ACQUSX 25, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



9 



I 



THE RETAIL 



FLORIST.. 



A CABBONE WBEATH. 



You know how it was with Topsy: 

 she "just growod. " That's the way a 

 certain style of flower arrangement 

 comes to be the favorite and character- 

 istic style at a flower store: it just 

 grows upon the workers. At the well- 

 known Carbone store in Boston wreaths 

 of the character illustrated on this page 

 are turned out bo frequently as to have 

 become characteristic. Of course the 

 variety is infinite, so that monotony or 

 even similarity is avoided; simply a 

 wreath of green is embellished with a 

 bunch of foliage and flowers of har- 

 monious kinds. An the picture there 

 are pandanus and croton leaves with 

 cypripediums, which is a classy combi- 

 nation and not at all on the cheap or- 

 der, either in appearance or in cost to 

 the retaDer, except that the foliage 

 from unsalable plants can be used, 

 thereby getting a salvage on what oth- 

 erwise might be lost. Croton foliage, 

 brignt in color, is useful to the retail 

 florist in a great variety of ways, in 

 baskets of plants, in table centerpieces 

 and in designs; it might well be em- 

 ployed more often than it is. 



FASTENING FLOWEBS TO PEWS. 



Can you give me any information 

 as to the method used in fastening 

 flowers to church pews for weddings? 

 I know that, as in all work of this 

 character, it is not permissible to use 

 anything that would injure the wood in 

 any way, and I should like to know if 

 the wire arrangements advertised in 

 some of our supply books are used. 

 Any information you can give me will 

 be appreciated. A. D. C. 



You are right. In floral decorating 

 it is not advisable to injure in any 

 way either woodwork, wall paper, tap- 

 estry, moldings or, in fact, any part of 

 the home or church. Of course there 

 are times when it is next to impossible 

 to fasten garlands, arches, etc., without 

 in some way getting a hold by driving 

 nails or screws, and if the holes left 

 after removal of the nails are going to 

 show badly, then I would suggest that 

 the people for whom the work is being 

 done be informed before going ahead. 



Church pews are in most instances 

 made of wood, and are often so finely 

 finished that every little scratch will 

 show. The ends, to which the flowers 

 are fastened, are usually of such a 

 shape that it is hard to draw a piece 

 of string tight enough to hold anything, 

 as the string persists in slipping off. 

 But, on the other hand, the pews are 

 usually fashioned after some old style 

 of architecture and have some carving. 

 A finely pointed tack or push pin, 

 driven into some of the crevices of the 

 carving or where the end of the pew 

 is joined to the seat itself, will leave 

 no mark after being removed and will 

 aid in keeping a wire or string in place. 



I have never known that any special 

 articles were advertised or placed on 

 the market for fastening decorations to 

 church pews, but if you will go to a 

 hardware store and get some iron 

 clamps, such as are used by carpenters 

 and joiners for holding boards together 

 while being glued, you will find them 

 just suited to your purpose. By using 

 these clamps you can clamp a board to 



hid with either some smilax or othei 

 green used in the decoration, or with 

 ribbon. H. S. 



MEETING THE LOCAI. DEMAND. 



We noted in The Eeview of August 

 11, page 11, the inquiry of a reader 

 who thinks he will be compelled to give 

 up part of his business, on account of 

 lack of available space, and who is in 

 doubt as to which branch of the trade 

 he ought to abandon — the cut flower 

 and design work or the growing and 

 selling of bedding plants. The inquirer 

 states that he is located in a town of 

 20,000 inhabitants, has about 12,000 

 feet of glass, and does a business of 

 $10,000 to $12,000 per year. He says 

 that his local trade would not use all 

 the plants he could grow in his entire 

 range and that some wholesaling would 

 be necessary, while, on the other hand. 



A Carbone Wreath. 



the end of the pew, and to this board 

 can be fastened anything you wi^h. 

 Be sure you place some soft materia! 

 between the clamps and the finely fin- 

 ished woodwork, or you will be no bet- 

 ter off than before. These clamps can 

 be obtained in various sizes, and should 

 not be too large — just large enough to 

 fit over the end of the pew. After 

 being put in place, the clamp can be 



he would still be obliged to buy some 

 cut flowers, even if he dropped the 

 plant business. 



Our opinion would be that he ought, 

 by some means, to increase his glass 

 area so as to be able to supply the 

 demand of his market in all branches. 

 If he fails to do that, someone else 

 will do it and will csewd him out. 



Several seasons ago we tried to drop 



