lo Sept., 1912.] 1 he Fruit Trade of Victoria. 565 



Suitability of Victoria for Fruit-Growing. 



Any one acquainted, from a horticultural point of view, with Victoria 

 will readily agree as to the suitability of our soils and climate, for here 

 may be grown in profusion a wide variety of fruits of superior quality and 

 fascinating flavour. The physiographic diversity which obtains in different 

 portions of the State furnishes a range of climate which renders possible 

 the successful cultivation of many kinds of stone, pip, and " berry " fruits. 

 So much is this so, that many districts have become noted for producing 

 some particular variety of paramount quality. Thus, the vernacular terms 

 " Bendigo Tomatoes," " Merrigum Peaches," " Mildura Navels," " Goul- 

 burn Valley Gordos," " Wandin Raspberries," " Trentham Black Currants, "^ 

 may often be heard voiced by the retailers in our markets, and the barrow- 

 men in the streets. In short, there is scarcely any portion of Victoria 

 where, by planting varieties suitable to the locality, and under proper 

 management, a prolific and healthy orchard may not be established. In 

 spite of this, it must be confessed that our fruit industry, as a whole, is 

 at present in anything but a satisfactory condition. This is by no means 

 due to want of knowledge on the part of our growers, in so far as their 

 part of the business is concerned. In pruning, spraying, cultivation, and 

 all matters incidental to the production of prime quality fruit, it is ques- 

 tionable whether fruit-growers in any country are more advanced than those 

 in this State. Our orchardists, as a whole, are intelligent, observant, 

 and painstaking, with the result, as before stated, that our fruits, both 

 from the stand-point of quality and quantity produced per acre, compare 

 more than favorably with those grown elsewhere. 



When we view the subject from a commercial stand-p.oint. however, 

 the position is not nearly so satisfactory. This is primarily due to want of 

 ■organization amongst those concerned. The consequence is an absence of 

 necessary collective attention to the matters of exploiting new markets, dis- 

 posal of fruits to the best advantage in the markets already secured, the 

 best methods of harvesting, handling, and transporting fruits, and many 

 other minor details, each apparently unimportant, but each requiring 

 attention in order to obtain the best results. 



Special Methods Required for Handling and Transporting Fruits. 

 The perishable nature of fruit obviously renders necessarv the applica- 

 tion of special methods to its harvesting, transportation, and marketing. 

 If those desiderata of the grower — absence of gluts and regular prices — 

 are to be brought about, every factor which tends to shorten the life of 

 fruits from the time of their severance from the tree until they reach the 

 consumer, must be eliminated as far as possible. The longer fruits can 

 be held in good condition, and the further they can be transported, the 

 'greater their relative value to the producer. These facts have long been 

 realized ; but the possibility of holding even the better keeping varieties 

 of fruits over extended periods until suitable markets may be obtained, has 

 not, until recent years, been considered practicable. The growers of this 

 State now appear to be awakening to a realization of what may be ac- 

 complished in this direction. This is evidenced by the movement towards 

 the erection of cold storage accommodation in many of our fruit-growing 

 centres. In this regard, Victoria is well ahead of the other States. These 

 cool stores are, at present, to a limited degree, serving an excellent pur- 

 pose in providing the means whereby fruit, intended for local sale, or 

 Inter-State export, may be held until such time as the surplus crop has been 

 disposed of locally, exported to other States, or oversea countries. The 

 present accommodation, however, still falls far short of requirements, and 



