THE SCILLY ISLES 73 



Looking at flower production from a strictly com- 

 mercial standpoint, I have seen it stated that the 

 growers along the Riviera send to Paris alone flowers of 

 the value of 400,000 the year, while their total output is 

 estimated to bring in from 800,000 to 1,000,000. 

 These figures are sufficiently suggestive of the possi- 

 bilities of flower-growing, and, happily, as indicated by 

 the facts already stated, our home growers are showing 

 an increasing enterprise in following up the business 

 here, instead of leaving the foreigner to have too much 

 of his own way on our markets. The Scilly Isles, with 

 their favourable climate, had the honour of first start- 

 ing that enterprise on an extensive scale ; and since 

 Mr. T. Algernon Dorrien-Smith sent his first experi- 

 mental consignment of spring flowers to Covent Garden, 

 in 1865, the quantities have greatly increased. In 1885 

 they represented a total of 65 tons, and about 150,000 

 separate blooms would go to the ton. In 1898 the total 

 was 296 tons ; in 1900 it stood at 575 tons ; and in 1902 

 it increased to 751 tons. Since then the amount of 

 traffic has been almost stationary, for the total in 1904 

 (leaving out of account a temporary decline in 1903) 

 was 767 tons, and that for 1905 was 763 tons. A 

 record for any one day in the history of the Scilly 

 flower traffic was attained on March n, 1902, when 

 7,830 boxes of flowers, weighing 47 tons 15 cwt., 

 were brought over to the mainland in two steamers. 

 The largest number carried in one day during the 

 season of 1905 was on March 9, when 6,478 boxes, 

 weighing 32 tons 7 cwt., were handled. 



The cultivation of flowers for the market enabled the 

 Scillonians to recover from the period of depression 

 which had come upon them. But they have shared the 

 usual fate of pioneers in meeting with active opposition 

 when they had once showed the way, and to-day the 



