Journal of Agriculture. 



[8 July, 1907. 



machines, foot-rules &c. in order to check any attempt at short weights 

 and measurements. Another thing to be remembered is that such short- 

 comings only involve extra delay, more handling and vexation to the city 

 agent, who, often at the last moment, is called upon to correct the errors 

 of his client. 



In the illustration on page 386 the discharge of a fruit-truck into the 

 shed is shown. It must not be inferred from this picture that every truck 

 arriving at the shed has to be discharged for examination as is here 

 shown. The extra and really unnecessary handling is compulsory in 

 this instance for two reasons. The first is that most of the growers 

 will insist on stacking their export pears in the furthermost corner of 

 the truck; the second, that fruit for two, or e\'en three, steamers is some- 

 times stowed in the one truck. With regard to the first reason, it is 

 necessary to explain that when a truck reaches the steamer's side all jx-ars 



AT THE SHI I' S SIDE. 

 Improved square slings in use. 



are retained and put aboard last of all. After the apples are taken out 

 the pears remain in the trucks and are shunted up and down the pier until 

 perhaps the next day. Under the new system this is all avoided. Pears 

 are carefully taken out immediately on arrival at Port INIelbourne and 

 stored in the shed under lock and key for the night. Thus it will be 

 seen' that if pears are stacked by the growers so that when the door of 

 the truck is opened, the inspectors and staff may take them out at once 

 without having first to remove some hundreds of cases of apples, and much 

 unnecessary handling will be avoided. The reason why pears must be 

 separated and loaded last is that thev are usually carried at a lower tem- 

 perature than apples, and therefore must be placed in that portion of 

 the vessel's hold set apart for them. With regard to the second reason as 

 to why trucks have sometimes to be emptied, it has been found that many 

 growers (no doubt from moti\'es of economv or expediency) are in the 



