78 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



December 9, 1897. 



Cattlcya Hardyana. 

 (Natural Hybrid, Gigas X Chrysotoxa.) 



A PRETTY WEDDING DECORA- 

 TION. 



The illustration on page 79 shows 

 the altar decoration for the King-\'an 

 Cise wedding which occurred at Summit, 

 N. J., recently, at the Methodist Episco- 

 pal church. 



Autumn foliage, chrysanthemums, smi- 

 lax, Florida palm leaves, pahns and col- 

 ored dracsenas were the subjects used, 

 and while the whole was on quite an 

 elaborate scale, the body of the church 

 being decorated also, the expense was 

 small considering the result, as the fol- 

 lowing tabulation will show: 



One double horse team with driver, secur- 

 ing autumn foliage, one-half day $ 2 00 



Mans time for one-half day 1 00 



100 Chrysanthemums, 3nd quality 10 00 



lOOChr'ysinthemums. Istquality 29 00 



100 Florida palm leaves ■' 00 



50 strings smilax 6 00 



Man's time at church, one day 2 00 



One double horse wagon of palms, etc.. 

 fetching and returnmg 10 00 



Net actual cost 9^ 00 



To this of course nmst be added your 

 own time looking after previous details, 

 time at church, etc., figuring your profit 

 between the actual net cost and the price 

 secured for the decoration, say |i&o.oo. 



While the church was not very large, a 

 schoolroom divided only by revolving 



shutters, which were raised during the 

 ceremony, and also decorated, were in- 

 cluded in the work. The amount of ma- 

 terial used might be increased or de- 

 creased according to the contract made, 

 the church being larger or smaller. 



The autumn foliage used included oak, 

 dogwood, maple, and some (yellow) which 

 the walnut furnishes at this time of the 

 year; the color plan of the decoration, 

 autumn tints, yellow and white chrysan- 

 themums and green palms produced an 

 excellent effect for evening with electric 

 light. 



As in the illustration here reproducea 

 the altar was of course the "piece de re- 

 sistance." There were three platforms, 

 including the organ floor, the rails serving 

 as an excellent support for attaching the 

 branches. Against the organ pipes one 

 large, handsome piece of "dogwood" was 

 wired, giving it a lace like appearance. 

 Then the pillars on either side were pieces 

 of "walnut" i8 feel high, .\roimd the first 

 rail were large pieces of "maple," very 

 bold in effect and color, then canie a per- 

 fect hedge of oak, in the center of which 

 was a group of palms, the big arecas 

 seen arching nicely where the "knot" 

 was tied, and on the altar rail proper smi- 

 lax was looped and 1 he standards entwined 

 with the same. Here and there among 

 the foliage were placed palm leaves and 



single chrysanthemum flowers, and as 

 seen in the illustration, large vases of 

 blooms were placed, some hanging in 

 "graceful revelr\" over the rail, yellow 

 and white predominating, the former 

 chiefly Major Bonnaffon and Henry Hur- 

 rell, and the latter Mayflower and Ivory. 



In the v\-indows were a colored dxa- 

 caena, harmonizing prettily with the foli- 

 age, flanked on either side with a palm, 

 pots covered with autumn foliage, and the 

 gothic arches looped with smilax a la 

 Schuyler Mathews. The walls were cov- 

 ered with flat pieces of foliage, with 

 palm leaves for a "base." The woodwork 

 of the gallery was also massed with foli- 

 age and on the pillars between the church 

 and the schoolroom large bunches of 

 "mums" were tied, backed by foliage 

 also. The seats reserved for the family 

 were ruled off by smilax wreathed and 

 festooned along the backs. 



One of the main points is to secure 

 large, bold, highly colored pieces of 

 autumn foliage, as these can be easily 

 trimmed at the place of action. Flat 

 pieces are preferable, though for the 

 altar large, artistic, scraggy pieces gave a 

 bold and natural effect that smaller pieces 

 would have failed to give. H. A. B. 



THE STORY OF AN EMIGRANT 

 ( NOT EMINENT) FLORIST. 



There is nothing particularly good or 

 wilfully bad in the career of the writer 

 that woulil in any wa)- deserve an auto- 

 biography. Neither is it meant as such. 

 It is merely the relating of a few inci- 

 dents of one who was born and reared in 

 a beautiful garden, of recollections and 

 incidents connected with his early gard- 

 ening life and his more or less severe 

 struggle to make a living in this land of 

 his adoption. If the simple story which 

 is to follow will have amused a few kin- 

 dred spirits and maybe brought back old 

 memories, it will be a gratification that 

 the acquisition of wealth would not equal. 

 Some thinkers tell us that much good as 

 well as evil arises from that strongest of 

 all human attributes, selfishness, so per- 

 haps it is the case in this instance — under 

 the mask of amusing others I am exercis- 

 ing self gratification. 



For things unseen and unknown I have 

 perhaps less veneration than the majority, 

 but for the memory of a beloved parent, 

 who was the most benevolent of men, the 

 most eminent in his profession, who was a 

 model to his children and neighbors both 

 in example and precept, "whose failings 

 leaned to virtue's side," I have the most 

 humble reverence and respect. In the 

 autumn of life we think of the many 

 deeds left undone, of how many times we 

 could have added to our parents' joy by 

 obedience to their virtuous wishes, but 

 that is futile now and the best thing left 

 for us is to make those with whom we 

 dwell, and all with whom we come in con- 

 tact, glad that we are with them to cheer 

 and to help, even if it be by only a kind 

 word. As the narrator wishes to Jjeep his 

 name a solemn secret he will subscribe 

 himself by the name given him by an in- 

 fant lisping brother. "Bibber" was his 

 name at four years of age, when these 

 memories begin, and it is good enough, 

 for the rest of his life. 



