XIII 

 GARDEN NOTES IN 1921 



1ET me preface these notes with some hints on 

 ■^ flower arrangement derived from a particu- 

 larly good source. About two years ago certain 

 members of the Woman's National Farm and 

 Garden Association lent their houses in Boston 

 and New York for a lecture by Mr. B. F. Letson, of 

 a florist's firm in the first-named city. If I am 

 not wrong, this was the first time that Mr. Letson, 

 a recognized authority in such matters, had ever 

 spoken in public or demonstrated his ways of ar- 

 ranging flowers, though we had all known him as 

 a master of his art. So much has been said since 

 these talks concerning Mr. Letson's idea that it 

 seems not out of place to give a resume of these. 

 Mr. Letson does not advocate the use of shears 

 for cutting the flowers. He would use a sharp 

 knife, make a long slanting cut and split the stem 

 for some distance. In this way a greater surface 

 is offered for drawing water into the stems and 

 foliage. A dull knife or dull shears and a cut 

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