848 



The Weekly Florists* Review^ 



Sbptbubbb 22, 1004. 



till the cold fall rains have had time to 

 saturate it the best properties will be 

 washed out. 



A most essential adjunct to every 

 growing establishment is a well built 

 soil shed. This shed should be built on 

 ground a little above the common level 

 and be amply provided with drainage. 

 The roof should be entirely water tight, 

 80 that no drip can reach either soil or 

 manure. The side walls should be open 

 enough to admit fresh air and some pro- 

 vision should be made to exclude frost. 



After the plants have consumed the 

 elements contained in the soil in the 

 bench and watering has to be given more 

 guardedly they are deprived of the best 

 part of their sustenance and this must 

 be supplied in some form from week to 

 week. 



The careful grower will, before the 

 winter has commenced, have a store of 

 material which he can draw upon to sup- 

 ply food for his stock as often as re- 

 quired. This supply of food can be 

 easily and safely administered, even 

 during the shortest days, in the form of 

 a light mulch, which should be prepared 

 while soil and manure are in IJiat fine, 

 meUow condition so easily distinguished 

 from hard, cakey, or sodden soil. 



A compost of two parts decomposed 

 cow manure to one of good fibrous sod, 



thoroughly incorporated and passed 

 through an inch screen or a fine sod 

 crusher, will make it fine enough for, 

 use. Just before putting it on the bencH 

 we usually add to each bushel of mulch 

 a 5-inch pot of dessicated bone meal and, 

 after carefully watching results, are sat- 

 isfied that this is about the right propor- 

 tion for mulches not exceeding an inch 

 ih depth. 



How pleasant and handy to be able 

 during the cold days of January, when 

 our first batch of cuttings are ready to 

 pot, to be able to place on the potting 

 bench some fine, mellow, warm soil, soil 

 which we are not afraid will chill the 

 tender young roots instead of having 

 to bring it in in a frozen condition and 

 await patiently for it to thaw and dry 

 out. 



By a little foresight now we can save 

 many anxious hours of worry during the 

 long winter days, besides having the soil 

 in the proper condition, which contrib- 

 utes so much toward the successful rais- 

 ing of young stock. 



As the nutritive qualities of soils and 

 manures and their action upon stock at 

 different stages of their growth should 

 be part of the stock in trade of every 

 grower, old and young, I will in the near 

 future make this the subject of a short 

 treatise. • Eibes. 



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BEGINNINGS 



IN DESIGN... 



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I 



t 



A PALETTE ON AN EASEL. 



Emblematic Designs. 



Before entering upon the discussion 

 of this design, it might be well to 

 speak briefly of the selection and adap- 

 tation to floral execution of the beet 

 Sarts of badges, emblems, buttons, etc. 

 [any designs of this kind, good enough 

 in jewelry, are too complex to reduce 

 to a good average-sized piece in flow- 

 ers. For instance, the one from which 

 the palette before us today was chosen, 

 was a round button with a blue back- 

 ground, white palette and brushes in the 

 center, under which was a scarlet panel 

 with the word "Iowa." Above the pal- 

 ette were the initials "P. A. of. ' ' The 

 palette was of white enamel with splashes 

 of paint around the edge of the wide 

 part, just as an artist arranges them for 

 his color work, the purple first, then the 

 red, pink and yellow following a line 

 around the edge. The brushes were 

 drawn through the thumb hole. The 

 whole design was too elaborate for re- 

 production in flowers except in a very 

 large piece, and besides, the scarlets and 

 purples in flowers can never neighbor 

 with a good grace. The question, there- 

 fore, to be decided first was as to what 

 part should be selected, and what part 

 or parts ignored. The part to be repro- 

 duced is that which signifies the most, of 

 course, which in this case was the palette 

 with the brushes. The remainder was 

 simply a background for palette and let- 

 tering, and at the same time a good ex- 

 cuse for getting rid of objectionable col- 

 oring. Choosing the significant part, 

 therefore, we proceed to give it a free 



interpretation, as it were, by adding an 

 easel and trimming. The badge described 

 above was that of an art association. 



Filling and Stemming. 



