﻿March, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  T 
  I' 
  

  

  The 
  Flower 
  Doctor 
  

  

  By 
  S. 
  Leonard 
  Bastin 
  

  

  HE 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  value 
  of 
  

   flowers 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  de- 
  

   velopments 
  of 
  our 
  times. 
  Even 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   vanced 
  gardeners 
  of 
  a 
  century 
  ago 
  had 
  not 
  

   the 
  faintest 
  idea 
  that 
  one 
  day 
  huge 
  indus- 
  

   tries 
  would 
  spring 
  into 
  being, 
  having 
  for 
  

   their 
  sole 
  object 
  the 
  culture 
  and 
  marketing 
  

   of 
  blossoms. 
  As 
  one 
  would 
  expect, 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  this 
  

   floral 
  enterprise 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  creation 
  of 
  many 
  positions 
  for 
  

   those 
  who 
  specialize, 
  which 
  otherwise 
  would 
  never 
  have 
  seen 
  

   the 
  light 
  of 
  day. 
  Quite 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  of 
  these 
  novel 
  

   vocations 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  flower 
  doctor 
  — 
  a 
  man, 
  or 
  not 
  infre- 
  

   quently 
  a 
  woman, 
  who 
  gives 
  his 
  or 
  her 
  whole 
  time 
  to 
  the 
  

   handling 
  of 
  blossoms 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  making 
  good 
  any 
  im- 
  

   perfections 
  which 
  they 
  may 
  possess. 
  

  

  Nature 
  is 
  quite 
  perfect 
  in 
  her 
  ways 
  as 
  a 
  general 
  rule, 
  the 
  

   flower 
  doctor 
  readily 
  admits, 
  but 
  even 
  she 
  will 
  sometimes 
  

   make 
  mistakes, 
  and 
  quite 
  often 
  will 
  be 
  all 
  the 
  better 
  for 
  a 
  

   few 
  touches 
  from 
  his 
  skilful 
  hand. 
  Of 
  course 
  the 
  very 
  first 
  

   principle 
  of 
  this 
  curious 
  art 
  is 
  concealment; 
  the 
  work 
  must 
  

   be 
  done 
  so 
  well 
  that 
  no 
  one 
  can 
  discern 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  

   at 
  all. 
  Flower 
  doctoring 
  is 
  very 
  much 
  more 
  widely 
  prac- 
  

   ticed 
  than 
  might 
  be 
  supposed, 
  and 
  it 
  speaks 
  well 
  for 
  the 
  skill 
  

   of 
  the 
  operator 
  that 
  so 
  few 
  people 
  are 
  even 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  

   existence 
  of 
  his 
  strange 
  profession. 
  In 
  the 
  present 
  article 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  endeavor 
  of 
  the 
  writer 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  reader 
  a 
  

   little 
  peep 
  behind 
  the 
  scenes 
  in 
  a 
  modern 
  flower 
  growing 
  

   establishments. 
  

  

  To 
  begin 
  with, 
  the 
  flower 
  doctor, 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  his 
  name- 
  

   sake 
  in 
  the 
  medical 
  profession, 
  must 
  have 
  his 
  case 
  ot 
  instru- 
  

   ments. 
  These 
  are 
  much 
  like 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  a 
  surgeon's 
  stock 
  

  

  in 
  trade; 
  delicate 
  pairs 
  of 
  dissecting 
  scissors, 
  forceps 
  of 
  all 
  

   shapes 
  and 
  grades, 
  cutting 
  pliars 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  host 
  of 
  

   brushes 
  in 
  all 
  sizes. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  acces- 
  

   sories 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  which 
  will 
  become 
  apparent 
  when 
  the 
  flower 
  

   doctor 
  is 
  seen 
  at 
  his 
  work. 
  The 
  whole 
  paraphernalia, 
  which 
  

   makes 
  quite 
  a 
  formidable 
  array, 
  includes 
  spray 
  producers, 
  

   and 
  bottles 
  containing 
  gums 
  and 
  scent 
  essences. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  ordinary 
  duties 
  of 
  the 
  flower 
  doctor 
  consist 
  in 
  

   simply 
  correcting 
  imperfections 
  in 
  the 
  flowers 
  which 
  are 
  

   placed 
  in 
  his 
  hands. 
  A 
  great 
  box 
  full 
  of 
  freshly 
  gathered 
  

   rose 
  buds 
  is 
  brought 
  in 
  to 
  him. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  not 
  

   quite 
  as 
  they 
  should 
  be. 
  A 
  withered, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  a 
  badly 
  de- 
  

   veloped 
  petal 
  spoils 
  what 
  would 
  otherwise 
  be 
  a 
  perfect 
  

   flower. 
  With 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  forceps 
  in 
  his 
  deft 
  hand 
  the 
  doctor 
  

   rapidly 
  goes 
  over 
  each 
  bloom: 
  This 
  petal 
  which 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  

   place 
  is 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  right 
  position; 
  that 
  ill-shaped 
  one 
  is 
  torn 
  

   away 
  altogether. 
  In 
  the 
  end 
  the 
  flower 
  is 
  placed 
  aside 
  with- 
  

   out 
  the 
  least 
  blemish 
  to 
  detract 
  from 
  its 
  market 
  value. 
  If 
  the 
  

   roses 
  are 
  wanted 
  for 
  some 
  purpose 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  important 
  that 
  

   the 
  buds 
  should 
  not 
  open, 
  such 
  as 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  a 
  bouquet 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  each 
  bud 
  must 
  be 
  separately 
  treated. 
  As 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  bloom 
  as 
  is 
  possible, 
  thin 
  wires 
  are 
  cunningly 
  

   inserted 
  right 
  through 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  bud, 
  so 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  

   petals 
  are 
  held 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  never 
  fall 
  apart. 
  

   All 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  flowers 
  are 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  

   as 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  above, 
  faulty 
  petals 
  removed 
  and 
  dis- 
  

   placed 
  ones 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  correct 
  position. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  an 
  

   unusual 
  thing 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  chrysanthemums, 
  to 
  go 
  over 
  

   the 
  flower 
  with 
  an 
  instrument 
  much 
  resembling 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  curl- 
  

   ing 
  tongs, 
  and 
  with 
  delicate 
  twists 
  bring 
  the 
  petals 
  over 
  in 
  

   an 
  elegant 
  curling 
  fashion. 
  

  

  Wiring 
  a 
  Rose 
  to 
  Prevent 
  It 
  from 
  Opening 
  

  

  Freeing 
  a 
  Chrysanthemum 
  from 
  Injured 
  Petals 
  

  

  