The Portland daily press., 1884-11-04
Flower Selling in New York.

"The flower business is rather curious
one, and little more complicated than one
would at first suppose" said an old florist,
as he deftly twined a spray of smilax in and
around bunch of roses, so that lines of deli
cate green separated the rich colors.
Chow so?''
'Why in keeping stock on hand which
will crafty variety of tastes 1t is easy
enough to have an abundance of the fash
ionable flowers, even though the fashion
seems to change in flowers just as it does in
dress. The fashionable flowers are used, of
course, in receptions, lunches whore each
lady has bouquet placed at her plate, and
in funerals. But when you come to indi-
vidual tastes, when ladies want flowers to
hsrmouize with their dresses or with their
china, and when people want their favorite
flowers, which perhaps have gone out of
fashion, why you can never tell what kind
of flower is going to be asked for-and
that's where the complication comes in.
Some people wear flowers simply because it
is fashionable. Others love some particular
kind of flowers, and want it whether they
wear it or not. Then, if you haven't got the
Ao-ger@ thay disrleesAds @pd ttSs5y-
have big reception they go to some other
florist; so, you see, we have to watch the
private tastes of our customers. These buds
here were all the rage two years ago, and,
although they are all out of fashion now, we
have to keep stock on hand for certain Gus
toners who call for them every day al
most"
"How do ordinary baskets of flowers
sellP"
ooh, from IS 10 S25. Sometimes tbsv
run much higher. We sent one out not
long ago which cost $3.50. You can have no
idea how the custom of sending flowers has
grown. All the young people buy them
when they can afford it, aud Just now the
wealthy young men are beginning to pour
in and get flowers 10 send to their young
lady friends who have just gotten in from
the summer resorts. Whenever a young
mau takes young lady to party OF to the
theatre, nice bouquet is one of the Leces-
sary accessories. Flowers go ahead of all
other gifts in winning woman's heart, and
every young gallant knows that"
"Why SOP"
"WelI, nearly all women love flowers, and
there is something so delicate, so much TN
said yet suggested in flowers that the simple
gift of one is always appreciated by a woman
not to speak of the fferent sentiments
that are associated with different kinds of
flowers. 1t is very interesting to note how
differently people regard flowers. Why,
can tell almost the moment a woman enters
whether she is fond of them. Women who
love flowers always have sweet faces, soft
ways and gentle dispositions. One of that
kind rarely asks for the fashionable flower
because it is fashionable. She loves flowers
for their own sake, and consequently she is
almost sure to call for her favorites, whether
in fashion or not. The woman who cares
for flowers simply because they are fashion
able is generally one of the cold, naughty,
airy kind. She will look around critically,
seize some flower and pull it out of bunch,
sometimes breaking off a leaf or catching
one of its thorns in another rose and tearing
| the petals. That's the difference, you see.
The other lady handles them with a gentle,
caressing touch almost as if they were hu-
man.
"Did you know that the ladies use flowers
| for perfumery? In France it Is very COM
mon, and it is getting quite usual in Ameri-
ca. They take bunch of violGts and place
them in the bosom of the dress. No manu-
iactured perfume can come up to The odor
OF the flowers, you know Every morning,
rain or shiUe, an o'd doctor comes in here,
gets bunch of violets, uubuttons his vest.
places them next to his heart, and walks out.
l often wonder if he does it for the per-
| fume. l guess it is a case of sentiment,
| however.
The florist sees plenty of pretty little TO
| maDces. Very often young man has fow-
ers sent to a certain house in this city eVery
morning. Then there comes a big order;
| the marriage, you know, and then they
| dwindle down; he comes less and less often,
until finally he ceases altogether. The old
| tale, you know. Last spring used to notice
couple going by here, fine, manly young
| fellow and a girl pretty and dainty, with
| lovely brown hair and dark blue eyes, They
| didn't know each other, but when the young
man went to business the girl was sure to be
| somewhere around where she could see him.
| She lived right round the corner, and she
| used to come Ia here aud pretend to be ex-
/ amining the flowers as he passed. Then she
| would look up and watch him as he went
| down the street. One day as he went BY
| she looked up and said TO me, 'Oh, what
| funny hatr and then carelessly, as she be-
| gan picking among the flowers, 4 wonder
| who he is? l came very near laughing, for
| the previous day the young fellow had been
in to ask me who she was, and had sent her
some flowers. About week afterWard she
| came in with friend, aud heard her tell
| ing the friend how somebody had been send
| ing her flowers every morning, and she did
wish she could find out who it was. Well
| the best part OF 1t all came afterward. One
| morning he came in as usual and the garden
| er took him back into the conservatory.
| While he was there the girl entered and
stood near the counter looking toward the
window. Presently he returned, and, as he
started for the door brisky, he said, well,
| send those flowers as usual up TO "a -
| street. Neither knew The other was near,
and, hearing the number of her house men
toned, she turned around and they met face
10 face. Well 1 never saw such an embar.
rassed couple in all my days. She had big
Jacqueminot near her face. and it would
have been hard to tell which was redder. the
rose or her cheek. She turned to the fow-
ers, and he passed out. They didn't come
any more, but not long ago saw them going
| by together. They both looked in and when
they saw me he laughed and she blushed."
1
A fool in high station is like a man in bal