294 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[Septjsmbse 15, 1388. 



Chairman would supplement his analysis by a list of 

 the best Eorts of fruit to grow on poor soils. Not 

 only should the farmer be encouraged, but the 

 labourer also should be encouraged to grow fruit. 

 The best Nonsuch Apples he had seen were grown 

 at the end of a cottage, with no soil at all, but in a 

 hard gravel walk which had never been disturbed 

 in the memory of the oldest inhabitant. They were 

 fed by the slops of a small household, and were the 

 finest, the reddest, the most luscious, he had seen 

 from that day to this. It ought not to be beyond 

 our legislators, or the suggestions of Conferences like 

 that, that some means Bhould be devised for giving 

 the labourer more soil. 



Mr. George Bunyakd (Maidstone) thought the 

 manuring of orchards and cold storage were subjects 

 which they must work round. 



FRUIT DISTRIBUTION. 



The following paper on " The Science of Fruit 

 Distribution" was read by D. Tallerman, Esq., 

 on Saturday : — 



Of the various means available to fruit growers for 

 the disposal of their crops, that by which they can 

 be brought within the reach of consumers in a full- 

 flavoured, fresh, and bright condition -is the one 

 which will leave the most profitable results to the 

 producers, and lead to the most successful permanent 

 development of the industry in which they are 

 engaged. Fruit may be preserved, pulped, evapor- 

 ated, refrigerated, or manipulated in any other 

 manner that will enable it to be converted into a 

 merchantable commodity possessing a distinctive 

 cash value, but there yet remains the undeniable 

 fact that it is in its fresh ripe condition, while clothed 

 with its undisguisable natural bloom, endowed with 

 its fragrant aroma and luscious flavour, that fruits 

 have their highest and best values; therefore, the 

 most important subject that can occupy the minds 

 of fruit-growers is, how they can best place their 

 produce within reach of consumers in that inviting 

 condition, in order to acquire the full benefits that 

 accrue from it. The subject naturally involves a 

 consideration of the means of rapid and effective 

 distribution which are absolutely essential to secure 

 successful results. 



The science of fruit distribution is necessarily 

 a commercial study, and comprises the principles that 

 growers should practise to place their produce within 

 reach of consumers. 



1. When and where they may be required. 



2. In the best possible condition. 



3. At the least possible cost. 



The means by which these measures, simple as 

 they appear, can best be successfully attained, 

 involves attention to matters of detail, the necessity 

 of which will be readily acknowledged by all engaged 

 in fruit growing and marketing ; but to ensure a 

 beneficial result from the consideration of the sub- 

 jects which we are assembled to discuss, it is neces- 

 sary to treat the various branches of the trade from 

 specific and not general points, inasmuch as although 

 the general condition of the subject may be speedily 

 summarised, that will not bring us any nearer the 

 position we hope to reach. Briefly, then, we are a 

 large community existing in a small space. Fruit 

 consumerslabound in all directions, fruit producers 

 are to be found but in few places. The consumers 

 are counted by millions, the producers by hundreds. 

 The consumers require all the fruit that is grown 

 and more ; the growers do not profitably sell while 

 fresh the yield of their orchards, and are driven to 

 seek other outlets in order to secure even a nominal 

 return for their crops. It must be borne in mind 

 that the circumstances and conditions that surround 

 individual growers and consumers vary very largely, 

 and courses of procedure that would bring advan- 

 tageous results in one directiou would be inappre- 

 ciable in another. 



With growers we have a wide range of conditions 

 to deal with, from the owners of the numerous old 

 orchards of large acreage to which little or no atten- 

 tion is given, to the cultivators of small quantities 

 of fruit under glass or in the hothouse, which are the 

 subject of incessant care and watchfulness. 



With consumers we also have an infinite number 

 of conditions which embodies a still wider range of 

 thought ; from the wealthy members of the upper 

 classes who require, and will have at all times if 

 procurable, for their tables regardless of cost, any 

 fruits that may be rare, choice, and of fine quality, 

 to the buxom matron who buys a couple of pounds 

 of whatever fruit the costermonger may have on his 

 barrow, so that her husband's and family's dinner 

 may be complete with its dumpling or pie. Every 

 variety of condition has to be met with and provided 

 for, therefore it must be evident that the more these 

 existing and varied circumstances are understood, 

 and the nearer they can be met and provided for, 

 the greater must be the benefits that will accrue to 

 fruit producers. It is in the study of the numerous 

 features that present themselves, and the determina- 

 tion of the most advantageous manner in which they 

 can be encountered and dealt with, that comprises 

 the science of fruit distribution. This opportunity 

 does not enable me to enlarge upon the whole of the 

 subjects which are naturally affiliated with the ques- 

 tion, therefore I content myself by indicating the 

 direction to which attention may be advantageously 

 given. 



