156 Industries 



sugar beet rapidly grew/ and, now, the Isle of Ely and the County of 

 Cambridge together account for 66 per cent of the total acreage under beet 

 in Britain. In 1924, a factory at Ely was built in the centre of this agri- 

 cultural activity. In the beet "campaign" of 1933, Ely out of eighteen 

 competitors came second (with Peterborough) in "rated beet capacity",^ 

 its figure being 240,000 tons; the factory came third in "through-put of 

 beet", producing 272,264 tons. 



In addition to the production of sugar, there are useful by-product 

 industries. The beet tops are used for manure or for cattle feed; molasses 

 produced during refming are sold for distillation or for fodder; beet pulp 

 (fibre after extraction of the juice) also forms good cattle food, equivalent 

 to eight times its weight in mangolds ; finally, the lime sludge is used for 

 manures. 



Preserving and Canning. Fruit growing had long been famous in Cam- 

 bridgeshire, but the danger of over-production was great. Without some 

 method of preserving on a large scale, fruit that could not find a local 

 market had to be left to rot as it stood. Mr Stephen Cliivers and his sons, 

 about the year 1873, decided to experiment with the surplus fruit of the 

 small farm at Histon that had been held by their family since the beginning 

 of the century. The first boiling took place in a bam that can still be seen. 

 A Cambridge grocer, greatly daring, volunteered to dispose of the jam, 

 and was apparently much surprised to find that it sold. Accordingly, in 

 1875, a small factory was built conveniently near the railway, in case the 

 venture might justify distribution to vdder markets. Improvements in 

 equipment were steadily made. The Galloway boiler was introduced about 

 1885 ; and the introduction of electric hght enabled fruit to be made into 

 jam as soon as it was picked. At this time 150 workmen were employed. 

 To-day, the Orchard Factory has between 2000 and 3000 employees; its 

 estates cover 8000 acres; its market is world-wide. It is estimated that 

 100 tons of jam can be produced daily. To this initial manufacture, other 

 commodities have been added — jelly tablets, custard and blanc-mange 

 powders, mincemeat, and marmalade. Thus an even pressure of employ- 

 ment is kept up throughout the year, in and out of the EngHsh fruit season. 



Messrs Chivers & Sons were also among the pioneers of the canning 

 industry in this country. The first bottle of preserved fruit was produced 

 in 1890, and tlie first "tin" of fruit in 1893. By 1931, a new factory was 

 opened at Huntingdon to take over the canning of vegetables, the fruit 

 being stiU treated at Histon. It is interesting to note that all containers, 

 jam-pot covers, and boxes, etc. are made on the spot. 



' See Fig. 33. 



* Report on the U.K. Sugar Industry (Blue Book, 1935), Table xvi, p. 30. 



