104 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
f August 2, 1888. 
experiences, and opinions ; they would hold their quarterly conventions 
of delegates from each and all of the district societies of their province, 
who would disseminate their views and conclusions, and do their utmost 
to spread all the most interesting information connected with their 
particular industry in the most practical and effective manner possible ; 
and so far from being exclusive and isolated the greatest pleasure of 
those attending would be derived from the largest and most personal 
amount of information they could furnish, which, being duly recorded, 
printed, and published in their societies’ transactions, is distributed far 
and wide in all directions for the benefit of their own members and other 
colonists. After supplying their local, markets and making shipments 
of some of their Apples, the Canadians would, by means of a drying 
stove, or hot-air chamber, extract the moisture from the remainder of 
their crop, putting it into a condition by which it will readily keep, can 
be easily packed, economically transported, speedily sold, and greatly 
improved in value. 
The Americans in Kent would follow much the same course, but 
would not be content to simply dry or evaporate their fruit crop, but 
would deal with it in a number of ways. They would dry some portions 
in the sun ; other portions they would preserve in tins which they call 
canning, some of the fruits would be put up in their own juice for cook¬ 
ing purposes, and some in syrups for dessert use; portions would be 
made into a preserve, which they term “ fruit butters,” while consider¬ 
able quantities would be sent into a cold store, so as not to overload the 
markets with green fruit during the middle of the season when every¬ 
thing is cheap. The markets in the locality and at a distance would be 
gradually supplied, and what is sent for sale would be carefully sorted 
into qualities and sizes, and packed into small boxes, baskets, or crates 
that are readily and safely transmissible by refrigerator cars or portable 
cool chambers from the fields of the south to the markets of the north, 
east, and west. The American at home recognises and advantageously 
puts into practice two golden commercial principles unknown to the 
farmers of this country. The first is, that the nearer their packages of 
produce are to the requirements of the consumers the less number of 
middlemen and handling is required in its distribution ; the second is, 
that by properly and effectively classifying the contents of their 
packages, his produce is in a position to reach distant and unknown pur¬ 
chasers in every direction and at any distance, who can safely purchase 
by the known description ; whereas if it is packed in a general and 
promiscuous manner—the same as is done by the English farmer—it 
must of necessity be sent to an adjacent market for disposal (where the 
sale is limited) to those that can attend it. 
In this way the Americans exhibit a sound commercial knowledge 
by their practice ; they command an unlimited number of buyers, and 
can supply bare markets where prices invariably rule high, while the 
English producer is confined to the one local market and those that 
attend it, which is invariably glutted, and prices rule low. Americans 
if in Kent would make short work of the railway difficulty from which 
Kentish farmers now suffer. Before a day was over they would promptly 
meet as a body, and grasping the position would deal with it in a straight¬ 
away fashion, and in less time than it would take an Englisn farmer to 
get up a good grumble the Yankees would establish and be running a 
water communication by means of punts, barges, boats, and other vessels 
into all the accessible spots that could be reached by sea, river, or canal, 
where a basket of fruit or other goods could be pot to be carried away ; 
the contest, fixed and determined, would last until the railway authorities 
understood the position and made reasonable terms. 
The Frenchman in Kent would act quite differently ; he would make 
up as much fruit as he could into dainty little boxes or baskets packed 
as tastefully and carefully as if they were wax flowers, marvellously 
matched in size, colour, and character, so as to tempt their purchase, 
and by their luscious appearance give pleasure to the consumer, while 
large quantities would be preserved by being boiled in sugar and con¬ 
verted into crystallised dessert fruits of various kinds. 
The Italians and Portuguese would preserve their surplus crop by 
converting them into fruit pulps, that they might be used at a later 
season for domestic or manufacturing purposes, that could be easily and 
cheaply transported and sold at any time. 
While the Spaniards, Turks, Bosnians, Greeks, Cypriots, and Algerians 
would dry their crops the same as they now do their immense supplies 
of Plums, Figs, &c., that they at present cultivate in their respective 
countries. In fact, transplant fruit from any part of the world into 
Kent, and each and all would do something that would tend to give an 
extended market, and consequently a better value to the bountiful gifts 
with which Nature endows this delightfully charming county ; while 
the general and unanimous impressions that would be felt would elicit 
expressions on all sides, and in all languages, at the careless and utterly 
wanton single course pursued by Kentish farmers in recklessly packing 
their choice soft fruits into the enormous sieves they now do, and sending 
them anywhere, anyhow, to be disposed of at any price, would not tend 
to raise Kentish farmers in their own estimation, did they hear and 
understand the remarks that their course of procedure give rise to. 
Strange as it may appear at a first glance, it will nevertheless be 
found to be true, that the courses pursued by all fruit farmers abroad 
could in most instances be readily, profitably, and more advantageously 
carried on by fruit farmers at home, and more especially by Kentish 
farmers in their own county than by the foreigners in their respective 
countries, inasmuch as their districts are within easy reach of the great 
centres of consumption of the kingdom, and a few hours bring them 
into connection with nearly 40 millions of consumers, and with all 
those parts of the country where little or no fruit is grown, but where 
large populations reside, and much fruit would be consumed, if it were 
readily available as an article of luxury or food in any of the numerous 
forms that have been mentioned. 
