﻿n8 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  March, 
  1907 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  desirable 
  flowers, 
  from 
  the 
  florist's 
  point 
  

   of 
  view 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  have 
  been 
  provided 
  with 
  only 
  very 
  

   weak 
  stems, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  with 
  scarcely 
  any 
  stem 
  at 
  all. 
  

   The 
  beautiful 
  Marechal 
  Niel 
  rose 
  can 
  scarcely 
  hold 
  up 
  its 
  

   head, 
  while 
  the 
  fragrant 
  white 
  tuberose 
  blooms 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  

   they 
  have 
  been 
  gathered 
  from 
  the 
  central 
  stalk 
  have 
  not 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  fraction 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  of 
  stem. 
  Such 
  flowers 
  could 
  

   never 
  take 
  their 
  place 
  in 
  decorative 
  schemes 
  in 
  the 
  condition 
  

  

  Removing 
  Imperfect 
  Petals 
  from 
  a 
  Carnation 
  

  

  in 
  which 
  Nature 
  has 
  given 
  them 
  to 
  us. 
  But 
  your 
  flower 
  doc- 
  

   tor 
  can 
  easily 
  get 
  over 
  such 
  trifling 
  difficulties 
  as 
  these. 
  With 
  

   metal 
  thread 
  the 
  weak 
  stems 
  are 
  strengthened, 
  often 
  in 
  such 
  

   a 
  way 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  detect 
  the 
  supports, 
  and 
  the 
  

   blossoms 
  without 
  stems 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  ones 
  made 
  of 
  

   stout 
  wire. 
  All 
  this 
  is 
  done 
  so 
  cleverly 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  

   flower 
  takes 
  its 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  dinner 
  table, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  bridal 
  

   bouquet, 
  no 
  one 
  can 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  bloom 
  has 
  received 
  any 
  at- 
  

   tention 
  from 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  man 
  at 
  all. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  held 
  that 
  to 
  attempt 
  to 
  give 
  scent 
  to 
  the 
  rose 
  

   is 
  an 
  undertaking 
  which 
  is 
  altogether 
  ridiculous. 
  Never- 
  

   theless 
  the 
  flower 
  doctor 
  does 
  not 
  view 
  the 
  matter 
  at 
  all 
  in 
  

   this 
  light. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  sad 
  fact 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  modern 
  strains 
  

   of 
  one 
  time 
  fragrant 
  flowers 
  are 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  woefully 
  

   lacking 
  in 
  sweetness. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  lovely 
  varieties 
  of 
  

   roses, 
  the 
  finest 
  kinds 
  of 
  violets, 
  are 
  almost 
  scentless. 
  This 
  

   will 
  never 
  do 
  for 
  the 
  florist; 
  buyers 
  expect 
  their 
  roses 
  and 
  

   violets 
  to 
  smell 
  pleasantly, 
  and 
  if 
  Nature 
  does 
  not 
  provide 
  

   the 
  wherewithal 
  well, 
  the 
  deficiency 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  up 
  some- 
  

   how. 
  And 
  it 
  is 
  just 
  here 
  where 
  the 
  spray-producer 
  comes 
  

   in 
  so 
  usefully, 
  hissing 
  out 
  its 
  sweet 
  vapor 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  the 
  

   ball 
  pressure 
  over 
  the 
  fresh 
  blossoms. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  fair 
  to 
  

   say 
  that 
  the 
  doctor 
  is 
  very 
  careful 
  to 
  use 
  only 
  the 
  finest 
  scent, 
  

   which, 
  of 
  course, 
  has 
  had 
  its 
  origin 
  in 
  flowers, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  nat- 
  

   ural 
  product. 
  He 
  is 
  also 
  most 
  particular 
  in 
  selecting 
  the 
  

   right 
  kind 
  of 
  fragrance 
  for 
  each 
  bloom, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  fair 
  lady 
  

   who 
  buries 
  her 
  nose 
  in 
  this 
  bunch 
  of 
  violets 
  has 
  not 
  the 
  least 
  

   conception 
  that 
  the 
  purple 
  blooms 
  have 
  been 
  tampered 
  with 
  

   in 
  any 
  way. 
  Of 
  course 
  good 
  scent 
  is 
  so 
  permanent 
  that 
  its 
  

   odor 
  will 
  remain 
  quite 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  flowers 
  last, 
  and 
  often 
  

   much 
  longer, 
  making 
  folk 
  wonder 
  at 
  the 
  delightful 
  fragrance 
  

   of 
  the 
  modern 
  blooms 
  even 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  dead. 
  

  

  One 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  flower 
  doctor's 
  work 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  easy, 
  for 
  a 
  

   person 
  who 
  loves 
  blossoms 
  as 
  Nature 
  made 
  them, 
  to 
  write 
  of 
  

   without 
  protest. 
  This 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  nothing 
  less 
  than 
  

   sheer 
  mutilation 
  for 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  really 
  little 
  excuse. 
  There 
  

   are 
  certain 
  purposes 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  very 
  desirable 
  

   that 
  the 
  flowers 
  used 
  should 
  be 
  entirely 
  white. 
  Popular 
  favor 
  

   has 
  declared 
  that 
  as 
  a 
  general 
  rule 
  the 
  blossoms 
  used 
  for 
  

   church 
  decoration, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  wedding 
  and 
  

   christening 
  bouquets, 
  wreaths, 
  etc., 
  must 
  be 
  of 
  spotless 
  purity. 
  

