Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-11-19
Artificial Flowers.

On the streets, on the cars, on tn ferry
boat one cannot but observe the number |
OF artificial flowers that nestle so costly |
under the brlms of round hats, peep from
folds OF lace or bonnets, and adorn in
every conceivable way all sorts of femi-
nine head gear, and which sometimes seem
so daintily formed and tinted that to think
OF their home being anywhere but in
shady woods or by the side of some softly |
ripping brook seems almost like desecra-
tion. But in the side streets of the great
city, the very antipodes of forest aisles or
grassy field, is where we find them spring
ing, not exactly from the soft damp earth,
but from the various combinations of mus
lin, gum, paints, wires and the labor of
hundreds Of young girls. This, Of course,
takes away all sentiment concerning them,
but makes the process of their manufa-
ture none the less interesting. There are
in this city alone over two thousand girls
employed in this apparently unimportant
manufacture. Let US follow some of them
and learn something of the way these
dainty limitations are made. The material
used is nansook, cambria and satin Jean,
and satin. This is first cut by means OF
dies into the proper shape, the work, being
rather heavy, is done solely by boys. The
next step is the coloring which is done all
| by hand, greater part being done by
boys, but few girls liking to do this part
of the work, the details of fower-making
being far from cIeanly. Still there is but
little resemblance to flowers in these fat
bits Of colored muslin. But come into
the rooms where we see dozens OF long ta-
bles. each surrounded by numbers Of young
girls all busy at work and we see at one
of these tables these fiat pieces shaped and
curled on the ed ge with large steel pin.
These are for the outer petals, and now
we wonder about the inner ones. 9. Crum-
pied rose-leaves " 1t seems very sugges-
tive of color and beauty and dewy fra
GRANGE, but we find that the crumpled :"
appearance is given them by means of
heated iron which presses them into an
India rubber cushion. They are then
gummed and fastened into their proper
position by a girl who receives the sta
mems and wires from still another.
The leaves 90 through nearly the same
process in regard to the cutting and color
ing, the only distinctive feature being the
veining which is done with heavy press
The stems are nearly all imported, as they
are of much better quality and of lower
price than can be bought here. Indeed,
the whole manufacture of flowers here is
comp paratively in u crude state, as is do
monstrated by the fact that only the lower
grade of flowers are even here attempted.
In France each woman manufactures what
flower is best suited to her, and wears it,
be it daisy, pansy or rose, and If Nine.
Blank says " Grapes are worn now, my
dear, pansies are old STYLE does she
straightway 90 and change her soft-eyed
pans.es for an immense bunch Of grapes
Not she, any more than we, who do not
even attempt to follow the fashion, have
one year all violets in our garden, and the
next weed them all out to make room for
snow. drops.
! Here there is one year perfect rage /"
for daisies, and the tall, gaunt women wear
them as complacently as the air-faced,
blushing school girl. The next year they
are drug in the market, and they must
give place to roses. The difference in
France leads, of course, to nearly absolute
perfection in the manufacture of each par
ticular flower. One man makes only vlo-
let's. He has workers who have been with
him for years, marriage making no differ
ence in their occupation. He has taken
pains to teach them. and their long ap-
premiership, together with their natural
taste, makes the flowers which they pro-
duce far superior to those which are manu-
factured here, where, perhaps the girls are
changed each month. Their perfection in
one branch is the end to be attained. For
this end he has access to the Jardlnes des
Plantes, where he may obtain flowers that
he wishes to simulate, to books describing
them, and to free lectures, all OF which
have a refining influence, and which tend
to educate his tastes. Flowers are often
brought here by the gross and branched
here this, while giving US the advantage
of the foreign manufacture, tends to lessen
the price, as in that way they can be pack
ed very closely. Another thing which
would scarcely be thought of as branch
of the business, is the preparation OF moss
, for the moss roses which are worn IN such
profusion. This is the same as can be
found in our own native woods, but it is
all imported. In France firm takes a
number of poor children, providing them
) with home, food and clothing for their
labor in gathering, cleaning drying and
/ coloring this moss, they becoming so ex-
: pert in the course of year as to prove 1t
, good investment. Some idea OF the
, value of their labor may be given when we
! learn that it is sold here for thirty cents a
thousand pieces, each piece measuring
, about two inches. One of the freaks OF
= fashion is for imperfect flowers, late roses
. with only one side fully developed, roses
0 which are apparently falling to pieces
0 These all admire as being more or less
/. true to nature, but when we are shown
e blue and green roses and black dalses, We
e can only say they are wonderful (for theil
f ugliness), and quietly think that only a
D harbaric taste can admire them. An end
!, less variety of natural grasses and wheat
J, affords pie opportunity for the display
. of whatevar taste we have In combining
/ them. Indeed, branching seems to be
Q sort of the business that requires inherent
e taste and love of flowers, in order to tol
: low nature as closely as possible.
e Some of the imported flowers are SC
}. lovely that we involuntarily stoop to IN
$ hale their fragrance, and even here we are
n not disappointed, for we find each flower
+? has lis natural fragrance, not a mixture o
y gum and paint and starch, but the yer.
r Fragrance Of the woods imprisoned in it
l. depths. e,,..
It Butterflies posing on the edge of Lille III
n /.La .l;r,,eo of ctooi cnrinpS DESTROYS tina