4i! Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Jan., 1916. 



No adequate provision to meet the prospective situation had been 

 undertaken in any of the directions mentioned, and apparently the 

 growers had not seriously considered the advisability of making a move. 

 Up to the present, many of the Goulburn Valley growers have annually 

 disposed of a proportion of their crop to Melbourne manufacturers for 

 canning, pulping, and jam-making; but the outlet in this direction did 

 not promise to be large enough to avert the threatened catastrophe. 



When in London, Mr. Clarke had noticed peaches offered for sale in 

 the markets and large retail shops at almost fabulous prices, and it struck 

 him that if peaches could be landed there in large quantities, and in good 

 condition, not only would the necessary outlet for the surplus be pro- 

 vided, but the growers would, in spite of the increased production, 

 obtain even better returns than form.erly. 



With the idea of enlisting the assistance of the Department of 

 Agriculture in this direction, he therefore approached the Hon. the 

 Minister of Agriculture^ and suggested that, with the aid of depart- 

 mental officials, a lecturing tour be undertaken through the Goulburn 

 Valley, with the object of inducing the help of growers in carrying out 

 a series of experiments in the cool-storage and transportation of peaches. 

 The Minister and Director readily consented to this, and on the 5th 

 January, 1915, Mr. Clarke, Mr. P. J. Carmody, Chief Orchard Super- 

 visor, and the writer left Melbourne. Ardmona was the first place 

 visited, and after the object of the visit had been explained to a repre- 

 sentative meeting of growers, all present expressed their willingness to 

 contribute fruit for the purpose of the experiment. Kyabram and 

 Lancaster were next visited, with similar results; and a visit to the 

 newly-formed settlement of Nanneella, near Rochester, completed the tour. 

 Although the growers at the latter settlement were unable to contribute 

 any fruit, they were fully convinced of the value of the experiment, 

 and were heartily in accord with the object with which it was being 

 carried out. It was arranged at Ardmona, Kyabram, and Lancaster, 

 that the writer should return the following week and supervise the 

 packing and despatch of the fruit to Melbourne. A sheet, on which 

 the following was typed, was supplied to each grower who intended to 

 contribute fruit to the experiment:- — 1. Name and address of grower; 

 2. Locality; 3. Variety; 4. If irrigated, date of last irrigation; 

 5. Rainfall during preceding twelve months; 6. Stage of maturity of 

 fruit; 7. Date and hour when picked; 8. Temperature at time of pick- 

 ing; 9. Kind of package used; 10. Wrapped or unwrapped (if wrapped, 

 state number of wrappers used), XYZ and wood wool; 11. Type of car 

 used (louvre, insulated, or ice car); 12. Temperature of car at time 

 of despatch; 13. Date and time when despatched to Government Cool 

 Stores; 14. Date of arrival at Government Cool Stores; 15. Temperature 

 of car on arrival at Government Cool Stores. 



I accordingly revisited Ardmona on the following Monday, 11th 

 January, 1915, accompanied by a departmental fruit-,packer, who 

 attended to pack the fruit. The fruit was assembled at the orchard of 

 Mr. A. Lonnie on the Tuesday morning, and, with the assistance of the 

 growers, 20 cases were packed in various types of packages, then con- 

 veyed into Shepparton, and at 3 p.m. on the 13th January, 1915, 

 were placed in the chamber of the Shepparton Freezing Works, which 



