Timely Topics

Northern Advocate, 30 December 1938, Page 4

Timely Topics

Home-made wine is a product in which the proper country household still takes a pride (says “The Times"). On fine days in eax*ly I ; ■ ! |

WINES AND SYRUPS.

summer, village folk will traverse the fields to fill their baskets

with the flowers of dandelions and cowslips t'o brew concoctions that will warm the cockles of the heart in the cold days of winter. Now the scientist is taking a hand in this business. At the Long Ashton Research Station of Bristol University, Mr Vernon Charley and some colleagues are engaged in fruit products research. In the West Country, cider ranks as one of the most important products of fruit and naturally cider had first attention when investigations began thirty-five years ago: In the last few years attention .has been turned to the utilisation of surplus fruit of all kinds, and it is evident from the annual report just issued that useful knowledge is being gained about the production of fruit syrups, now widely used for flavouring milk shakes in the milk-bars that have sprung up on all sides, and of fruit juices, such as unfermented apple juice which has become a popular drink on the Continent. Fruit squashes are another promising introduction which has attracted the attention of scientists.

! S K Bas t [ Discussing air mail developments, [“The Times” says: “Flying. since the ■ e'arly days of Schneider Trophy con- \ tests has tended

f AIR MAIL I DEVELOPMENTS.

to be treated as a matter in which

; national prestige I was involved. Commercial flying | seems to have inherited part of the I duty of upholding national prestige, ■ and speed in commercial flying, as in* I everything else, is costly. ,> - v ! What Appears never yet to have | been determined is whether or not'it l is worth the while of any. country to accept the economic disadvantages which would be associated, in carrying mails alone in fast aircraft, and passengers separately in slower but more comfortable liners. Every country so far has followed the British example of mixed loads, but every country, too, has tried to crowd On speed, and the British Empire has had to follow suit. But there are obviously other criteria of national prestige besides speed,. Some are to be found in the successful operation of ocean routes, some in the making of records of height or distance, and some simply in doing a little more than one’s neighbour on - any of ■ the T ■r' ■,■ r ’VAiff ■,<; t; runs in which nations are mutually concerned. Great Britain lias '.generally resisted the temptation’ tb' divorce efforts of that kind from the practical ends she has had in view.