490 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



•gust 20, 1903. 



Exhibits of the Greenhouse Builders at the Convention. 



t.iined in small glass tubes, to prevent 

 wilting, vases of long-stemmed cut flow- 

 ers of distinct color, harmonizing with 

 the decorations of the different rooms 

 to be treated, are more preferable and 

 artistic than the former everyday bas- 

 ket arrangement, . even if the durability 

 of the flowers were the only considera- 

 tion. It is gratifying to observe there 

 is less ribbon used in conjunction with 

 floral decorations than formerly. While 

 ribbon embellishment is not objection- 

 able sometimes on floral designs, it is 

 somewhat out of character garlanded 

 with flowers and smilas in the draw- 

 ing room decorations. 



The construction or arrangement of 

 the bridal bouquets of previous years 

 was formal and compact. I will not 

 reflect so far to the past as to refer 

 to the camellia and tube-rose bouquets 

 of thirty-five years ago, with a border 

 of bristol board paper surmounted by an 

 edging of silk fringe, but contrast the 

 progress in floriculture of later years. 

 The introduction and growing of im- 

 proved varieties of roses, orchids and 

 novelties of every family in flora, all 

 assist the artist in forming the beauti- 

 ful and graceful bouquets of the times. 

 Flowers are never more admired, nor 

 do they appeal to us more favorably in 

 decorations of any kind than when ar- 

 rayed as near as possible to Nature's 

 handiwork. 



The treatment of the residence for re- 

 ceptions or dinner entertainments is. 

 somewhat similar to decorations for the 

 wedding celebration. 



Illustrating the decoration for a mod- 

 ern festivitv, we cannot do better than 

 describe in detail one of the many 

 which came under our own consideration. 

 Groups of palms arranged for best 

 effect were relieved by cut branches of 

 Porsythea Fortunii, Spireea prunifolia 

 and Pyrus japonica, forced for the oc- 

 casion," loosely arranged in concealed 

 vases of water. Mantels and mirrors 

 were banked and treated with the same 

 flowering shrubs, all producing a very 

 pleasing effect. Stairways were pro- 

 fuselv garlanded with Asparagus plum- 

 osus and forsythea, descending to the 

 main floor, where the dining room, li- 

 brarv, parlors and conservatory were 

 thrown into one great dining room. The 

 tables, which seated 300 guests, were 

 constructed to order, the center portion 

 built separately, six inches below the 

 outer sides for the placing of growing 

 orchids in pots. With tubs concealed 



under the tables, the trunks coming 

 through twelve feet apart, specimens of 

 Kicksonia antartica eight feet in height 

 were utilized, their tropical and graceful 

 fronds producing an admirable and 

 tasteful decoration. Hidden and sus- 

 pended in the fronds by flexible wires 

 were many glass tubes of water, each 

 containing sprays of eattleya orchids. 



Growing orchids embellished the man- 

 tels, festoons of Asparagus plumosus in- 

 terspersed with eattleya orchids beauti- 

 fied the mirrors, and the conservatory 

 in the background, in brilliant colors of 

 potted azaleas, sheltered, as it were, by 

 the overhanging branches of tropical 

 foliage, completed one of the most orig- 

 inal and elaborate decorations of the 

 season. 



Now, as to the accomplishment of suc- 

 cess in these "modern methods," it 

 must be remembered that these results 

 can be attained, so far as artistic ef- 

 fects and charming designs are con- 

 cerned, without any expensive and elab- 

 orate process and with even limited 

 means at one's disposal. 



If one has the love of flowers and 

 the soul of the artist within him, as 

 every florist worthy of the name should 

 have, the "modern methods" become a 

 delight and the development of a satis- 

 factory contract an easy possibility. Any 

 intelligent florist can succeed, who gives 

 proper thought and study to his deco- 

 rative department, and realizes that 

 therein lie the greatest opportunities for 

 his own development and the certain 

 growth of his business. 



One must be alert, progressive, am- 

 bitious and a student to achieve lasting 

 success in these modern days. With the 

 growth of capital come greater demands 

 and larger opportunities, and to fill the 

 demands of the wealthy, originality, 

 tact and ability to advise must be con- 

 tinually cultivated. There is no limi- 

 tation "to the growth of the taste for, 

 and elaborateness of, floral decorations. 

 Its future will be a giant in comparison 

 with what has been accomplished in the 

 past. There is no "method" of the 

 present that does not admit of improve- 

 ment, and to be "modern" we must live 

 in the future and grow upward to its in- 

 evitable demands. 



Should time permit, it would be inter- 

 esting to look at another side of our 

 subject, and that is the achievements 

 of our time in the decorations of im- 

 mense buildings, for national events, 

 such as the inaguration of a president 



or the graceful testimonies of respect 

 and grief when a hero is buried. But 

 this opens up a field that our limited 

 time forbids us to enter. Again, an- 

 other demonstration of floral decoration 

 Hashes across our vision, and we behold 

 what art and nature combined to pro- 

 duce in the glorious floral effects at the 

 World's Fair in Chicago. Now comes 

 another exposition, building at St. 

 Louis, by ' ' modern methods, ' ' grander 

 results than were even imagined ten 

 short years ago, and demonstrating to 

 all the world, as it will, that Flora is 

 the American queen, and that in our 

 devotion to her, and in ability to utilize 

 her handiwork, we lead the nations. 



It would be an interesting study to 

 consider how, under efficient supervision, 

 the modern methods will be utilized in 

 working out the perfected accomplish- 

 ments in decorative floral and horticul- 

 tural achievements, that will make our 

 glorious country in this respect, the ad- 

 miration of the centuries. 



MODERN GREENHOUSE CON- 

 STRUCTION. 



BT JOHN N. MAY, SUMMIT, N. J. 



Why I have been chosen to talk to you on 

 this subject is a conundrum to me. When 

 Your secretary wrote me some two mouths 

 iiL'o. asking- me to prepare a paper on this 

 subject. I told him that I was not in a 

 position to do justice to it. as I have not 

 any of the so-called modern lemses of my 

 own. and have not had time to investigate 

 them properly in other places and so de- 

 clined to handle it. One week ago I re- 

 ceived another letter from him reading 

 something like this: "I like to see your 

 name in the program and am going to put it 

 there, and trust to providence and you. as 

 I have done more than once before — so fire 

 awav. Yours, Stewart." 



Now the weather is a little too warm to 

 need fire at the present time, besides I do 

 not like the stoke hole well enough to go 

 down there to make fires: coal is also too 

 expensive to burn it unnecessarily. 



Regarding the sentence, "trust to provi- 

 dence." here he is off bis base and the um- 

 pire should declare him out : because if he 

 had given this subject to one of the florists 

 of that fine old city of Rhode Island you 

 might have had an interesting and instrue- 

 tive paper prepared, instead of a running 

 talk, as must always be the result of any 

 thing written on a train going at something 

 less or more than forty miles an hour — 

 partienlarlv when that train is praeti.allv 

 full of florists out for a royal good time, 

 with many of them, though not full in the 

 common term, yet generally pretty merry. So 

 under these circumstances I trust you will 

 not be too severe in your criticisms of my 

 shortcomings in what I may have to say 

 about modern greenhouse construction, be- 

 cause this word "modern" applies to all 

 sorts and sizes of greenhouses, ranging from 

 one of 6x8 all the way to others 50 feet 



