Janl-aky 20, 1898. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



339 



Simple Floral Arrangements. No. 1. 



exhibition, the other half to be used 

 toward the running expenses of the Soci- 

 ety on the following lines: 



First, that a conmiittee of three be ap- 

 pointed to take charge of the interests be- 

 tween the shipper of either flowers or 

 plants and the express companies. Let 

 this committee get up a shipping label 

 and have it copyrighted for use by mem- 

 bers of this society only. Give them 

 power to enforce care being used in the 

 handling of goods shipped under this 

 label. Rivalry betweeii the express com- 

 panies and the knowledge that this com- 

 mittee is backed by a good live society 

 would soon cause them to accede to an\- 

 reasonable demands made by said com- 

 mittee. 



There should also be an arbitration 

 committee appointed to whom could be 

 brought all differences of an\- magnitude 

 between members for adjustment. This 

 would still further improve trade relations 

 between members of the society, although 

 the society by its mere e.xistence has al- 

 ready accomplished this to a great de- 

 gree' 



A reference list should be established 

 and issued three times a year: ^^eptember 

 I, January i, and June i, giving the bad- 

 pay purchasers throughout the country, 

 both growers and retailers or store men. 



A blank form should be gotten up giv- 

 ing the principal characteristcs of carna- 

 tions that are grown, old and new, or be- 

 ing introduced, and these filled in by 

 twenty or more members from different 

 localities. Bulletins containing such re- 

 ports to be sent twice or three times a 

 year to all members of the society. 



All of these things would take money, 

 as the men who do the work should be 

 fairly remunerated for their trouble, but 

 I believe they could all be done and the 

 actual expenses of the society met with 

 the I250 and the annual dues received. 



Other lines of work would develop and 

 •could be added as the membership in- 



creases. This it would be bound to do if 

 the benefits are confined to members onl)- 

 (where they rightly belong) but not ex- 

 cluding trade papers from matter to 

 which they are entitled. This society 

 should be, and can make itself, worth 

 considerable more than the $2 annual 

 dues to every man who grows carnations 

 and to every store that handles them. 



There is only one thing necessary and 

 that is for every member who can, to at- 

 tend the meeting in Chicago determined 

 to put his shoulder to the wheel and 

 make it a business meeting of business 

 men. Those carnationists who are not 

 members should come and join and make 

 1S9S the most successful year of the 

 American Carnation Society. 



A. M. Herr. 



CARNATION MRS. BRADT. 



In Mr. Dorner"s notes he very properly 

 criticised :uy remarks on Mrs. Bradt. 

 When I issued my first batch of notes I 

 was thinking of Mrs. Bradt as I saw it 

 last season when the stem was much 

 weaker than it now is. I have seen a 

 number of batches of it growing lately and 

 they are producing much stronger stems, 

 showing that one can easih- be mistaken 

 in forming an opinion of a variety from 

 those shown at the exhibitions. 



A. M. Herr. 



SIMPLE FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS. 



The editor of the Florists' Review 

 has asked me to send occasional photo- 

 graphs of floral arrangements that we 

 turn out, and any other details about a 

 florist's business that would make inter- 

 esting illustrations; and says further: 

 "We have frequent calls from our sub- 

 scribers for illustrations of the more sim- 

 ple floral arrangements, such as they can 

 use themselves. They find the elaborate 

 arrangement of flowers in the large 



cities of interest, but desire also to have 

 something more in line with the work 

 thev are obliged to make up themselves. 

 Of course, every florist has more or less 

 of this class of work, but as a general 

 rule he does not consider it worthy of a 

 photograph." 



I trust this explanatory paragraph will 

 set me right with the readers of the Re- 

 view; and that I will not be thought 

 presumptuous, nor out of date, if in com- 

 pliance with the reasonable request, I 

 send for reproduction photographs of or- 

 dinary every-day work such as any fairly 

 equipped florist can turn out on short no- 

 tice at any season of the year. 



I feel inore free to do this because I 

 have seen at pretentious flower shows, 

 work entered for competition that I 

 would have been ashamed to offer to my 

 most unappreciative patron; work in 

 which the stems of all the flowers used 

 seemed to be cut to the same measured 

 length, and where each rosebud was in- 

 serted in the design at an exact right an- 

 gle to its surface, accurately spaced, and 

 so far apart that the base of moss cov- 

 ered with shining foil, was very much in 

 evidence. If such things were thought 

 worthy to win a prize in good competi- 

 tion, what nmst some of the work be that 

 is turned out in country towns, made with 

 insufficient or improper material, at a 

 ruinouslv insuthcient price? 



Fashions in flowers and floral work 

 varv with the locality; and although we 

 do iiot make up nearly so many pieces of 

 formal shape as we did a few years ago, 

 pillows are among the number most often 

 required; and the illustration presented 

 herewith represents one made on an iS- 

 inch frame, and will I think require little 

 explanation. Ordinarily the flowers and 

 greenerv used project so much on the 

 lower side that they hide the wire sup- 

 port in front, and it is giecessary only to 

 cover the longer supports at the back; 

 but in this case the camera was set too 

 low, and the wires should have been hid- 

 den by smilax. The kinds of flowers 

 used will vary with the season; but rose-, 

 buds and carnations should very rarely 

 be absent, and may well be the only 

 flowers used. 



We try to avoid lettering when we can, 

 or if we'must use some, advise shortening 

 to one or two short words, and use a small 

 plain letter; the overhanging foliage 

 sometimes partially concealing some por- 

 tion of the inscription. The letters should 

 be properly spaced, securely fastened, 

 and if placed on a narrow field of white 

 immortelles, or Cape flowers, will be more 

 likelv to retain their position than if set 

 on fresh flowers. Lettering is often run 

 directlv across the design; but looks very 

 formal' and angular in that way. The 

 method indicated is our own, and we 

 think it more pleasing. Adiantum fronds 

 make the most beautiful garnishing, but 

 matured pieces of Asparagus plumosus 

 will be found more lasting. 



Franklin, Pa. W. T. Bell. 



GOVERNMENT SEEDS. 



Bv a vote of 155 to 19 Congress has 

 passed another appropriation to continue 

 the free seed distribution. Evidently the 

 end of this absurdity is not yet. 



