  having  made  some  remarks  on  the  benefit  of 
clerical  guidance  both  in  England  and  Ireland,  and  also  the 
absence  of  such  where  it  miglit  be  beneficial,  the  Rev.  Air. 
Pemberton  opened  the  discussion  by  indicating  the  great  prac¬ 
tical  difficulty,  as  matters  stand,  of  finding  suitable  rural  oppor¬ 
tunities  of  employment  for  boys  educated  in  rural  districts.  In 
point  of  fact,  to  launch  them  on  any  likely  career  at  all,  he 
had  found  it  necessary,  in  the  course  of  a  wude  experience,  to 
send  them  all  up  to  town  to  find  employment  there.  Ihe  great 
difficulty  to  be  surmounted  is  the  temporary  nature  of  tlie 
labour  required  by  the  farmer.  In  tlie  summer  and  at  haivest 
time  he  can  give  full  employment  at  good  wages,  but  for  a  large 
part  of  the  year  he  needs  very  few  liands,  and  cannot  aiioi a, 
Hierefore,  to  make  engagements  for  all  the  year  through,  as  is 
done  in  city  employments.  This  irreg\ilarity  is  one  of  the  main 
adverse  factors.  Allusion  was  also  made  to  the  handicap  aris'ing 
from  the  triple  burden  of  the  owner  ot  the  land,  the  rentei , 
and  the  incidence  of  taxation.  f  4-1  t  viir 
Air.  Dennis,  a  visitor  and  one  of  the  members  of  the  laiitt 
Commission,  made  an  admirable  speech,  dealing  with  many  of 
