THE CAXADIAX EXHIBIT OF FRUIT AT PARIS EXHIBITION. 



allot a larger or smaller stand to each of 

 the Provinces according to the size of its 

 exhibit, while reserving a large space for a 

 Dominion display. The whole installation 

 when completed was very much admired, 

 both by visitors and judges. When our 

 visitors had feasted their eyes on the differ- 

 ent kinds of fruit, and afterwards were 

 invited to sample some of the best flavored, 

 their admiration knew no bounds, and when 

 afterwards they were shown on the map of 

 Canada, which we had hanging on the wall, 

 the locality from which the fruit came, and 

 saw that it extended from ocean to ocean, 

 nearly 4,000 miles in extent, they mostly 

 allowed that Canada must be a great 

 country, in fact, next to France. 



THE CONCOURS IN. COMPETITION. 



These concours, as they were called by 

 the administration, took place every fort- 

 night or three weeks. They were not really 

 competitions. Every object was judged oh 

 its individual merits and without regard to 

 the quality of other similar objects. A num- 

 ber of points was adopted as a standard (20) 

 and in accordance with the number of points 

 obtained by the object, under judgment, it 

 received a first, second or third prize, or, 

 perhaps, honorable mention. The number 

 of points adopted as the standard was 

 twenty, and from 15 to 20 entitled the object 

 to a first prize or gold medal ; from 11 to 15 

 to a second prize or silver medal, and from 

 6 to 1 1 entitled the object to a third prize or 

 bronze medal ; below 6 it might receive 

 honorable mention. 



THE INTERNATIONAL JURY OF JUDGES. 



The International Jury, as the whole body 

 of Judges was called, was largely French, 

 but its members were also chosen from all 

 the nationalities exhibiting, so that besides 

 Frenchmen there were Russians, Germans, 

 Austrians, Hungarians, Swedes, Japanese, 

 Americans, Australians, Italians, and 



Canadians. In the section on fruit and fruit 

 trees, there were about 25 or to in all, and 

 the whole number present on any occasion, 

 together judged and passed, upon the 

 objects before them ; but the fact was that 

 only a few were able to see the object under 

 judgment ; the few declared their opinion 

 and the rest simply acquesced. These 

 decisions were generally regarded as fairly 

 just, though, occasionally, on remonstration 

 from interested parties, they were reversed. 

 I think, however, that full justice w^as done 

 to the Canadian fruit on every occasion. 



VARIETIES OF FRUIT IN THE CANADIAN 

 EXHIBIT. 



As our first concours, on the 25th of June, 

 we had about 90 varieties of apples, but 

 they rapidly dwindled down until at the 

 concours, of the 26th September, we had 

 not more than 7 or 8. Amongst those that 

 held out to the last were the Spies, Bald- 

 wins, American Pippin, Ontario, Nonpareil, 

 Rox Russet, Golden Russet, and Mann. We 

 had now, however, received some of the 

 new fruit, and, besides apples, showed a 

 very good collection of pears and peaches. 



From the first the fruit on the stands was 

 daily examined, and decaying specimens 

 were removed and replaed by fresh fruit. 

 The slightly damaged fruit served for 

 sampling, but was mostly given to the 

 Sisters of Charity, or some one of the city 

 institutions, who called for it two or three 

 times a week. 



The changes that took place in some of 

 the varieties of apples on exhibition were 

 very remarkable. While the greater part of 

 the fruit exposed turned brown, softened 

 and rotted, many specimens seemed to 

 undergo a sort induration and remained un- 

 changed, except that they faded and became 

 almost colorless. This peculiarity was not 

 confined to any one particular kind. Some 

 specimens from a good many kinds were 

 subject to it : not juicy fruits, how- 



