574 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



people and to all other nations which receive an important part of 

 their wheat supply from over the sea; and the readjustment of prices 

 brought about by such changes in transportation costs might have 

 serious results for the agricultural interests in many countries of 

 supply. If the average cost of carrying cotton the 3,000 or 4,000 

 miles from United States Atlantic and Gulf coasts to the United 

 Kingdom were applied to transportation of wheat over the routes 

 mentioned above, ranging in length from 3,000 to 15,000 miles, the 

 rate per bushel would be 19 cents instead of 9, and the margin between 

 prices in England and in countries of supply would average 10 cents 

 per bushel more than in 1905. 



180. TRANSPORTATION RATES AND CANTALOUPE PRICES 1 

 BY WELLS A. SHERMAN' 



The daily receipts of car lots of cantaloupes naturally play an 

 important part in determining prices. On the average large market, 

 these receipts are from several widely separated producing sections. 

 Cantaloupes from California were on the New York market with those 

 from Maryland; a section distant more than 3,000 miles competing 

 with a shipping area only some 200 miles away. On August 15, 

 Texas points, 2,100 to 2,200 miles distant from New York City, were 

 sending their melons to compete with those from New Jersey. New 

 Mexico and Nevada compete with Indiana and Illinois for preference 

 on the Chicago market. A good example of the competition between 

 different producing areas is shown by the conditions on August 15 in 

 the city of Chicago, when the melons from eight different states were 

 quoted as being in direct competition with each other. It is interest- 

 ing to note the wide area represented with Michigan in the North, 

 Texas in the Southwest, California in the West, and Delaware and 

 Maryland in the East. 



There are important reasons why competition from such widely 

 separated areas is possible. Transportation and refrigeration facilities 

 are such that it is now possible to deliver these shipments from distant 

 points to eastern markets in practically as sound condition as that in 

 which local supplies arrive. The question of competition narrows 

 itself to a comparison of appearance and quality of the melons and 

 the difference in freight and refrigeration rates from these competing 



1 Adapted from Bulletin 315, United States Department of Agriculture, pp. 3-6. 



* A. Dexter Gail, Jr., and Faith L. Yeaw, collaborators. 



