American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-09-11
How Artificial Flowers Are Made.

London and its suburbs contain not few
hives of human industry, where one may
say whole hothouses of the rarest blossoms
are daily turned out in an enduring form,
and many of the choicest favOrites OF
Eastern as well as English gardens crys-
talliZcd, as il were, into the lOvcliest form
of longevity. Sometimes the actual fac
tory consists of several houses extending
TO the side street, and at first it is
somewhat bewildering to a stranger to
pass up and down stairs through endless
doors and dark, crooked passages.
To begin at the beginning, there are the
raw materials, silk, satin, muslin and vel
vet, gold-dust, powdered glass, colors,
gum, wax and wire. No heap of garden
mold and handful of assorted seeds are
farther from the beauty resulting from
their union in rain and sunshine than those
disjecta mem6ra are from the lovely forms
into which dexterOus fingers and quick
eyes will soon compel them to pass. In
one room you see o number of racks con-
tanning dies and stamps employed in cut
ting out the individual leaves and petals.
Every imaginable form in nature may
here be seen-roses, tulips, lilies and dali
sizes being, perhaps, the most common
There are some thousands of these stamps
and, as each costs on an average ten or
twelve shillings, the amount sunk in this
portion of the stock alone is considerable.
Then there is a stiffening groom. Here the
sole business carried on is the preparation
of the basis of the future flowers by
the various substances used into
the proper consistency. The various fab
RIGS employed are stretched on frames and
a good deal of this is now done
for the flower manufacturer, but large
quantity of starching is done at home.
When the fabric basis of the future
flower is thus ready the next process is to
stamp out the separate leaves and petals.
The smaller patterns are struck out at
blow, thirty or more at time. Boys
stand in front OF powerful presses, the hot
plate beneath is Kept at the right temper
ature, and the rapidity with which the
process goes forward reminds one most OF
steam-printing. In another room we see
large table covered with artists materials.
some sprinkling powder on the
leaves, in order to give
them a more natural appearance. The
best kind are stepped in wax; the vessel
it is sunk into a hot plate, such
as / have seen in a wax-candle factory.
Thepainting ofthe separate portion of each
flower is very carefully performed. One
might almost fancy that watcrcolor paint
ing was proceeding from the delicacy OF
the colors employed. There is a great
deal of work in the individual parts of even
each blossom. The original substance,
whether satin, silk, muslin or velvet, must
be stiffeued, stamped out, veineds waxed,
busted, and finally mounted. The more
elaborated OF the specimens shown me 60
through at least eight or nine different.
processes before they are fit for their ulti-
mate destination. The frosted flowers are
gummed and then busted over with fine
powdered glass sifted through a muslin
bag. 1t is, however, the mounting-rooms
that most strike a stranger. Specifically,
they are pretty, indeed at long tables sit
close rows of girls and women, for the
most part nicely dressed and nice-look-
ing, each with q little assortment OF
artists materials before her.
In front of each row of workers are two
brass parallel rails, exactly like those you
see in counting houses for resting 'lctlgers,
ETC., on. These are piled with flowers in
every stage of manufacture. The general
cup d'9tl-the bright and oftens pretty
faces, the busy fingers, the pleasant rus
tie of green leaves, the glitter of brilliant
colors, the heaps of lovely blossoms-look-
ing like the spoils of a hundred hot
almost magical dexterfty with
which peal Is added to.petal, the gen.
erAl smcotlIness Of tlee hole process all
eay, SotA " AicA
hsve seen it but once Each mounting,-
table q In charge Of an experienced fore
hayibf1 certain pattern to
get eut puts price On Il, and arranges
with tia 6rm for m eauftnble amount. 1t
Is needless 20 say hat both sides know ex-
sctly The value of 50 much work. 1t then
becomes the object of the table TO turn
3ut good vofk quickly and to keep the
pattern working a. long as possible. The
various hands under the iorewoman are
paid by her according to what she deems
hem worth. As there are other tables in
the same condition, any.attempt
It tyrahnfzing by giving too little is de-
eated by the fact that the clever hand is
,ure to- be bid for by rival forewoman.
Thus one acts as q check on the other. 1t
answers many good ends. The monotonY
If the toll is happily interrupted, re-
doubled energy is certain of its proper re-
ward, and stimulants are offered in the
great majority of cases to bring about re-
'ults satisfactory to both employers and
employees.
One benefit of this policy is that good
pattern is kept secret. Instead of the
rery work-people themselves betraying it,
zach is anxious to keep a new pattern ex-
elusive as long as possible. 1t is clear, of
,ourse, that the longer pattern is worked
he more successful do the hands get in its
and thus each has person.
II interest in retaining profitable monop-
bly,. We have seen several deaf and dumb
and it seems that employ
nent has been given at different times to
many of those thus afflicted, some of whom
,ontrive to perform their tasks with sur
prising skill. The labor is not, except in
he case of the stamping, very rapid; too
much care is expended on each individual
part. Something of the deliberation of
painting is TO be found in the composition
.rtistic and clever hands can M rise ss to- y
position earning ESQ or more per annum
"a fair income for n wpman-there is
nipple encouragement for atL-jdfttiiner
ND Elrexe l[-alaeE *