Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-11-01
ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS.
An Important Industry Originated by
Rious Italian Nuns.

| An Inportant Industry Originated b
| Pious italian Nuns.
Artifcial-howers were first invented
by pious nuns. In the Italian converts
the affairs and shrines of saints were,
up to the end Of the eighteenth century,
decorated with artificial flowers, Ia
boriously put together of paper parch-
ment, and other stiff materials Since
then the ''ltalian flowers" which arc
made in Venetian factories of the i'm
perfect cocoons of silkworks, have be-
come famous for their daintiness, which
makes them particularly suitable for
toilet decorations. Besides these silk
flowers, other artificial flowers are
made in Venice, whence nearly all
Italy is supplied, and whence whole
wagon-loads are exported to other
countries. have been over one of the
Venetian flower factories, for no sooner
has the visitor to Venice taken his early
cup of chocolate at Florian's near the
Marcus place, when the cicerone ap-
pears, offering to show him the ''fam-
ous'' factory of the famous Italian
flowers" This factory is situated in
one of the gray old houses of tho Free
zaria. and several hundred girls are oc-
cupied in it. In the warehouse the
most wonderful reproductions of natural
flowers are exhibited in glass cases. and
it seems in many cases as If not only
the richest and most brilliant colors,
but the very scent Of the flowers. had
been stolen from nature, for some OF the
artificial flowers are stepped in the per-
fume distilled from the flower which 1t
represent. Any one wishing to take
home some souvenir of Venice can have
his choice of beautiful and often fan
tastic objects at the factory.
In the upper stories of the house the
girls sit at their work. constructing.
with clever hands, the most beautiful
works of art, for all the most expensive
are nearly exclusively made by hand,
and their value depends solely on the
manual dexterity and taste of the poor
ly-clad and most delicate-looking girls,
sitting at long tables, and inhaling the
unhealthy dust of the dyed materials.
No machinery could replace the dexter
ity and taste. Last century Swiss in
vented machine for cutting out the
leaves and petals, but it can only be
used for the smallest kinds, such as are
wanted for hyacinths, lilies of the val
ley and other small flowers. In large
petals the irregularities of manual work
are preferred to the stiff and correct
forms produced by machinery. The
material of which the petals are made
is woven in special factories; the scis-
sors and other tools used by the girls,
as we'll as the presses in which the veins
are traced on the leaves, are OF shape
specially adapted to the work. Each
part of flower is made by specialists.
In one room, for instance. only stalks
of flowers and leaves are made; in an
other fruits and berries of all kinds
are cast, if they are Of wax. or blown.
if of glass. The cleverest workers.
are employed in making blossoms Of
the single petals, and bouquets. wreaths
and garlands of the single blossoms. 1t
is very interesting to watch this pro-
cess and see how, first, the center of a
flower is constructed, then the petals
put round, next the green leaves, and
so forth, till flower or branch is COM
Gdrtcnldube.