FLOWERS 



2227 



FLOWERS 



leaves by means of dies, and petals are given 

 their hollow form. After that the various parts 

 are assembled by hand and built into the 

 form of a flower, from the center outwards. 

 The flower is then mounted on its stem of wire, 

 and finally the stem is wrapped with tissue 

 paper, silk, or a green rubber tubing. If varia- 

 tions in tint are desired, which must be added 



with a brush, the leaves and petals are passed 

 to the artist directly from the cutter. 



Not only are artificial flowers of to-day 

 copies of natural flowers, but manufacturers 

 have placed on the market what are known as 

 fancy flowers, inventions to use up waste pieces, 

 and the demand for these is considerable, al- 

 though they represent no living species. LJB. 



State Flowers 



In nearly every state of the United States 

 some flower more prominent locally than others 

 or beloved for sentimental reasons has become 

 popularly recognized as the emblem of the 

 state. In most cases the choice has been em- 

 phasized by act of legislature or by vote of 

 the school children. The following is a list 

 of those commonly accepted: 



Alabama Goldenrod 



Alaska Forget-me-not 



Arizona Sequoia Cactus 



Arkansas Apple Blossom 



California Golden Poppy (Eschscholtzia) 



Colorado White and Blue Columbine 



Connecticut Mountain Laurel 



Delaware Peach Blossom 



Florida Orange Blossom 



Georgia Cherokee Rose 



Idaho Syringa 



Illinois Violet 



Iowa Goldenrod 



Kansas Sunflower 



Kentucky Goldenrod 



Louisiana Magnolia 



Maine Pine Cone and Tassel 



Maryland Black-Eyed Susan 



Michigan Apple Blossom 



Minnesota. Moccasin Flower 



Mississippi Magnolia 



Missouri Goldenrod 



Montana Bitterroot 



Nebraska Goldenrod 



Nevada Sagebrush 



New Jersey Sugar Maple (tree) 



New Mexico Cactus 



New York Rose 



North Dakota. .. .Goldenrod 



Ohio Scarlet Carnation 



Oklahoma Mistletoe 



Oregon Oregon Grape 



Rhode Island. .. .Violet 

 South Dakota. . . .Anemone 



Texas Blue Bonnet 



Utah Sego Lily 



Vermont Red Clover 



Washington Rhododendron 



West Virginia. . . . Rhododendron 



Wisconsin Violet 



Wyoming Gentian 



National Flowers 



Since earliest times flowers have been 

 adopted as national emblems. As with indi- 

 viduals, so with the people of a nation; some 

 flower has stood in the memory for years, 

 through association with important events, or 

 with religious ceremonies. So what more ap- 

 propriate to adopt as that nation's symbol 

 than one of nature's wonders? 



One of the oldest of national flowers is that 

 of Egypt, a beautiful species of water lily 

 called the lotus. That flower was always con- 

 nected in the minds of the Egyptians with their 

 gods and with wisdom. India, too, holds the 

 lotus flower sacred, from the belief that 

 Brahma, the Supreme Being in Hindu religion, 

 was born in its bosom, and it became that 

 nation's flower symbol also. 



Persia is a land of .beautiful roses, and each 

 year a feast of roses is held as long as those 

 flowers bloom; so the rose is the emblem of 

 Persia. The national emblem of Japan is the 

 chrysanthemum, or golden flower, and the 



country itself is popularly called the "Land 

 of Chrysanthemums." China has chosen the 

 narcissus as its national emblem. 



Greece is a land where flowers have always 

 held a position of importance, and there the 

 violet has been chosen as the national emblem. 

 Italy has chosen the white lily, Spain the pome- 

 granate, France the fleur-de-lis and Switzerland 

 the rare edelweiss. 



The emblem of England, the rose, brings 

 to mind the War of the Roses, at the close of 

 which the Tudor rose was chosen as the na- 

 tion's symbol. The shamrock holds its place 

 in Irish hearts because Saint Patrick used it 

 to illustrate one of his sermons. A moat 

 filled with thistles saved a fortress in Scotland 

 from Danish invasion in the reign of Malcolm 

 II, and the thistle was adopted as the national 

 emblem, in gratitude for the escape. So on 

 the coat-of-arms of Great Britain, just below 

 the shield, are engraved the rose, the thistle 

 and the shamrock. 



