FRUIT AND FLOWER FARMING. The different sorts of fruits and flowers are dealt with in articles under their own headings, to which reference may be made; and these give the substantial facts as to their cultivation. See also the article HORTICULTURE.
TABLE I.--_Extent of Orchards in Great Britain in each Year, 1887 to 1901._
+------+---------++------+---------++------+---------+ | Year.| Acres. || Year.| Acres. || Year.| Acres. | +------+---------++------+---------++------+---------+ | 1887 | 202,234 || 1892 | 208,950 || 1897 | 224,116 | | 1888 | 199,178 || 1893 | 211,664 || 1898 | 226,059 | | 1889 | 199,897 || 1894 | 214,187 || 1899 | 228,603 | | 1890 | 202,305 || 1895 | 218,428 || 1900 | 232,129 | | 1891 | 209,996 || 1896 | 221,254 || 1901 | 234,660 | +------+---------++------+---------++------+---------+
TABLE II.--_Areas under Orchards in England, Wales and Scotland--Acres._
+------+----------+--------+---------+--------------+ | Year.| England. | Wales. |Scotland.|Great Britain.| +------+----------+--------+---------+--------------+ | 1896 | 215,642 | 3677 | 1935 | 221,254 | | 1897 | 218,261 | 3707 | 2148 | 224,116 | | 1898 | 220,220 | 3690 | 2149 | 226,059 | | 1899 | 222,712 | 3666 | 2225 | 228,603 | | 1900 | 226,164 | 3695 | 2270 | 232,129 | | 1901 | 228,580 | 3767 | 2313 | 234,660 | | 1908 | 244,430 | 3577 | 2290 | 250,297 | +------+----------+--------+---------+--------------+
The extent of the fruit industry may be gathered from the figures for the acreage of land under cultivation in orchards and small fruit plantations. The Board of Agriculture returns concerning the orchard areas of Great Britain showed a continuous expansion year by year from 199,178 acres in 1888 to 234,660 acres in 1901, as will be learnt from Table I. There was, it is true, an exception in 1892, but the decline in that year is explained by the circumstance that since 1891 the agricultural returns have been collected only from holdings of more than one acre, whereas they were previously obtained from all holdings of a quarter of an acre or more. As there are many holdings of less than an acre in extent upon which fruit is grown, and as fruit is largely raised also in suburban and other gardens which do not come into the returns, it may be taken for granted that the actual extent of land devoted to fruit culture exceeds that which is indicated by the official figures. In the Board of Agriculture returns up to June 1908, 308,000 acres are stated to be devoted to fruit cultivation of all kinds in Great Britain. Table II. shows that the expansion of the orchard area of Great Britain is mainly confined to England, for it has slightly decreased in Wales and Scotland. The acreage officially returned as under orchards is that of arable or grass land which is also used for fruit trees of any kind. Conditions of soil and climate determine the irregular distribution of orchards in Great Britain. The dozen counties which possess the largest extent of orchard land all lie in the south or west of the island. According to the returns for 1908 (excluding small fruit areas) they were the following:--
