THE SWEET VIOLET 79 



a " Market " bunch is the bunch as sent to the market by 

 the growers. These are frequently loosened and the same 

 quantity of flowers divided into two or more bunches for 

 the retail trade. It is one of the floral wonders in London 

 that Violets can be sold so cheaply by the numerous 

 flower-girls, whose cry of " Penny a bunch, sir/' is 

 familiar to every one. Whilst Violets are purchasable at 

 every street corner, they are none the less popular in the 

 high-class florist shops in Regent Street and the Central 

 Avenue in Covent Garden Market. They are used exten- 

 sively for all kinds of decoration, at funerals no less than 

 at weddings ; occasionally crosses, anchors, and other 

 devices are formed almost entirely with Violets. 



On the Continent, Sweet Violets occupy similar positions 

 to that given them in Britain, and in America and Canada 

 they are not less appreciated. An American writer has 

 stated that in that country the Violet ranks third in com- 

 mercial importance amongst florists' flowers, and its season 

 extends for about seven months. Until a few years ago 

 the cultivation in America was not of the best, although so 

 general, but latterly much greater care has been taken to 

 produce flowers of the highest quality, and the trained 

 horticulturists at the experiment stations have devoted 

 themselves to studying the several fungus diseases that 

 attack the plants. 



