i 4 4 FLORAL DESIGNS. 
A cross can be of white tulips, hyacinths and astilbe japonica, with 
base of daffodils and ferns. 
EASTER CONCEITS. 
A gilt egg, burst asunder, with crocuses, daisies, Roman hyacinths 
or any spring flower, is pretty for a gift, as also is a half egg shell, with 
downy chicks inside, nestled in a basket of Easter flowers. 
Goslings poking their heads through the shells, the whole lying in a 
bed of flowers ; or a dozen eggs lying in a basket of flowers. 
A novelty offered last year was white satin egg-shaped baskets, 
filled with pink roses and Roman hyacinths, blue violets and marguerites, 
or daffodils and jonquils, with ferns for each or any of them. The egg 
was bound with a white satin ribbon. 
A dove of white flowers ; an owl of violets ; a wheelbarrow of lily of 
the valley and forget-me-nots, with an egg in the center. 
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. 
Christmas is now a greater day with the florists than New Year's day. 
Flowers are scarce and prices are high — too high. The ingenuity of the 
florist is taxed to the utmost to get out his orders in satisfactory shape. 
Instead of giving combinations such as would be used on ordinary occa- 
sions when we have plenty of flowers, I offer a few suggestions as to com- 
bining materials that can be obtained more readily than fresh flowers, and 
will aid in economizing the latter. 
A Christmas cross (square) of bouquet green, stemmed and set closely 
together, trimmed off with the shears, with a wreath of red immortelles 
or holly around the arms. Holly could also be clustered on base. This 
would be suitable for a Sunday school or church. 
A standing cross of lycopodiums, with clusters of Bennett, Mermet or 
white roses. This — the lycopodium cross — should be grown previously in 
the greenhouse. A lyre can also be made of the same, with lilies and 
roses in clusters, or an urn can also be used in the same way, with a gar- 
land drooped over it. The last few designs are also suitable for funerals. 
We must not lose sight of Cape flowers — their utility can not be 
questioned. Designs of them can be prepared in slack times and kept on 
hand ; then when in a tight place for flowers, bring out your wreaths or 
crosses, describe in glowing terms the beauty obtained by a cluster or two 
of roses and fern leaves added to the Cape flower work, and you generally 
get the order. Ribbon, judiciously employed, helps out greatly in a scar- 
city of flowers. Talk " plenty of green ;" show them smilax designs, ivy 
designs, fern designs " livened with clusters " — anything to "tide over" 
the scarcity and bring in a few dollars for yourself, instead of the commis- 
sion man in the cities, during the season of high prices. 
Of course if first-class patrons are willing to pay for good work, they 
must have it ; but I am now talking of the great mass of customers who 
