476 
The Sources of Supply of the 
so, and, therefore, all things considered, he is induced to save 
himself much trouble and employ the salesman. 
In laying before the reader some of the chief sources of supply, 
I will begin with our own country. 
In the first three months of the year vast quantities of flowering 
broccoli (erroneously called cauliflowers by many persons) are 
received from Cornwall ; very frequently 20 tons per day. The 
Cornish broccoli are followed by extensive supplies from the 
Midlands ; the very best come from the neighbourhood of 
Northampton. 
In March early radishes are received extensively from 
Worcestershire. One salesman has sold 300 hampers in one 
day. They leave Evesham and neighbouring stations in the 
evening and reach Manchester at three o'clock the following 
morning in excellent condition. As I shall frequently have to 
mention Evesham as a source of supply, I may here quote what 
a writer said of it fifty years ago : — 
" The vale of Evesham is celebrated for the extreme richness 
and fertility of its soil, which, by the successful mode of culti- 
vation, produces earlier and more abundant crops than that of 
any other part of the country. Near the town, on both sides 
of the river, large portions of ground have been converted into 
gardens, horticulture constituting the chief occupation of the 
labouring class : asparagus attains an unequalled perfection in 
the soil, and is extensively cultivated, and vegetables of every 
kind are, by means of the River Avon, conveyed hence to the 
principal towns in the surrounding district." 
Since this was written, capital, science, and industry have 
enabled the gardeners of the productive vale of Evesham to im- 
measurably increase their out-put, and the railway has come and 
superseded the River Avon in distributing it. 
A great many spring radishes are also grown at Wallasey, on 
the Cheshire side of the Mersey, and sent to the Manchester, 
Liverpool, 'and Yorkshire markets. 
Water-cress has become an article of considerable commercial 
importance ; as an early spring salad it is a great favourite 
throughout these districts, and has a yearly increasing sale. It 
comes principally from Oxfordshire, where it is highly culti- 
vated and finds employment for a considerable number of 
peasants. It is cut in the afternoon, put on the train, and 
reaches the Manchester market at three o'clock the following 
morning. Many tons are sold here in one day. Thirty-five 
years ago the only supply of this article to Manchester was 
brought in a hamper or two by men, who gathered it from the 
Cheshire ditches. 
The first supply of spring cabbages comes from the far-famed 
