Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 4 (August 1, 1930)

Floral Freight

Floral Freight

Part of the midnight freight now arriving at the big London and provincial stations is composed of hundreds of tons of cut flowers on their way to the early morning markets. These flowers come from the Scilly and Channel Islands, Penzance, Spalding, Holland and France, and in some cases have travelled hundreds of miles by sea and land. The transport arrangements, however, are such that within twenty-four hours of packing this floral freight is delivered to the various markets. It is of a highly perishable nature and is therefore conveyed by express passenger or “perishable” trains.

During the peak period over 100 tons, representing 6,000,000 blooms, arrive nightly at Covent Garden Market alone. The blooms, which consist chiefly of daffodils, narcissi, anemones, tulips, roses, violets, mimosa, etc., are picked while still in bud and carefully packed in wooden boxes, thus ensuring their reaching the market in perfect condition. During a normal season, 4,000 to 5,000 tons of cut blooms arrive from the Continent, 3,000 tons from the Channel Islands, 1,700 tons from Spalding, and 1,100 tons from the Scilly Islands and Penzance district. —From The Railway Newsletter.