FRUIT-PRESERVING. 



345 



bome-made article, while at the same time it 

 can be sold at a lower price. Fruit-drying or 

 evaporating, therefore, has been wholly taken 

 out of the fruit-grower's hands, and has fallen 

 under the management of specialists." 



This is a proof of the advance of our trans- 

 atlantic cousins; but in Britain, where so many 

 hardy fruits flourish, we have at present much 

 to do before the first stage is passed. It 

 is true that in many country houses it is cus- 

 tomary to preserve a small quantity of fruits 

 for use during the winter, but this does not 

 affect the supplies materially; it is part of the 

 domestic economy which obtains in well-ordered 

 households. But there 'are numbers where 

 nothing is done in this direction, and it is rare 

 even in fruit-growing districts to find anything 

 like an organized attempt to deal with the 

 matter on a business basis. 



The improvement effected in the needful 

 appliances, and the invention of numerous in- 

 genious contrivances to facilitate the work, 

 now afford an opportunity to many who have 

 hitherto been deterred from attempting fruit- 

 preserving, bottling, or drying in a systematic 

 manner and as a direct source of profit. One 

 difficulty has to be faced by those who com- 

 mence fruit-preserving in a small way as part 

 of their business, and that is the competition 

 with the established firms of repute, who have 

 controlled the trade for many years. Amongst 

 those who have started to place their produce 

 on the market, there has been a prevailing idea 

 that the only way to obtain a sale was by 

 cutting the prices as low as possible. This 

 underselling has proved disastrous in some 

 cases, and has led to the production of inferior 

 samples that have occasioned considerable pre- 

 judice against the smaller manufacturer. The 

 policy is a mistaken one; there is a far better 

 chance of success in seeking to establish a repu- 

 tation for a really first-class article, and a local 

 trade can thus be ultimately developed into one 

 of much wider scope. 



The present head of a large and profitable 

 fruit-preserving business began as a fruit-grower 

 in a small way some thirty or forty years ago, 

 and when utilizing his surplus produce he aimed 

 at the production of the best quality of pre- 

 serves. The superiority was soon discovered 

 by the consumers, with the result that, so far 

 from reducing prices to undersell older firms, 

 he has been able to command rates in excess of 

 theirs throughout the greater portion of his 

 career. 



The co-operative system has been advocated 



as a means for enabling the smaller producers 

 in a district to share in the advantages of 

 utilizing surplus crops without incurring large 

 individual expenses. If well organized and 

 judiciously managed, there is no doubt that 

 such a system might be rendered very bene- 

 ficial. The cost of preparation would be pro- 

 portionately reduced, and greater uniformity 

 in quality and general appearance of the pro- 

 ducts would be ensured. But in certain localities 

 this has not been found to work satisfactorily, 

 and the growers have preferred to deal with 

 their own fruit. In some cases this can be 

 done with comparatively little preliminary ex- 

 pense for buildings, as, if substantial sheds or 

 packing-houses already exist, a portion can be 

 readily converted to the purpose of providing 

 for the needful apparatus required in fruit- 

 preserving. Several methods by which this 

 can be accomplished will be indicated later in 

 this chapter under the respective divisions, but 

 with a moderate amount of ingenuity a fruit- 

 grower should find little difficulty in adapting 

 existing buildings for the work, or in devising 

 cheap structures that could be utilized in dif- 

 ferent ways according to the season. 



As previously indicated, however, there is 

 ample room for the extension of the home pro- 

 duction of preserved fruits, and if this could be 

 carried out on definite lines generally, it would 

 afford the greatest encouragement to small 

 holders to increase their culture of fruit-trees, 

 and would also enable landlords to assist cot- 

 tagers and others in the same direction, with a 

 better prospect of good results. From this point 

 of view, the late Mr. W. E. Gladstone was 

 undoubtedly considering the welfare of the 

 people, and the best means of assisting fruit- 

 growing as a special or additional industry, 

 when he advocated the increased and more 

 general production of preserved fruits. 



Methods and Appliances. — To convey an ade- 

 quate idea of what can be accomplished by due 

 care in the economic utilization of surplus fruits, 

 it will be necessary to review the principal 

 operations by which preservation is effected, 

 and to refer to the appliances that facilitate the 

 processes. The methods which demand special 

 notice here are as follows: — 1, Jam-making; 2, 

 Jelly-making; 3, Bottling; 4, Crystallizing and 

 Glazing; 5, Marmalade and Chutney produc- 

 tion; 6, Evaporating or Drying; 7, Canning; 

 8, Cider and Perry manufacture; and 9, Xon- 

 alcoholic fruit drinks. These methods may also 

 be classified according to the form in which the 

 fruit is used, as: 



