July  16,  1903, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
o3 
French  BlacR  Currants. 
A  record  cargo  of  Frencli  Black  Currants,  consisting  of  11,700 
packages,  has  arrived  at  Hull.  The  fruit  was  of  excellent  quality, 
and  made  good  prices,  some  buyers  taking  as  much  as  fifty  tons. 
Pioneer  of  the  Scottish  Fruit  Trade  Dead. 
An  old  and  prominent  merchant  in  Edinburgh  has  been 
removed  by  the  death  of  Mr.  James  Lindsay,  of  Drydenbank, 
Loanhead,  the  head  of  the  firm  of  James  Lindsay  and  Son,  Ltd., 
fruit  salesmen,  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow.  Born  in  Dundee  on 
May  17,  1815,  a  month  before  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  he  had 
thus  entered  his  eighty-ninth  year.  Mr.  Lindsay  Avas  the  first 
wholesale  fruit  merchant  to  make  a  start  with  that  now  exten¬ 
sive  trade  in  Scotland. 
Fruit  Crop  in  North-west  Fife. 
The  much-longed-for  rains  Avhich  have  fallen  have  had  a  very 
beneficial  effect  upon  the  fruit  crops  in  the  north-western  district 
of  Fifeshire.  Strawberries  have  recovered  their  stunted  growth, 
caused  by  the  prolonged  drought,  and  the  early  crop  cvill  be  a 
fair  one.  Picking  is  general.  In  some  districts  the  fruit  was 
selling  at  from  lOd.  to  Is.  Id.  per  pint.  Goo.seberries  are  show¬ 
ing  best  on  young  plants,  and  ocving  to  the  failure  of  the  English 
and  some  of  the  Scottish  fruit  crops,  are  commanding  good 
prices,  2d.  per  Ib.j  and  It^cI.  per  lb  for  wholesale  quantities  of 
green  berries.  Raspberries  show  only  an  average  return,  and 
Currants,  Avith  the  exception  of  the  Black,  are  abundant. 
The  Fruit  Supply. 
The  general  shortage  in  English-groAvn  fruit  this  year,  .says 
the  “Daily  Express,”  has  been  compensated  by  some  remarkable 
increases  in  imported  fruit.  The  public,  therefore,  is  scarcely 
feeling  the  losses  AA'hich  have  caicsed  depression  among  fruit- 
farmers.  The  folloAA'ing  table  shoAvs  the  increases  in  the  consign¬ 
ments  of  some  of  the  most  popular  fruits : — 
Inrrease  Iiicre.ise 
Fruits.  (luring  .Tune,  1903.  during  half-year. 
Bananas  . 
Apples . 
Currants . 
Ciooseberries . 
Pears  . 
Strawberries . 
118,1S2  bunches 
6,370  cw  ts 
2,438  cwts 
3,435  cwt( 
5.50  cwts 
3,673  cwts 
250,535  bunches 
564,887  cwts 
2,438  c  wl  s 
3,846  cwt.s 
0,391  cwts 
3,695  cwts 
Register  of  Nurseries,  &c. 
We  have  again  received  Messrs.  Protheroe  and  Morris’s  quar¬ 
terly  register  of  nurseries,  market  gardens,  farms,  florists’  seed 
busines.ses,  and  partnerships,  to  be  let  or  sold.  Application  for 
this  register  should  be  made  to  the  firm  at  67,  Cheapsido,  London. 
Pea  Pickers. 
