THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



tries furnishes a most interesting theme for 

 study and investigation of methods and sys- 

 tems in comparison with those practised in 

 America. London, the great distributing 

 centre of England, and into whose markets 

 the produce of the world finds its way, has 

 two central markets, " Co vent Garden " and 

 " Spitalfields Market." The former, being 

 older and larger, and situated in the heart of 

 London, supplies a large portion of the in- 

 habitants, including the ditt. The latter is 

 situated in the east part of the city and sup- 

 plies the poorer classes of the great metropo- 

 lis ; and in times of gluts or congestion of any 

 product in the market is by far the better of 

 the two. Both markets practice the same 

 methods of buying and selling. Each is pro- 

 tected by a shed, covering several blocks, the 

 space of which is divide 1 into stalls, auction 

 stands and temporary storerooms, every avail- 

 able foot of space being utilized. The curbing 

 surrounding the market is lined with wagons 

 ^from which produce is sold. The rent for 

 wagon space averages about £1 per month, 

 while in the interior, stall space rents as high 

 as £5 per foot, the proceeds of which g > into 

 the city funds. 



The markets open for the receiving of pro- 

 duce at 4 a.m. ; and for the next two hours 

 everything is astir getting things in readiness 

 for the morning sales. Hundreds of wagons 

 empty here their tons of produce. By six 

 o'clock sales begin. The first visitors are the 

 retail grocers from all parts of the city, who 

 hurriedly purchase what their customers de- 

 mand and rush back to business. Following 

 these come the hotel stewards and boarding 

 house agents. Between ten o'clock and noon 

 the wealthier classes make their purchases. 

 Succeeding them come the commission men, 

 who deal largely with the outside trade. 



The English market lacks the variety and 

 taste of display characteristic of the typical 

 American market. This is due to the conser- 

 vative tastes and habits of the English people,^ 

 and makes it one of the easiest markets to be 

 supplied by the commission mon or the pro- 

 ducers. Fruits sent by cold storage and rapid 

 transit from all parts of the Occident and Ori- 

 ent, packed and arranged in many ways, find 

 their way into this market at seasons of the 

 year when the home supply is exhausted, 

 practically producing a continuous market 

 the year round. The commission men are 

 made up chiefly of Jews, who are thorough 

 business men and excellent salesmen. Their 

 busiest time is during the apple and potato 

 season. Apples are disposed of in hundred 

 and thousand barrel lots by auction sales. 

 Sample barrels only are exhibited at the auc- 

 tion block. To the outside trade in the 

 smaller cities and towns out of London sam- 

 ple baskets of fruit in stock are sent, by 

 means of which the trade is enabled to pur- 

 chase. Those seeking sales in the English 

 market find that to receive the highest prices, 

 uniformity of package, packed to suit the 

 consumer, is the secret of success. The Eng- 

 lish buyer appreciates the attempt of the sel- 

 ler to establish a reputation by the shipping 

 of first-class, graded goods, and never forgets 

 either in price or patronage. 



The city markets of continental Europe 

 vary greatlyi In some of the counti ies high 

 types of markets may be found ; but gener- 

 ally the opposite is the rule, and in many in- 

 stances tlie methods employed seem indeed 

 antiquated. In Holland the n)arket gardens 

 of the cities are on the docks bordering the 

 canals passing through the streets. Produce 

 is sold from these docks and from the boats. 

 Market hours are from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. All 

 sales are made in a quiet way and with a lack 

 of interest. While the fruit and vegetables 

 are spotlessly clean, they are crudely exhibi- 

 ted, usually in second-hand baskets, bands 

 or crates, occasionally in piles in the bottom.s- 

 of the boats. All flowers are most artistically 

 arranged and find ready sales, as. the Holland 

 people are great lovers of flowers. 



In the Austrian cities the markets are con- 

 ducted in open squares set aside by the gov- 

 ernment. The produce is sheltered by small 

 tents, awnings and huge umbrellas during the 

 market season in spring, summer and fall. 

 Warehouses and retail dealers consume the 

 products in the winter. In Vienna tolls or 

 fees are collected on all produce sold within 

 the city limits. As the bulk of the fruit and 

 vegetables is sold from wagons and temporary 

 stands, order and display are practised but 

 little. The hucksters' business is tremendous. 

 It is estimated that at least one- third of the 

 city's population is supplied with food by 

 them. The apple shipments to the cities of 

 Austria from the surrounding country are 

 made chiefly in boxes, each specimen being 

 wrapped in tissue paper. Ouly first-class 

 fruit is shipped in this manner, from seven to 

 eight hundred apples being placed in the box. 

 Sec jnd-class stock is shipped in barrels, care- 

 fully graded and labeled. 



The city markets of Italy are very unsystem- 

 atically arranged ; vegetables, fruits, wines, 

 macaroni and cheese are exhibited in the same 

 booth, giving an intermingling of odors. Yet 

 in spite of this irregularity of arrangement, 

 the Italian is noted for his wonderful methods 

 of display in showing his products. Peaches, 

 piums, prunes and grapes may be seen exhi- 

 bited on fresh leaves and in baskets lined with 

 cut tissue paper of different colors ; onions 

 braided into strands of corn husks, pyramids 

 of "palmagean" and " switzer cheese " — all 

 efforts being made to exhibit in as attractive 

 a style as possible. This is a feature observed 

 among the "Dagoes" in our own country 

 who make our best hucksters and street ven- 

 ders. From early morning until late in the 

 evening, the Italian market is a continual 

 babble. The produce found there is chiefly 

 made up of home products, a large amount of 

 which is shipped abroad. 



The German markets are patterned quite 

 extensively after the plans and methods of 

 the English and French markets. They are 

 very clean and systematically conducted.— 

 Large quantities of foreign fruits of various 

 kinds may be found at all times of the year in 

 these markets, for Germany does not begin to 

 produce fruit in sufficient quantities to sunplv 

 the home demand. ^^ ^ 



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