540 



Imperial Fruit Show. 



[Sept., 



IMPERIAL FRUIT SHOW. 



As a result of visits paid in 1920 to the Commercial Fruit 

 Shows held in the fruit-producing districts (Maidstone, Wor- 

 cester, Wisbech), the impression was gained that while these 

 shows served an extremely useful purpose in educating growers 

 and stimulating individual efforts in the direction of producing 

 superior fruit, there was a great need for co-ordinating the 

 activities of the Societies concerned, (1) in order that the prize- 

 winning exhibits at individual shows might have an opportunity 

 of competing against each other, and (2) so that the public in 

 the large towns of the country might be afforded an opportunity 

 of seeing what an excellent standard of production is reached 

 by British growers, and that they too might be educated and 

 assisted in the selection of the varieties most suited for dessert 

 and culinary purposes. The latter point is of great importance 

 since the public need much convincing that British-grown fruit 

 is really equal to the imported varieties of w^hich they see so 

 much during the greater part of the year. 



The Horticulture Division of the Ministry gave very serious 

 consideration to this matter and arrived at the conclusion that 

 it was necessary, and should be possible, to arrange for a 

 National Fruit Show to be held annually in one of the large 

 cities, and that, if possible, the first of these Shows should be 

 held in London. In the course of a speech made at Worcester, 

 the Controller brought this suggestion before members of the 

 industry, and subsequently a meeting w^as called to consider how 

 it could best be carried into effect. 



Before any definite conclusions were arrived at the matter was 

 taken up by the Daily Mail, one of the Directors of which offered 

 (provided that the trade would give adequate support) to organise 

 the first show and to assume the financial responsibility of 

 the undertaking. An Advisory Committee representing the 

 Commercial Horticultural Industry of the British Empire was 

 convened by the Ministry and agreed to co-operate on the basis 

 that all matters of finance and general organisation in connection 

 with the show^ were left to the Daily Mail, but that the decision 

 of the Committee on technical matters should be given effect to. 



It was on these conditions that all the several bodies co- 

 operated to make it possible to hold an Imperial Fruit Show. 



Work of Advisory Committee. — The Advisory Committee was 

 constituted of representatives of the leading British Commercial 

 Fruit Shows of Kent, Midlands and Eastern Counties, the Fruit 



