CIDER INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 18 June 1936, Page 2

CIDER INDUSTRY

RAPID PROGRESS AT HOME LONDON, June 16. Nider brewing, recommended to the notice of New Zealand fruit farmers by iLord Bledisloe at the opening of the apple season in London recently, is making rapid strides in Somerset. Instancing the wide interest taken by that and surrounding counties, over 2000 people attended cider-tasting day recently at Long Ashton, Bristol, where the famous fruit research station is the headquarters of the cult. Proof of the beverage was in the drinking, and 300 gallons were drunk in the luncheon tent. Competitions are held every year, and prizes are presented to farmers showing the best results. On this occasion Sir Stephen Tallents, controller of the Public Relations Department of the British Broadcastinf Corporation, presented the prizes, and for the first time the main events of the cidertasting, a feature of the competitions, were broadcast.

Tasting day is no holiday for the Long Arbton staff. In addition to nearly IcO competition ciders and perries which were “tasted” to the last drop, there were more than 4U samples of non-alcoholic apple juices, fermented and unfermented, offered for the latest research at the station, and they have a promising coni n sr.?.ial future. They were displayed in the products building, where also were the fresh fruit juices, squashes, wine s ana liqueurs, which are an even more important subject of research.

Various fruit juices are now in commercial manufacture on the Long Ashton method, and will bo the basis of the fruit milk shakes of the milk bars in future. The manufacture is of immense value to fruit growers, who thereby will be enabled to sell their second grade and surplus fruit profitably. The hundreds of fruit growers were interested in these clear, lineidayoured juices.