May i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
now pidblislied is the prominence given to the quantity 
of fruit actually available for export in each colony. 
To thin is added the months during which the fruit 
is in Beason, and the prices usually paid for it locally. 
Fnurr-GitowiNO in Victouia. 
TI10 Report received respecting the fruits of this 
Colony is of a very complete character. In forward- 
ing the Report lo the Government of Victoria, Mr. 
D. E. Mai tin, Secretary for Agriculture, summarizes 
the results as follows : — As regards the quantities of 
each kind of fruit available lor export, I may state 
that so far it appears to me that the quantities 
produced are not in excess of local requirements, but 
there is reason tu believe that shortly tbe produc- 
tion will exceed our wants. The whole of the fruits 
mentioned below are capable of beiug produced in 
much larger quantities than at present, and will be 
produced if sulhciuHt inducement offers. As regards 
the enquiry as to what steps are necessary to start or 
ill . . ilpp a fruit trado, and what inducements local men 
desire to open or extend a trade in fresh or preserved 
fruits, I may state that cheaper rates of freight by 
railway, a reliable agent in England, extra care in 
shipping and unshipping, together with cool chambers 
in the vcssoIh, aro considered essential. In order to 
ascertain the viows of the wholesale fruit dealers on 
the subject of exportation of fruit to England, I 
communicated with some of the dealers. By one I 
was informed that the experiment of oxporting fruit 
had been tried and proved a failure. Another stated 
that tbe prices reported as having been realized at 
the Indian and Colonial Exhibition induced him to 
try a shipment of fruit as an experiment, and be 
found that owing to the cost of packing, freight, 
uud the many charges imposed by the consignees 
for commission, wharfage, rates, &c, resulted with 
tho prices realized for the fruit in a loss of 50/. 
He charges 7 per cent on his sales, and that covers 
everything, but at. homo Ihey had no fixed scale. 
Fruit-growers here could not berelied upon for packing 
and placing a fust-class fruit in boxes ready for export- 
ing, owing to the fact that they could obtain prices here 
for tho fruit, as they at present sent it to market, 
which, tho prices they would obtain for the extra 
trouble and care would not recompense. Another 
thing is that thore is not sufficient first-class fruit 
suitable for exporting grown here, and the want of 
material, such as cork sawdust for packing fruit, is 
another drawback. Tho dealer above-mentioned ob- 
tained 200 cases of lemons from Sydney in one ship- 
ment, and from indifferent parking and carelessness 
in handling the fruit, 50 per cent, of it was useless. 
Ho had also obtained fruit from Algiers, and owing 
to tbe difference in packing and handling, the quantity 
of tho fruit unsuitable for disposal after its arrival 
here, was nil, although he had kept it without openiug 
the boxes for a fortnight after its arrival. Foreign 
growers were educated to tbe manner of treating 
fruit which the growers here lacked. Here orchards 
were only an auxiliary moans of livelihood. The 
ready salo which growers horo can obtain, does not 
necessitate that carefulness in gathering, sorting, and 
packing, which fruit requires; and tho jam factory 
furnishes as ready a receptacle for bruised or damaged 
as for sound fruit. I le knew of men who had brought 
their fruit to market iu bags. In a catalogue of one 
of the loading wholesale men in London, quoting prices 
obtained for oranges, the prices ranged from 4a. to 6s. 
M., ami two lots wore disposed «f from &y. to IQj, 
per case, thu latter being of a stiporior class. The 
prices obtained here would romp ire favourably with 
tho prioes quoted, and while tho fact remniued, 
growers horo would not he induced to try exporting. 
The lowest pnee nbt one. I here for apples is about 
k«. a case. To export them at that price, the case 
would cost about I0.1. by the time it was disponed of 
at home, owing to freight, repacking, commission 
and other obliges; an I tbe ease of apples would not 
realize that price. At present the colony is not iu a 
position to dispose of its fruit in an export market. 