   To 
  this 
  end 
  your 
  flower 
  doctor 
  performs 
  a 
  cruel 
  operation 
  

  

  on 
  the 
  lovely 
  white 
  Easter 
  lilies. 
  As 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  the 
  

   blooms 
  of 
  these 
  lilies 
  produce 
  anthers 
  to 
  their 
  stamens, 
  which 
  

   are 
  large 
  and 
  most 
  plentifully 
  supplied 
  with 
  golden 
  pollen. 
  

   This 
  golden 
  dust 
  as 
  it 
  reaches 
  maturity 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  fall 
  off 
  and 
  

   sully 
  the 
  white 
  petals, 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  this 
  the 
  expert 
  

   just 
  as 
  each 
  bud 
  opens, 
  carefully 
  removes 
  each 
  anther 
  with 
  

   his 
  forceps, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  the 
  lily 
  is 
  shorn 
  of 
  a 
  good 
  

   deal 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  beauty. 
  Perhaps 
  even 
  a 
  worse 
  instance 
  of 
  

   this 
  mutilation 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Poet's 
  Daffodil 
  

   (N. 
  poeticus). 
  The 
  charming 
  crimson 
  eye 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   this 
  flower 
  stands 
  out 
  in 
  fine 
  relief 
  against 
  the 
  snowy 
  ring 
  

   of 
  petals, 
  but 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  state 
  the 
  florist 
  will 
  have 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  

   flower, 
  if 
  the 
  purpose 
  demands 
  a 
  white 
  blossom. 
  A 
  dreadful 
  

   deed 
  again 
  must 
  be 
  accomplished 
  by 
  the 
  doctor. 
  With 
  a 
  deli- 
  

   cate 
  pair 
  of 
  scissors 
  the 
  brilliant 
  bordering 
  of 
  scarlet 
  is 
  

   trimmed 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  cup, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  loveliest 
  of 
  the 
  

   Narcissi 
  is 
  divested 
  of 
  its 
  most 
  attractive 
  feature. 
  This 
  is 
  

   flower 
  surgery 
  at 
  its 
  very 
  worst, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  justify 
  

   such 
  practices; 
  indeed, 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  ere 
  long 
  

   these 
  methods 
  will 
  be 
  held 
  to 
  be 
  outside 
  the 
  legitimate 
  work 
  

   of 
  the 
  specialist. 
  There 
  is 
  all 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  providing 
  a 
  flower 
  with 
  an 
  artificial 
  stem 
  and 
  cutting 
  

   away 
  its 
  petals, 
  and 
  by 
  so 
  doing 
  destroying 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  

   beauty. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  a 
  strange 
  thing 
  to 
  talk 
  about 
  sticking 
  flowers 
  with 
  

   gum, 
  and 
  yet 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  common 
  practice 
  in 
  the 
  florist's 
  

   workshop. 
  All 
  the 
  lovely 
  azaleas 
  in 
  pots 
  which 
  delight 
  our 
  

   eyes 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  months 
  have 
  been 
  doctored 
  with 
  a 
  

   vengeance. 
  Azalea 
  blooms 
  drop 
  very 
  quickly, 
  some 
  time 
  

   before 
  the 
  petals 
  of 
  the 
  flower 
  really 
  begin 
  to 
  fade, 
  and 
  were 
  

   it 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  fix 
  the 
  blossoms 
  in 
  some 
  style 
  or 
  other 
  the 
  

   plants 
  could 
  hardly 
  be 
  marketed 
  at 
  all. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   the 
  flowers 
  from 
  falling 
  too 
  quickly, 
  at 
  the 
  joint 
  of 
  each 
  stalk 
  

   with 
  the 
  stem, 
  a 
  wee 
  drop 
  of 
  gum 
  is 
  placed 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  

   brush 
  which 
  when 
  dry 
  holds 
  the 
  flower 
  firmly 
  in 
  position. 
  

   As 
  may 
  be 
  imagined 
  the 
  sticking 
  on 
  of 
  azalea 
  blooms 
  is 
  a 
  

   process 
  which 
  is 
  tedious 
  in 
  the 
  extreme. 
  Many 
  fine 
  plants 
  

   will 
  bear 
  hundreds 
  of 
  flowers, 
  and 
  as 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  will 
  re- 
  

   quire 
  attention 
  individually, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  matter 
  is 
  

  

  Securing 
  Azalea 
  Blooms 
  to 
  the 
  Stems 
  by 
  Means 
  of 
  Gum 
  

  

  no 
  small 
  one. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  other 
  flowers 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  

   the 
  petals 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  shed 
  somewhat 
  hastily, 
  a 
  touch 
  of 
  

   pure 
  gum 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  will 
  often 
  very 
  much 
  lengthen 
  the 
  

   life 
  of 
  the 
  blossom. 
  If 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  with 
  proper 
  skill 
  

   no 
  one 
  need 
  ever 
  detect 
  that 
  the 
  flower 
  has 
  been 
  attended 
  to 
  

   in 
  any 
  way. 
  

  

  In 
  most 
  big 
  flower 
  stores 
  a 
  person 
  with 
  some 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   flower 
  doctoring 
  is 
  usually 
  retained. 
  These 
  flowers 
  which 
  

   look 
  so 
  fresh 
  were 
  really 
  not 
  picked 
  to-day 
  at 
  all, 
  nor 
  is 
  it 
  

   necessary 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  have 
  been; 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  

  

  