SHOW OF COLONIAL-GROWN FRUIT. 



clvii 



can manufacture a good saleable article if they will make certain absolutely 

 necessary alterations in their methods. 



Bottles. — These are of a very awkward pattern, making it very difficult 

 to get the jam out. One-pound or two-pound pots, or wide-mouthed 

 bottles, or seven-pound jars must be adopted. 



Bungs. — The ones at present used, of soft pappy wood, are most 

 unsatisfactory. A corkscrew refuses to pull them out, but comes away 

 through them. If the use of bottles is continued a glass stopper or a cork 

 bang is essential. 



Texture and Quality. — Eef erring to the jams generally, they are more 

 of the nature of confections than jams. They are all, without exception, 

 much too sweet and much too sticky. They have probably been cooked 

 far more than is necessary, dispersing the liquid juices of the fruit and 

 leaving far too much sugar, which at once begins to crystallise and candy. 

 Less sugar must be used, and they must be less cooked. 



Blackberry. — Far too sweet ; all the fruit juice gone ; all flavour 

 cooked away. The individual fruits are dried up and hard, and the whole 

 a mass of unpalatable pips. It must have less sugar, be less cooked, and 

 the hard fruits and pips be strained out — in fact made into jelly. 



Loquat. — This would be excellent if less sugar had been used, and if 

 a little less cooked. 



Raspberry. — Called " raspberry " on the bottles, but really strawberry 

 (probably made of very small wild strawberries), and consisting almost 

 wholly of small pips in sugar. It might, however, prove good if less 

 sugar were used and if less cooked. The minuteness of the pips might be 

 disregarded if the jam were less sticky and more flavoursome. 



Guava. — This, like the loquat, might be excellent if a little less sugar 

 were used, and if the large hard pips were strained out. This last point is 

 absolutely necessary. It must be positively dangerous for human beings 

 to swallow such a number of hard stony pips — actually inviting appen- 

 dicitis. 



General Remarks. — If there is an abundance of fruit — particularly of 

 loquat and guava — in the island, and if the jam can be made and can find 

 a market to give a good profit, it would be worth while sending out some- 

 one who knows what jam is, and how it should be made, to take out pots 

 and jars and other necessary appliances, just for one fruit season, to 

 teach the islanders exactly what is wanted for British consumption. 



(Signed) W. Wilks. 



Note. — The intensely sweet confections on which this brief report is 

 founded might suit the markets of the United States, where they appear 

 to disregard the flavour of jams so long as they can get the sweetness and 

 stickiness which these present samples possess, but they will never sell in 

 Great Britain. 



A letter has been received from the Governor of St. Helena, from 

 which the following sentences are taken : — 



The Castle, St. Helena : 



February 26, 1908. 



Sir, — His Excellency the Governor desires me to acknowledge receipt 

 of your letter dated the 20th ultimo, and to thank you for sending him 



