The sun., 1902-01-12
COyENT GARDEN AT CHRISTMAS.
Early Morning Scenes In I.ondOn's Great
Flower and Fruit Market.

Flower and Fruit Market.
From The Lonaon I,ndg GrJr sic
Except the newspaper offices Covent Ger-
den Is the earliest thing astir. ] ong before
the householder sts his eye over the morn
ing paper the big market has done half It's
business for the day, and while he Is re-
luctantly turning his attention n thoughts
of the morning train Covent Garden has
already closed one Of its doors-that of the
flower market The flower market begins
at an hour when some part OF London IS
reluctantly thinking Of going 20 bed. and
another part of Londcn-the little world OF
the newspaper offces--is beginning TO wish
that u could The flower market IL per-
haps at its best when at its earliest. for
then there are most flowers The place
seems 20 be made Of them, and the scent
OF them Is dewy, warm and sweet on the
ravest morning Gradually the piled high
tiers and terraces Of open boxes begin 20
come down and dissolve under the attacks u
OF buyers. much as tie great piles OF CHRIST
mas letters at st Martins s-le-Grand begin
TO melt under the influence OF the sorters
But there are many varieties OF sorters at
Covent Garden.
First come the owners from the small
shops, and these have to come early in order
10 get anything apprOa ching bar gam before
the buyers for the big shops put In an ap-
pearancc Naturally specially selected lots
are kept ba OK for the big shops. but ~ -
! true Of the flower market ns OF elsewhere
/ that when gods arrive the halt-gods go
! The hig shops send experts, and when the
| experts have gone the cream oil the markrt
| has gone. too, for aNcluslVeness OF supply
rather than Cheapness j. what the special
buver- seek some Covent Garden sellers
keep flowers or "a particular quality oi nov,
! err. for one shop alone - that Resent street
| florist might be- in position TO say, a. Er-
| gent street draper might. that you eau get
! this line here. madam, but nowhere 'l>" 10
The next 10 come are. perhaps. the more
! ger aud husinesslike small buy"r- Hhd
privata persons. but he hours az which th"~"
] come ringing from clock IN the morning
until = depend rather on individual temI"Ta-
meut and character For Instance. a. this
time Of the yeari a. AZ Easter lde. energetic
d young pcopl" from fashionable 'hGr'tr~
maxi" their appearance" az s'ar'HnglN ~'il-
DENYING hour Ia order to secure Hover 20
. bulk win which to decorate IA" church lh"
ssf-dcuill l. not - necessary a. thfi~' mas
Tim. a. AZ Easter bsCHus. the church ora
tinn- consist lr-, of flowers than Of th' holly,
] ivy aud evergreen type Of ornament and
thr-a >"H-ouihl" flowers do not din'i very
quite sure whether III" Idea that biIe llu-
. are secured nv the private buyer vino '.iH's
10 the early MON ~ market i not s"url h' Z
yune. aud indeed Nhil" hr L. making uf his
F mind thr flower girls aud ~" c"-i,f- blffn~s
. are taking Iu heir luad-. g-rrTillN ~ pflr"s
reduced d good dsal brlow thai -uFRr-t"d by
the amateur H' mighi do almost Hll q. N"ll
by rtaliug % home and huyiug from ih'-'
small uiurrtUit- % hr wants noN"rs u Uulh
he want m,rrly q few good Hover. p'rh 90
b" do H"l'T A ihr hFrH mHfh'' 'h. ,
. cl>"Nh'r. i'f h" 'uu b' i"lE "tl"l" -
I mn, .. ,rr'ala .rsl .dar Boz tho
flower lr..' sm.h i'.I.. 20. ''""f .u'' i'.. 4.
Glrdar H.ir, ou no. rp.-uarl'f dove
ihr hurrf. .r. ,lrHirf u.i.f o.. fr.-h Hrd
q, ,H''r. , '., -'''''..... ..... .",9 NJ. " r.,
IruiaH.l Du-H- Hnd atr 'iu. .I-.
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