IMPERIAL FRUIT SHOW

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22137, 15 December 1933, Page 9

IMPERIAL FRUIT SHOW

BRITAIN IN THE LEAD ’ THE CANNING INDUSTRY. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, October 31. At the Imperial Fruit Show and Canners’ Exhibition, held 'at Bristol, Great Britain won the two open championships., The one was for dessert apples and went to Messrs Seabrook and Sons, of Borcham, near Chelmsford, and the other was for cooking apples and was divided between Mr A. E. Morton, of Wisbech, and Mrs A. T. Miller, of Swanley, Kent. Four years ago the English growers found the highly-skilled marketing of their rivals in the dominions difficult to compete with. The Duke of York, who opened the show, pointed out that it was not enough to produce a superior article. Its quality must be guaranteed, and it must be advertised intelligently.

“The products exhibited here bear testimony to the remarkable in the methods of production and marketing which has taken place in recent years. Formerly, I am told, competitors from the dominions secured a large share of the prizes in Empire classes, but at the last three shows the. Empire championship for, dessert and cooking apples were awarded to English growers, who wisely had adopted methods prescribed by the Ministry of Agriculture in their national mark scheme. MORE ENGLISH FRUIT REQUIRED. “ I am told, however, that more graded English fruit is required to meet the immediate demand, apart from the possible expansion of the trade, and I hope that here in Bristol we may encourage the people of this country to a further effort to increase our graded supplies. “The Ministry of Agriculture informs me that the quality of canned fruit this season is even higher than before, and that improvement in this respect continues as the industry grows. The merits of English canned fruits are becoming more widely appreciated. In their own interest, housewives would be well ad-

vised to use a larger proportion of the excellent canned home fruits and vegetables.” Sir Elgar Jones pointed out that although England canned 1,500,000 tons of fruit and vegetables last year, her people were still eating six cans of imported fruit for every one can of English. The cup for the best exhibit of canned produce went to the Water Conservation Commission of Sydney, for a ease of apricots; the second went to the African Canning Corporation’s case of pears. ' New Zealand fruit was not shown on this occasion.