Agricultural and Commercial Society. 17 
actually rotten, of the fruit, were only able to obtain 
$6 for the lot. As the express charges alone from 
Halifax to Montreal amounted to $11 the result is 
most unsatisfactorj^ and it is only natural that Messrs. 
Hart & Tuckwell should have written as follows : 
"You will see from the above facts that it is not at 
all advisable for you to make shipments of this class of 
goods to our market. We see no money in it for you, 
when freight and duty, and also carrying quality of the 
goods is considered." 
It is unfortunate that in the case of both shipments 
of Citrous fruit the time taken in transit should have 
been abnormally long. But, apart from this, it is very 
evident from the dealers' remarks, that, unless the fruit 
can be laaded at its destination within ten, or at the 
very most, twelve days after shipment, there is no 
chance of its arriving in Canada in a merchantable 
the condition. We understand from the local agents of 
Pickford and Black Steamship Co. that the "Orinoco'' 
is furnished with small fans in a part of her hold, but 
that the probable cost of installing strong enough fans 
to thor )U4hly ventilate a special part of their steamers 
for fruit shipments from this port would be " very 
considerable." 
It is, therefore, our opinion that it would be useless to 
continue further shipments to Canada by the Pickford 
and Black Steamship Co. in the absence of mor^ 
effective artificial means for keeping the fruit fresh, as 
the journey by tliis line occupies about twenty days 
from Georgetown, fourteen of which are spent in a 
Q 
