478 
The Doncaster Meeting. 
There were but very few really good samples, and only one 
of an esceiDtional character, Mr. Henry Thomson's. " This was 
exhibited in two classes, cask and bottle, and bore evidence of 
judgment in the selection of fruit and in the after-treatment. 
Although rather crude in some respects, it contained all the 
elements of a really fine cider, and was well worthy of a first 
award in both classes." 
The old bottled cider class was so inferior that the Judge 
could not recommend the award of any of the prizes. " The 
samples were without flavour ; several were in bad condition, 
and had completely lost what little pretensions to character 
they originally possessed." 
" If," remarks the Judge, " cider-growers generally would 
but discard local tastes and local prejudices, and study to raise 
the quality of British cider, we should soon find a greater 
national demand spring up, which would give an impetus to 
fruit-growing, especially to the production of superior apples, 
and furnish a substitute for some of the light wines now so 
freely imported at great cost to the country. As to the com- 
parison of good honest cider with cJieap champagne, every 
impartial critic would incline to the opinion that our own pro- 
duct is by far the best, and certainly the most economical. 
Despite the more sunny climates of some other apple-growing 
countries, we have in our soil and temperature all necessary 
conditions for the production of the finest cider the world can 
provide. But to obtain this result it is urgently necessary to 
use only the best fruit grown on suitable soil." 
There were but four exhibits of bottled perry — " on the 
whole fairly good." The first and second awards were given to 
excellent samples, from quite opposite descriptions of fruit. 
Jams and Pkeserved Fruits. 
In the Report of the Plymouth Meeting it was stated *re- 
specting this section, " The entries in these classes were disap- 
pointingly few, but the Council have thought it best to continue 
the prizes for another year, in the hope that more competitors 
may be induced to come forward and to take an interest in jam- 
making." Unfortunately, the entries at Doncaster — only four in 
all — were less than half the number last year, whilst two of 
the classes were entirely vacant. All the entries were placed by 
the Judge, who reports that the quality of the exhibits leaves 
nothing to be desired, and shows a vast improvement as compared 
with the exhibits at the Jubilee Show at Windsor. 
