30 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Dkckmbeu 16, 1909. 



The Flower Market in the Cen cr of the City of Mexico. 



ill Ir^-; tiliii' tliliil \\r !i;i\(' ^liilcd hy ;^ I \ 

 ill:; iIh'Iii liiylicr triii |iii:il iirr-~. W'r like 

 III ■-lull in l;iiii.| sc.-i^ihi ••nnl .'illnw tliciii 

 Id >l;iiii| ill a cdiil lidii'-i' I'cii- a I'l'W day-- 



a- I 111' li(.\\rl> rxpalnl. < '. W. 



CITY OF MEXICO MARKET. 



Flowers Not Sold in Stores. 



'J'o llioso ;ieeust()ni(>il i<< llir way in 

 uhicii cut llowcrs ail' used and snlil in the 

 Unitcil States. Ilir llnwcr niarki'l in llic 

 City of Mexico is full of nmelty and 

 interest. In the met inpulis ef i he Mex 

 lean repuljlic thert' ai'e no llewcr sinres 

 they are plant stores onlx- tin' llnwers 

 beiiifj all sold at tlie market hdiise in .a 

 public square. <)nc> unfamiliar with the 

 fact, considering .Mexico as ;i liot i-oun 

 try, -would sup[iose that it would he 

 necessary to take jireat pains to store 

 the cut flowers in a cool place to jire- 

 vent their withering ijiiickly. I>u1 instead 

 the market plac>' has merely a el.ass i-oof 

 and no mi'aiis wjiate'.er aii' eni]d(iyi'd to 

 protect the stock; it stands in the open, 

 eX])0Sed to sun and wind. 



Jn the (ity ot' Mexieii thr llorisl is imt 

 a decorator, nor does he sell Idose cut 

 flowers; pract icjilly the whole of the 

 Inisiness is with designs, tliat are carried 

 in stoi-k. re.ndy inaile up. disjdayed for 

 the (dioice cd' tlie transient ciislomer and 

 ready to be cairieil away as soon as tln^ 

 intnitabie bar^ainin^ is coindiided. In 

 norlliirn citirs (lesions are maile up only 

 to older, but in tliis Mexico <'ily mar 

 ket ilo/.ens of them line the jiaxeinent ; 



and not cheap designs, either, l)nt ])ieces 

 that would be worth "Odd money in any j 

 tow II ;i bo\ e t he b*io ( I r;i ilde. 



Florists' Visit Interesting. 



Miss Matilda Meinhardt, of St. bonis, 

 had just retiinied froiii a trip to Mexico 

 witli a p;irty when she was chosen as 

 president of the Ladies' Sixdely ol' 

 Amei'can florists at the (inciniiati con- 

 vention. To Mexico with Miss Mein- 

 hardt went .Miss .Marj^aiet \'esey, of 

 I'ort Wayne. dau;^hler ot' Judj^e and 

 Mrs. W. ,1. \esey, and hersidf one of tin; 

 \ ice ]pri'sidents ot' the Ladies' S. A. J'\ 

 .\s with other florists who \isit the J)ia/, 

 capital. .Miss Meiidiardt and .Miss \"esey 

 found till' flower market one of' the cen- 

 ti'rs df oieatest interest. .Miss \'(^sey is 

 an exitert amateur iihotoynipher ami took 

 a number of pictures of this unii|ue j)lacc, 

 se\ei'al of wlii(di ;ire re|iroduced in this 

 issi f the liEVIl'-.W. 



''Tlie flower market in Mexico ('ity.'' 

 writes .Miss N'esey, ''is in the center of 

 the business district, easy of access and 

 passed by lai;^'!' numbers ot' ]ieo])le. native 

 and tourist. The market buiblin^ is a 

 lari;e, cinailar one, li;i\in^ a canopy like 

 yl.ass roof and no awiiiny. The few trees 

 do little to lessen the intensity id' the 

 sun's rays. The flowers brnULlht to the 

 market all are oriiwii in the t^ardeiis on 

 the dUlskiiMs i<\' the city. The \arious 



sellers ;ili' close to one auotlie! ;ind to 

 ilir iiniuit iatril it is impossible to dis- 

 tinonisji lirtwecii thriu; niie cannot tell 

 where one man's stock in trade einls and 



a.iH)ther's bejiins. The methiKls of doii' 

 business ;ire full id' interest to one acca 

 tomed to the trade as it is conilucted 'will 

 such ;^ieat similarity in all the cities <•: 

 the I'nited States. ' 



How the Pieces Arc Made. 



■'Practically no loose cut lK)wers a'. 

 sold by the dealiM's in the ilowor niarkc 

 in the City of Mexico; some, of course, 

 and a few in bunches, but most of thein 

 in desio'iis. Some of these designs arc 

 biouyht to the market alretuly nuule ii|i, 

 but the gr(>ater ])art are made in the- 

 market itself while the tlower veuders- 

 art> waiting for customers; the makin;.^ 

 up of designs is going on practically all 

 of the time. 



''.\o \vire frames are used by the 

 .Mexicans. The frames they use are made 

 from twigs, tied together with grass er 

 strings. 'J'o those accustomed to the n-e 

 of the neat, rigid wire frame, these twig 

 affairs seem crinle and bungling, but lli'! 

 workmen are extremely dexterous in fasli- 

 ioning the frames :md in making up tiic 

 designs on them. The frames are fill' i 

 with anything tlitit happens to be ham! , 

 old flowers, leaves, and so on. Wli' u 

 the filling is in place everything is c 

 ered nicely with green leaves, soinetin ~ 

 one thing, sometimes another. The th 

 ers then are i)nt in, setting them clo - ■ 

 and e\eidy, using as nnuiy as possibf 

 none of the effort to make stock go 

 far as it will, the way northern flori 

 have to do when white carnations cos' ' 

 cents and are hard to find at that. 



Scenes in the Flower Market in the City of Mexico. 



