Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-06-27
THOUSANDS IN FLOWERS.
NOW A BEAUTIFUL TASTE rs GROWING
IN NEW YORK CITY.
The Sale Of the Sweetest Of the Soils Produc-
tions on Crowded Thorouehfares-Flowers
for the Theatre, Funeral and Ball-The
Chief Motives OF the Donors.


From the New York Herald.
From Battery point, where are congregated
the ''starters" Of half dozen surface railroad
cars and omnibus lines; up broadway 10
Canal street, between which points are scores
OF florists, great and small at all the chief
stations of the several al" roads; on the
wide pavements of Fourteenth, Twenty
third, Thirty fourth and Forty ty-second streets;
In hundred prepntious stores, where floral
stocks valued at thousands of dollars are dis
played; far up broadway and Madison and
Fifth avenues, flowers rich, rare, expensive,
cheap, fresh stale bright and blooming,
tired and faded, may be seen, admired,
passed by or purchased any day in any
week for nine months i'm the year.
This is not a long known fact Ten years
ago street selling OF flowers was rarely
seen. There were no distribution points
then. There were as now great bazaars where
out of town florists displayed many varieties,
and with clerks and statesmen conducted a
large and profitable business but that was
the regular trade, lasting all the year round,
requiring cash capital, taste and experience.
Nowadays one of the most hourishing of
the subordinate traffjcs of New York Is that
of the florist. All seasons pay him tribute,
All ages go to him for comfort Friendship,
courtship, marriage, birth and death alike
utilize the language of his wares and
contribute to his profit. The passing
decade has witnessed marvellous
change and growth in this direction
Many hundreds of thousands of dollars
are invested In Horticulture and millions
are annually spent for decorative and pleas
ure-giving growths. 1t is and has long been
the custom here to utilize flowers rs an ex-
pensive but delicate medium for the express
sion OF regard: Men who would not pre-
sumo 20 send a lady metal token need not
hesitate to load her with roses or garland her
with lilies. To such an extent has this he
come the fashion that some of the theatres ro-
semble flower shows and all the ladies look
like blossoming shrubs. Fashions vary in
flowers as they do in bonnets A year ago
huge bouquets were all the go. This year
bouquets are still in favor, but the corsage
reigns supreme.
ROSE CoRsAGEs.
Driving parties, dinner parties, dancing
parties and theatre parties spends tens OF
thousands in rose corsages. A few evenings
since theatre party of thirty-six occupied all
the boxes in Wallack's. The front rail of
each box was adorned with massive
bouquets and eighteen ladies wore tremen-
dous corsages of baron, tea and French pink
roses. more beautiful picture has rarely
been seen.
A leading Broadway florist said in reference
to aquestion, "The mo flower business at
funerals has not hurt the trade a bit. The
fact is New York grows too fast for any one
branch to seriously affect any good trade
we used to do very large business at
funerals, and do yet for that matter, but
nothing like the old times. The custom of
PioNiuing MOWERS at nome VIII never be
given up. Those people who request no flowers
care to be bothered with an endless nrocas'
sion of messenger bows with flowers in every
conceivable shape and variety. They provide
mowers themselves-plenty OF them-and
"Vs loou any oiner.
so,s oes % o,a' app,y 70 iuliS,ais Oh pubic per-
WoI, WV ., toi v,ni li,s'anoe an'',, 80, .,
., h no. we soiu over soVo Worth OF en-
, pieliis 20 DC sent 10 Cathollc church Tor an
sI'o az eno iuneia anu tnere were not less thal
Sa,SuV se With srpuPeu ABOUT the altar ana
ooiiih. ~ ~ was obviously ABSURD. NO cant
say 'nat tnere Is any marked diiierence IN that
Pa,. a': vi ,ho % tIaue I pu' tle oruihary funeral
i,ua pusi.ess :, is hhochco hiSher thah beecbers
hiaS,
,,Woiy YOU l uo Ilurn Ihealre traae
season e,, s,ip%nsnh pSy' 90 more re IN Ine opera
9easoii' , ai.nough nave my snare, suppose.
nave SOLO nlty twenty-five dollar bouquets
auu MY twehty'hve uoiIar corsaSes nleht
ai.ei ,. hlsn' lor 'ne opera. heii inc manage
hmt o,o'' soes ,.o IL 'e prices are loW
~ esel .holi me cpsl ~ enorIIous iIorlst
III .nis cily solu 10 the olu NILSSON manage
,tien. @ h0rai cnalr that Cost szoo ana pouquets
spa. ,a rnli % .ne piiI VI 70 COW. one hlgn1 Wnen
Ills nis. ~ i1loe hlcerhnoh cl sang wlth Iatl,
a.,....... - v
Lowers Wnlch qulte iiileu up tne ioppy, so
.no niahaser Wen' 70 Iiorlst anu pouSht
swehS ssno pouIue's ahu pieces that cost over
Se,, SivV-ne hau 10 uo it-aho sent lheh III 10
ra''i as from uiiioreht sources.
THEATRICAL CUSTOM.
"And how with the regular theatres P"
"They bring us great deal of custom, but
chiefly on first nights Theatrical managers
do not lay out for their company. I never
knew one TO send a dollar tor an actor or an
actress. Their friends, however, send very
beautiful and expensive flowers, sometimes
bouquets, yery rarely cut flowers and often
baskets and different STYLES of fancy pieces,
all of which cost from Si5 To 500 each One
leading artistic always buys flowers to be sent
TO herself when she has a new part That's
business, however Wallack's and the
Union Square theatres used To bring ms
more high priced custom than all the others
combined. Very often ladies who are to oc-
cupy boxes purchase magnificent bouquets
which they display during the evening and
later throw to the star or any fayorite they
NAV have on the stage,n
"How high are your best flowers p,
"'These barons are selling readily at So so
each, Lilies and yiolets are i'm great favor
lust now. aud the supply is plentiful. They
come from Long Island hot houses in great
abundance. Camelias, too, are once more in
demand. | have sold scores of bouquets of
camelias this month. A feature of the flower
trade this past season was the mammoth size
of the bo,Iuuets and corsapes. A little hon
quet is ready called for and a corsage that