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24 



The Florists^ Review 



Adocst 11, 1921 



sign, are stuck in the moss to fill up the 

 space Ijetwoeu the two sprays. This is 

 finislied off with a nice chiffon bow, 

 with long ends. Doul)lc sprays may be 

 made uji for $10 and up as far as the 

 customer wants to go. You can make 

 a Ijcttcr showing for the price in this 

 way than you can in any other form of 

 funeral work. 



This same principle may be used in 

 making a spray on an easel. First 

 fasten tli<^ board to the easel, then stick 

 the fiowcls into the moss and build up 

 as elaborate itn arrangement as is de- 

 sired. A double spray on an easel is 

 not highly successful. 



Often a customer wants some pecu- 

 liarly shaped design; it may be a lodge 

 emblem, or something of that kind. 

 Ueing away from a large wire goods 

 manufacturer, it is sometimes neces- 

 sary to use a little ingenuity iu order 

 to satisfy the customer. I have had 

 good success in using a wire screen, 

 eitlier ^/o-inch or %-incli mesh, and 

 forming it up into the desired shape. 



We have frequent calls for a casket 

 ])anel. Tliis panel varies all the way 

 from two to three feet long and is about 

 nine inches wide. If a complete cover 

 is desired, we use two panels. We first 

 make the panel of the mesh mentioned 

 above and have it filled rather full 

 with sphagnum. Then a layer of fern 

 leaves is put on to cover the moss, and 

 small sprays of Sprengeri or smilax are 

 ])innod on to the edges of the panel in 

 such a way as to droop over the sides of 

 the casket when the panel is in place. 

 Next, flowers are fastened so that they 

 will extend over the sides, using dif- 

 ferent lengths of stem, so as to avoid a 

 straight row of flowers. The center of 

 the i)anel itself can be decorated iu any 

 way one wishes, using some lettering if 

 desired. The advantage of this over a 

 blanket is that it docs not take nearly 

 so long to make up, can be done for less 

 cost, answers the same purpose and the 

 •customer is every bit as well satisfied. 



Maintain Outline. 



In making up set pieces, or designs, 

 tlie principal thing to remember is to 

 get the outline and, after having it, 

 keep it. It is really sad to see how many 

 people have tried to make a funeral 

 piece and failed, simply because they 

 lost the outline of the piece and made it 

 up loosely wlien a compact treatment 

 was necessary. I have seen square and 

 compasses made up in such a manner 

 that it was impossible to tell what it 

 was, bt>cause it was not i)roperly out- 

 lined. This design is one of tlu^ h;trd- 

 est to make, just because of the intri- 

 cacy of its outline. If a loose effect is 

 desired, put the design on a base, which 

 may then be treated loosely. The broken 

 wheel is another design whose outline 

 is frequently lost. Its outline can be 

 preserved by making tlie rim and spokes 

 of different-colored flowers. Anchors 



and pillows are other designs which are 

 diflicult to make properly. The em- 

 blems of many societies cannot be made 

 of flowers, unless they arc made on a 

 large scale. 



Not long ago I had occasion to make 

 up an odd design. Four girls who were 

 good friends called themselves the Four-' 

 leaved Clover. One of them died and 

 the other three wanted a four-leaved 

 clover, with one leaf gone, made of 

 flowers. Of course, I had no frame 

 which could be used; so I made a panel 

 of the mesh wire, about twenty inches 

 square, and in the center I formed out 

 of white chenille the four-leaved clover 

 with one leaf broken off. I filled iu 

 the background, outside of the chenille, 

 with ivy leaves and inside the chenille 

 with white carnations. Then around 

 the edge of the ])anel I put in a light, 

 artistic framework of flowers. This 

 piece was most successful and attracted 

 a good deal of attention, and I do not 

 recall ever having made up a piece 

 that was as thoroughly satisfactory to 

 the customer as this one was. 



I think in making up funeral work a 

 florist has to use more brains than iu 

 any other part of his work in order to 

 satisfy his customers and make money. 

