502 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 20 , 1889. 
put it into commerce some years ago as an interesting curiosity, and at 
first it was not cared for, but it has gradually won its way in public 
fame.” 
[The size of the flowers, the freedom with which they are produced, 
and the elegant habit of the plant are amply sufficient to recommend it.] 
PROPOSED EXHIBITION OF FARM FRUIT, FRUIT 
PACKING, &C. 
Under the auspices of the Maidstone Chrysanthemum and Fruit 
Society a public meeting was held at the Town Hall, Maidstone, 
last week, to consider the advisability of holding, in connection with 
the Chrysanthemum Society, an exhibition of farm fruit, fruit packing, 
preserving, &c. The President (Mr. II. A. Brassey) presided. 
In opening the meeting, Mr. Brassey said it had been represented to 
him that in connection with the Chrysanthemum Show, which usually 
took place in the month of November, a show of farm fruit and also the 
best methods of preserving and packing fruit should be held. If these 
matters could be combined it was represented to him that it would be a 
popular movement, and he could well believe that, considering the 
importance that fruit-growing had assumed in the country, such would 
be the case. He did not profess himself to be a practical farmer, or to 
be practicahy acquainted with the methods of growing fruit, and he 
had come there rather to hear from others their opinions on the matter. 
There could be no doubt that, considering what an immense acreage of 
Hops had been grubbed in the district during the last two years owing 
to the depression in the Hop industry, the importance of fruit-growing 
had largely increased. He should like very much to hear from Mr. 
De Laune, who had kindly come there to help them on that occasion, 
and he would without further delay ask him to address them. He should 
like to hear from Mr. De Laune whether the month of November would 
be a suitable month for an exhibition of farm fruit, or whether the 
month of September would not be a better time of the year, and there 
were other matters he was so well acquainted with, and which he would, 
no doubt, discuss with them. 
Mr. Faunce de Laune said that he, like Mr. Brassey, had come there 
to gain information rather than to give it, and wished particularly to 
hear the opinions of the gentlemen in the neighbourhood. Mr. Brassey 
had asked whether he considered November a good month in which to 
hold exhibitions of fruit and fruit packing, but before answering that 
question he should like some of those present to express an 
opinion. In November they had Pears and Apples, and probably that 
was all ; but if they held their show in September they would have an 
addition of early Pears and Apples, and also Plums ; but the question 
arose whether in September, which was an exceedingly busy month, 
people would be able to attend such an exhibition as that proposed. 
In the notice convening the meeting he saw they were to discuss the 
question of fruit packing and fruit preserving. Now he thought that 
if they could pack and distribute their fruit as well as they could grow 
it, they would be^ able to do much better than they were doing at 
present. The difficulty they had to overcome was the packing and 
distribution. He did not mean to suggest that there was any special 
credit belonging to any one class or any one process of distribution of 
fruit; but he thought that if everyone interested in its culture, from 
the grower up to the railway people and those entrusted with the sale 
of it, were to do all they could in their several spheres to facilitate the 
distribution, much good might be done. There must be a complete 
regeneration in the mode of treatment of fruit from the time it left the 
grower’s hands until it was delivered to the people who had to eat it. 
He had had considerable experience in the packing and handling of 
fruit, and he ventured to say there was no countrv in the world which 
packed, distributed, and put its fruit on the railway in such a bad 
manner as the English growers did. The question of the proper treat¬ 
ment of fruit was of great importance, not only to the growers, but 
also to their labourers, and especially so to large masses of people who 
live in the great towns. The fruit which now reached them was very 
often not wholesome, and it reached them in such a condition that 
they did not like it, and therefore would not buy it. With improved 
methods of distribution they might double and treble their fruit 
cultivation and yet get a far better price for it than they were getting 
now. 
Mr. Charles Whitehead was next invited to address the meeting, 
and prefaced his remarks by moving the following resolution:— 
“ That an Exhibition of farm fruit, packing, preserving, canning, Sec., 
be held in the Corn Exchange, Maidstone, in connection with the 
annual Exhibition of the Maidstone Chrysanthemum and Fruit Society.” 
The fruit-growing industry, he said, was one of the greatest in this 
country, having many ramifications, and affecting many classes. Its 
interests were very widespread indeed, and he was quite satisfied that 
such an exhibition as was proposed would tend very much to aid the 
great fruit industry of Kent. It might be asked, What was the use of 
giving prizes for farm fruits ? Well, he would say it was to encourage 
the fruit growers to produce a better article, and so to be able the 
better to compete with the foreigners, who were really beating them 
all along the line, and who would continue to beat them if they did 
not .take very good care. The English fruit grower went in too much 
for quantity, and not enough for quality. He held that the county of 
Kent, which was the chief of the fruit-growing counties in this country, 
having more than IS,000 acres, ought to produce more than it did. 
