JANUARY 27, 1S9S. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



373 



Simple Floral Arrangements. No. 2. 



exaggerates so mucli as 'e can't abide 

 "em." 



Tommy paused to throw his orchid 

 hlock plate over to the night fireman 

 as an intimation that supper was over, 

 and after filling a stubby briar pipe. 

 Tie continued his narrative. 



"Jaggs thought as 'e might run a lot 

 o' new ideas into the curiosity busi- 

 ness. You see them mermaids is most- 

 ly papier mache, with real fishes for 

 their tails. Jaggs thinks as a mermaid 

 Tvith 'air like a Circassian girl would 

 lie a real novelty, bound to make a hit 

 -with all them Reubens at the country 

 lairs. 'E show me a flyin' dragon of 

 the Hindian ocean; looks like a halli- 

 gator with bat's wings, seal's flippers 

 and walrus tusks. Blest it 'e wasn't 

 like one o' them bloomin' beasts as 

 they put in a coat of arms. 'Is back- 

 Tjone stood up in ridges, which Jaggs 

 says was doorknobs. Jaggs said as 'e 

 did 'ave a notion o' buildin' one o' they 

 Ush-lizard-bird things as them bloom- 

 in' scientists gets up, give it a good 

 "name, and say as it was caught out on 

 the Jersey meadows. But the show- 

 "men say as it wouldn't be realistic 

 •enough." 



"Jaggs ought to go into the show bus- 

 iness himself," suggested one of the 

 men. 



"Couldn't get 'im to stay away from 

 the pottin'-shed," said Tommy. "Next 

 ..aing you'll hear of 'im 'e'll be back 

 again in the good old trade." 



Tommy's prophecy was correct; 



Jaggs spent but a few months in pro- 

 viding genuine novelties for the show 

 business, and was next heard of under 

 glass, but that, as Mr. Kipling often 

 observes, is another story. 



SIMPLE FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS. 



The Flat Cluster. 



In the arrangement of flowers, as in 

 painting a picture, simplicity is an ele- 

 ment of beauty, and one too often dis- 

 regarded by painters and florists. In 

 •this locality, and I presume every- 

 where, those who buy flowers select 

 more and more of the simple and nat- 

 ural forms of using them; the cut 

 flowers, tastefully placed in a suitable 

 package, or the loose "bunch" held to- 

 gether by a neat bow of ribbon, and 

 fewer of the mechanical and formal de- 

 signs. 



Some of the latter will probably 

 always be required for special pur- 

 poses; many lodges, and other pub- 

 lic societies, firemen, military com- 

 panies and those who think it 

 necessary to display an inscription or 

 motto on their offering, must be ac- 

 commodated. But the floral locomo- 

 tive, or straw cutter, or sausage stuffer, 

 should be allowed to rest in peace with- 

 out regrets by the "floral artist." 



Thirty years ago flower buyers 

 wanted bouquets, and florists seemed to 

 think it was necessary that they 

 should have them. Tons of good wire 



and indifferent foil were used in their 

 construction, and they were not con- 

 sidered complete until they were sup- 

 plied with a stiff collar of lace paper 

 under their chins for a finishing touch. 

 And indeed these same cartons were 

 often a very good thing if the work was 

 not skillfully done, as they held the 

 heterogeneous mass together. Gener- 

 ally, the greater the assortment of 

 flowers that could be packed in these 

 stiff and clumsy affairs, the better the 

 customer was pleased. But gradually 

 and slowly a change came, sometimes 

 brought about by the florist, sometimes 

 by his patrons, sometimes with contri- 

 butions from both sides of the counter, 

 until, from the fearfully constructed 

 bouquet of the olden times", has been 

 evolved the graceful form of the pres- 

 ent, the loose and flowing fascicle of 

 flowers, usually all of one kind, with 

 its appropriate garnishing of greenery, 

 as it comes from the deft flngers of the 

 tasteful florist, still often overdone, 

 overlarge, and overberibboued by the 

 less tasteful members of the craft, per- 

 haps at the command of some purse- 

 laden client. 



The illustration shows one of the 

 simple forms of the small fiat cluster, 

 so much used now for funeral flowers, 

 and will scarcely need an interpreter. A 

 rather stiff background of some suit- 

 able green, such as rose foliage for 

 roses, Dicksonia fronds, certain kinds 

 of palm leaves, or long sprays of As- 

 paragus plumosus, is first made as a 

 foundation upon which the flowers are 

 arranged, according to the taste or skill 

 of the maker, using the longest 

 stemmed first and avoid crowd- 

 ing. They are securely fastened with 

 a strand of Raffia, over which a bow of 

 ribbon is tied, care being taken first 

 to remove the moisture from the stems 

 of the flowers. We use only the best 

 quality of silk ribbon, and like it 

 rather stiff, as the bow then keeps in 

 shape better. 'White, cream-white, del- 

 icate pink, purple and lavender are the 

 colors mostly needed, and in widths 

 from No. 9 to No. 22, No. 12 being used 

 most often. A pretty eft'ect may be pro- 

 duced by occasionally using a very nar- 

 row ribbon, doubling it together sev- 

 eral times, making a bow, and cutting 

 through the doubles at the ends. The 

 material in a cluster such as is shown 

 should be worth $3 or $3.50, including 

 50 cents for two yards of No. 12 satin 

 ribbon. 



Other clusters will perhaps be illus- 

 trated, showing different material and 

 arrangement, and more finish about the 

 stems of the flowers where tied. 



W. T. Bell. 



Franklin, Pa. 



EXTRA EARLY ASTERS. 



To any florist wishing an extra early 

 lot of asters I would recommend the 

 following plan of culture: 



Prepare your soil carefully, have it 

 well screened and as light in character 

 as you dare. Fill 3-inch pots by forc- 

 ing the pots into the heap and level 



