quennia previously taken, as prior to 1906 these juices were included with all other fruit juices under the general heading "Fruit Juices." It is, however, possible to give a comparison of the annual average for the quinquennium ending 1913 with the years 1923 and 1924.

Countries whence consigned.

Annual average for quinquennium ending 1913.

Year 1923.

Year 1924.

Gallons. Per cent. Gallons. Per cent. Gallons. Per cent.

Total Imports... 692,000 100 0 540,985 100 0 424,810 100 0

The total value of lime and lemon juice imported into the United Kingdom, as returned to the customs authorities, in recent years has been :

1923
1924

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105. The United Kingdom Trade Statistics make no distinction between “ raw raw" lemon and lime juice and concentrated " lemon and lime juice. The former is used in the preparation of beverages, the latter for the manufacture of citrate of lime and for industrial purposes. In view of the entirely dissimilar uses to which the raw and concentrated" juices are put we recommend that separate statistics should be maintained by the United Kingdom Customs Authorities for them. The supplies of the juices at present used in the United Kingdom come primarily from Empire and especially West Indian sources. There has, however, been a very considerable falling off since 1913, partly due to the ravages of wither-tip disease in Dominica, so that the Empire share in the supply of these juices has fallen from 82 per cent. in the quinquennium ending 1913 to 68 per cent. in 1924. The foreign supplies have increased only slightly.

XXIV. Producing Countries.

106. As already stated the two main sources from which the United Kingdom obtains its supplies of lemons, limes, lemon juice, lime juice and citrate of lime are the West Indies and Italy.

107. In the West Indies the Islands of Dominica and Montserrat are the main sources of production. In Dominica the industry has suffered very severely in recent years owing to the depredation of "wither-tip disease. This disease first appeared in May. 1922, and spread with such rapidity that by the end of September of that year few of the principal lime plantations in the Island remained unaffected. So serious is the disease that the Colony has been definitely advised to consider the establishment of other industries to secure alternative exports

108. We understand that there are considerable possibilities of the cultivation of the lime and lemon in West Africa should a new industry be required by the British Colonies there. At the present time there are large tracts of country where the limes grow wild and free. The lemon is only cultivated on an experimental scale, but we understand with quite hopeful results. At the present moment there are practically no lemons grown on a commercial scale for export within the Empire, with the result that the United Kingdom is entirely dependent upon foreign countries for its lemon supplies. If lemon cultivation should prove practicable in West Africa we think that the greatest possible encouragement should be accorded to it.

109. In regard to Italy the main source of supply is the Island of Sicily where lemon cultivation is undertaken on a large scale. Citrus producers are organised in both Italy and Sicily and enjoy Government support. The most important of the organisations is the "Camera Agrumaria" of Messina which controls the output of citrate of lime manufactured from lemon juice. The sale abroad of this commodity is entirely arranged by the Camera which has, to all intents and purposes, the monopoly of the local production. The Camera makes advances to growers against supplies of citrate of lime produced and holds these supplies until marketed. A small subvention is paid to the Camera by the Italian Government for administrative expenses. Apart from citrate of lime, the marketing of raw lemons and the juice is arranged through the ordinary machinery of commerce by means of deaiers and agents.

110. Australia and South Africa both produce very heavy crops of lemons from which they meet all the requirements of their home markets. Owing to the established position of Italian supplies in the United Kingdom market it has so far been impossible for these Dominions to establish a profitable export trade in lemons, although from the point of view of production they could readily supply the requirements of the British market within a very short period of time.

XXV.-Difficulties of West Indian Lime Industry.

111. The difficulties which at present confront the West Indian lime industry are:

(a) The outbreak of "wither-tip "disease to which further scientific research should be directed. A Memorandum on

Banana and Lime Research has been prepared for us by Dr. Hill, the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and is appended to our separate Report on Bananas. This Memorandum proposes certain expenditure in connection with research on the lime. This expenditure we recommend should be undertaken by the Executive Commission. The expenditure in the case of limes amounts, in the first instance, to £950 a year, rising to a maximum of £1,200.

