344 



The WeeUy Florists' Review. 



AUGUST 23, I'JUO. 



ranta Viiginalis major and Maranta 

 Sanderiana. , 



Silver medal for specimen palm 

 went to Arthur Herrington, for per- 

 haps the finest Kentia Belmoreana in 

 the country; it is a gem. The second 

 prize was won by W. S. Rennie, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y., with an immense 

 Phoenix reclinata. 



Silver medal for group of ferns was 

 won by James Dowleu, this contained 

 a great variety of lovely forms; the 

 second prize went to Howard Nichols, 

 for a group of mostly well gi-own A. 

 Farleyense. 



First pi-ize for six pots of cannas 

 won by Alex. Marshall, Pawling, N. 

 Y., and they were fine after traveling 

 such a long distance. Second prize 

 went to J. Boshard. 



The prize for new and rare plants 

 went to Wm. Duckham. Many of these 

 were extremely beautiful and the only 

 ones in the country. 



Ed. Wolz put up a fine group of 

 coleus which added much interest to 

 the show. 



First prize, six dracaenas, Wm. 

 Duckham. 



First prize, specimen Asparagus 

 Sprengeri, Thomas Cockburn. 



First prize, specimen croton, Geo. 

 H. Hale. 



I. L. Powell made a pretty display 

 of aquatics and ferns. 



First prize, group of crotons, and 

 they were elegant, went to P. Riley, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Collection of Rex begonias, a superb 

 lot, first prize, A. K. Petit, of the 

 Deaf and Dumb Institute, N. Y. City; 

 second prize, D. E. Roy, Maiden; 

 Mass.; third prize, Ed. Wolz. 



First prize, six palms, A. Herring- 

 ton, with Thrinax elegans, Corypha 

 Australis, Chamaerops Stuaracanthus, 

 Phoenix Rupicola, Cocos Binnotii and 

 Pinanga Kuhlii. 



First prize, table of fancy leaved 

 caladiums, Wm. Duckham. Second 

 prize, Jas. Dowlen; both of these were 

 very brilliant. 



Three nepenthes, first prize, Wm. 

 Duckham. 



Collection of asters, 16 varieties, 

 first prize, A. A. Taaffe. 



Six dracaenas, second prize, Arthur 

 Herrington; third prize, Ed. Wolz. 



First for specimen fern went to 

 Howard Nichols for a grand A. Far- 

 leyense. Second prize, W. S. Rennie. 

 Third prize, Geo. H. Hale. Davallia 

 Fijensis, Microlepia and Nephrolep- 

 sis in all the fern classes were very 

 grand; finer were never seen. 



First, for three specimen ferns, 

 Howard Nichols. Second, A. Herring- 

 ton. 



A. Herrington won first on specimen 

 cycas. Second, H. Nichols. Third, 

 Geo. H. Hale; all of these were Cycas 

 revoluta. 



Collection of cut cannas, first, J. 

 Boshard. Second, Alex. Marshall. 

 Third, Wm. Duckham. Mr. Marshall 

 showed a fine new dark canna of much 

 merit. 



For collection of gladiolus, W. 

 Duckham, first. 



Collection of hardy flowers, A. Her- 

 rington, first; E. Powell, second. 



Collection of annuals, first, Jas. 

 Dowlen. 



Geo. Hale also won a first for col- 

 lection of ten species of herbaceous 

 flowers. 



Hale won second for collection of as- 

 ters. 



Chas. H. Atkins, Madison, N. J., 

 won first on design for flower garden. 



The grapes shown were very fine; 

 those grown by John Ash, of Pomfret 

 Center, Conn., were wonderful; he 

 won first for six bunches and first for 

 four bunches. Wm. Turner, second. 

 Wm. Barth, third. 



In the classes for hot house peaches 

 Wm. Scott won two firsts. 



In the vegetable classes such veter- 

 ans as N. Butterbach, Adam Wenger- 

 ter, Jas. Dowlen, W. Duckham, An- 

 drew Taaffe, R. Angus, Geo. Hale 

 Wm. Scott, L. A. Martin, E. Powell 

 and others won several firsts and sec- 

 onds. 



Altogether it was a fine show and 

 great credit is due all concerned. 



J. I. D. 



FLORAL DECORATION, 



.'\N iLLUSTRATKrj LEC TURK ! PkHP.-\RED AND 



Read by Robert Kift of Philadelphia. 



The title of my paper covers the whole 

 field of floral arrangement, the principal 

 divisions of which are church, house and 

 table decorations. Any one of these could 

 be but touched upon in the limited time 

 at my disposal. I shall consider them, 

 therefore, in the broad sense, as in the 

 views which I have here collected exam- 

 ples of all classes of decorative work will 

 be found. We read of the splendors of an- 

 cient Roman and Egyptian banquets, 

 where flowers were said to have been so 

 lavishly used. Unfortunately, I have no 

 photographic views of these to offer you, 

 and it may be that newspaper reporters 

 were also abroad in the land, then, as 

 now. 



