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Egypt; oranges, lemons, melons, cherries, etc., from California, Florida 

 and other states, the West Indies, and Mediterranean ports, and so on. 

 And it is more or less the case with every large city of the country. As 

 an example of conditions, Mr. Frank Andrews, of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, states that in 1912 Kansas City's lettuce 

 supply was taken from nearby fields, from California, Florida, New York, 

 Louisiana, Colorado, Texas and Arkansas, and possibly other states. 



The initiative that the railroads take in widening the distribution 

 of crops is perhaps not generally appreciated. They do a useful work in 

 finding new markets for producers, even going so far as inducing merchants 

 in cities to import new commodities. An increase of distribution of North 

 Carolina strawberries was made, from 400 cars to 12 markets in a year, to 

 3,200 cars to 82 markets, nine years later, due chiefly to the initiative 

 taken by a railroad in suggesting markets and helping to widen the dis- 

 tribution of the crop. " It is of course to the railroad's interest to do this, 

 but it is equally to the interest of producer and consumer. 



Because of the insignificant supply of foodstuffs grown in the vicinity 

 of New York, that city is perhaps an extreme example of a city which 

 depends altogether upon distant sources for its food supplies. Other 

 cities are supplied to a greater degree by nearby products, but it may be 

 stated as a rule that all American cities depend largely for their supplies 

 upon distant sources. This may be because of location in an unproductive 

 area, or a short season of local production, but chiefly because all American 

 cities demand a greater variety of food than the local area can produce. 



The possibility, which is of comparatively recent development, of 

 shipping highly perishable articles under refrigeration, by fast freight, 

 to distant markets, has lengthened the seasons when vegetables and fruits 

 are in market. The farm produce of South Carolina and Kansas can 

 reach New York as easily today as could that of Long Island and West- 

 chester County a few years ago. There was a time, as was stated by a 

 witness before the Market Commission last spring, when the season in 

 New York for strawberries was only six weeks long. Now we start in with 

 Florida strawberries in February and have them until the middle of July 

 from northern New York. In July the same cars after refrigeration are 

 taking berries south from northern producing states that in May were 

 taking them from North Carolina to those same points. Such things as 

 string beans, tomatoes and lettuce are in market practically throughout 

 the year. 



With the shipping of perishable goods long distances by rail, the car- 

 load has come to be the recognized shipping unit, because of the ease of 

 handling unbroken carloads with dispatch, as compared with less than 

 car-lot freight. Mr. Andrews has collected data from 42 cities showing that 

 from 1900 to 1910 there was an increase of 40 per cent in the number of 

 car-lot markets for highly perishable fruits and vegetables. "Practically 

 every city in the United States," he says, ''of 25,000 population or more. 



