Mat 22, 1902. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



905 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



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Decoration Day. 



Upon the tlorists of this country de- 

 volves the duty of preserving the orig- 

 inal intent of Memorial Day, and in our 

 humble opinion somq organized effort 

 should be made with that end in view. 

 The decorating of the principal monu- 

 ment in each city on that day by the 

 florists would result in a vast amount o€ 

 good to the trade, for it would remind 

 others of their duty. 



Don't you think that you could induce 

 some school or society to invest a small 

 sum in connection with the greatest 

 event in the history of their country? 

 True, you may not make a dollar on the 

 transaction, but you are sure to get some 

 good from it indirectly. Better for you 

 to do this than to loan out plants or 

 give flowers for nothing to some wealthy 

 Hen party. In the «ase of a class, society, 

 or school bujang plants from you, you 

 might arrange t* have them planted for 

 them; in many cases we notice plants 

 in pots put around some monuments, only 

 to be dried up and swept away in a day 

 or two. Where there is no room to put 

 plants out, better induce the party to 

 adopt the wreath. 



In the parade each Grand Army Post 

 should at least carry a well made wreath, 

 and we believe that every man could be 

 induced to pay 25 or 50 cents for an 

 individual wreath, providing it was made 

 prettily, and in quantity. Small, pretty 

 wreaths could be made for that price. 

 For Christmas and Easter we make her- 

 culean efforts to capture trade; would 

 it not pay to make up a set of Memorial 

 Day wreaths? Not artificial stock, but 

 well-made designs in natural material. 

 We are of the opinion that if such were 

 on exhibition in your window, and on 

 your counter from now on, many could 

 be sold. 



Six sprays of leucothoe, green or bronze 

 preferable, tied both sides of a ten-inch 

 wire ring, a small silk flag tied in the 

 center at the bottom, makes a pretty 

 little wreath that will appeal to any 

 Grand Army man, and it can be made 

 and sold at a profit for a few cents. The 

 same kind of design can be made of 

 boxwood, mountain laurel, bay leaves, 

 galax, cycas, ivy or any substantial green 

 with only a few cents difference in the 

 cost. The manner of making up the 

 wreaths should be such as to add value 

 to the material; they should be the same 

 on both sides, made good and substantial 

 and tidy, and have the national flag 

 attached. We are under the impression 

 that if florists would take a sample of 

 these to the proper authorities almost 

 every man parading in commemoration 

 of the day would carry one of these 

 wreaths to a comrade's grave. 



Where a collective wreath is desired 

 it can be made of lasting flowers such 

 aa roses, carnations, hydrangea, in fact 

 anything that will last several hours 

 parading, but there should be flowers, 

 not tinfoil, on the reverse side, and the 

 ■wreath should be any size from two to 



five feet in diameter. The only correct 

 wreath of green to put on a soldiers' 

 grave is a crescent wreath made full and 

 round, with bay leaves; of course there 

 are several others, which as things go 

 are good. A wreath of small cycas 

 leaves, the lightest of all wreaths (and 

 weight is a very important matter where 

 things have to be carried long distances) 

 can be made on a frame work of fine 

 wire netting. This is done by taking 

 a crescent wreath frame and fixing the 

 netting in the shape the wreath is when 

 mossed; individual leaves of Laurus no- 

 bilis or leucothoe are then fastened on 

 by wire hooks, twisted on the inside; the 

 reverse side of the wreath can be greened 

 with ferns, or Asparagus Sprengeri, or 



appropriate nor justify their manufac- 

 ture. Harmonious eft'ects, of course, are 

 alw'ays delightful, but the use of colors 

 in almost any form are permissible for 

 this event, in fact the more cheerful the 

 colors the better. You are not providing 

 for a funeral, you are beautifjdng mem- 

 ories, consequently boutonnieres of red, 

 white and blue (corn flowers, red rose, 

 white carnation, or any such), loose 

 bunchts of flowers or small wreaths of 

 flowers are distinctly good; even the 

 wearing of an ivy leaf shows some 

 thought of the full meaning of the day, 

 and when you consider the vast amount 

 of material, such as rhododendron, Aza- 

 lea Mollis and all manner of outdoor 

 flowers growing in the gardens or nur- 

 series of the laud, there are immense op- 

 portunities lost in not creating pleasure 

 and thoughtfulness in the minds of school 

 children, grown up people and the vet- 

 erans, that there is something beyond 

 cemeteries to be proud of on that day. 

 A photograph of a decorated monu- 

 ment in the City of Mexico has been sent 

 us and we are pleased to be able to show 

 American florists this example of good 

 taste. The only exception we take is 

 that the inscription in front is covered 



Decorated Monument, City of Mexico. 



smilax; there is no moss or sticks used. 

 This style of wreath could also be used 

 for general carrying purposes. 



Party emblems or designs are entirely 

 out of place on Decoration Day. Often 

 we see anchors, fire trumpets, swords, 

 flags, post or state designs made of sev- 

 eral colors in immortelles or cape flow- 

 ers; these are carried admiringly in pro- 

 cessions; but that does not make them 



too nuich. In your work it is always best 

 to frame, not cover, that which tells the 

 public why and to whom the honor is 

 done. IvERA. 



Bloomington, Ind. — A heavy hail 

 storm on May 13th did much damage to 

 outdoor plants and broke over 1,000 feet 

 of glass in the greenhouses of the Eott 

 Floral Co. No insurance. 