 In making designs a different class of 

 flowers is used than is used for making 

 sjirays or than is used in assorted boxes 

 of flowers. Small, short-stemmed flow- 

 ers, split carnations, etc., arc the kind 

 that are generally used. If there is a 

 steady demand for funeral Avork, it pays 

 to grow flowers for just this class of 

 work, as, for instance, sliort carnations 

 and asters. The flowers are obtained 

 by the usual cultural means and the 

 buds are not taken off, thus getting a 

 maximum number of flowers to a plant 

 and insuring a good supply of design 

 flowers which can be used as a back- 

 ground, getting the variety of effect 

 by using relatively few other flowers as 

 a trim. 



Wreaths are more used than any other 

 one form of funeral piece and are apt 

 to be jnonotonous if there are several 

 ordered for the same funeral. They 

 can be varied in style more, probably, 

 than any other design. They may be 

 made solid of magnolia leaves, galax 

 leaves, prepared or natural oak leaves, 

 or ivy leaves, and may be made solid 

 of carnations or any other small flower. 

 Wreaths made thus are usually trimmed 

 with a nice ribbon bow, or with a 

 cluster of some other flower on one side. 

 In making any design it is necessary 

 to visualize the effect desired :ind then 

 work to that end. (Jood designers, like 

 cooks, are born, not made. 



Baskets More Common. 



We are using a good many baskets of 

 flowers for funerals now instead of 

 sprays or designs. When many flowers 

 are ordered for the funeral of a promi- 

 nent person and I have extra fine flow- 



ers that I can use, I make arrangements 

 with the family, or the undertaker if 

 the funeral is to be held from the un- 

 dertaking parlors, to use baskets. We 

 loan the baskets and after the funeral 

 they are returned to us. This permits a 

 greater variety and the baskets can be 

 made up quickly. As many times the 

 flowers are sent to a hospital after the 

 funeral, the baskets would be of no 

 use to cither the family or the hospital 

 and they are of use to us. So we make 

 a small rental charge for the baskets 

 and still have the basket to use again. 

 I think that this is a good custom for 

 florists to initiate. I have made as 

 many as thirty-five or fifty baskets of 

 flowers in different parts of the room 

 at one funeral. 



We have also used this same scheme 

 at store ojjeuings and bank openings, or 

 at large receptions. At the opening 

 of a large building recently I went di- 

 rectly to the owner of the building and 

 told him that I had a great many orders 

 for the affair and made arrangements 

 so that I could put all of my orders in 

 baskets, with the understanding that 

 the baskets were all to be returned to 

 me after the opening. I think we used 

 something like fifty baskets for this oc- 

 casion, and I am sure that the good 

 will and ])ul)licity that I got out of this 

 arrangement, together with the willing- 

 ness shown to give an added service not 

 demanded, was worth more to me than 

 the cost of tlie baskets. Once in a 

 while, it is true, we lose a basket by 

 lending them, but this seldom happens. 



ROBERT PYLE AS HOST. 



Well known as president of the 

 Conard & Jones Co. and in horticultural 

 circles generally, Robert Pyle, of West 

 (irove, Pa., showed himself to be also 

 automotively in the limelight on the 

 evening of ,Iuly 21, when he and his 

 wife entertained the Chester County 

 Automobile Club at its meeting at their 

 residence. Rose Hill House. On this 

 occasion more than 1,000 persons were 

 present and the accompanj'ing automo- 

 biles covered several acres of a nearby 

 field. 



I'rinci])al ."imong the speakers was J. 

 Horace ^McFarland, president of the 

 National Civic Society, and known 

 widely in the trade. Mr. McFarland 

 is one of the foremost exponents of "a 

 nation lieautiful," and his speech on 

 tliis ])articular occasion, "What about 

 file Country Highway?" aroused much 

 interest. Hefore he had finished the 

 guests understood that there is an 

 a'sthetic as well as a mechanical side to 

 road-building. Among the other speak- 

 ers were A. P. Irwin, T. R. McDowell 

 and Dr. W. P. Finney. 



At the close of the speeches, the meet- 

 ing was adjourned only to be called to 

 order at tlie fine prospect of delightful 

 refreshments. 



Those Present at the Annual Meeting of the Kansas State Florists' Association at Topeka Last Week. 



