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Decembeu 2, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



1 



! 



AN ELABORATE FUNERAL. 



Elaboration seems to be the order of 

 the day in funerals, as well as in the 

 other affairs of life. Far be it from any 

 florist to deplore this tendency, for peo- 

 ple who arc buying funeral flowers prob- 

 ably are less inclined than any others to 

 question cost so long as they get the 

 service that tlu'v want, and the lars^e 

 funeral orders Avhich now come to the 

 leading retailers are more easily handled 

 than any other class of large orders. But 

 a big funeral calls for the exercise of no 

 little originality and decorative skill. The 

 elaborate, modern casket covers are 

 among the best examples of the deftness 

 and taste of the man in charge of the 

 making-up. 



At Pittsburg recently the Zieger Co. 

 executed a funeral order which, for elab- 

 oration, never has been equaled in that 

 city, famed as one of the best flower 

 towns in the country. The accompanying 

 illustrations give an excellent idea of 

 the floral features of the funeral. One 

 of the pictures shows the embowered 

 couch on which the casket lay during the 

 funeral services. It was arranged in 

 the family home and the work required 

 the use of 1,000 Beauties and 250 lilies, 

 with large quantities of asparagus and 

 other stock. This was the most imusual 

 feature of the arrangements. 



Another of the illustrations shows the 

 scene in Allegheny cemetery, just be- 

 fore the arrival of the funeral cortege. 

 A large tent open at one side was erected 



at the front of the vault, the flowers 

 being used in the decoration of the in- 

 terior of the tent. The third illustration 

 serves to give an idea of the number and 

 character of the designs that were sent to 

 the funeral, many of them coming from 

 other cities. The picture was taken after 

 the tent had been removed from the front 

 ot the vault and the designs rearranged. 

 The illustration is so clear tliat florists 

 from outside of Pittsburg who shipped 

 designs to the funeral can doubtless iden- 

 tify their own work. 



LOOSE DESIGNING. 



Artistic Value of Prevailing Styles. 



A few weeks ago someone, whose name 

 has now escaped my memory, invited a 

 discussion of the artistic value of the 

 prevailing style of loose designing. Al- 

 though this subject was thrashed up and 

 down and all around in these columns a 

 few months ago, still the subject is im- 

 portant enough to warrant reopening the 

 discussion, and I, for one, am willing to 

 reopen it. I respectfully suggest, also, 

 that somebody of the opposite xjpinion 

 shall contradict my statements, with rea- 

 son annexed or fancies expressed. Let 

 us have something else than stolid indif- 

 ference. A grunt of approval or a growl 

 of disapproval would be preferable to a 

 prolonged silence. It is certain that a 

 free-for-all discussion of the subject 

 would prove advantageous to readers, but 

 most profitable to those who are inter- 

 ested enough to contribute some thought 



and ink. The scriptural statement that 

 "it is more blessed to give than to re- 

 ceive" Ls a profound truth in all lines of 

 effort. Let us give forth our best 

 thought and experience, and test the as- 

 sertion for ourselves. 



Some Stereotyped Samples. 



To be fair, we must take the average 

 piece at the shop of the average florist, 

 where we will find more five dollar pieces 

 are being sent out than ten dollar or fif- 

 teen or twenty dollar pieces, and for the 

 sake of simplicity we will select a 

 wreath, both as a common piece and as 

 one of possibilities. The style in which 

 we most frequently see this piece finished 

 is common enough, popular enough and 

 stereotyped enough for any one to keep a 

 mental picture of it before him con- 

 stantly. We will take it for granted that 

 the size is twelve to fourteen inches in 

 diameter, and that the flowers with which 

 it is to be covered are cut to the length 

 of about four inches and inserted out and 

 up from all three sides. By the time the 

 piece is finished there is scarcely any 

 center visible, but a mass of flowers and 

 foliage, with no expression or design in 

 arrangement. To say that this produc- 

 tion could be recognized at a glance is 

 scarcely within the limits of accurate 

 language. It is huge, to be sure, but that 

 is the most that can be said of it. It is 

 too flaunting, and is all a thin boast of 

 wealth and profusion that are absent. 



For another example, take 'a piece of 

 more intricate outline, such as an anchor, 

 about a 24-inch size. Complete it after 

 the most approved loose style and you 

 really have a clumsy piece. The outline 

 fills up too wide for the length of it. 

 There is no variation in the strength of 

 the lines; all are equally broad. There 

 are no sharp points on the flukes, no 

 diminishing and increasing in the 

 branches, and there is just the same 

 monotonous, flat width in the surface of 

 the whole piece. 



Outlines Lost in G>nfusion. 



If you start out to do a thing, do it 



Arrangements at Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburg, for a Recent Funeral. 



