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jTAe HoiiicuUuiHsi and Journal 



Home Adornment. 



NOTWITHSTANDING the course of The 

 Horticulturist, especially during its 

 earlier years, has been to give the greatest 

 prominence to subjects of practical impor- 

 tance, yet it has never avoided those having 

 for their object the cultivation of a pure and 

 refined taste in rural pursuits. By this we 

 do not necessarily allude to objects of an ex- 

 pensive and elaborate character, suited only 

 to the wealthy, but to those more especially 

 adapted to the wants of our readers who long 

 for the simple, yet neat and appropriate deco- 

 rations that can be fashioned and arranged by 

 any one with sufficient taste. 



The old-fashioned idea of bouquets has re- 

 ceived a severe rebuke of latter years, and in 

 no one thing has popular feeling shown a more 

 marked improvement than in this. As for- 

 merly seen upon our tables during festive oc- 

 casions, the huge "nose-gay" and "flower- 

 pot," were in fact floral monstrosities, utterly 

 at variance with the rules of good taste, 

 adapted, as it were, to pander to the love for 

 bright colors, without harmony of arrange- 

 ment, and precise form without gracefulness. 

 Fortunately for the advancement of a refining 

 taste in floral decorations, as well as in other 

 auxiliaries for gratifying the eye, popular 

 opinion is gradually tending towards plain 

 colors, and an easy, flowing, graceful outline. 



The annual exhibitions held near London, 

 as well as those in other parts of England, 

 are now encouraging this advanced taste, by 

 the offer of liberal premiums for the best ex- 

 ample of "Table Decoration." The writer 

 witnessed, in the Crystal Palace, at Syden- 

 ham, one of the most beautiful, although com- 

 paratively simple displays, that he had ever 

 seen, and yet the whole exhibition was con- 

 fined to a comparatively few tables, laid as if 

 for the usual meals, and decorated with a few 

 plants and flowers in the most exquisite man- 

 ner. 



In the center of each competing table was 



placed a simple glass stand of some choice 

 pattern, and neatly filled with the most slen- 

 der, graceful vines and ferns that could be 

 procured. The base was unusually flat and 

 shallow, with the broad fronds of some hand- 

 some fern spread out, and extending for some 

 distance beyond the outer edge. From the 

 moist sand with which this is filled, springs up 

 the taller plumes of a feathery species of grass, 

 intermingled with those of a drooping habit ; 

 and in the interstices between are introduced 

 the most delicate fern fronds to be procured, 

 as well as some of the richly colored tropical 

 leaves. 



Around the bottom are placed a few pale tea- 

 rose buds, and flowers not too marked in color, 

 but possessing that indispensable quality, 

 agreeable fragrance. At the summit is set a 

 glass receiver also filled with moist sand, in 

 which are placed very much the same charac- 

 ter of plants as are seen at the base, with the 

 addition, perhaps, of a few sprigs of smilax 

 and other neat little vines to hang down and 

 partially cover the glass stem. 



This floral ornament composes the center- 

 piece ; then on either side, and midway be- 

 tween it and the ends of the table may be 

 noticed glass vases of a very light and unique 

 pattern, in which are arranged a collection of 

 flowers that harmonize in color, and give a 

 quiet, subdued effect, but exceedingly tasteful 

 withal. In front of each guest's plate is 

 placed a tiny bouquet, a grade larger than the 

 ordinary button-hole size, and this, too, should 

 be neat and plain, the green being composed 

 of one of the smaller Adiantums. 



Here, it will be seen at a glance that 

 everything is omitted that can in any way 

 offend the eye ; and, in fact, the whole idea is 

 to make use of as little material as possible, 

 but that little must be the best in its line. 



When we contrast this system of forming 

 bouquets with the antiquated pattern which 

 continually reminds one of the great amount 

 of thought requisite to place each individual 

 flower with mathematical precision, we think 

 no right-minded lover of flowers will be wil- 

 ling to go back to the " good old times " of 

 bouquets at least. 



