Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-02-04
ARTIFICIAL ELowtRs.
A Brief Study Of Them In . New Orleans
Atelier.

| dark-eyed women sit in the clear winter
| sunshine, a charcoal brazier near, with
a kettle bubbling braveiy upon it, so
| that the atmosphere is warm and moist,
| ike that of conservatory, and flowers
are growing here in wonderful fashion,
one set of nimble fingers making piles
of pale green stems, another employed
in combining a bridal garniture of
orange blossoms and lilies of the valley
and the third finishing some tail An
nunclation lilies. and sticking the stem
of each as it is done into tall spool
that stands in front Of her. They are
pleasantly laxative, these three quiet
women building flowers, and willing
to give any information pos sible on the
subject of their trade.
.:Yes, it takes long time to learn
our trade" said the liveliest Of the
three. THAT young lady was appren-
! ticed four years-me, l took five, but |
am not so clever Besides. one has to
have delicate hands for work like this;
no clumsy fingers can put in these fine
| little stamens.
The stems were made by folding
pale green tissue paper across several
| times, then one cut of the scissors
sliced off long strip about an eighth
of an inch wide. Taking this up and
folding it once around fine wire, it is
held in the finger and thumb, and the
rapid twirling of the wire winds it
closely and evenly down to the end,
where il is pinched to hold it in position,
and the pile of stems grows apace.
The girl who is making the lilies
takes one of these green stems. picks
off a small pile of white stamens
made of tightly rolled paper, wraps
them even upon the stem with green
floss, cuts them the proper length, dips
them lightly in hot, white wax, and
holds them downwards until minute
drop has hardened on the stem of
each, rubs these ends in a box of yell
low powder and adds four long, white
petals, made of loosely woven cloth,
stiffened with gum arabic, and slightly
| creased in horizontal lines. Thus
smother lily is completed, and added
to those stuck in the spools. To make
the leaves of these lilies. long, slender
oblongs are cut out of green. waNed
linen, the prepared stems laid half
way up the back of the leaf, and
pasted to it with piece of tissue
paper. These are fastened at intervals
along the stem of the lily, and the
whole cluster goes to adorn a vase on
some altar.
The woman who is making the bridal
garnture has open before her boxes of
h,,f
white lilac, myrtle and lilies of the val
ley The orange blossoms come ready
made from France, because it is cheap
er to import than to make them, and it
was discovered that all orange blossoms
are made of white kids dipped i'll white
wax from one to four times. according
to the price of the flower. This is what
makes orange blossoms so much more
expensive than other artificial flowers.
Huge boxes of these come. with other
boxes as large of orange leaves in all
sizes and all cOIors, from tie black
green of the old leaves 10 the yellow
green of the little new leaves in the
spring. The lilacs are simply tiny
stars of white cotton threaded with Il
waX-headed stem and bound into clus-
tiers.
The myrtles are scallOped and furn-
ished with little stamens of white
thread, while the valley lilies are small
disks, scalloped on the edge, bent into
cup shape and strung on a strand OF
darning cotton.
The process of making pansy was
shown. The upper petal is cut from
purple velvet, which is siiffenod with
black gummed net; the lower petal is
made of lilac satin. the center is painted
yellow and the ra'Iiating lines at the
heart are drawn in scpia with camels
hair brush. Then it is threaded upon
a waX-headcd stem.
A rose commences with a stem,
around which is fastened numerous
small loops of fine thread. These are
clipped to various lengths, dipped in
hot wax and then into yellow powder.
Thus the stems are made. The petals
are gradually added; first the tiny inner
ones. which are crump.ed with steel
needle, and the larger ones, all glued
firmly to the floss which wrapped the
stamens to the stem. and each one
tinted with powders, curled or crumpled
as the general effect demands.
The fine grasses that come with
punches of peoples. daises and butter
cups are real grasses. preserved as to
color, and from drying and becoming
brittle by chemical processes.
Opening box after box, one finds
materials for every sort of flower. Rose
petals all sizes and hues, blue stars for
forget-me-nots and yellow ones for DAFT
fOdils and buttcrcups, just as it must
be in Natures workshop in the land of
The Other Side of Things, where she
keeps her materials ready to be made
up for spring orders.
''Is trade as duh here IS the mer-
chants on Canal street complain it is
with them?'' was asked.
well, get on she replied senten-
tiously. Il do not complain; it does
no good, and we have o French pro-
verb which SAYS: 1T is better 10 be
praised than pitied' ~. o. Times
Democrat.
REFINING OF PETROLEUM.
Vur;Dns procassos Nccessarv tn the