7G 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



to Maritzburg, Johannesburg, Pretoria, 

 Bloemfontein, and elsewhere. Except- 

 ing fish and meat, fruit is perhaps the 

 most perishable of commodities ; as' soon 

 as it presents an}' signs of ' going off,' 

 although practically sound, the drop is 

 great, almost ruinous, I may say. When 

 in good condition the beauty of fruit at- 

 tracts. When not in good condition its 

 appearance is rcpellant. The line 

 between these two stages is a thin one. 

 And while talking about vans, I may as 

 well refer to the rough treatment our 

 fruit consistently gets from the railway 

 employees. The tlinging, the chucking 

 about the boxe< and baskets receive is 

 exasperating to Avitness. I remember | 

 one day in particular, when I had either | 

 personally packed or personally super- 

 vised the packing of some fruit iutended 

 for shipment to England, that 1 suddenly 

 came upon the unloading of the van in 

 Durban containing my consignment. The 

 cases were pitched about as if they were 

 so many whinstone boulders. 1 knew the 

 damage that must result to my carefully 

 picked and packed fruit. ^ly disgust 

 was intense, and failing to see any mm'e 

 rational outlet for my feelings, I let 

 drive at the two porters nearest me. The 

 white man in charge interposed, and 

 then, so far as I was able, I relieved 

 myself in words. About 45 is 

 the degree of cooled air required for 

 fruit, and, being so comparatively high, 

 is in consequence cheaply produced. The 

 cold necessary for meat and fish would 

 immediately turn fruit black."" 



Shipping. 



" As already shown in my pamphlet 

 on the subject, certain coast fruits can 

 be shipped to England even under the 

 present conditions, with special atten- 

 tion. The close hold would, of course, 

 be fatal. The small experimental lots I 

 have sent — the fullest particulars were 

 given in my pamphlet, now, however, out 

 of print — were carried in deck cabins, 

 exposed to the fullest current of air, and 

 on most occasions placed in or near the 

 cool chamber for a week or so while the 

 ship was in the tropical regions 

 — say from 30 degrees south latitude to 

 .10 degrees north latitude. South Africa 



affords us an ample market for the 

 present, if, as I have said, we were en- 

 abled by cool storage to spread our sell- 

 ing tinie over a longer stretch, but by 

 sliipping to Europe there is an opening 

 for disposing of an enormous output. 

 Our Coast fruits find a ready sale there, 

 and we, being in the southern hemi- 

 si)here, our fruit may be delivered when 

 the northern supplies are at the lowest 

 ebb." .. : \\ 



Packing. 



"' Eruit for export packing .-should be 

 cut a day or two beforehand, and ex- 

 posed to tlie air, m the shade. This will 

 leniove the sui)ertlu(uis skin moisture, 

 which is apt to produce a sweat if the 

 fruit is packed immediately after the 

 cutting. " Wood wool "" is good as a 

 l)acking material. Hampers are much 

 preferable to cases, because they allow 

 of a complete circulation of air. Fruit 

 should be packed tightly, witliout, how- 

 ever, bruising the fruit. That fruit 

 should be most carefully sized, is a point 

 nlwavs to be remembered by growers 

 wishing to get the best price, and estab- 

 lish a good reputation hn- their case 

 marks." 



Concluding Remarks. 



" You will have noticed that what 1 

 have said has a good deal to do with the 

 future. As a European grower of 

 Coast fruit I am sorry to say 1 can only 

 speak at present in a depressing strain. 

 The last three years, owing to drought, 

 have been lean years for growers, white 

 and black. But the black man, the 

 Indian, has special advantages. His 

 cheap mode of living makes it difficult 

 for the white man to com]iete against 

 him. The Indian has captui-ed the kafir 

 truck trade, and sooner or later will have 

 the Coast fruit industry within his grip. 

 The European is also handicapped in 

 several minor but important ways. His 

 labour requires constant and close super- 

 vision. An up-country farmer knows 

 what to expect from his men engaged in 

 ploughing, cultivating, etc., and a sugar 

 <^Tower finds task work easily practicable, 

 hut the fi'uit grower, whos(> work is of a 

 varied and peddling nature, must always 



