Excerpt from The Fruit Grower's Guide, Vol. 1 It may be expected that few thoughtful persons will be inclined to dispute those propositions; especially, perhaps, the last of them. Fruit, in its best condition, is the purest of food, health-giving, life-sustaining and delicious. It was the first food of the human family, and it has been the last food of countless thousands in the decline of life, accepted and enjoyed when coarser was rejected, and so it will be to the end of time. Yet the full value of fruit is by no means generally appreciated. It is regarded by many, if not the majority, as a luxury 2 and a luxury it undoubtedly is to vast numbers of the dwellers in populous cities, while there are several districts in which the inhabitants either do not have nearly so much as they wish, and as would be good for them, or they have to consume what is inferior. A full, good, and cheap supply of the different sorts of fruit that can be produced in this country would be of enormous benefit to the community. How, where, and by whom fruits of various kinds, and of the best quality, can be produced it is the object of this work to point out, and every cultural detail advanced will be founded on experience gained in orchards, gardens, and fruit-growing establishments, with and without the aid of glass structures, in various parts of the kingdom. Until recent years the importance of systematic fruit culture in the gardens and fields of Great Britain had not been adequately recognised. The pursuit is one of the most enjoy able that can be indulged in by all persons who have, or can acquire, land suitable for the purpose. Home-grown fruit is a necessity of life, and the resources of the United Kingdom are equal to the production of the leading kinds in the greatest excellence; indeed it is questionable if so many fruits can be grown equally well in any other part of the globe as in Great Britain and Ireland. Several of the most popular of those fruits, which are being more and more regarded as food products, are indigenous to our land; hence the soil and climate are suitable for their development, or can be made so. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.