Vol. VIII. No 183. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



13.? 



taken in putting up tlie fruit. The bunch has first a thin 

 layer of cotton wool rounil it. It is then wrapped in paper, 

 and outside the paper is plaeedl'a thick layer'i of straw or 

 dry Ijanana leaves. This nietl^pd is illustrated in fig. 16. 



FRUIT EXPORT TO ENGLAND. 



With the development of the agricultural possihili- 

 ties of Queensland, effcM'ts are beiftg made by that 

 colony to find i-egular and satisfaGtorfl-, markets_-for its 

 produce in foreign eountrie.s. In SWw of this' object, 

 a fniit e.xpett to the Department of Agriculture and 

 Stock was last year -commissioned^ to visit Great 

 Britain to report on the state of the fruit market as it 

 concerned Queensland fruits. Some of his remarks, 

 contained in an official report lately] published, are of 

 general interest to pi'oducers of oranges and bananas, 

 and are summarized here. 



Thorough enquiries were made in England as to the 

 qualities of fruit required, the price likely to be obtained, 

 and the best methods of packing. For the guidance of 

 Queensland orange growers it was stated, that the best nicmtlis 

 to export citrus fruits to England were in August and .Septeni 

 ber, although there is a good market for high-class N'avel 

 oranges and mandarins during .Tune and July as well. Great 

 stress was laid on the fact that only ^rst-class fruit wa> 

 wanted. It was stated that the orange.s,fent should be clean 

 and bright with tine, thin .skins. Janjaica oranges were 

 referred to as the best fruit of the kind (then on the market 

 (in September). These were described as being about - 

 inches in diameter, of light yellow colour, and with thin 

 skins. The wriiei- of the report pointed out that fruit 

 similar in appearance and ipiality to the .Jamaica oranges 

 were grov-fn in several districts in Queensland. It was adtled 

 that navel oranges, such as were grown in a certain district 

 in Queensland could be relied upon to fetch excellent prices 

 on theKnglish market. The .Jamaica fruitUvas then command- 

 ing a price of l + «. per case, containin^'^ibout 112 oranges. 



The section of the report relating lo.tbe orange trade 

 concludes with this passage : ' The trade is very emphatic 

 as to our sending nothing hut the very best fruit, and from 

 what I can see of the market I (juite agree with them. No 

 fruit must be exported to England from Queensland unless up 

 to standard quality. If inferior goods ate sent it will sin)iily 

 ruin the market. The whole world is catering for the 

 market of Great Britain, and buyers want the best that the 

 world can produce.' , 



In reference to packing fruit for export, it was pointed 

 out that the fruits should in all cases be , wrapped separately 

 in glazed or thin wax paper. Oranges should l>e thoroughly 

 .sweated before being put up, and packed so firmly that they 

 will not roll about in the case. The .^ijt^jOr shape of the case 

 is inunaterial, so that the grower can ado|)t whatever .seems 

 to him most convenient. 



Trial shipments of mnndarinsand other kinds of oranges 

 from South Africa have lately hecTi placed on the English 

 market, and these are referred to in the report in question. 

 They are described as being of the scarjfet type, of medium 

 size, good colour, and with fairly tight skins. Exporters 

 have adopted the plan of packing these in fancy trays which 

 hold only one layer of fruit, and then binding five of the trays 

 together in one package. This method of packing appears 

 to be a new one but is givmy satisfactory' rfesults. 



It was mentioned that the BritisJi market was well 

 stocked with bananas from the West Indies and Canary 

 Lslands. In sending bananas from the Canary Islands every 

 bunch of fruit is. packed in a separate crate, and great care is 





'".' ""^ y^ \ . ^^^ 



Fit;. 16. Method of Packino C.\n.aey Bananas. 

 The fruit arrives in England in the green state, and is ripen- 

 ed by artificial heat. The.se ,bananas usually sell in. the 

 English market at Is. a dozen. :The Jamaica bananas, which 

 are of larger size and more showy, are not equal , to the 

 Canary Islands banana in (favour, and fetch only aboat half 

 the ])rice on the English market. 



lieferring to tlie prospects of Queensland bananas in 

 England, it is stated that the fruit from the Canary Islands 

 is larger and better filled than the North Queensland product, 

 although in the Huderini mountains (Queensland), banana.s 

 are produced which are certaiuly..superi(]r in appearance anl 

 quality to those grown in the Canary Islands. 



These particulars indicate that producers in other 

 countries possessing great; possibilities of development 

 are anxious to secure their share of the English market, 

 and therefore emphasize the need on the part of 

 growers to produce only the best, and to use every 

 care in packing, so that fruit exported may appear as 

 attractive as possible in the market of destination. 



The Dhak tree of India {Btitea frondom) is now welS 

 e.stablished at the Dominica Botanic Station. The Dhak 

 belongs to the Leguminosae, and its bright orange-red blos- 

 , soms make it one of the most hand.sonie of trees when ia 

 flower. In India the flowers are- sometimes utilized in the 

 preparation of a dye. 



