46 



•dried by the Department of Agriculture, and it had been shown 

 that pretty nearly all kinds could be dried. But all kinds would 

 not sell, so he thought that certain kinds should be pointed out 

 which would do to establish a good trade with and bring a good 

 name. At present there was no market for dried fruit, but that 

 would come as the quantity increased. The principal varieties 

 good for export as prunes are the German Prune, the Fellenburg, 

 Coe's Golden Drop, the De Montfort, and the Angelina Burdett. 

 If these were dried a trade might be established for them. They 

 were not able to command the market with the inferior kinds dried 

 now. 



Mr. Harris thought the remarks of the previous speakers very 

 practical. Mr. Lang was the first man in Victoria who took to 

 exporting fruit to Europe for business purposes. The first Vic- 

 torian who exported was Mr. Carson, of Kew, who sent fruit to 

 the Vienna Exhibition many years ago with fair success. Com- 

 plaints had been made about high charges for freight. From 

 what previous speakers had said the difficulty dwindled down 

 when they found that fruit need not be sent home in the refriger- 

 ating chambers. If it could be sent home in the hold or in a part 

 of the ship that was well ventilated it would be taken as ordinary 

 cargo. Mr. Lang and Mr. Draper said that the right temperature 

 was 65°. The temperature in the refrigerating chamber was 

 from 40° to 45°, and sometimes freezing point, which of course 

 damaged fruit, so they might believe that fruit would be carried in 

 the future at a less cost. He regretted to learn that the exporta- 

 •tion of pears had been such an universal failure. He wondered 

 whether the pear was more tender and more susceptible to 

 changes of temperature than other fruit. 



Mr. Lang. — That is it. 



Mr. Harris presumed that the pears alluded to were sent in 

 the same chamber with the apples that arrived safely. 



Mr. LANG.^That was the case. 



Mr. Harris said that showed they required different treatment 

 from the apples. The little manual issued by the Department 

 of Agriculture, giving a list of fruit trees, is, he thought, 

 thoroughly reliable. It had been compiled by Mr. George 

 Neilson, one of our oldest orchardists, with the assistance 

 of other gentlemen now present, and he thought their opinions 

 could be relied on. Different kinds did well in different parts of 

 the colony. The Cleopatra was reckoned the best apple in South 

 Australia, but here it only grew in a few isolated places. One 

 mistake we had made in the last 20 or 30 years was in growing 

 too many varieties. Mr. Draper had exhibited 200 kinds at the 

 present exhibition, but he was sure that gentleman would not 

 recommend any grower to plant one-tenth part of the number. No 