DoAvn  in  Kent,  in  the  di.strict  Avhich  may  be  sufficiently  Avell 
described  as  lying  between  SandAvich,  Canterbury,  and  Dover, 
green  Pea  picking  is  in  full  sAving  (Avrites  a  corresiiondent).  Many 
acres  of  the  best  sorts  are  noAv  groAAii  for  the  local  preserving 
factories,  Avhich  have  a  large  and  increasing  output,  and  afford 
Avork  to  many  in  the  process  of  canning  and  bottling.  Tho.se  AAdio 
do  the  actual  picking  in  the  fields  appear  regularly,  year  by 
year,  no  one  can  tell  you  from  AAdience,  and  after  the  last  field 
is  finished  they  vanish  for  another  year.  A  motley  lot  of 
humanity  they  appear  as  they  toil  along  the  dusty  higlnv'ays  on 
their  .iourneys  from  one  scene  of  labour  to  the  next.  Some 
possess  ponies  and  carts,  on  AAdiich  their  household  effects  are 
piled  I'.igh,  the  top  of  the  load  being  generally  occupied  by  SAvarms 
of  bareheaded  children;  but  the  majority  trundle  their  sorry 
equipment  along  on  shaky  perambulators  or  go-carts  made  of 
sugar-boxes  mounted  on  AAheels.  Picking  begins  soon  after  day¬ 
break,  and  continues,  Avitli  a  short  rest  at  noon,  until  evening, 
and  then  the  pickers,  men,  Avomen,  and  children,  begin  to  pre¬ 
pare  for  supper,  and  put  up  rough  shelters  made  by  hurdles 
coA'ered  over  AA'ith  the  Pea  straw,  although  many  carry  light 
poles,  both  ends  being  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  canvas  laid  over 
them.  Next  ensues  a  procession  to  the  nearest  toAvn  or  village 
dn  search  of  supplies.  Your  true-bred  picker  does  not  believe  in 
stinting  himself  to-day  in  order  to  provide  for  the  morroAv.  The 
A'illage  grocer  does  a  fine  trade,  the  baker  quicklj’  sells  out  his 
stock,  and  truth  compels  me  to  admit  that  the  alehouse  is  not 
neglected.  As  the  long  July  eA’ening  passes  into  the  tAvilight  of 
the  summer  night,  the  camp  fires  gloAv  red,  and  the  pleasant  and 
pungent  odour  of  burning  Avoed  fills  the  air.  The  youngsters, 
merry  as  crickets,  despite  their  rags,  indulge  in  merry  games, 
until  presently,  tired  cut  Avith  their  long  day  in  the  hot  sun, 
they  creep  into  their  A-arious  apologies  for  beds,  and  silence 
gradually  falls  upon  the  pea-pickers’  camp. — “  Pall  Mall  Gazette.” 
One  of  the  poorest  crops  this  year  is  that  of  Black  Currants. 
Frosts,  rainstorms,  bitter  Avinds,  and  jumping  temperatures  are 
greatly  to  blame,  but  the  devastations  of  the  mite  have  been 
serious  in  most  plantations.  It  is,  therefore,  not  .surprising  that 
the  fruit  is  being  sold  at  Covent  Garden  at  Is.  a  lb.  Bad  reports 
come  from  all  orchards,  even  from  the  be.st  and  most  sheltered 
orchards  of  the  West  of  England.  Cherries,  Pears,  and  Plums 
haA’e  suffered  the  greatest  destruction.  A  decrease  of  16,175 
CAvts.  in  imported  Cherries  during  the  period  ended  June  30  shoAvs 
that  Continental  groAvers  have  also  suffered  misfortune.  Cherrieis 
are  likely  to  remain  dear  throughout  the  season,  as  nearly  the 
Avhole  of  the  Kent  crops  are  a  failure. 
The  Apple  Crop. 
A  correspondent  Avrites  to  “  The  Maidstone  Gazette  ”  as  fol- 
loAVS  ; — “Time  is  noAv  sufficiently  advanced  for  the  ci'op  to  be- 
fairly  estimated.  A  light  one,  limited  to  a  few  sorts,  is  all  that 
has  been  expected  for  some  time,  but  the  situation  every  day 
becomes  Averse  throughout  the  land,  so  much  so  that  I  believe  Ave 
shall  have  one  of  the  smallest  ci'ops  on  record.  In  fact,  the  crop 
can  be  called  nothing  short  of  an  utter  failure.  Orchard  after 
orchard  may  be  found  Avith  scarcely  enough  fruit  to  pay  for  pick¬ 
ing,  and  Avhat  feav  Apples  are  left  have  yet  serious  attacks  of 
vermin  to  face.  The  chief  cause  of  the  present  state  of  things 
Avas  probably  the  sea^ere  late  frosts,  but  I  do  not  think  this  can 
hardly  account  for  the  Avhole.  Certain  sorts  are  very  conspicuous 
as  haA'ing  pulled  through,  chiefly  the  Worcester  Pearmain,  the 
old-fashioned  King  Pippin,  Cox’s  Orange,  and  the  Blenheim 
Orange.  On  the  other  haiid,  some  sorts,  go  Avhere  you  Avill,  will 
yield  practically  nothing,  the  Wellington  being  conspicuous  in 
this  Avay.  Our  forefathers  greAV  Apples  anyhoAV,  but  it  is  certain 
noAv  we  mvist  devote  a  considerable  amount  of  attention  to  them, 
or  they  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past^ — I  mean  as  to  protection  from 
A'ermin  and  the  like.  But  the  reverse  should  be,  for  we  are 
living  in  the  day  Avhen  some  grand  new  plantations  arc  coming 
in,  and  the  Apple  crop  of  Kent  should  be  very  much  in  advance 
of  anything  groAvn  in  former  years.” 
