266 THE PLANT DECORATION OE APARTMENTS. 



special occasions, is almost sufficient to prevent people tole- 

 rating tliem indoors at all^ and yet tlie plants are mncli 

 better grown in England tlian they are in France. Tlie dif- 

 ference is cansed by exceedingly tasteful and frequently pe- 

 culiar arrangement^ and by employing effective and graceful 

 kinds. "What the Parisians do as regards arrangement may 

 perhaps be best gleaned if^ before selecting the kinds most 



Fig. 104. 



Dieffenbachia segiiina maculata. 



deserving of indoor culture, I describe the decorations for 

 one of the balls at the Hotel de Ville. 



Entering the Salle St. Jean_, the eye was immediately 

 attracted by a luxuriant mass of vegetation at one end; 

 while on the right and immediately round a mirrored recess 

 was a very tasteful and telling display made as follows : — In 

 front of the large and high mirror stretched a bank of moss^ 



