THE ISLES OF FLOWERS.

Northern Advocate, 7 February 1925, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE ISLES OF FLOWERS.

SCILLY'S CHIEF INDUSTRY. (By "M.S.M." in the Melbourne "Age.") Where .will one find flowers growing in such, quantities as in those isles which lie in the wild Atlantic some 25 miles south from Land's End? In the Scilly Islands enchantment lingers; and an industry of the most peaceful kind is carried on by men and women, who find the richness of life in paths that the city industrial worker knows not. Perhaps those flsherfolk, who cultivate flowers, have won back that tranquility of soul wlndi was lost in the Garden of Eden. In the legend of man's fall the spiritual disaster is symbolised by his exclusion from a garden, and so "the moral tragedy of modern industrialism is only the repetition of that ancient fable." We may visualise the Scilly Ilses, clothed in flowers, decorated in magic colours, more wondrous than an Oriental car pet. Over those isles acres upon acres of flowers are cultivated for the markets of the chief cities of England and Scotland; and by means of the flower industry Scilly has been saved from ,

starvation and decay. The climatic conditions of the Scilly Isles are "ideal for growing a great variety of flowers. For soil, these fine ro'-kv islets are covered with a thin layer of disintegrated granite, which is excellent for flower cultivation. From Christmas to May the flower, industry'is. at its height, and a regular supply of 100 tons of blooms per week is sent to the mainland. During the season of 1922-1923 is is estimated that 1200 tons of flowers were transshipped from Scilly. It is only during recent years that flower farming has assumed such importance in Scilly. Necessity drove the fishing population to cultivate flowers as a supplementary living. Modern inventions had killed the shipbuilding industry of the isles, and the fishermen found it expedient to add to. their pecuniary store when their roving sea life was over.

For generations the common white narcissi had bloomed in riotous profusion in the Scilly Isles —had bloomed and faded, without special notice being taken of its commercial possibilities. On one occasion a small supply was forwarded to Convent Garden, for which a good price was paid, and from that time the steady cultivation of narcissi blooms began in Scilly. Although the cultivation of 'narcissi bloonis is. most popular among the seafaring folk, yet . many other kind of flowers are .grown for profit. Some two "hundred or more varieties of flowers are grown by. the islanders the arum lilies being among the chief. These lilies " are in large demand for church festivals in England, and yield very profitable results. Each lily has to be carefully packed in cotton-wool and handled with t the utmost care. The flower transportation begins each year -about Christmas, according to weather conditions. Then every soul is. engaged in picking, packing, and shipping the blooms. Women are the ehief pickers, ;and have to use great discretion as to the most. suitable" blooms for commercial 'purposes. The. opening buds are usually selected. These are arranged in bunches, and treated in special ways for preservation during the journey to the mainland.

The Scillonian fisherman is sure of his market, for his flowers blooms usually before those of the Channel Isles, and so he gets first into the big city markets. His has been an increasing industry, year by year, during the past forty years, until last year the profits from the flower firms amounted to many thousand of pounds.

On Christmas Day, 1923, a quarter of a million bulbs were sent from Tresco, one of the main Scilly Isles, for shipment to France, where . they were planted. on the graves of the soldiers. This Christmas we may in fancy picture those golden • emblems from the magic isles beautifying tlio resting places of the fighting men in such a way as only flowers can. To visit the Scilly Isles when the flowers are in full bloom is to witness an unforgettable sight, to experience indescribable emotions. Innamerable flowers of all shapes and hues cover the land from the crest of each hill down to where the ocean laps the sand dunes. Here one is aloof from the world of hurry and machinery. No distracting sound disturbs the perfect peace of Nature's harvest. All the magic of time seems to dwell in these isles of flowering beauty.