160 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE. 



flowers. Strong spool cotton or shoe thread is used for 

 tying up the flowers. Camellia stems being entirely un- 

 available, a wire the thickness of a pin is passed through 

 the calyx of the flower, the ends being twisted together. 

 It is then stemmed on a light, dried willow which admits 

 of bending to the required position with sufficient moss 

 wound under the flower to prevent its outer petals being 

 at all compressed, when set in the bouquet. Without 

 some such provision it is impossible, either to attain the 

 rounding outline of the bouquet, or to display the flowers 

 in perfection. 



With flowers prepared, let us take a camellia for the 

 centre of our bouquet, tie it securely to the bouquet 

 stem (a piece of kite stick or stiff twig), and wind moss 

 around it, as already described, to keep the flower from 

 outer pressure, the moss running to a point about two 

 inches below the flower. Six tea rose-buds are now set at 

 regular intervals around and on a line with the outer 

 petals of the camellia, and the spaces between these each 

 tilled with a small piece of white eupatorium, a very 

 small geranium leaf or point of delicate green being set 

 by each bud. A little moss is now wound lightly, 

 close under the flowers, to prevent crowding, a pink car- 

 nation set behind each rose-bud, with tuberoses between, 

 a speck of eupatorium being inserted under the edge of 

 each tuberose, to fill out. Six white camellias of equal 

 size and form, stemmed as described, are now set at regu- 

 lar intervals around, particular care being taken to form 

 with the face of these flowers the correct outline of the 

 bouquet, and their stems tightly bound, to prevent work- 

 ing out of place. Between each camellia, on the inner 

 side, another tuberose is set, filled out with a speck of 

 stevia under each side; more moss is added, and a bright 

 speck of crimson bouvardia forms the sole dividing line 

 between the centres of the camellias which nearly touch 

 each other. A tea rose-bud follows, with a violet set in 



