340 JOtiRNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
for conveying fruit. They thought this was much preferable to 
the old style, as there was a certain movement in the flats, and 
the ends of the withies caught against the fruit and damaged it. 
They put between 50 and 60 lbs. in a barrel. Mr. Mills also 
told him that his Peasgood's Nonesuch Apples averaged 50 per 
cent, better price than the Canadians. 
The question of foreign competition, he held, was a national 
matter, and the subject of railway rates, and the preferential 
rates given to the foreigner by our English companies, would 
have to be seriously gone into. As an instance, he mentioned 
that in America five guineas a ton was charged for transit for 
a distance of 8,500 miles ; he paid the Great Western Kailway 
Company 27s. a ton for 140 miles. If his goods were carried on 
the same basis as Oranges were carried in America, the freight 
ought to be about 4s. Owing to the railway companies' high 
charges thousands of tons of fruit had to rot, as it would not 
pay to place it upon the train. The French Apples had an 
advantage over the English Apples between Southampton and 
London of something like 7s. Qd. a ton. Butter again, from 
and to the same places, showed a preference in favour of the 
foreigner of 219 per cent. Englishmen could not stand against 
that. With regard to fruit growing, he would warn people 
against indiscriminate planting, which would only be making a 
rod for their own backs, and, like indiscriminate dabbling in 
African mines, would make the victims wish they had never 
taken the matter in hand. 
Mr. Geohge Gordon said we should be a great deal more 
careful about our packing. In the case of Plums, although it 
might not be pleasant to Englishmen to confess it, the French 
cultivators were far and away in advance of us. The English 
method really spoilt the fruit, which presented anything but an 
attractive appearance when it was finally shovelled into the 
customer's basket. Then, again, if we were to take full advan- 
tage of our opportunities, we should be able to utihse our fruit 
in seasons of plenty by drying and preserving. There was no 
necessity to rely on the sun for drying — that could be done in an 
ordinary oven. 
The Chairman mentioned that he bad dried hie own fruit in 
the oven, which answered satisfactorily. There were, however, 
two good drying-machines the Mayfarth and the Wass— one of 
which was at Chiswick Gardens, where it might be inspected. 
