Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-09
RaiI-oads and FIorida Melons.

Editor Morning NelcS: A Baltimore
journal, recently, noticing the arrival of
Florida melons in that market, observed
that ''for the first time" railroad transit
had been employed in transporting melons
from Florida to Baltimore in large guam
titles, and that it ''proved a great advant-
age, as only four days were occupied
on the route.'
Perhaps no article of trade has better
marked the progress and Improvement OF
rail transportation than the ''irrepres-
sible" watermelon. From the large size,
weight, pulpy and perishable ma
ture of this fruit it was
not believed few years ago
that it cOulu be shipped in bulk at all
over rumblIng, jumbling railroads for
hundreds o. miles, and then, where would
any railroad obtain extra cars sufficient
to move large crop which could, under
no circumstances, wait single week for
| accommodation? To increase the diff
culties, none OF the railroads penetrating
the melon regions could singly and
alone deliver them at markets
capable of consuming the crop,
and what guarantee could they give for
! transportation beyond their own termini?
And yet an hundred cities in the North
and Northwest, who only know of South
O6OT2ld anu lOTlud dS We huOW VI u a
I'll, are astonished at the arrival of i'm
mense trains laden with delicious melons
| from the far away "land of flowers" be-
| fore their own thrifty farmers have
scarcely more than planted seed.
The debut of the Southern watermelon
! in bulk, assuming the giant proportions OF
/ a crop, put the railroad men to thinking,
| and the result was as grand and import
ant to the interests of the country as its
/ success was unexpected in the South.
| Corn, cotton, -four, and other less perish
| able articles, could be delayed and re-
| shipped with impunity, but the ripenlng
watermelon would brook no delay and
/ tolerate no rough or repeated handling.
| 1t must 20 through speedily, and that on
| ''flOwery beds of ease" whatever the dis
/ lance to market. What was to be done?
| The railroads had a decision to make
/ they must ignore the coming watermelon,
/ or abandon the selfish policy of acting
| each for itself and multiplying cost by re-
! handling at every terminus.
Behold now show great a flame a little
| fire kindlethp' The question was settled
/ as soon as the facts were developed.
| Combinations and mutual accommodate
| tiOns followed; connections grew into
| steadiness and perfection; through trains
were inaugurated on all competing lines,
| and the triumphant watermelon rolled
into Northern markets by the legion.
! The transportation system of the ma
ton, which Herbert Spencer so aptly COM
pares in vital Importance TO the arterial
system of the body, was now complete
finished in its high functional ordination.
| Food supplies could now flow unchecked
to all parts of the national body, as the
vitalizing blood to all parts of the animal
body, and civilization took higher step
| in the scale of social organization.
The good work there begun has in few
| years diffused itself throughout the ma
ton. Instead of being rare as formerly,
| it has become the rule, and the railroads
| all over the country as in the case of the
| approaching Worlds Fair at New Or
| leans are seen uniting their wonderful
energies to abate obstacles ard insure
success, in whatever locality or section
| enterprise calls for their aid. One or two
| lines might, perhaps, fall short OF
the demand made upon their ca
pacity, as in the beginning of the
watermelon trade of the South; but con-
| cert of action between all connecting
lines, and reciprocal interchange of re-
sources, accOmplishes all that could be
| desired. In this instance it developed a
most important fact-that the requisite
| time could be made to render available in
| Northern markets great Southern fruit
| crop of so delicate and perishable ma
| ture, that it must otherwise remain for
| ever dormant or restricted to home con-
sumption.
This was not accomplishing all that
was needed for the success of the melon
trade, for moderate cost is as necessary
| to profitable traffic as facility for trans
! portation, but it was a great gain, to be
valued and improved in the future. The
| full demands of the great trade suddenly
| opened could not, perhaps, be met at
| once by transportation lines unadjusted
to the new situation; but those demands
| once understood must surely be answered
| by time and interest, in concessions and
| improvements that cannot fail to surmount
| all obstacles not insuperable. Trade,
| of course, is always impatient and shows
its teeth to all retarding forces, whether
they come from private or from govern
mental sources; and we are indebted to
this for substantial thrift, with the thou
sand satisfactory results which flow from
awakened energy; but intelligence modi-
fles that Impotence and renders it less
| CALLING by more surely devising the ways
and means of a practical remedy without
pitting interest against interest or resort
| ing to the empirical method of opening
one wound to heal another.
OBSERVER.