Ho dtatod the prices reported as having been obtained 
for frail at the Indian aud Colonial Exhibition were 
misleading, for tho reason that such fruit as that 
which was disposed of at the Exhibition could not 
be procured here in sufficient quantity to export. 
He bad obtained 100 cases of fruit from Tasmania to 
export, but owing to the lateness of the shipment in 
arriving bore, only about 140 cases were transshipped, 
and the balance which remained hero realized a better 
profit than tho larger portion which was sent home. 
Ho could send fruit to New Zealand by repacking, 
and land and dispose of it there at a profitable price; 
but he did not think shipments could at present bu 
sent to the English market to tho same advantage. 
He had no doubt, however, but that ultimately as 
fruit-growing increased, and the better class of it was 
grown so as to meet the requirements of the home 
market, exportation would become a success. 
Sooth Australia. 
The following Report on the fruits of South Australia 
has boon prepared for the Government by .Mr. John 
F. Pascoe: — 
The order of importance is, to a certain extent, 
a matter of opinion, and varies slightly in periods of 
years. Until within tbe last four or five years, I con- 
sidered the apple our most important fruit, but since 
that terrible pest, Fusicladium, commonly called " black 
spot," appeared in our orchards, and made such sad 
bavoe, our apple crops havo gradually decreased, aud 
now they are of small commercial value; but I am 
hoping and believe this visitation is only temporary, 
and that it will disappear in time, as other pests have 
before, but it will take us many years to recover our 
former position. The fruits we grow are, — grapes, 
apples, apricots, pears, peaches, orauges, lemons, 
quinces, plums, cherries, loquats, raspberries, goose- 
berries, strawberries, currants, red and black, almonds, 
figs, walnuts, chestnuts, limes, nectarines, mulberries, 
pomegranates, olives, guavas, and hazelnuts, These 
are mostly grown in large quantities, and generally 
equal to fruits of tho same kinds and varieties as 
can be grown in any part of the world. We also 
grow, in small quantities, citrons, shaddocks, black- 
berries, passion fruit, medlars, and white currants. 
South Australia has always been noted for the ex- 
cellent quality of its fruit, and taking it on the whole, 
I doubt if there is another country on the face of 
the globe that can produce in such abuudance all 
those popular fruits needed by civilised communities. 
For a quarter of a century we have been exporting 
large quantities, but at present onr orchards aro 
under a cloud; they are terribly infested with pests, 
insect and fungoid, I believe, temporarily, but while 
they exist, a large portion of our population suffer 
great pecuniary loss. The kinds most afflicted are 
apples, pears, apricots, peaches, almonds, cherries, and 
oranges. Growers have tried all the remedies suggested 
with little or no good effect, what is wanted is a 
thorough scientific examination of our soils, kc. for 
the purpose of putting us on the right track for com- 
batiug aud annihilating our fruit growing cuemies; 
private persons can only do this on a small scale; 
to be effectual it must be done by the Government 
or societies. 
Western Australia. 
The following is an extract from a dispatoh from 
Sir F. Napier Broome to Sir H. Holland, dated Perth, 
Western Australia, 21st April, 1887, No. St :— Numerous 
tracts of land in Western Australia are admirably 
suited for tho cultivation of the grape. I believe it 
would be a very remunerative commercial speculation 
to make wine for the French market. A strong full- 
bodied and woll-bodied and well-tasted wine of a 
Burgundy character, could be easily and cheaply pro- 
duced in any quantity, and I feel sure it would 
command a roady market, not only for consumption, 
but, and perhaps chiefly, for mixing with Frouch 
wines, for which purpose I am led to believe it would 
be most valuable and sought after. Tho vine disease 
of rhylloxera is unknown in Western Australia. 
If French wiuo growers or merchants could he mado 
aware of tho unlimited source of witio supply which 
might easily, quickly, and inexpensively be developed 
in Western Australia, I fool sure that tho 1 
would havo their attention. Were a company formM 
to start a largo vineyard, I think the GoVernme u t 
