The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-10-01
ARTIFICIAL FLOWER MAKING.
A Profitable Industry Springin. Up for
Women of Refinement.
Chicago TribuneI


As a reporter was passing u shop on the
west side he happened to glance through the
window AMI his attention was arrested by
the proceedings of a young AMI pretty girl
inside. She had a frame before her, around
which she deity twined moss and small
green leaves. and then, as she stepped back
to see the effect of her work. tied white
roses neatly in the corners. Entering the
shop, the proprietor, blonde young man,
was fouui working mp to his elbows in a
mass of pretty Il Jwer, and leaves. The re-
porter ventured To say that it was pity to
use such delicate buds SO roughly, and the
man looked up and said, as he laughed:
Way, tGes5 are not real flowers; they're
only artificial There, you may crush up
that rosebud as much as you like, but you
won't do it much harm. These are not the
kinI that crumple and decay, as the poet
says, though what poet L can't for the life of
me say. What's that young woman doings
Why. she's making a Gates Ajar' for
funeral party, and as it's got to be delivered
tonight she will have to work pretty smart
to get through in good time.
Artificial flower making is quito new
industry in Chicago, but judging from the
way it has already taken root l think it
will soon be very fourishing 1t is purely
an exotic imported from Paris, VIII rs
there are vast establishments devoted to
nothing else but the manufacture of flowers
and leaves gathered from every quarter Of
the globe. These" pointing to a row of
large light green leaves, which were III srkol
irregularly by bars of the most 'rlliai5
scarlet imaginable-"these are plant which
you would think exaggerated in their color
ing. The people of Paris thought So wlen
they were first introd uced; but they kn w
now that they are merely exact limitations
of the Mexican begonia- INIT t,i1n' OF al
your rareEt American flowers are now II bs
found in the drawing OF Paris side
by side with orchids gatherel in b rneo,
or perhaps along the aim st unexplore
headwaterS of the Orinoco.
The most laborious flowers to initiate are
rosebuds, callalilics, heliottopes, lilies of the
valley, and lilacs. LOOK at tLi, lilac, and
you will see that the little dots Of yellow
seed have to be put in each separately by u
process which Is a secret of the trade, and
that every minute s,om has to be covered
with silk sjust exactly the hue of the stems
of the natural flower Perhaps the pond
lily, which has an opel calyX, i, the easiest
of all flowers to initiate. Oar flowers are
not copied from paintings, but directly
from nature. Wloaever, for in stance, / SOD
a rose that strikes me, buy it and set to
work at imita ting it. There are men in
France who do this SO skllfully that they
are fully entitled to b5 called artists; for to
the most delIcat3 appreciation OF nature
they unite the most dslicato manual power
of copying natures handiwork."
"Of course artificial flowers are adapted
TO household decoration ani ornament.
Here, for in lance. is large palm
which we have just made for a Chi
cago opera house. You would think that
the leaves were maio OF India rubber, but
they are simply French muslin peculiarly
siz,d AMI prepared. There is a growing de
manI for artificial flowers for funeral pur-
pos IS. At this season of the year natu raj
flowers are abOutas cnsap a artificial f, Nv
ers but in the winter the artificial 4 .wsr-
are aim st % per cent. cheaper. Ia thess
flowers which can not be told from natural
flowers at Il distance of three fs't. have the
advantage Of being practically cveri;,> ting. "