§ Colonel YATEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture what steps are being taken to promote the growth of apples in England, and whether he will suggest to the railway companies the advisability of utilising spare ground along their lines by planting apple trees?
Sir A. BOSCAWENThe Board are endeavouring to stimulate commercial896W apple growing on land suited for the purpose in connection with their general programme for developing horticulture, and they are being assisted in their efforts by horticultural committees which are being established in each county under the local authority responsible for agricultural education. The chief difficulties in connection with promoting the growth of apples is that the supply of trees for planting is likely to be very limited for the next three or four years, but the Board have arranged with the Wye College Fruit Experiment Station and the Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Long Ashton, for large supplies of stocks to be raised for distribution amongst nurserymen and others so that by rapid propogation a certain and large supply may be assured in a few years time. The Board propose to circulate railway companies in due course asking them to consider the question of planting fruit trees, but it would be inadvisable to do this until such time as stocks are adequate, and the needs of commercial growers and small-holders on land settlements have been satisfied.