of Rural Art and Taste. 



247 



Floral Decorations in New 

 York. 



THE profuseness with which flowers are used 

 in New York at bridal or funeral occasions 

 is fairly a subject of extraordinary comment. 

 We have personally known flowers to the 

 amount of $6,000 worth brought to a church 

 to decorate it, on the occasion of the funeral 

 of one of the most prominent citizens of this 

 city. Harpers^ Bazar refers to this subject, 

 and speaks of their use on social occasions. 



The floral decorations are a charming fea- 

 ture of evening entertainments this winter, and 

 are withal expensive, $2,000 being sometimes 

 the florist's bill for the elaborate decorations 

 of a single reception. Difi"erent devices are 

 arranged for each room, and for almost every 

 part of each room. Corners are decorated 

 with potted plants, and with cut plants heaped 

 in pyramids ; smilax looped with rose-buds 

 festoons the cornices ; draperies of roses and 

 smilax are arranged between windows, man- 

 tels arc divided in three beds of flowers, with 

 violets in the center, daphnes and roses on 

 each end, and a ground-work of lycopodium 

 and ferns. In the wide doors between draw- 

 ing-rooms is a canopy of flowers shaped like a 

 parasol, and supporting nine balls made of 

 diff"crent kinds of flowers, violets, roses, etc- 

 The walls of main parlors are transformed into 

 beds of flowers, where wire frames support 

 great fields of heliotrope, roses, camellias, 

 tuberoses and carnations, edged with ferns, 

 smilax and the scarlet leaves of the poinsettia. 

 On other walls are flower cornucopias three 

 feet in diameter, filled with the loveliest cut 

 flowers. To make the hall look difl'erent from 

 the rooms, ivy is draped above the doors and 

 staircases, and the landings have baskets of 

 ferns and hanging vines. Great banks of 

 flowers are heaped in the dressing-rooms, and 

 picture frames are studded with daphnes, vio- 

 lets and roses, and draped with smilax, while 

 choice cut flowers fill antique jars and vases. 

 Instead of the marriage-bell of flowers for- 



merly seen at wedding receptions, the bride 

 and groom now stand under an arbor or bower 

 of roses arranged before a long mirror. High 

 epei'gnes of cut flowers are used on refresh- 

 ment tables where the guests stand ; at din- 

 ners, where the company are seated, there are 

 lower epergnes, that do not obstruct the view. 

 Troughs of glass in figures, letters and mono- 

 grams, and straw baskets representing sheaves 

 of oats or wheat, also hold the flowers. At 

 small dinners each gentleman guest finds a 

 boutonniere at his plate, and each lady a 

 larger nosegay, called by the florist a belt 

 bouquet, or else a napkin bouquet. The latter 

 cost from $1 to $2 each, and the former 50 

 cents. The long-stemmed flowers that are 

 now loosely put together for hand bouquets, 

 are first pierced through the calyx by a fine 

 wire, which is then twisted around its stem to 

 support it, the florists say. Remonstrate 

 against this torture of so sweet a flower, and 

 you are assured that experiment proves that 

 the pierced rose will not fade sooner than its 

 lovely companion that is left free beside it. 

 The bouquet is chosen with reference to the 

 flowers that trim the dress. 



Hot "Water for Cactus. 



So you are really going to do it," I ex- 

 claimed, as she came in with the tea- 

 kettle. " I should think you would be afraid. 

 I know you'll kill them, and its too bad, after 

 having them so long. Let me see, it must be 

 ten years since you started the slips." 



" Yes, almost eleven, and I'm tired of see- 

 ing them around. I've threatened these three 

 years to throw them out, and now I'll give 

 them just one more trial. If it kills them, I 

 don't care,'''' and the steaming kettle seemed 

 to sing the words after her in a spiteful way, 

 " I don't care I I don't care ! " 



It was all about two inofi'ensive plants, 

 standing in pots on the window shelf. They 

 were species of the cactus, one a Snake Cactus 

 and the other a beautiful drooping plant, that 

 somebody had said bore beautiful large pink 

 flowers ; but Aunt Ruth did not know. Nei- 

 ther of the plants had ever blossomed, and 

 after these many years she had resolved to 