With respect to the first point — viz., the disposal 

 of fruits, when and where they may be required — I 

 would point out to growers that with the exception 

 of the county of Kent and the Metropolis, the centres 

 of fruit production and fruit consumption are not 

 contiguous to each other. By an inspection of the 

 diagram of the kingdom, showing the population and 

 the fruit area of each county, it will be seen that the 

 bulk of our fruit supply is produced in a very few 

 districts, while a large portion of the country which 

 is densely populated is devoid of any fruit produce of 

 its own locality but relies upon other districts, and 

 that the people gladly purchase any quantity of fruit 

 that may be brought to them in good order and con- 

 dition. That this position is undeniable may be 

 gathered from the results that have attended the 

 efforts of a few private parties who have relinquished 

 the old practice of sending to the markets of Covent 

 Garden, the Borough, and Spitalfields, and despatch 

 their fruits instead to Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, 

 Glasgow, and other largely populated northern towns, 

 where they have made a profitable outlet for a large 

 quantity of fruit that otherwise would have helped 

 to glut the London markets. There are an enormous 

 number of small towns in the. mining and manufac- 

 turing districts that would welcome a supply of fresh 

 fruit which theydonot now obtain. In order to directly 

 meet the requirement of these towns it is desirable 

 that the fruit growers of each district combine with 

 each other and organise themselves into local socie- 

 ties in order that they may be in a proper position 

 to ascertain what fruits they have to sell, when they 

 will be ready for gathering, and then ascertain the 

 requirements of particular districts and what they 

 are likely to buy, so as to enable them to take steps 

 to supply them. It is not possible to attain this 

 position by individual action, for no single grower 

 could supply from his own crops the particular re- 

 quirements of the traders of a town ; but these 

 requirements, if once ascertained, which they may 

 be in a general sense, could be furnished from the 

 crops of several growers. 



Where local organisations are thus formed they 

 could readily communicate with the central organi- 

 sation that has been formed to place itself in com- 

 munication with the traders of all districts, in order 

 to simplify the distribution of food products, and 

 they, by ascertaining the probable fruit requirements 

 of a district, and having a knowledge of the crops 

 of fruit that were available in many localities, could 

 arrange to dispose of and deliver them direct from 

 the orchards. The defect that fruit growers suffer 

 from arises from the. fact that while their transac- 

 tions are naturally of an individual character, and 

 must remain so, they have had no recognised central 

 representative organisation who could collect infor- 

 mation from varied districts as to their possible fruit 

 requirements, and disseminate the knowledge among 

 those who had the fruit to dispose of, and also 



arrange many other subjects of interest and import- 

 ance, such as packages, railway rates, transmission, 

 &c, all matters small in themselves and readily ad- 

 justable, but each of which forms an indispensable 

 connecting link in a commercial chain, without 

 which a transaction cannot be carried through. 

 Hitherto fruit growers have left everything with 

 their salesmen, whose interest it is to collect and re- 

 tain all the information, and to obstruct any course 

 by which the consignment of the fruit to themselves 

 would be interfered with. They therefore have a 

 vested interest in obstructing any movement that 

 would have a tendency to impart to growers any in- 

 formation that would advise them when and where 

 fruit was required, which is the keystone to the 

 system of direct distribution. 



The second prominent feature incidental to scien- 

 tific distribution is the delivery to consumers just 

 what they want in the best possible condition. The 

 interests of sellers will be considerably advanced by 

 full attention being given to this subject, which pre- 

 sents many fi atures requiring careful consideration 

 and forethought, that without in any way adding to 

 the costs of cultivation and delivery may materially 

 aid to increase the amounts receivable for the fruits. 



Be it remembered that no fruits grow exactly 

 all alike, as bricks are made, but every tree or 

 bush will contain some fruits of a more or less choice 

 character. Wherever these can be selected they will, 

 if packed by themseves, realise a much larger pro- 

 portionate price without interfering with the price of 

 the whole crop. There are different classes of 

 buyers in all perishable food products, and more 

 especially in fruits, and there are different members 

 in each trade who supply the requirements of buyers. 

 Anyone going into an average sized orchard when 

 the fruit is ripe and ready for gathering will, upon 

 examination, discover choice specimens fit for an 

 exhibiton or the window of the highest class 

 fruiterers at the West End of London. Other fruits 

 may be seen that, by themselves, would furnish a 

 reasonable supply of more than a general character. 

 Further, there will be seen the remainder of the 

 growth suitable for the costermonger's barrow or the 

 jam pot. If they remain while the fruit is gathered 

 they will see it all packed together in such a way 

 that no regard is paid to the choice specimens of 

 fruit that may be there, but they are so dealt with 

 that they will find their way to one destination, 

 which, as likely as not, may be the costermonger's 

 barrow. This is the mistake that growers make, and 

 where they unknowingly suffer material loss. 



The disposal of green fruits is necessarily a matter 

 of commercial experience, and to attain best results 

 all fruits should be properly assorted and classed as 

 to character, condition, and description — this in 

 America is called " grading." Fruits thus dealt with 

 and placed in packages of a uniform size enjoy a 

 marked advantage in their disposal, as buyers at a 

 distance may order them by description, while at 

 present they can only be purchased by personal at- 

 tendance and sight. The South of Ireland and the 

 North of Scotland furnish examples of the great 

 value attaching to the proper classification of perish- 

 able produce, for it is to the independent branding 

 of butter at Cork and herrings at Wick and the other 

 Scotch fishing ports, that have brought the trades of 

 those districts to their present high stage of deve- 

 lopment, for it is owing to the facility which the 

 storekeeper in the colonial bush can send to his mer- 

 chant in London for what he requires in Cork butter, 

 either in firsts, seconds, thirds, or fourths, knowing 

 exactly what he will get, and can learn the current 

 market price on the day of purchase. So also 

 the grocer of an inland town iu eastern Europe 

 can send to his Hamburgh agent for so many barrels 

 of Scotch herrings, and can order " Crown 

 Fulls," " Spents," or " Matties," and his exact 

 requirements are supplied owing to the wise 

 precautions those in the Scotch herring trade 

 have adopted, by which not only are the character 

 of the contents of their barrels known by description 

 all over the world, but the single fisherman with his 

 few barrels of herrings enjoys an equal position with 



