“ In England the Great Eastern Railway publishes a list giving in parallel columns names and addresses of farmers, market gardeners, or amateurs who are prepared to send farm or garden produce direct to consumers ; the county ; the station whence it starts ; and whether the goods men- tioned can be supplied in large or small quantities, so — County. Station. Name and Address. Description of Produce. Small or large quantity. Suffolk Finningham Cater, J. F. , Park Farm, Cotton, Stowmarket. Butter, eggs and poultry. Small. Suffolk Somerleyton Peto, L. , Blun- deston, Low- estoft. Butter, eggs, poultry, cream, ham, bacon, sausages, pork pies, honey, cream cheese. Large or Small. 113 I April “EASTERN COUNTIES” PLAN “ The list goes into minute particulars of what each can supply, and though most are described as ‘ eggs, poultry and vegetables,’ or ‘farm produce generally,’ others will offer only ‘ honey,’ or ‘ potatoes,’ or ‘ asparagus,’ or ‘flowers (is. ^d. large box) assorted, April to October.’ Another, again, says, ‘Jams, samole box ten i-lb. jars assorted jams, 5^.’ Another very modestly offers ‘parsley and sage only. All these things the railway company take from any station at 4^. per 20 lbs. by passenger train, and charge ‘ id. additional for every 5 lbs. or part thereof up to 60 lbs., includmg delivery within the usjml limits! “ The conditions are — 1. That the produce be packed in the boxes on sale at the different stations, or similar ones. 2. That boxes are secured by nails, not by rope or cord. 3- That produce is conveyed at ownei' s rtsk, and carriage prepaid (by parcels stamps on sale at stations). “ 4. That no box weigh more than 60 lbs. The boxes mentioned are intended to save senders the expense of conveyance of small returned empties, and are therefore light and inexpensive. They vary in size from lof in. length X7| in. breadth x 3 in. depth, for which only i\d. is the price, up to 2 if x 14 x 7, costing 5^. “ Fish, in the same way, is sent from Yarmouth to London 16 lbs. for 4<3f., and so on. I believe this arrangement of the railway company was a good deal due to the late Rev. Prebendary Harry Jones, who had noticed (I am told) the prices of turnips sold in costermongers’ carts in London, and thought that if his friends the farmers in the Eastern Counties could but get half those prices, agriculture would ‘ look up.’ ****** COLLECTION AND SALE OF EGGS April “ I have just been shown a printed paper circulated by a ‘lady gardener’ in Wales, giving a list with prices of plants for sale, also excellent pot-pourri ‘ from a very old recipe,’ is. 6d. an oz.; lavender flowers dried for linen-bags, Afd. an oz. She also sells poultry, eggs, butter, vegetables, fruit, honey, and cut flowers.”

AI-modernized reading of the original text

“ In England the Great Eastern Railway publishes a list giving in parallel columns names and addresses of farmers, market gardeners, or amateurs who are prepared to send farm or garden produce direct to consumers ; the county ; the station whence it starts ; and whether the goods mentioned can be supplied in large or small quantities, so — County. Station. Name and Address. Description of Produce. Small or large quantity. Suffolk Finningham Cater, J. F. , Park Farm, Cotton, Stowmarket. Butter, eggs and poultry. Small. Suffolk Somerleyton Peto, L. , Blundeston, Lowestoft. Butter, eggs, poultry, cream, ham, bacon, sausages, pork pies, honey, cream cheese. Large or Small. 113 I April “EASTERN COUNTIES” PLAN “ The list goes into minute particulars of what each can supply, and though most are described as ‘ eggs, poultry and vegetables,’ or ‘farm produce generally,’ others will offer only ‘ honey,’ or ‘ potatoes,’ or ‘ asparagus,’ or ‘flowers (is. ^d. large box) assorted, April to October.’ Another, again, says, ‘Jams, samole box ten i-lb. jars assorted jams, 5^.’ Another very modestly offers ‘parsley and sage only. All these things the railway company take from any station at 4^. per 20 lbs. by passenger train, and charge ‘ id. additional for every 5 lbs. or part thereof up to 60 lbs., including delivery within the usual limits! “ The conditions are — 1. That the produce be packed in the boxes on sale at the different stations, or similar ones. 2. That boxes are secured by nails, not by rope or cord. 3- That produce is conveyed at owner's risk, and carriage prepaid (by parcels stamps on sale at stations). “ 4. That no box weigh more than 60 lbs. The boxes mentioned are intended to save senders the expense of conveyance of small returned empties, and are therefore light and inexpensive. They vary in size from lof in. length X7| in. breadth x 3 in. depth, for which only i\d. is the price, up to 2 if x 14 x 7, costing 5^. “ Fish, in the same way, is sent from Yarmouth to London 16 lbs. for 4<3f., and so on. I believe this arrangement of the railway company was a good deal due to the late Rev. Prebendary Harry Jones, who had noticed (I am told) the prices of turnips sold in costermongers’ carts in London, and thought that if his friends the farmers in the Eastern Counties could but get half those prices, agriculture would ‘ look up.’ ****** COLLECTION AND SALE OF EGGS April “ I have just been shown a printed paper circulated by a ‘lady gardener’ in Wales, giving a list with prices of plants for sale, also excellent pot-pourri ‘ from a very old recipe,’ is. 6d. an oz.; lavender flowers dried for linen-bags, Afd. an oz. She also sells poultry, eggs, butter, vegetables, fruit, honey, and cut flowers.”

Hilda's diary of a Cape housekeeper