Fruit  In  Herefordshire. 
All  the  farm  crops  in  Herefordshire  and  adjoining  counties 
are  backAvard  by  quite  a  fortnight,  having  been  checked  by  cold 
Avinds  and  frosts  in  May  and  June,  but,  excepting  orchard  fruit, 
Avhich  is  the  Avorst  failure  during  tAventy  years,  they  promise  a 
fairly  satisfactory  yield.  Last  year’s  orchard  fruit  crop  Avas  bad 
enough,  says  “  The  Hereford  Times,”  spoiled  as  it  Avas  by  a 
plague  of  Aveevils,  midges,  and  other  insect  pests.  This  year,  it 
seemed  in  May  as  if  both  pot  and  vintage  fruit  had  gone  entirely. 
The  cause  is  attributed  by  some  people  entirely  to  the  extra¬ 
ordinary  frosts  of  May,  Avhich  killed  the  blossoms,  but  Ave  should 
also  remember  that  after  the  trees  Averc  cut  so  badly  by  blight 
tAvleve  months  ago  they  made  a  second  groAvth  rather  frely,  Avhich 
tended  to  check  the  Avood  from  ripening  and  producing  fruit  this 
time.  As  a  consequence,  the  blossoms  did  not  open  this  spring 
so  freely  as  they  should  have  done,  and  thus  they  proved  an 
easier  victim  to  the  frost.  Mr.  John  Watkins,  of  Pomona  Farm, 
Withington,  Avas  shoAving  some  fruit  groAvers  the  other  day,  tAvo 
branches  from  a  Cherry  tree,  still  bearing  the  Avithered  blossoms, 
and  tAvo  or  three  feet  length  of  the  Avood  itself  killed  by  the  frost. 
The  Avhole  of  his  Cherry  plantation  had  suffered  in  like  manner. 
Early  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  Cherries,  and  other  tree  fruit  all 
suffered,  the  frost  de.stroying  the  pollen,  so  that  the  fruit  never 
set.  Terrific  hailstorms  in  some  parts  of  the  county  completed 
the  Avork  of  destruction  Avhich  had  been  effected  already  to  a 
great  extent  by  the  frost  and  blight.  It  is  only  on  cultiA'ated 
ground  that  there  is  any  pot  fruit  left.  Most  of  the  early  sorts 
of  pot  and  cider  fruit  have  vanished  along  Avith  the  Plums.  Late 
cider  varieties  are  just  making  an  appearance,  but  they  are  only 
in  a  feAV  places  anj'thing  like  a  crop.  The  best  .sprinkling  of 
Apples  is  at  Tillington  Nurseries,  which  lie  in  a  sheltered  posi¬ 
tion.  Cherries  are  practically  a  failure,  and  the  blackbirds  are 
making  fierce  attacks  on  those  that  are  left.  Many  Plum  trees 
that  have  been  Avashed  are  “bloAving”  again,  and  may  produce  a 
second  and  better  crop.  The  Damson  trees  are  pitiful  to  look  at, 
shoAving  practically  no  fruit  and  being  covered  Avith  aphis.  Nuts 
are  scarce.  StraAvberries  are  not  a  big  crop. 
