﻿jUNNING 
  one's 
  eye 
  over 
  the 
  dainty 
  tables 
  of 
  

   a 
  smart 
  restaurant, 
  or 
  a 
  fashionable 
  church 
  

   turned 
  into 
  a 
  fragrant 
  bower 
  of 
  violets 
  and 
  

   roses 
  for 
  a 
  wedding, 
  one 
  wonders 
  vaguely 
  

   at 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  flower 
  traffic 
  of 
  the 
  

   world's 
  richest 
  city, 
  where 
  "American 
  Beau- 
  

   ties" 
  command 
  thirty 
  dollars 
  a 
  dozen 
  at 
  

  

  retail 
  in 
  winter, 
  carnations 
  six 
  dollars, 
  and 
  cattleya 
  orchids 
  

  

  fifteen 
  dollars 
  a 
  dozen. 
  

  

  And 
  one 
  is 
  amazed 
  to 
  find 
  there 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  over 
  two 
  

  

  from 
  far-away 
  orchards 
  of 
  semi-tropical 
  Tampa 
  or 
  Pasadena. 
  

   The 
  flower 
  artist's 
  men 
  — 
  a 
  round 
  dozen 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  felt 
  

   slippers 
  — 
  glide 
  round 
  the 
  silent 
  church, 
  dragging 
  twenty-foot 
  

   palms, 
  each 
  tub 
  strategically 
  labeled, 
  and 
  with 
  its 
  base 
  des- 
  

   tined 
  to 
  be 
  buried 
  in 
  blooms 
  with 
  every 
  ugly 
  corner 
  hidden 
  

   by 
  tufts 
  of 
  dainty 
  isolepis 
  grass. 
  Outside 
  are 
  his 
  luxurious 
  

   motor-vans, 
  all 
  plate 
  glass 
  and 
  gilding, 
  and 
  each 
  heated 
  so 
  

   that 
  the 
  delicate 
  immigrants 
  of 
  a 
  day 
  may 
  not 
  sicken 
  and 
  

   droop 
  in 
  the 
  icy 
  air. 
  

  

  Chart 
  in 
  hand 
  the 
  foreman 
  appears 
  like 
  a 
  ship's 
  captain 
  

   directing 
  his 
  crew, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  hours 
  the 
  

   magical 
  transformation 
  is 
  wrought. 
  Then 
  back 
  

   to 
  the 
  bride's 
  home, 
  where 
  the 
  floral 
  wand 
  works 
  

   similar 
  wonders; 
  and 
  lastly 
  the 
  lovely 
  " 
  shower" 
  

   bouquet, 
  representing 
  the 
  last 
  word 
  in 
  scientific 
  

   floriculture. 
  

  

  True, 
  those 
  snow-white 
  orchids 
  came 
  from 
  

   New 
  Jersey 
  or 
  New 
  Rochelle— 
  one 
  of 
  hundreds 
  

   of 
  flower 
  "farms" 
  under 
  glass, 
  representing 
  an 
  

   investment 
  of 
  twelve 
  million 
  dollars 
  within 
  the 
  

   ten-mile 
  radius 
  from 
  City 
  Hall. 
  But 
  trace 
  those 
  

   superb 
  floral 
  stars 
  back 
  further 
  yet, 
  and 
  you 
  will 
  

   find 
  yourself 
  in 
  Venezuelan 
  wilds. 
  Here 
  a 
  New 
  

   York 
  orchid 
  hunter 
  like 
  Sachse, 
  Massmann, 
  or 
  

  

  What 
  a 
  Hailstorm 
  Means 
  to 
  a 
  

   Flower 
  Farm 
  

  

  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  retail 
  florists 
  

   with 
  an 
  annual 
  turnover 
  of 
  one 
  

   hundred 
  and 
  twenty-five 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  dollars, 
  and 
  many 
  more 
  who 
  

   do 
  at 
  least 
  sixty 
  thousand 
  dol- 
  

   lars' 
  worth 
  of 
  business. 
  Any 
  one 
  

   of 
  these 
  men 
  thinks 
  little 
  of 
  a 
  

   thousand-dollar 
  order 
  for 
  a 
  wed- 
  

   ding, 
  turning 
  church 
  or 
  home 
  

   into 
  a 
  lovely 
  garden 
  of 
  Lilium 
  

   Harrisii, 
  hydrangea, 
  chrysanthe- 
  

   mum, 
  cyclamen, 
  lilac, 
  hyacinth, 
  

   and 
  even 
  natural 
  orange-blossom 
  

  

  How 
  the 
  Air 
  Feeding 
  Orchids 
  Are 
  Propagated 
  

  

  