II Nov., 1912.] 



Fruit Trade of Victoria. 



667 



carted to municipal rubbisli tips. There is everv reason to believe, how- 

 ever, that this amount of waste is much larger than most people imagine, 

 and would be ([uite sufficient to bring the total consumption per head to 

 below 3 oz. per day. 



Present Methods of Distribution. 



The two points most forcibly emphasised by these figures are — firstly, 

 that we import a great deal of fruit which might be raised locally ; and, 



secondly, that in a climate such as ours the use of fruit as a staple article 

 of diet is much less than it should be. If we seek for reasons as to why 

 this state of affairs exists, the following facts would seem to indicate that 

 the causes are mainly due to the want of appreciation of the dietetic value 

 of fruit on the part of the public, and to improper methods of placing our 

 fruits before the consumer. The latter cause may be chiefly attributed to 



