74 



THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



the leaves of which are used for wreaths, 

 panels, all designs emblematic and of 

 good luck. It is, however, for funeral 

 designs that the greatest quantity is 

 used. They have grown steadily in favor 

 till last year an aggregate of twelve 

 millions were sent north. The small, 

 green leaves are now largely used to 

 encircle a bunch of violets. They have 

 one great quality, for whatever purpose 

 used they are most lasting, and when a 

 design has to be sent away a few hun 

 dred miles they are often chosen for 

 that excellent quality. 



Harlan P. Kelsey, of Boston, who 

 introduced the galax leaves to our north- 



considerable lot exported to Europe the 

 past two seasons, and Mr. Kelsey says 

 Germany takes the bulk of them. 



Florists who have not the conven 

 iences for keeping them over winter in 

 large quantities had better get them in 

 moderate quantities occasionally from 

 those who understand keeping them in 

 cold storage. We saw a case of about 

 20,000 put down in a warm cellar one 

 November, just as they arrived in the 

 box, and we saw most of those come up 

 the cellar stairs again at intervals that 

 winter and spring heated and useless. If 

 they had been unpacked, the bunches 

 laid out and a little damp sphagnum 



Wreath of Leucothoe, Galax and Flowers. 



ern market in 1890, says the sale has 

 steadily increased till last year he alone 

 handled many millions, while the price 

 has come down from $3 per 1,000 to $1 

 to the retail florist, and inferior leaves 

 much below that even. There has been a 



laid between each layer, this careless 

 and ignorant mistake would not have 

 occurred, but the cooler the cellar the 

 better. 



This instance of how not to keep 

 galax leaves was not an accident; it was 



neglect, for which in the old harsh days 

 men used to lose their jobs; but since 

 store clerks (alias shopmen) wear 5-inch 

 stiff collars and part their hair in the 

 middle, it hurts their feelings to in 

 struct them. 



There are besides the southern mate 

 rial, evergreens from our northern woods 

 that we use for different decorations. 

 The common hemlock (Abies Canadensis) 

 is quite graceful in wreathing, and the 

 American arbor-vita?, often called white 

 cedar, is useful. A drive of a few miles 

 to the music of sleigh bells and frozen 

 toes brings us to the home of our ever 

 greens, and the white spruce, so much 

 used for Christmas trees, is also found, 

 although the well-grown Norway spruce 

 makes the ideal Christinas tree. Fancy 

 what beautiful Christmas trees they get 

 in Leadville, Colo., where the beautiful 

 Colorado blue spruce grows on the moun 

 tain side, and with us it is about $2.00 a 

 foot. We will not be jealous of their 

 noble conifers, for perhaps their rocky 

 slopes are not covered with golden rod 

 as are our fields and lanes just now, and 

 how beautiful. 



DECORATIVE PLANTS. 



Besides the plants that are grown and 

 kept for decorative purposes for special 

 occasions, much of our glass, and acres 

 of glass in large establishments, are 

 devoted to the growing of plants used 

 in a decorative way, either as perma 

 nent adornments of the house or for the 

 florist s use when filling an order. 



Generally when plants are known as 

 decorative it is meant those whose 

 foliage is ornamental rather than their 

 flowers, and my remarks under this head 

 will be confined mostly to those of the 

 former class. 



Palms. 



Palms are pre-eminently ahead of all 

 others for this purpose. Of the species 

 or varieties adapted to the purpose there 

 is at present not a great number. They 

 must be of fairly quick growth, not 

 easily hurt by a low temperature and 

 able to stand a good deal of rough 

 handling. 



The Areca lutescens I place ahead of 

 all as the handsomest. It is light and 

 graceful. Next the kentias, Forsteriana 

 and Belmoreana. These, like the areca, 

 are fine in effect whether used singly 

 or in a group. The phoenix, especially 

 rupicola, comes next, although these do 

 not blend in a group and are best as 

 small or medium sized specimens, where 

 they can show off their graceful out 

 lines. The Latania Borbonica is fine 

 where you can find a suitable place. We 

 are sometimes (in fact often) asked to 

 place a palm in a fire-place, and there 

 is the spot for a latania. Like the 

 phoenix, its spreading growth makes it 

 not so well suited for mixing in with 

 the tall growing palms, however hand 

 some it is individually. The graceful 

 little Cocos Weddeliana is very valuable 

 on many occasions. When two or three 

 feet high and in good order, ther^ is 

 nothing more beautiful. 



There are many other palms that are 



