SHIPPING EGGS 15V LOC'AL FREIGHT. 



37 



they would be protected from the sun. It is only fair to say that such 

 covered shelters are often available, but they are seldom utilized. 



When the cases are loaded on the train they are placed either in a 

 box car or in one end of an open stock car which is also used for 

 live poultry. (See fig. 2.) The box car often contains empty oil 

 barrels and freight of similar nature. These box cars are opened 

 when a stop is made, and then only long enough to load the shipments 

 from that station. If the day is warm the temperature inside the cars 

 will often go as high as 106 F. and remain at that point for hours. 



FIG. 2. A stock car used for shipping poultry and ejjgs. 



The temperature of the open stock cars is from 8 to 10 degrees lower 

 than that in box cars during the hottest period of the day. and owing 

 to the free circulation of air very much cooler after the sun has set. 

 Coupled with this exposure to high temperature and injurious odor- 

 the eggs are, of course, subjected to violent but unavoidable shaking 

 and jarring during the entire trip. 



It should be said that at least one of the railroads operating in 

 Kansas has taken a long step forward in the matter of handling eggs 

 on the local freights. This road is running refrigerator cars into 

 which the eggs are loaded, and the most favorable temperature possi- 



