THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
5 
ties, so there was very much for the lover of the beau¬ 
tiful to be pleased with. Before making comments on 
the exhibits, which we shall do without the slightest 
desire to compliment any that are unworthy or to criti¬ 
cise unjustly, we wish to say that set “ pieces’ - —dowers 
tied, wired and stuck on pegs, and then arranged to 
imitate a piece of oil cloth, or “made up” into arti¬ 
ficial designs—is cruelty to flowers and an insult to good 
taste. The abundance and quality of the flowers at 
this exhibition has never been equaled, either in New 
York or any other city, and the choicest and very best 
individual flowers were used in the greatest profusion. 
The novelty and greatest attraction lay in the dinner- 
table decorations, the schedule requiring the table to be 
equipped with napkins, glass and cutlery, arranged for 
twelve persons, with six boutonniers, six corsage bou¬ 
quets, plants and flowers, or flowers alone. The first 
premium, $100, was justly awarded to Hanft Brothers 
for a very finely-arranged circular table. The second, 
$50, to Long & Houghton. The third, $25, to H. 
Scherer. The two latter tables were oblong in shape. 
In criticism, we are entitled to express our opinion, 
not in the spirit of fault-finding, but in a friendly man¬ 
ner, with a view to correct abuses that might arise in 
future exhibitions. In the decoration of the table there 
are certain rules that should not be violated ; anything 
that impedes the line of sight at any point of the table 
so as to prevent a free and easy view of the whole, 
guests included, anything that is cumbersome, or any¬ 
thing that takes up too much of the table is a violation. 
A dinner-table decoration is not supposed to be the prin¬ 
cipal feature of a dinner, but rather an agreeable and 
beautiful accessory. 
The table which took the first prize was circular, 
about seven feet six inches in diameter, the floral works 
alone occupying a circle fully five feet in diameter, 
leaving only a margin of fifteen inches for the neces¬ 
sary plates, glass, cutlery, etc., etc. This was too little, 
as there was not an inch of room to move any of the 
articles without clashing with each other. As we said, 
the design was a circle, the outer margin being a band 
of La Puritie Carnations, six inches wide, raised above 
the level of the cloth about three inches; within the 
circle were five shield-shaped blocks, twelve by fifteen 
inches, equi-distant. radiating from a centre. The 
shields being respectively—1, Catherine Mermet Roses; 
2, Marechal Niel and Perle des Jardin do.; 3, Niphetos do.; 
4, Prince de Rohan and Jacqueminot do.; 5. Orchids and 
Lapageria; the centre, occupying a diameter of nearly 
two feet, was made of the La France Roses, the inter¬ 
stices being filled with ordinary green Moss. The ex¬ 
treme height of the center-piece was about one foot, 
and at no point was there any obstruction. The flow¬ 
ers were truly superb. The workmanship was of the 
very best, and the disposal was elegant, but the design 
would have been much better without either the Moss 
or the Carnations. The shield-shaped groups would 
have been improved by a single plant of Maiden-hair 
Fern in each, and there should have been in the centre 
of the La France Roses a light and graceful palm, as 
Cocos weddelliana. The design, as a whole, was a 
very beautiful, creditable display, but too large for the 
table. The boutonniers were good, but in this, as in 
all the other exhibits, the corsage bouquets could have 
been much improved. 
The second table had decidedly too much material in 
the shape of gold-colored candlesticks, stands for fruit, 
and other heavy glassware, and having the almost fatal 
objection of complete obstruction of sight at one or 
more points. The floral work in this was an oblong 
piece about twelve by eighteen inches, elevated above 
the table about six inches, a nd surmounted with a design 
in the shape of a fish twenty inches long, the scales and 
fins being composed of Vinca and other leaves, and as 
an imitation of a fish a very creditable piece of work. 
There was decidedly more room for improvement in 
this tabic than in the first; one of its great mistakes 
was in being overcrowded. 
The third table was, in our opinion, better furnished 
than the second, there being less obstruction. An ob¬ 
long design occupied two-thirds of the centre, very 
nicely arranged with choice Ferns, Lilies-of-the-Valloy, 
Tulips, Pansies, Violets, Roman Hyacinths, and a few 
Roses. The grouping of the flowers in little decided 
colonies, without reference to any pattern was to us a 
very pleasing arrangement, giving just such an impres¬ 
sion as is always enjoyed. But the next feature in this 
was its fatality—a wicker vase a foot high and six inches 
wide, was placed in this already pretty design, so heavy 
and so clumsy in appearance as to totally shut out from 
each other the guests centrally opposite—a most fatal 
mistake. 
The fourth table, furnished by Alex. Burns, of Sixth 
Avenue, unfortunately was not finished in time to 
receive any consideration from the judges, or it certainly 
would have taken either the first or second prize. The 
design ran two-thirds along the centre of the table, and 
from twelve to eighteen inches wide, the base being a 
sloping bank of Selaginella denticulata, and dentic- 
ulata aurea, about ten inches high, the centre a nice 
fresh plant of Alsophylla Australis, with choice Begonia 
incarnata and Ferns at either end, and little groups of 
Remontant and other Roses. The arrangement was very 
neat, and there was not any obstruction of view, at any 
point. The only mistake in this design was the same as 
that in the first table,—the design was too large for the 
table. 
The premiums offered for the best canopy suitable for 
a wedding receptiou, brought out two exhibits. The 
first, $100, was awarded to W. C. Wilson, for a very 
showy structure. The framework 8x10 feet, being 
of wire which was covered with Palm leaves, the top 
being surmounted with a fine plant of Pandanus Utilis, 
flanked at the base on either side with Palms and other 
plants with ornamental foliage. On the front above the 
opening, a design said to mean “ two hearts beating as 
one” was suspended, but Artemus Ward’s label would 
have been in order, and helped to decipher it. A loosely- 
arranged, curtain-like piece would have been a great im¬ 
provement. The inside was naked, bare, and cold 'look¬ 
ing, excepting a plant of Yucca variegata with its sharp- 
pointed leaves standing at the back. For what purpose 
this was placed there was “past our ken,” excepting 
perhaps as a danger signal, a warning to keep out 
entirely. A nicely-arranged floral piece, a monogram 
of some bold and expressive shape, suspended from the 
centre or placed at the back, would have given the piece 
life, which alone was needed to make the design appro¬ 
priate for the purpose for which it was intended. 
The second premium, $50, was awarded to McDonald 
& Hanft.* Their design was a different combination, 
the walls and support being of rough cork, with here 
