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Banana Packing And Waxing, J A F Lawson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN 1955, representatives of the Carnarvon banana growers approached the North- West Branch of the Department of Agriculture with the suggestion that tests be made concerning the value of waxing bananas prior to consignment.

It was claimed at the time by the Director of Horticulture of the Queensland Department that, by means of wax dipping, bananas had been transported from Northern Queensland to Brisbane, ripened artificially, and then returned to Northern Queensland for sale in the middle of summer, whereas the undipped fruit arrived completely unsaleable.

The Half Dump For Easier And Better Fruit Packing, J S. Bloomfield

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the first cases used for the marketing of citrus fruit in Western Australia was the "flat bushel," which is similar in size to the "long bushel" used extensively for pears in Victoria.

In a bulletin on fruit packing and the marketing and exporting of fruit issued in 1915, the fiat box was illustrated and recommended as a suitable container for the local market.

This case was superseded by the "dump" case when the Harvey area came into production about the beginning of World War I.

Some Factors Affecting The Baking Quality In Wheat, A R. Egan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ALTHOUGH between 10 per cent, and 15 per cent, of wheat consumed in Australia is used in feed for domestic animals, the primary usage in home consumption is for bread-making.

Exports, which account for roughly 75 per cent, of the normal Australian crop, are also mainly used in bread-making.

Record Keeping On Dairy Farms, R A. Bettenay

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FARMING today is very much a business venture and the successful farmer is the one who is not only capable of doing the manual work, but who also has the ability to plan the work routine and determine which of the possible avenues is likely to bring the greatest financial return.

For this, and many other reasons, simple but adequate records must be kept by all dairy farmers.

Many types of records should be kept but if a routine is followed, a few moments' work each evening will suffice to keep things up to date.

Government Botanist Retires, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

MR CHARLES AUSTIN GARDNER, West Australian Government Botanist since 1927, retired from active service with the Department of Agriculture on July 5, 1960.

Animal Division Moves To South Perth, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Animal Division of the Department of Agriculture — which includes the Veterinary Branch, the Animal Health and Nutrition Laboratories and the Poultry Branch—was transferred to new premises at Jarrah Road, South Perth, early in July.

This Year's Export Lamb Carcass Competition, N Davenport

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Export Lamb Competition will be conducted through the Royal Agricultural Society again this year.

Last year, due partly to the season, entries were well below those of previous years and if this competition is to continue, greater support from breeders is necessary.

I am sure you will agree that such a competition has undoubted value both for producers in recognising the type of lamb required, and also as an advertising medium for the sale of high quality Western Australian lamb on the English markets.

Hold On To Your Egg Profits, J A. Hoy

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN recent years, much sound advice has been made available to poultry farmers to assist them in developing their properties and operating them on profitable lines.

Much of this advice has been utilised to good advantage, but there are still many properties on which the profits are being reduced by feed wastage, damage by rats and mice, lack of sufficient attention to egg quality, unnecessarily high labour costs and failure to keep farm records.