SHIPPING. 107 



are a necessity, except to the large planters, who can 

 charter their own cars. For it will not justify a man who 

 has only a few thousand baskets to sell, to go to much 

 trouble and expense in order to get them to market ; and 

 he, therefore, finds shippers both a convenience and a 

 profit. 



The cars are prepared especially for the purpose. They 

 are intended to carry five hundi-ed baskets, weighing 

 about sixteen thousand pounds. They are furnished with 

 shelving to receive this quantity. The shelving consists 

 of stays and boards to set the baskets on, so that one bas- 

 ket does not rest on another, and thereby injure the fruit. 

 It is a temporary, movable frame-work, taken down and 

 Bet up at pleasure, and, in fact, at every loading. In filling 

 a car, the fruit is received at the middle, and stowed away 

 at each end ; the shelves being put up, as required, from 

 rear to the center ; when filled, the doors are shut and 

 locked, and so remain until they reach their destination. 

 The cars are ventilated in order to keep the fruit from 

 heating and rotting. When the weather is very dry, and 

 the road dusty, considerable dust is introduced through 

 the ventilators ; but, as the cars are at present constructed, 

 it seems unavoidable. It is believed, however, that by a 

 properly constructed and furnished car, this could be 

 efiectually prevented. For this reason it is much prefer- 

 able to ship in boats where it is practicable. 



BOATS. 



Shipping by boats, although always preferable where it 

 can be done, is usually attended with more trouble in the 

 first instance. The railroad is prompt, speedy, and punc- 

 tual. All this the boats may also be, and usually are. But 

 the railroad remains constant aTid continuously throughout 

 the year. This the boats cannot be. Except during the 

 peach season, there is no sufficient trade to keep them 

 employed, and lines have to be extemporized for the 



