84 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Marl II 15, 1913. 



FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES. 



STORAGE 



TEST OP FRUITS 

 TRANSPORT. 



FOR 



A large number of trials have again been conducted dur- 

 ing the past year (1912) in Victoria, to test the keeping 

 power of several varieties of grapes. An article dealing with 

 the results obtained, appears in the Journal of the Depart- 

 ment of Ai/rictdture of Victoria, for December 1912. In 

 this it is stated that the grapes, which wore all gnuvn in the 

 dry Ivutherglen district, without irrigation, were packed in 

 granulated cork in ordinary export grape cases, West Austra- 

 lian pattern, holding 2S fc. net of fruit. They were convey- 

 ed to Melbourne in ordinary fruit trucks (not cooled) the 

 actual tran.-iit occupying eight hours, but the total 

 time spent in the truck was about twenty-four hours. 

 On arrival in Melbourne the fruit was placed in the 

 Government cool stores where it was kept at a tem- 

 perature of 38°F. to 35T., for about four months 

 This period served to represent the time required for ship- 

 ment abroad. The cases were opened and the contents 

 examined in the presence of several of the otlicers of the 

 Agricultural Departnjent and others interested in the ship- 

 ment of grapes, and some of the more interesting results arc 

 reproduced as follows: — 



'Case No. 1 — 0/<'(<(>-: (white grapes). The fruit was in 

 first class order. TrHctieally no waste: but a few berries 

 were slightly wrinkled. 



'Case No. 2 — Vakufi/ (white). Very poor order, about 

 50 i)er cent, waste. The state of this case bears out last 

 year's experience with the same grape. It is not suited for 

 lengthy voyage. ^ 



'Mr. Grimmond'8 case — Red Jfai/. Excellent order, 

 practically as good as Ohanez. This grape certainly appears 

 to be a shipper. It is a handsome bright red, somewhat 

 oval grape, which does not detach easily, and is more juicy 

 and of better flavour than Ohanez. 



'Mr. Orimmond's case — G'riminoiid's Blaeh. This black 

 grape, the correct name of which is unknown, has stood the 

 trial remarkably well. The slight muscat flavour which 

 characterizes it when fresh had almost disappeared after cold 

 storage It is fairly juicy and in good order. Seeing the 

 demand for black grapes on the English market, it is worthy 

 of further tri:il.' 



It may be noted in conclusion that in packing some of 

 the cases the large bunches of grapes had been purposely 

 broken up into smaller ones. 



THE ACTION OF GRASS ON FRUIT TREES. 



The Thirteenth Report of the Woburn Experimental 

 Fruit Farm contains an account of classical research on the 

 above subject, by The Duke of Bedford, K.G, F.R S., and 

 and Spencer O. Pickering, M.A., F R.S. From this source 

 the following information has been abstracted. 



The action of grass on fruit trees is often so deleterious 

 that it arrests all .growth, and even causes the death of the 

 tree. The action is not noticed so much when the trees 

 become grassed over gradually during the course of several 

 years, for under these surroundings they can apparently 

 adapt themselves to the altering conditions and suffer much 

 less than when the grass is actually sown over their roots. 



It was thought some years ago that the action of the 

 grass might be explained by its aftecting the aeration of the 

 soil by altering the amount of carbon-dioxide present, or 

 by its eft'ect on soil temperature, the moisture content or 

 mechanical conditions. Any explanation on such grounds 

 was found to be inadequate. 



It would not be possible in the space of this article even 

 to refer to tlie various ingenious experiments that were con- 

 ducted in order to obtain this negative generalizatiim. It 

 will be su(K?ient to proceed at once to the biological investi- 

 gation of the question which cmmenced with an examination 

 of the effect on fruit trees by heating soils — parti "I steriliza- 

 tion — a subject which is dealt with fully in another article in 

 this, or in the succeeding issue of the Aijricultural Knvs. 

 Briefly, it was discovered that a toxic substance is produced 

 by heating soils, which was found to be toxic towards the 

 germination of seeds as well as towards the growth ct plants, 

 retarding the germination and reducing the |)ercenfage of 

 seeds which germinate. After cultivation, however, the toxic 

 substances become oxidized and the soil supports growth 

 better than when not heated. 



Curiously enough, soil removed from grassed ground 

 was slightly more favourable towards germination u m the 

 tilled soil, and it absorbed water much less readily ih m the 

 neighbouring 1111011 soil. This behaviour provided negative 

 evidence in favour of the production of toxic substances in 

 grassed soils; and strong evidence of a positive clu.-ir-ter was 

 obtained later, by causing washings, from grass growing in 

 soils on trays, to reach the tree-roots with juiciiclly no 

 exposure to the air. 



A deleterious eftect was then produced i.-'arl\ if not 

 quite as great as when the grass was grown abipve the roots 

 in the ordinary way. 