After lining the palette frame with 

 ferns, filling with sphagnum and wrap- 

 ping as for other designs, cover the 

 frame with the background flowers. It 

 should have been stated above that the 

 design frame ought to be shallow, as an 

 easel is thin wood. Stem the asters on 

 three-quarters picks and insert as flatly 

 as possible against the moss. Cover the 

 shallow edges with small asters. In 

 stemming asters, place the blunt end of 

 the pick up close against the base of the 

 flower, and wrap as tightly as the stems 

 will stand without being cut by the wire. 

 In other designs it is well to stem asters 

 and chrysanthemums on whole picks, by 

 setting the upper point of the pick up 

 into the solid center of the flower from 

 below, to secure the flower in case the 

 soft stem should snap at the top. After- 

 wards wrap as above. 



Smooth Surface and Outline. 

 The background here is of white, top 

 and edges the same without any green. 

 In any design with no more of a distinct 

 form than this never obscure the outline 

 with a green edge. If you are going to 

 make a design, make it. In plain En- 

 glish, outline it strictly with a uniform 

 material, be positive; then get in your 

 art in free and abundant trimming. In 

 neither coloring nor filling allow the dis- 

 tinctness and character of your design 

 to be obscured. The only exception to 

 this rule which comes to mind now, is 

 the wreath, in both construction and 



trimming of which you may give loose 

 rein to your inclinations for untamed 

 freedom and wild grace. 



Smooth the surface of the palette by 

 inserting a few white carnations here 

 and there between the asters. Cover the 

 whole surface of the palette with the 

 asters and carnations, except the thumb 

 hole and the indented place above the 

 hole. These should be either cut ^n the 

 construction of the frame or covered 

 with ferns before the flowers are in- 

 serted. 



Observe the Technicalities. 



After constructing the palette proper 

 lay in the splashes of color. These can 

 scarcely be distinguished in the picture, 

 and so in the description immediately 

 following we will endeavor to be very 

 explicit, and with a little study the idea 

 will appear plain. An artist as he ar- 

 ranges the colors on his palette, ready 

 for mixing, beginning vdth the dark col- 

 ors at the top, will put out a splash of 

 bteck, then blue, then dark red, following 

 with the more brilliant dark colors and 

 toning out gradually to the lighter colors 

 and tints, ending vdth white. In other 

 words, a rainbow is the most convenient 

 arrangement of colors on . the palette. 

 Here is an idea which can be very pret- 

 tily worked out on our piece. 



In order to make the effect of a splash 

 of color rathes than a dot, first insert a 

 purple aster over the white background 

 in the ordinary way. Then cut a purple 

 aster stemmed in the same way, in two 

 vertically. Insert it on top of the first 

 purple aster deep enough to draw the 

 latter partly to one side. The effect is 

 one of a ragged projection, like a splash 

 of paint. A short distance to the right 

 insert a stemmed American Beauty with- 

 out foliage. A half blown bud is chosen 

 for this, and on one side a petal is pulled 

 down to produce an irregular edge. For 

 the third splash of color, stem an indi- 

 vidual gladiolus flower with a light pink 

 background and a bright variegation. 

 Set the flower down close against the 

 background, and a short distance off the 

 background color of the flower will not 

 be seen, and only the bright streak of 

 color appears. Farther round the palette 

 produce in a similar manner, a spot of 

 yellow and one of delicate pink. Do not 

 overdo too much coloring; choose and 

 adapt a few hints from this suggestive 

 source. 



Choice of Easels. 



At this juncture mount the piece on a 

 bamboo easel. The latter is chosen rather 

 than a wire easel, on account of its 

 strength and substantial appearance in 

 comparison to a wire easel. Many solid 

 pieces requiring mounting look better on 

 this kind of an easel. They are inex- 

 pensive. To properly mount the piece, 

 which by this time has become quite 

 heavy, set the lower edge on the cross 

 bar of the easel and tie through the edge 

 of the wire frame around the uprights 

 of the easel on both sides with strong 

 wire. 



Trimming the Palette. 



In order to give a starting point for 

 the trimming on the surface of the pal- 

 ette, insert the brushes, or rather, the 

 imitation brushes through the thumb 

 hole, "a la artiste." The easiest way 

 to make the brushes is to whittle out a 

 long stick, smooth it off round and point 

 at one end and on the other end wrap 

 a few sprays of loose wheat heads to re- 

 semble a brush. Bronze the brushes and 

 pull them through the thumb hole, or 

 appear to do so. In reality push the 