Fruit-growing in the United Kingdom may be said to be a distinctive 
English industry, as while the total orchard area of England is 195,071 
acres, that for Wales is 3,341 acres, and for Scotland 1,872. or 200,284 
acres in all, the total area for market gardens being 60,850 acres, of 
which England possessed 36,650. It is curious to note that of the orchard 
area six English counties comprise two-thirds of the total—viz., Hereford 
27,112 acres, Devon 26,414, Somerset 23,640, Worcester 18,527, Kent 
18,290, and Gloucester 15,500, being 129,489 acres in all. This concen¬ 
tration of fruit cultivation should favourably lend itself towards the 
success of any movement towards the introduction of new means of 
collection, preparation, distribution, and realisation. 
EVA r ORATlNG FRUITS. 
There is a known natural law in existence which teaches us that all 
animal and vegetable products maybe preserved for an indefinite period 
by the extraction of their liquid constituents, that therefore results 
derivable by the use of an apparatus similar to the Blackman venti¬ 
lator in connection with the kilns and oast houses that largely exist 
throughout the county of Kent may lead to bringing into active 
operation an economical and speedy means for the preservation of 
a large amount of human and animal food. The actual ultimate 
result from this operation it is not possible to foresee at present; 
but I am satisfied that, if the men of the country who think for them¬ 
selves devote some consideration to the subject as to how this principle 
of desiccation can be practically utilised in the direction I have 
pointed out, beneficial results of a marked character will reward the 
country for their labours. Combination, refrigeration, and evaporation 
can be made to yield results to the fruit farmer little short of marvel¬ 
lous. By their means the length of the fruit season may be materially 
extended. The entire yield of all crops utilised, their commercial value 
greatly increased, and an unlimited supply of home-grown fruits made 
available as an addition to the food supply of the nation. The avoid¬ 
ance of these self-inflicted losses would do much to benefit the agricul¬ 
tural interests. Taking the various systems practised abroad that could 
be speedily brought into active operation in Kent, it will be found that 
they may be divided into separate classes as follows :— 
1st, Primarily, the marketing of green fruits to ensure highest prices 
is essentially a matter of commercial experience. To this end all fruits 
should be properly sorted and classed as to character and condition into 
“Choice,” for special high-class trade; “ Prime,” for first-class trade ; 
and “ Ordinary,” for general trade. 
2nd, Assorted as to description into firsts, seconds, and thirds sizes. 
3rd, Choice and prime fruits should be packed into clean, bright,, 
and carefully made packages, so as to present to the buyer a luscious, 
attractive, and tempting appearance. Ordinary fruit may be packed 
for general sale in smaller baskets than at present. 
4th, It is important to act on the principle that the. smaller the 
package the wider the area of consumption, and the better the contents 
will keep in good order and condition. 
5th, Also that selection as to size and colour with regular packing 
are the best means for ensuring speedy sales in extended districts at 
good prices. 
6th, Growers should remember and act on the fact that a barely per¬ 
ceptible taint or speck that is carelessly dealt with by the packer at 
the farm will in a short time become an odious blemish, and by the time 
the fruit reaches the market, not only becomes spoiled itself, but 
damages other fruit and spoils its value. 
7th, A good crop requires marketing with commercial experience and 
judgment. A combination of growers to amalgamate their crops in 
order that large selections of particular descriptions may be made avail¬ 
able for disposal in special directions, and in districts where required, 
will lead to large prices being received. 
8th, Specially choice goods, suitably packed for display in retailers’ 
shop windows, will at all times command extremely high prices. 
9ih, Inferior specimens of fruits packed with prime specimens reduce 
the value of the prime. 
10th, Goods packed, branded; and numbered that their contents and 
condition may be known without a personal inspection, will be sent 
for by purchasers in remote parts, whose convenience or ability does not 
allow them to attend a market personally, 
COLD STORAGE FOR FRUITS. 
1, Green fruits may be safely stored in a cold, dry air chamber, and 
retained in a fresh condition for two, three, or four months at a 
temperature of 40 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2, This temperature maybe maintained in a perfectly insulated room 
of considerable extent by a moderate size machine. 
3, The machines for refrigeration or the production of cold air vary 
in character, the principal systems being— 
4, Mechanical, by the compression and expansion of air. 
5, Chemical, by the conversion of ammonia—ether or sulphuric acids 
into gases. 
6, Both systems are subjected to a great number of variations of 
detail, some of which are protected by patents. 
7, The ammonia system is the one most generally employed, as it can 
be readily used for the production of ice when the cold air is not re¬ 
quired for other purposes. 
8, A cold air chamber is nothing more than an efficient larder. 
