June 22, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
675 
in the water again at Gunnersbury, but he would like 
to taste some of that old port. (Laughter.) 
Mr. Philbrick, Q.C., proposed “The President (the 
Duke of Westminster) and the Vice-Presidents of the 
Institution,” and commenting upon the ungenerous 
letters read by the chairman, said sometimes they lost 
sight in the keen competition of business of that which 
refined and elevated the taste. Nothing was more 
calculated to alleviate those who were distressed and 
hard run in the daily conflict of life, than that res¬ 
toration which the contemplation of the objects of 
nature, fostered by the art of the gardener, eminently 
tended to produce. The best and wisest and noblest 
of mankind had found their delight and recreation in 
the garden, and it was the boast of the English people 
that they encouraged the science of horticulture, and 
were in no sense behind the other great nations of the 
world. He coupled with the toast the name of Dr. 
Hogg, who responded. The last toast was that of 
“The Committee of Management,” for whom Mr. 
George Monro replied. During the evening an ex¬ 
cellent selection of music was performed, under the 
direction of Miss Mary Belval. 
-->X<-- 
FRUIT PACKING AND PRE¬ 
SERVING. 
Proposed Exhibition at Maidstone. 
A public meeting was held on the 12th inst. in the 
Town Hall, Maidstone, under the auspices of the 
Maidstone Chrysanthemum and Fruit Society, to pro¬ 
mote an exhibition of farm fruit, fruit packing, fruit 
preserving, &c., to be held in connection with the 
annual show of the above society in November next. 
H. A. Brassey, Esq., Preston Hall, presided, and there 
was a good attendance of the fruit-growers of the 
district. The chairman having addressed the meeting, 
Mr. Faunce de Laune (chairman of the Kent Fruit¬ 
growers’ Association) said he was of opinion 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. 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 country 
in the world which packed, distributed, and put its 
fruit on the railway in such a manner as the English 
growers did. If they could have an exhibition of fruit, 
with specimens of the baskets and the various systems 
of packing, they would have done their duty ; but they 
must also have meetings at which they could bring 
pressure to bear on the railways to afford better means 
of conveyance, and they must also request their sales¬ 
men to use that skill and knowledge they did not now 
possess. 
Mr. Charles Whitehead, in moving the following 
resolution—“ That an exhibition of farm fruit, fruit 
packing, preserving, canning, &e., be held at the Corn 
Exchange, Maidstone, in connection with the annual 
exhibition of the Maidstone Chrysanthemum and 
Fruit Society”—said that the fruit-growing industry 
was one of the greatest in this country, having many 
ramifications, and affecting many classes. Its interests 
were very wide-spread indeed, and he was quite satisfied 
that such an exhibition as was proposed in the reso¬ 
lution 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 foreigner, who was really beating us all along 
the line, and who would continue to beat us if we 
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, although having only 18,000 acres, ought to 
produce a great deal more fruit than it did, and to give 
very much more attention to it than it did. In Devon¬ 
shire there were 23,000 acres, in Somersetshire 26,000, 
in Herefordshire 27,000, and in Worcestershire 19,000 
acres. So that as regarded acreage Kent was smaller 
than some four or five other fruit-growing counties, 
but its turn-out of fruit was immensely larger than 
any other county in England. Kentish fruit was of a 
very much better quality, and of greater variety than 
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 the county. As an instance of the immense advan¬ 
tages 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 beautiful colour. One of the 
Canadian Commissioners, named Allen, 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 packing. Another point I may mention hero is 
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 growing 
with growers and dealers, I have arrived at the con¬ 
clusion 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 also said the crop was failing, and that there 
was an opening for a very large importation from 
Canada, the consequence being that the next year the 
importation was doubled. The total importation of 
Apples into England iu 1888 was 3,796,592 bushels, of 
which America sent 1,648,890 ; Canada, 875,863 ; 
France, 541,865 ; Belgium, 384,989 ; Holland, 137,917 ; 
Portugal, 144,126. Now, that was an enormous im¬ 
portation of Apples into this country ; but he should 
not be in the least discouraged by it if proper care and 
attention were given to English fruit. With our advan¬ 
tages 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. In America 
and Canada the Governments supported fruit-growing 
very much indeed. In the American Agricultural De¬ 
partment there was a pomological division, to which 
all fruit growers could apply for information, and 
obtain what they wanted ; but it was not our habit in 
this country to rely on the Government; we rather 
preferred to rely on that spirit of self-help which was 
so characteristic of the Britisher. Referring to fruit¬ 
packing, Mr. Whitehead asked why could not 
something better than the traditional quarter and a 
half sieve be produced, into which fruits of all kinds 
and descriptions were rammed and crammed, ir¬ 
respective of their fineness and quality ? The French 
and other fruit growers, who sent their produce to this 
country, did not do any such mad and rash act as that. 