(b) Competition from the Sicilian industry. The market price for good West Indian lime juice is from 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. per gallon in London. A similar quality lemon juice can be obtained in London from Sicily and Italy at 1s. 3d. per gallon. The result has been that many United Kingdom manufacturers who formerly bottled and advertised lime juice have turned their attention to lemon squash, which has been widely advertised to the detriment of the consumption of lime juice and the disadvantage of the West Indian producer.

(c) Inadequate shipping facilities, which adversely affect the carriage of limes and lime juice from the West Indies to the United Kingdom. With the question of shipping facilities between the West Indies and the United Kingdom we deal in our separate Report on Bananas.

(d) The preference of the British public for raw lemons as against raw limes. Attempts have been made in the past to popularise limes as against lemons, and a certain amount of advertisement has been undertaken to this end. These attempts have, however, met with little success, as the popular taste for lemons is firmly established.

XXVI. Synthetic "Lime Juice."

112. Our attention has been called to complaints which have been made in regard to the sale of synthetic substitutes for lime juice. Although we have no reason to suppose that the admixture of a proportion of an artificial product with the genuine juice of the lime is dangerous to health, we would point out that such synthetic products do not contain the valuable vitamin qualities of the juice of the fruit, and we consider that nothing should be sold as lime juice, or under any other name. such as lime juice cordial," containing the words "lime juice, unless it contains a reasonable proportion (which need not necessarily be the same in both cases) of pure lime juice. If existing legislation is not adequate for this purpose we recommend that the question of amendment should be considered in the interests both of the consumer and of the producer.

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Signed on the authority of the Imperial Economic
Committee.

H. J. MACKINDER
(Chairman).

SOFT FRUIT REPORT.

I. Classification.

1. We apply the term "soft" fruit to the fruit of all deciduous fruit trees, except apples, with which we have already dealt in a separate Report. This classification departs from the normal method, in that pears are usually classed with apples. We have, however, felt that, having regard to the problems presented by the different fruits, pears should be treated with this class rather than in our separate Report of Apples.

2. Many of the problems involved in the trade in "soft" fruits are identical with those which we have already discussed in our separate Report on Apples, and to some extent in our separate Report on Citrus Fruits. We have, therefore, not repeated in this Report information and comments already contained in other of our separate Reports but have devoted our attention to those aspects of the "soft" fruit trade which are different from the trade in the other fruits mentioned.

3. There are certain fruits, as for instance strawberries gooseberries, black and red currents, which are not imported from the Overseas parts of the Empire in a fresh state, and although supplies of some of these fruits reach the United Kingdom market from adjacent European countries we have not thought it necessary to discuss them in this Report.

4. There is one fresh fruit which, although it does not fall within the classification "soft" fruit, may be referred to herethis is the fresh pineapple. A certain quantity of pineapples in the fresh state are imported into the United Kingdom from South Africa and other countries. The trade is, however, still on a very small scale but we see no reason why it should not be considerably extended in the same way as the trade in grape fruit has recently been developed in the United Kingdom. Its expansion is dependent upon the discovery of the best conditions of transit, and we would recommend that the Executive Commission should arrange for research to this end.

II. Soft Fruit Production.

5. Soft fruits are grown throughout the temperate and semitropical parts of the world in such general profusion that the selection of particular producing countries is impossible. Grapes, apricots, peaches, and nectarines require a warmer climate than pears. plums, and cherries. The United Kingdom produces considerable quantities of pears, plums, and cherries and does, to some extent, grow grapes, apricots, and peaches. The latter are, however, largely produced in "hothouses," although some quantities of peaches and apricots are grown in sheltered spots in the southern parts of the country. These, however, do not enter into competition in any serious degree with imported supplies.