FRUIT DELUXE.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXIV, Issue 25, 19 April 1912, Page 6

FRUIT DELUXE.

HOW THEY JUDGE IN VICTORIA A representative of the Daily Telegraph waited on Mr Thomas Morton recently to ascertain his experiences of the Royal Horticultural Society's Show, recently held at Melbourne, where he showed the golden fruit or Hawke's Bay", which won its way in strange surroundings and against some local prejudice to honors. In answer to a. preliminary enquiry, Mr Horton said that the exhibition was held by the Royal Horticufhi.raiJ Society in conjunction with the State Government. The prizes given by the Government mclmied one championship prize of £2O and a. gold medal for the best hundred dishes of i'ruit of different varieties. Continuing, Mr Horton said: "There were several competitors, including the Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Association, ' whose exhibit was, taken over a.nd staged by me, as I thought if we were able to win the prize it would be .a. great advertisement for New Zealand, a.nd more especially Hawke's Bay. As a matter of fact, my chief object in going to the show was to -advertise Hawke's Bay, and one gentleman has- come over to take up lane" here- and go into the industry -m Hawke's Bay on up-to-date lines', feeling satisfied that a country that could produce fruit like that exhibited by Hawke's Bay, must'nave a great future before it in, the markets of the Old Country.

"When the judging was completed,'* continued Mr Horton, "it was publicly announced that Hawke's Bay had won by over 100 points, tout, toaflf an hour -afterwards, the secretarv stated officially that a mistake had been made and that we were only second." "Surely such a blunder should not occur,at a metropolitan show?" "Well, you'd think not. I entered' a protest, as I found that points not in the schedule had been added to the Doncaster (Vic.) exhibit', after the declaration of the prize, which sent that district into first place." ■ "What were the advertised points?'' "inhere were four sets of points, advertised and scheduled, ail of which' I was aware of, and we won fairly and squarely on 'those, points, ,but, when-

the first announcement was made, one of the judges said it was. wrong, as ten points per plate should be added to Doncaster because they had several varieties in their collection not in Hawke's Bay. The collection included a plate of tomatoes." . "Well, .anyway, we won.?" "Yes, we won, but all the same miy protest was dismissed 'by a very small section of the executive, and it was only in deference to a public outcry at .an injustice which palpatory had its source in parochialism, that a full committee was called together to further consider the matter with the result that I was called before the committee, when thei president admitted that an injustice had been dome and that New Zealand had won handsomely, with plenty to spare. The president expressed to me the highest appreciation of our exhibit, and his regret that any misunderstandings should have occurred." "I believe you took some cf your own nursery fruit with you also?" "Oh, yes, I took a collection of fruit and staged it on behalf of Horton and Co., Ltd., for exhibition oniy. This was awarded a first-class certificate of merit and declared to be the finest show in the exhibition. The State Governor, and many members of Parliament, visited' the New Zealand stands and heartily congratulated the Dominion an her display."