While we may not hope to rival these 

 celebrated fetes for some time to come, 

 there is no doubt that the use of plants 

 and flowers in decorations at all social 

 functions is rapidly becoming more gen- 

 eral. 



Large private entertainments or balls 

 are now given by individuals, that for 

 lavish display far exceed the former 

 united efforts of the entire four hun- 

 dred. Wedding festivities are a'so, if 

 possible, made greater society events, 

 and at times tax the resources of the 

 florist to the utmost. 



Perhaps the greatest factor for the in- 

 creasing recurrence of these elaborate 

 displays is the occasional "carte blanche" 

 order that, falling into good hands, is 

 carried out with judgment and discre- 

 tion, thereby producing a floral effect 

 that delights all and encourages other 

 patrons to even greater efforts when the 

 occasion arises. 



On the other hand, money expended for 

 flowers is too often considered wasted or 

 of least moment. Editorials, even, have 

 been written in the daily press, deploring 

 the extravagant and senseless waste for 

 such lavishment of flowers upon these oc- 

 casions. The reverse is the case, how- 

 ever, as the delicacies and the music, 

 considered so absolutely essential, are 

 soon forgotten, while the decorations, 

 greatly admired at the time, make a deep 

 and lasting impression. 



When an architect plans a house he 

 sees In his mind's eye Just how every 



room will look before a line is drawn. 

 The floral decorator should be able to do 

 the same with his work. A look over the 

 ground and a study of the color effects 

 of the furnishings and permanent orna- 

 mentations will show him Just where the 

 special features that he has in his mind 

 can be displayed to the best advantage. 

 Every arrangement of flowers or 

 plants, be it ever so small, should have 

 some little touch to distinguish it, some 

 individuality. Every room should have 

 a point to which especial attention is 

 given, so that on account of its novel or 

 tasteful arrangement it attracts atten- 

 tion. It is these special features that call 

 forth admiration; they make a lasting 

 impression that is carried away, they are 

 the life of the work. 



Every decorator should provide Iiimself 

 with neat wooden and wicker pedestals 

 of various heights. Iron stands, some 

 adjustable and fitted with tipping devices 

 lo hold a plant securely on its side, are 

 also useful. Pot-covers in good assort- 

 ment of sizes are indispensable. All the 

 above, except a few for special occasions, 

 should be painted a foliage green, as it 

 is the plants that-^dd beauty and grace, 

 the covers and pedestals are merely ac- 

 cessories, and should be concealed as 

 much as possible. 



Tall floor vases for chrysanthemums or 

 American Beauty roses are almost a ne- 

 cessity. These can now be had in sil- 

 vered wicker with zinc lining, not better 

 than glass, but much more lasting. 



If the order calling for a house decora- 

 tion is elaborate, have a base of opera- 

 tions; put your boxes in the laundry or 

 other cool room in the basement, and 

 work from there; this confines the Utter 

 mostly to one place and keeps the stock 

 in better form. 



The foliage and flowers for each room 

 should be selected and boxed separately 

 from a list previously made out, showing 

 the different points where each lot is to 

 be used, which when ticketed off makes 

 the order complete. This should follow 

 with all plants, pedestals, pot-covers, 

 vases and other accessories, which when 

 checked again insures the safe return of 

 all that had gone out, and means a great 

 saving in the course of a season's work. 



Those of the trade who make a special- 

 ty of large decorations soon become more 

 than mere florists and appropriate the 

 word decorator. They also add to their 

 force upholsterers, carpenters and elec- 

 tricians, and are obliged before long to 

 hire storage room for the properties that 

 accumulate, and which, by rearranging, 

 can be utilized time and time again. 

 Their use will be demonstrated in the 

 views later on. 



I must also speak of the kneeling stool 

 or Prie Dieu. Some form of this useful 

 article should be found in every decora- 

 tor's stock, it being indispensable at a 

 house wedding, and is also often an es- 

 sential feature at the church. 



Within the past twelve to fifteen years 

 the decorator has called to his aid the 

 evergreens of the woods. Laurel branch- 

 es and wreathing made of their sprays 

 were first used: then that grand southern 

 vine, the wild smilax, was introduced by 

 A. C. Oelschig. of Savannah, Georgia, in 

 1SS8. I have an interesting letter from 

 Caldwell the Woodsman, who while he 

 does not claim to be the original smilax 

 man, is without doubt the genius who 

 found out its commercial value, and hav- 

 ing faith, devoted his whole time collect- 

 ing and getting it before the public. He 

 invented the light packing case and ob- 

 tained special express rates; so that now 

 it can be had in almost any city of the 

 Union and Canada during its season, and 

 he thinks the entire output of last season 

 would probably reach over 3,500 cases. 

 Palm leaves arid crowns, as well as leu- 

 cothe sprays and galax leaves, are also 

 used extensively. Wild smilax adapts 

 itself to almost any kind of wall or sus- 

 pended form of decoration; each spray 

 seems as if especially selected for ar- 

 ranging over this picture or mirror, or 

 over that doorway, as the case may be. 

 The only danger lies in its too promiscu- 

 ous use, as then its naturally irregular 

 and graceful form is lost in the mass 

 of foliage. 



