October 13, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



J003 



you can run your show in the evening, 

 which the greenhouse man can't, for 

 likely he hasn't light enough in his 

 houses. 



If you give a good show and treat the 

 people right, don't be discouraged if the 

 attendance isn't quite what you expect- 

 ed. The people will all come back next 

 year and bring their friends. And while 

 you have your store nicely trimmed up 

 with wild smilax, asparagus, plants and 

 cut flowers, see that the progressive dry 

 goods man looks in; perhaps he will 

 want to fix up a bit for his fall opening, 

 or perhaps not until Easter. 



A WEDDING ARCH. 



The accompanying illustration is re- 

 produced from a photograph showing an 

 original idea in decorating, conceived by 

 an amateur for his daughter's wedding 

 and executed by himself as a part of the 

 floral decorations, 'ihe arch is built upon 

 a low radiator in front of a window, the 

 native ferns pretty effectually screening 

 the iron from view. The floral arch 

 itself is of well-flowered sprays of Crim- 

 son Eambler rose and with the lace win- 

 dow draperies, as the illustration shows, 

 makes an unusual and attractive back- 

 ground for the marriage service. The 

 idea is that of W. W. Ainsworth, Des 

 Moines, la. 



A GOOD CENTER-PIECE, 



A dahlia not often seen in the western 

 cut flower markets is Twentieth Cent- 

 ury. It could not help but sell. It would 

 be a profitable investment for anyone to 

 grow a batch for his wholesale market 

 and it would pay every retail florist who 

 nas a high-class trade to either grow a 

 few for his own use or to arrange to 

 have someone grow some for him. The 

 flowers are large, single, white, with pink 

 center. This fall they have been in very 

 good demand in the large cities of the 

 east, where moderate quantities have 

 been offered. For dinner table center- 

 pieces nothing is finer. Put them in 

 bowls or baskets with Adiantum cunea- 

 tum, Croweanum or Farleyense. 



MAKING MOTTOES. 



Almost all of the motto making that 

 is done is of either flowers or foliage. 

 The former, of course, is the more elab- 

 orate and expensive, and the letters 

 should be made, with few exceptions, 

 after the style of the ordinary shallow 

 floral design. Flowers of good keeping 

 quality, uniform size and one color 

 should be selected, and stemmed on half 

 picks, and the letter frame filled accord- 

 ing to the practice for the construction 

 of other plain, solid designs. Special 

 care should be exercised to have the let- 

 ters proportioned correctly, and when 

 fastened on the wall, placed in exact 

 lines. Have as marked a contrast be- 

 tween the background and letters as the 

 laws of color allow. No background but 

 a plain one is fit for lettering. If the 

 wall is figured substitute a temporary 

 background of plain paper or fabric. 

 Letters made on sphagnum-filled frames 

 are too heavy and thick to tack or nail 

 to the wall, but must be suspended like 

 a picture, with wire, from the moulding 

 above. It is a nice task to suspend the 

 letters on a line and it is well in any case 

 to mark off the line, carpenter-like, be- 

 fore beginning to hang the letters. Make 

 plain capital letters all the way through 

 the motto. Letters of nine to twelve 



An Arch of Sprays of Crimson Rambler Rose. 



inches in height and wide in proportion 

 can be seen plainly in any ordinary 

 hall or church. 



More commonly used and easily made 

 are letters of stiff cardboard covered with 

 green or autumn foliage. According to 

 the season, use lycopodium, arbor-vitsB 

 clippings, oak, English ivy or brilliant 

 red, bronze or yellow autumn leaves, 

 draw out the cardboard letters free hand 

 and cut with sharp knife or scissors. 

 If you are a woman, you will naturally 

 us the latter weapon, but if you belong 

 to the sterner sex, of course you will 

 never condescend to cut with anything 

 but a knife. A very satisfactory letter 

 covering for summer decorations is well- 

 matured green oak leaves. Lay them end 

 for end on the letter and sew through 

 and through with silkaline. There is 

 just enough fantastic variation in the 

 outline of the oak leaf to give an orna- 

 mental touch to the letter. In some 

 places, however, a little trimming of 

 the edge of the leaf will be necessary. 

 Letters so constructed are light and one 

 tack in each will secure them in place 

 on the wall. If letters must be made 

 smaller than the above dimensions, trim 

 the leaves to the exact size of the letter 

 after they are sewed on. Unless kept 

 very cool, green oak leaves and autumn 

 foliage will begin to curl about the third 

 day after cutting. In this and all 

 other decorative work keep doors and win- 

 dows closed to exclude draughts of air. 

 for breezes are worse than heat on cut 

 flowers. 



For Christmas or later winter decora- 

 tions, holly, arbor-vita; or lycopodium 

 mottoes are the most durable. Make 

 holly letters like the oak, by sewing. 

 Arbor-vitaj may be either sewed or wrap- 

 ped on the letters. Small clippings are 

 the most easily handled. If lycopodium 

 is to be used, choose the sprays and con- 

 3truct letters as described above with the 

 oak and arbor-vita*. Scarlet immortelles 

 make good motto material for winter oc- 

 ;asions. 



If the sentiment of a motto can be ex- 

 pressed by a good symbolic design, make 

 that in preference to lettering. 



If it becomes necessary to manufacture 

 your own background, as is mentioned 

 above, and there is enough foliage at 

 hand, make a brilliant background of 

 sumach, oak or maple leaves, and the 

 lettering in green over it, or make a holly 

 background and lettering of red immor- 

 telles. If plenty of space is available, 

 an^d expense permits, letters might be 

 made of smilax wrapped on the face of 

 the letter forms with silkaline. Still 

 other materials suitable for this work 

 are galax leaves, leucothoe, laurel or 

 other foliage of tough or woody struc- 

 ture. Gertrude Blair. 



FLOWERS BY TELEGRAPH. 



Put a neat sign in your window: "Fu- 

 neral or gift flowers delivered by tele- 

 graph anywhere in the United States." 

 When you have taken an order refer to 

 the page of "Leading Retail Florists" 

 in the REVIEV7 and select a man to whom 

 to telegraph the order. You will find it 

 a very satisfactory source of new busi- 

 ness. 



STORING CUT FERNS. 



Please tell us how to put up common 

 ferns so they will keep during the win- 

 ter. I am new in the business and shall 

 appreciate the information. M. G. 



Although the correspondent does not 

 say so, it is supposed from the fact that 

 his letter is dated in northern Michigan, 

 that he proposes to go into the woods 

 and gather hardy ferns for his own use. 

 This is done by many in that locality. 

 E. E. Pieser, of the Kennicott Bros. Co., 

 Chicago, says that so far as he knows 

 they each have some sort of rough cellar 

 in which the ferns may be kept just be- 

 low freezing. They are gathered and 

 packed in boxes, perhaps with a little 

 sphagnum moss between the layers of 

 ferns, although this is not necessary. 

 The boxes usually have holes bored in 

 the sides to admit air. The point is 

 that the box must become frozen through 

 and kept just below freezing until the 

 stock is wanted; then the ease is re- 

 moved to a place where it will thaw out 



