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June 3, 190G. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



THE RETAIL 

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A DAISY BUNCH. 



The daisy bunch again will be in de- 

 mand. In the late winter and early 

 spring buyers seem to turn naturally to 

 the daisy for table arrangements, bas- 

 kets and bouquets. Where the bride 

 carries valley or orchids, the bridesmaids 

 frequently will be given daisies. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 a well arranged bunch photographed at 

 the store of W. J. Palmer, BuJQfalo. The 

 daisies were arranged loosely, yet not so 

 loosely that the bunch appeared straggly, 

 as sometimes is seen. The foliage used 

 was Adiantum Farleyense, which now 

 can be had cut in most of the principal 

 flower markets. The supply in many 

 markets is so large that prices have be- 

 come quite reasonable and Farleyense is 

 largely used for fine work. The scarf 

 added in the bunch illustrated may be 

 had in any of the large supply houses in 

 a wide range of patterns and values. 

 One of these scarfs adds more than its 

 cost to practically every wedding bou- 

 quet. 



DIFFICULTIES IN SPRAY MAKING. 



Some Common Defects. 



Not only beginners, but experienced 

 designers, often have troubles of their 

 own in producing a symmetrical and 

 graceful casket bunch. To the self-ob- 

 serving critic numerous deformities ap- 

 pear in both mechanical and artistic con- 

 struction. The spray is either too flat or 

 too heavy, too weak backed or too pon- 

 derous; it is sprawly or too compact, too 

 bunchy or too long. There ought to be a 

 happy medium style which would put 

 forth a loosely arranged spray of what- 

 ever design, able to hold its shape in 

 spite of much handling. It might be 

 profitable to indicate, first the artistic, 

 and secondly the mechanical defects ob- 

 served at random, and to suggest in each 

 criticism a remedy for the fault or an 

 encouragement for valuable work. 



Under the topic, the art of the spray, 

 let us notice the value or lack of value in 

 the design and coloring of any spray — 

 selected where you please, your own work 

 or somebody else 's work. If it is your 

 own work, analyze your thoughts about 

 the spray. Did you have in mind any 

 definite form, into which you desired to 

 fashion the spray? If it is another's 

 work, what evidence do you see that there 

 has been some picture in the mind of the 

 designer? 



Slavish Imitation. 



The most common fault is the easy 

 habit of conventionalizing, whereby the 

 hands do the work and the mental facul- 

 ties rest. A certain style is invented or 

 suddenly develops. It is immediately 

 adopted and used, to the exclusion of al- 

 most all other styles, though they be ever 

 so good. Although there may be strong 

 reasons for the sudden popularity of cer- 

 tain styles, it smacks of commonness to 



adopt them bodily. It is not the fashion- 

 plate dresser nowadays who is considered 

 the best appearing person, but it is the 

 dresser who chooses and individualizes 

 his clothes; it is the woman who puts 

 herself into her clothes, rather than some 

 clothes onto herself. 



Though you see many people from a 

 so-called leading section of the country 

 making their sprays after a certain fixed 

 type, it does not follow that you must 

 either adopl the style or be considered 



it yourself. Practice it^ along with some 

 points which you may be able to develop 

 for yours-elf. 



Discriminative Imitation. 



To illustrate: Take the full, loose, oval 

 spray now so much in favor. Let us dis- 

 cover its good and bad points, preserve 

 the good by frequent use, and ignore the 

 faults. In the way of good points, this 

 style has not a few, among them being 

 the display of long stems, the depth of 

 the body of the spray, and the looseness, 

 which develops the individuality of the 

 flower and brings it out by itself. All 

 this results in a fine showing for the 

 money, and accounts well for the quan- 

 tity of stock used. Opposing these good 

 points and resulting from their being 

 carried to extremes, we find the long 

 stems trained in almost parallel instead 

 of branching lines, and the flovrers are 

 turned up mechanically at almost meas- 

 ured distances apart. This destroys the 



A Daisy Bunch. 



out of date. But wh'^n you observe some 

 style which is gaining popularity, size it 

 up and down and all around for its 

 good and bad features, pick out its valu- 

 able points and add them to your adjust- 

 able budget of good habits, doing all this 

 in spite of the fact, a little wounding to 

 your pride, that you had not thought of 



relationship of one to others ftnd to the 

 whole spray. 



In the grouping of flowers, each one 

 .should find its own place, according to its 

 length of stem, size, bend of stem and 

 maturity. Long-stemmed, slender buda 

 seem to belong to the tip of the spray, 

 while the more open, large, heavy flowers 



