118 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1893. 



bunches. Their great masses of blooms are suitable for house or 

 church decorations as now understood, on the walls and mantels, 

 rather than in baskets for the table. The anemone, a fall flower, is 

 delicate and beautiful enough to be used in any way or with anything. 

 Fashion demanding at present that chrysanthemums shall be grown 

 on loug stems with huge blooms, makes these flowers best serve for 

 decorative puposes, in masses by themselves. Fine effects can be 

 obtained by placing all colors together. The small white ones are 

 very suitable in frame designs. An appropriate arrangement of 

 chrysanthemums is in a large hollowed-out yellow pumpkin instead of 

 a vase, especially suitable at a Thanksgiving feast. The idea is not 

 original, but that of a Philadelphia florist modified. 



The flowers that we have to use at this "season are those of the 

 greenhouse, roses, pinks, violets, bouvardia, smilax, ferns and aspara- 

 gus, and if you are very fortunate, orchids. But when summer sup- 

 plies not only these, but all the others of our gardens, then we have 

 at hand all possible material, and our work becomes easier in the 

 great abundance at hand. Galium and gysophila give a very grace- 

 ful effect with but few touches, and a bunch of sweet peas with either 

 one of these is a charming floral piece. For light delicate foliage I 

 prefer maiden-hair fern to either smilax or asparagus, which last 

 seems now to be taking the place of smilax largely. It has the merit 

 of lasting well. 



Nasturtiums always put by themselves or with a few of their own 

 leaves. A bowl of these flowers is a beautiful bit of color, but add 

 other flowers and see the result. Their brittle stems stand in the way 

 of placing them in any other way than in a dish loosely. The sum- 

 mer flowers being small we can use a greater variety together. Prove 

 this for yourselves, by going about your garden cutting here and 

 there, then notice the bunch in your hand. For a frame design or 

 basket you want the moss packed in hard, tied down well and nicely 

 trimmed off. The wild ferns, hard ferns we call them, are used now 

 as the background of all florists' work. To make a basket we will 

 begin by putting around the edge our heavy large leaves. 



[And the rest of her time was spent by Mrs. Gill in practical illus- 

 tration of her ideas. — k. w. l.] 



