21 NOVEMBER 1931, Page 44

* * * DEFYING THE SEASONS.

Perhaps the English grower has at last found a potent ally or two potent allies. No business connected with food has gone ahead with quite such speed as the canning of fruit and vegetables within the last year in England. Thanks in part to definite discoveries and inventions in the process, the, softest fruits and the most delicate vegetables can be preserved " as good as new." The last to be conquered was the green pea, which till recently needed too big a dose of preservative. At a visit the other day to one of our agricultural research stations I found the botanists busy with experiments in producing a variety of green pea especially suitable for canning. Tons more will be growing next year solely in order to supply the new market. We are reaching a point where the tinned product is not distinguishable from the fresh ; and the process is so cheapened that the preserved food is cheaper than the early forced stuff.