Reports on Fruit Transportation. 153 



the company. I found that the fruits in the refrigerator car arrived there 

 looking better than those by express, but as soon as taken out and exposed 

 long enough to get warmed through, went to pieces very fast. I gave it up, 

 and directed all of that class of goods kept out of refrigerator cars. Peaches 

 by ordinary freight kept longer and better than by refrigerator. 



Being fully satisfied that fruit gathered, packed and shipped in the usual 

 manner, and fruit shipped from the distributing centers, can not be success- 

 fully transported in refrigerators, we come to the questions, what do we want? 

 What can we get ? The great need of the fresh fruit and vegetable trade of to- 

 day is cars properly and thoroughly ventilated ; not with a show of ventilation 

 but ventilated; ventilated at top and bottom of sides and ends, and roof as 

 well. Ventilated so that a train in motion will drive a continuous current 

 of air through the car, and goods so piled in cars that the whole load will get 

 the benefit. 



They have such cars on the roads from Mobile, north. The fault I find with 

 them is, the air openings are not large enough by half. Such cars should be 

 double roofed to protect from the direct rays of the hot sun. All such cars can 

 have the openings protected by wire screens to keep out cinders ; can have 

 sliding doors inside, and so in five minutes convert them into an ordinary 

 tight box car. Every road should have such a supply of these cars, that one 

 or more could be attached to each train and reserved for tender fruits, to 

 accommodate as many towns as possible. All of this has reference to goods 

 by freight. 



We have, unfortunately, a much worse element to deal with in the express 

 companies, and much harder to reai^h in the way of reform. They run from 

 one end of the country to the other, often passing over many lines of roads 

 to do so. They contract with these roads to furnish them cars, and have to 

 take such as the railroad companies furnish. If they built, owned and run 

 their own cars, they could, and no doubt would, do all in their power to have 

 them properly constructed. They now fold their hands and say they can do 

 nothing. The old maxim, " where there's a will there's a waj'," holds good as 

 well in this as in any other case. A thorough, systematic and general effort 

 is needed to accopnplish anything here. Their general offices and general 

 ofl&cers are out of our reach. We can only be heard through their local 

 agents and sujierintendents. No attention will be paid to your comjilaint or 

 mine as individuals, but this Society can make itself felt if these companies 

 can be made to see that it represents the fruit interest of the Mississippi val- 

 ley. Every express company should contract to have furnished them, at all 

 times, proper cars to transport fruit. The fruit trade, every one knows, is 

 large enough now to warrant that interest in demanding from the express 

 comjjanies every accommodation a reasonable man would ask. 



It is perfectly reasonable for us all, growers, shippers, buyers and consu- 

 mers, to demand that these tender products of the soil should be laid at our 

 doors in the best possible shape and at the lowest reasonable cost. This can 



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