172 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA : 



It has been proved beyond all doubt, in the case of 

 oranges and lemons which are exported to Victoria from 

 Messina and other places in Europe, that by rejecting all 

 diseased and scale-infested fruit we are only doing justice 

 to our own growers, as each year, owing to careful super- 

 vision on the part of our inspectors, the fruit so imported 

 is showing a marked improvement, whereas, were fumiga- 

 tion at our port permitted, we would have the same tale 

 to tell of dirty foreign fruit being sent here as before. In 

 closins; these few remarks re the fumisratino; of trees and 

 fruit by the cyanide process, it may be mentioned, on the 

 authority of our Vegetable Pathologist, also upon the 

 testimony of other gentlemen whose opinions cannot be 

 doubted, that the fumigation of trees by the above-men- 

 tioned process has no perceptible effect upon diseases of 

 funo-ous orio'in. In Victoria we have had but little 

 experience with the cyanide treatment as practised under 

 canvas, but as all the information regarding the gas-tents, 

 &c., is well understood, and as the tents can be made here, 

 there would be little or no difficulty in the way of a 

 commencement being made on the co-operative system as 

 practised in America and elsewhere. 