First of all, they divided their fruit into three or four 
qualities. Pears, for instance, were divided into four 
separate qualities. The first quality was put into 
cases holding thirty-five or thirty-six, all being nicely 
covered with paper, and sent to market in almost 
as good a state as when they left their own country. So 
it was with other fruits sent from Continental countries. 
The Apples 'sent from Canada were subjected to a 
culling process, and the grower would not think of 
mixing them up pell-mell ; his reputation would be at 
stake, and he would not dream of putting a third-class 
quality with a first-class one. So it happened that 
when Canadian Apples arrived in England they came 
exactly according to report and sample, and the buyer 
in England could rest assured that he would get exactly 
what he was paying for, equally as well as though he 
went into an American shop and bought them there. 
Their Apples came over very nicely arranged in barrels 
holding three bushels, and they were carefully harvested 
before they were put into the barrels, so that they 
generally arrived in capital condition. 
With regard to fruit preserving, they all knew of 
what gigantic importance .the jam-making industry 
had become in this country. 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. 
That was a big statement; but it was actual fact. 
America, although she imported fruit ready in every 
way 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. In Kent there were several manu¬ 
factories established, one at Swanley, which has assumed 
very large and very important proportions. Machines 
were being imported from America for making small 
quantities of jam, and these could be purchased at 
from £9 to £15 and from £20 to £30, so that any fruit¬ 
grower might avail himself of the opportunity of 
preserving fruit literally on the spot. The society 
might offer prizes for the best jams, and for the best 
jam-making machines. For some time the Royal Agri¬ 
cultural Society, like many others, took no notice of the 
question, but lately they had awakened to the fact 
that fruit-growing was a large industry, and might be 
made a very much larger one. It would be the means 
of keeping many farmers who could not grow Wheat, 
and could not afford to cultivate Hops, on their legs. 
The Royal Agricultural Society was now doing all in 
its power to advance fruit-growing, and it was an 
example they might well follow. 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 shows of the Royal 
Horticultural Society. 
Mr. F. S. W. Cornwallis, M.P., seconded the re¬ 
solution, which was carried unanimously. Mr. Faunce 
De Laune proposed, “ That the following be appointed a 
committee 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.; Jno. Wigan, Esq.; Mr. P. 
Skinner ; Charles Whitehead, Esq.; and the present 
executive committee of the Chrysanthemum Society,” 
which was also agreed to. 
-- 
I^Jotes from Scotland. 
—*=— 
Early Milan Turnip.—The useful Turnip known 
as the Early Milan is certainly a great acquisition. 
We hailed Munich and some others with delight, but 
the first named, for early work and good quality (we do 
not say for late summer use, except in very cool 
positions) out-distances any which we have tried. 
While those grown iu cold pits, to come in early—during 
the latter end of April—are at their best, the early 
sowings in the open ground are turning into use as 
successions, and others sown along with them are 
taking their place. In taking note of the remarks of 
vendors, in catalogues, it appeared to me that several 
other kinds were chosen as the earliest, some catalogues 
(Scotch and English) not having the Early Milan Turnip 
entered. We would advise such not to omit bringing 
it under the notice of their customers next year.— 
Stirling. 
Weather and the Fruit Crops.—After one 
of the most favourable spring seasons for the setting of 
fruit which we have experienced for many years, it is 
a noteworthy fact that, with the exception of bush 
fruits, there will not be heavy crops. Last year could 
not—-in this district, at least—be said to have been 
one which was distinguished for an abundance of fruit, 
yet the quality was good in some cases, as the autumn 
was most favourable for ripening ; but the fine, dry, 
and warm weather came too late for the maturing of 
the fruit buds preparatory to the production of fine 
crops this year. On old stunted trees which went easily 
to rest, and on cordons ■which were thickly studded with 
buds, fair crops have set. The show of blossoms were very 
great on Apples, Plums and Cherries, which was not 
an indication of a fine set of fruit, because the buds 
were generally soft. The heavy rains (no hail fell) on 
the memorable 7th of May seemed to decide the Plum 
crop, which, with most trees, was just setting ; but a 
few of the more hard) T kinds weathered the storm, and 
are fairly cropped, Victorias always proving to be one 
of the hardiest and most certain of bearers. Apples 
are mostly represented by King of the Pippins, Keswick 
Codlin, Irish Peach, Worcestershire Pearmain, Lord 
Suffield, Stirling Castle (very abundant on dwarf trees) 
and Seaton House, a kind we had in use all last 
winter, and the last was used on 2nd of June, after 
being kept from light and air. Kinds which bear so 
certain should be planted in quantity.— Stirling. 
