374 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



salt ''cakes" on the egga, and in removing it a lot of breakage 

 results. 



In other instances preservatives have been nsed, but their use is 

 strongly condemned. The Managing Director of the biggest baking 

 concern here, which uses lai'ge quantities of eggs, informs me that for 

 their purpose of pastry baking preservative seems to spoil the egg, by 

 reducing the albuminous part to a thin watery substance of no 

 value. 



With these unsatisfactory experiences and objections attaching to 

 Australian eggs, it will be easily recognised there is very little 

 encouragement for the importer to continue trying them, and no hope 

 need be entertained of secui"ing or developing this trade until our 

 shippers have adopted more effective methods of packing aiid 

 shipping, and demonstrated their ability to land the eggs in sound 

 condition, and with the minimum amount of breakage. 



With the desire to obtain this nuich-desired consummation, I 

 suggest that those of our export firms who have agents in African 

 ports, should consign a few cases to them packed in different ways, 

 retaining a complete rec{»rd of the method of packing of each, so that 

 information may he gathered as to the most suitable In this way 

 only can we hope to secure a share of this very substantial business; 

 as when the importers saw that our methods were at least as 

 satisfactory as those used elsewhere, orders no doubt would follow,, 

 and a regular and steady trade ensue. 



Light wooden cases of two compartments containing not more 

 than oO dozen should be used, with abundant packing of rice or otlier 

 husk, thoroughly dried. Both methods of ])acking — with and 

 without the cardboard trays — shoiild be tried, and arrangements 

 made for them to be carried in a cool chamber at about the tempera- 

 ture named as adopted with the English and Irish eggs, viz., 40 

 degrees. They must not be frozen. Experiments made here show 

 that to achieve the maximum of success, eggs should uot be put on 

 their side, but packed thin end down, and in cases where the card- 

 board trays are not used each egg should be wrapped in tissue 

 paper in addition to the husk-packing. 



Thk Future or the Trade. 



The returns which 1 have given, although they do not include- 

 those of Orange River Colony or Rhodesia, and though those of 

 Natal only cover nine months' importations, ;u-e sufficient to show 

 that the trade is one of considerable value. Large, however, as it is,, 

 its expansion has been hindered by the scarcity and dearness of 

 supplies. Wei-e eggs more plentiful in Africa, with the usual 

 accompaniment of plentifulness, cheapness, a vast increase of their 

 consumption would immediately be noticeable. 



Under normal conditions of price there is, 1 suppose, no more 

 popular or generally used article of food than eggs ; yet, when I was 

 in Johannesburg, a large section of the })opulation was, because of the 