Kentish fruit was of very much better quality and of greater variety 
than that grown in any other county, and therefore it did behove all 
those interested—landlords, growers, consumers, and workers on the 
land—to encourage this great industry of their county. As an instance- 
of the immense advantages to be derived from an exhibition of fruit, 
he referred to the Colonial Exhibition three years ago, when the 
Canadians sent over a display of fruit of admirable quality and beauti¬ 
ful colour. One of the Canadian Commissioners on his return to 
Ontario referred to the Exhibition, and said, “ That exhibition of fruit 
at the Colonial Exhibition did more for our country than all the 
literature in the world. Our fruit told dwellers in Britain of a climate- 
far superior to anything they had given Canada credit for. Some years- 
ago I made the remark that I believed we could grow the finest Apples- 
in the world. My experience of Britain’s markets, where I met Apples 
from almost all fruit-growing countries, has confirmed that impression. 
Our Apples have taken the British buyer by storm, and consumers there 
will not purchase others so long as they can obtain a suitable article 
from us. Canada has gained a good name for honest culling and pack¬ 
ing. Another point I may mention here that British Apples are mostly 
cookers, and it is rare to find an Apple there combining both cooking- 
and dessert qualities. After visiting many orchards in various parts of 
Britain, and discussing Apple gruwing with growers and dealers, I have 
arrived at the conclusion that British growers have become discouraged, 
and hence the fact that hundreds of acres of orchards are sadly 
neglected. Apple growing in England is rapidly waning, and there 
are some like indications throughout Europe.” 
That speech had encouraged the Canadian farmers to go in more 
largely than ever for fruit growing, and, therefore, it behoved the 
Britisher to take very much more pains with his fruit cultivation. Not 
only did this gentleman report on the inferiority of our fruit, but he alse 
said the crop was failing, and that there was now an opening for a very 
large importation from Canada, the consequence being that the next 
year the importation was doubled. He should not be in the least dis¬ 
couraged by the enormous importation of Apples if proper care and 
attention were given to English fruit. With our advantages of 
climate, soil, and cultivation, we could hold our own even against 
America and Canada, but they must have their helps in the shape of 
exhibitions, all must put their shoulders to the wheel, and do what 
they could to induce farmers and fruit growers to grow their fruit- 
better and more intelligently. Why could not something better than 
the traditional sieve, half-sieve, and quarter-sieve be produced, into- 
which fruits of all kinds and descriptions were rammed and crammed, 
irrespective of their fineness and quality? The French and other fruit 
growers who sent their produce to this country did not do any sucb 
mad and rash act as that. First of all they divided their fruit into- 
three or four qua'ities, with the result that when it arrived in England 
it was as good as when it was first gathered. They could not over¬ 
estimate the value of careful packing. He suggested that they should 
make more use of the parcels post for the conveyance of fruit; and 
then referred to the importance of the jam-making industry. England 
was now really the jam maker for the world owing to the low price of 
sugar, which they all hoped might not be increased. America, although 
she imported fruit ready, in every way ready, for the sugar to be applied, 
did not make jam, and therefore at the present time England had the 
monopoly of the jam trade. He hoped fruit growers and farmers would 
take advantage of that, for it had become almost essential for a farmer 
to be a jam manufacturer. The Society might offer prizes for the best 
jams and for the best jam-making machines. He hoped that meeting 
might be the means of their having in the county town of Kent—the 
centre of the best fruit land, he might say without boasting, in the 
world, and the centre of the garden of England—an association which 
would produce fruit like that produced at Exeter, at the Crystal Palace, 
and at the Royal Horticultural Society. 
Mr. F. S. W. Cornwallis, M.P.. seconded the resolution. Mr. White- 
head had told them, he said, that they should look to quality rather 
than quantity, and, curiously enough, he made the same remark to one 
of his tenants, who told him that quantity paid better than quality. 
There was a difficulty in regard to fruit growing. In their Kentish 
villages they had lost their best workers, who had gone, he was sorry to- 
say, to foreign countries or into the large towns, and it would be a long¬ 
time he was afraid before they would be able to educate those who re¬ 
mained to obtain that nicety of fingering so conspicuous amongst French 
agriculturists. It was, he was afraid, a fact nowadays that more attention 
was paid to the education of the head than to the education of the 
hinds, and for his part he should like to see greater attention paid to- 
the latter. He would suggest that a medal might be offered for the 
best machine for the preservation of fruit, and also for the best mode 
for the carriage of fruit by parcels post. He certainly thought that 
the fruit-growing industry was one which would become of inestimable 
benefit to the district. He was not aware what time of the year the 
Bath and West of England Show was held; but perhaps Mr. Brassey 
or Mr. Seymour might suggest to the Society to offer prizes for the same 
object. 
The resolution having been carried unanimously, 
Mr. De Laune proposed : “ That the following be appointed a Com¬ 
mittee to collect subscriptions, and draw up a schedule of prizes :— 
F. S. W. Cornwallis, Esq., M.P.; the Earl of Romney ; C. de L. Faunce 
De Laune, Esq.; Sir F. Geary, Bart. ; R. A. H. Seymour Esq. ; Ambrose 
Warde, Esq.; John Wigan, Esq.; W. P. Skinner, Esq., Charles White- 
