Victorian Fruit i)i London. 155 



little difficulty exists for dealing with Victorian fruit for a lengthened 

 period. For home consumption in Victoria, and also for the sup))ly of 

 apples to other States, it is surprising that the American system of 

 cold storage is not adopted. (Irowers in any district could co-operate 

 to ])rovide cold storage in any central position, and so preserve their 

 apples and ])ears when prices are low until the season was over, and then 

 realise remunerative rates in supplying the demand in other States or 

 Eastern ]iorts. Cold stores for fruit storage are now universal in the 

 United States, and are looked upon as necessary for that product as 

 for meat. 



The Fruit in the " Orizaba " 



A Partially Fkozen Consignment. 



'I'his steamer brought 2<),0U0 cases of fruit, the Victorian con- 

 signment consisting c^f o,. 558 cases of apples, 2,192 of pears, and 84 

 of grapes. Although the larger portion of the shipment was landed 

 iu excellent condition, a considerable number of Tasmaniaii and 

 Victorian apples, chiefly the former, were wet or frozen. In 

 conse(|ue7ice of re))resentations made by me to the Orient Company 

 the cause of this damage is being investigated. It would seem that 

 the shoots placed across the refrigerator chamber to catch the con- 

 densed moisture were leaking, and the drips passed down among some 

 of the cases near the air trunks. There must, however, have been 

 some material change in the tem})erature in addition, to have caused 

 the frosting of the fruit, and tliis is being inquired into. It shows, 

 however, that if self registering thermometers were in use in the 

 chambers of vessels carrying perishable produce, the range of tempera- 

 ture would have been recorded, and if such as to cause damage to the 

 product carried, a clnim for loss would have to be paid by the 

 ship]jing company. The fruit-growers and exporters of Victoriii, 

 Tasmania and South Australia might arrange through their Associa- 

 tions, l)efore next season, to have a certain I'ange of temperatures 

 ado])te(l by all shi])[)ing com])anies carrying their fruit to Great 

 Britain, a mmimum and maximum, say from oi* degrees to 44 for 

 apples, and o() to 40 degrees for pears and grapes, and have a miiform 

 agreement or contract in connection with carriage of fruit at these 

 temperatures and di-y condition stipulated for. If a consignment 

 arrived either in a partly frozen or in ;i over-heated condition 

 resulting in damage, ex])(n'ters would then be able to recover for loss 

 sustained. When, as in the case of the Orizaha, a pcjrtion of the 

 fruit arrives wet or frozen, ])urchasers at the Covent (larden auction 

 sales use this as a leverage to i-educe prices, expressing themselves to 

 the effect that there is a doubt of the soundness of condition of the 

 balance of the sliipment. They also make every effort to exaggerate 

 damage done, with a view of depreciating values. 



The Victorian ap])les ex Orizaha, generally, were in sonnd condi- 

 tion, and the same may be said of the pears, which formed the largest 

 consignment of this fruit yet sent from Victoria. A considerable 

 quantity of the ])ears were wrapped in waxed paper, and the cases 



