VEGETABLE GARDENING 
182 
232. Transportation by rail. — Enormous quantities of 
vegetables are transported by the steam railways of the 
country, shipments being made by freight and express. 
It is common to find solid trains of a single kind of 
vegetable moving toward the great centers of population. 
A prevailing practice for local shipments of miscellaneous 
vegetables is for the train crew to distribute cars in the 
forenoon and to collect them on the return trip to the 
city in the afternoon. 
For summer shipments the cars must be iced or well 
ventilated. Refrigeration is universally employed for 
long distances, and when the distance is very great re- 
icing may be necessary to insure the delivery of the 
vegetables in first-class condition. In the winter, cars 
must be properly insulated to prevent the freezing of 
vegetables. The trolley is becoming an important means 
of transporting garden crops. 
233. Transportation by water. — Boats are used to a 
considerable extent in the transportation of vegetables. 
At Norfolk, Va., many truckers own gasolene boats, 
which are used in carrying produce to the large steamers. 
Loading proceeds all day, and in the evening the steamer 
departs for a northern market with its thousands of bar- 
rels or other packages. Refrigeration is also used if 
necessary on the steamers, and is accomplished by plac- 
ing the ice over the packages, or at the sides of the ship 
if the produce must be protected from the melting ice. 
Water transportation is regarded as highly satisfactory 
and the freight rates are usually lower than by rail. 
An extensive market gardener at Orient, Long Island, 
uses several boats in delivering vegetables. Figure 57 
shows one of the smaller sizes. A large dock house has 
been built on this farm, and it is also used in storing sup- 
plies, such as fertilizers and packages brought in by boat. 
234. Selling to the consumer. — When a limited area 
is cultivated it is often an advantage to sell direct to the 
