Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-03-26
FLOWERSF0REASTE
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WILL BE
SPENT FOR THE BLOSSOMS HERE.
May Handy vioiets n Aiirich Drummer
Roses-The Florists to Reap q Har-
~vest-spring Bonnets.

The prettiest-and to the young men tho
saddest-of the Easter displays next Sun
day will be the exquisite flowers which
will adorn the fair bosoms of our Rich
mond girls. When the lovely swarlns Of
femininity surge down Franklin and
GRACE streets to attend the morning SER
vices at ST. Paul's the picture will DO as
charming as it is fragrant. but every per-
fumed zephyr will represent a three-dollar
bill and every rose will tell its own pa
thetic tale.
Already q grim spectre, once. shadowy
but now horribly distinct. is ~beckOnlng to
the gilded youth aud slowly yet irreslsti-
bly, drawing them to its den. This appari-
tion IL the torist-a creature born ike the
dewdrop in the world OF fragrance, yet rs
cruel as the frosts which brown the green
meadows and blight the forests. Like the
molasses which attracts the ty but to over
whelm him. so the florist lures on the
youth TO bankrupt him.
On Easter Monday he will be as rich rs
CrDsus. provided. OF course. he can col
lect all his bills; and as be counts his dol
lars he will appear "a cruel 70 the mascu-
line world As the red man who proudly
numbers the scalps that adorn his wig
wan. These are ~facts-hard. cruel. cold.
lUQlsDUibDlt lhClA-UulA Ab 'Altit1o WIN
rarely stops to consider details. and az
some poor fellow deposits his collateral
for a bouquet he will not pause 10 think
that hundreds of his companions are IN
the same fix. And yet 1t Is true. Death
spares no man and neither does this eN-
pensIve custom at this season. Yesterday
| undertook TO investigate the actual ont
put OF flowers and the figures are truly
amazing.
SOME STARTLING FIGURES ABOUT FASTER
One Of the fiower-dealers on Broad street
told me that he would cut between 23.OU
and 30. ZOO May Handy violets worth 81
per hundred). about 1900 Allrich Brun-
nler roses worth SC per dozen. M from
1000 to 5000 American Beauties worth -
per DOZEN for Easter. Now. providing bis
orders only come up TO the lowest figures
ho mentioned. he will gather IN ABOUT
-. 100 for those three kinds OF flowers
alone. As they are the most expensive OK
all. II ~ safe to presume mat they
will likewise be the most unpopular.
and therefore the public will purchase
fewer of them than of any other kinds OF
blossoms. The masses Will invest IN
cheaper kinds Of roses, while many viii pur-
chase hvacInths which, after all. are almost
as sweet as the queen OF iioWers) or carna-
lions. 1OEtlufI WIN ~ AA'''s
tulips. jonquils. mIgnonetto. and ported
plants It is pretty safe to say that my
friends sales will DO $1,000. Now. there
are NJ least ten florists here who do almost
as much business az the gentleman ! refer
10. SO some idea of the enormous eXpendI-
lures for Easter flowers may be obtained.
A DESCRIPTION or OH EXTENSIVE BLOSSOMS.
At least $4,000 will be invested in this
way. but after all, there are Jew peraons
indeed who will consider 1t Il waste OF
money. Anv one who knows the least
about botany will tell you that there Is ms
much art IN raising flowers rs there Is IN
painting n picture or making a marble
statue. All Of the prettlest kinds OF roses
are hybrlds-that IL to say they, are pro
duced by crossing and grating the differ
ent varieties, and frequently the result
only follows after years Of patient study
and innumerable failures. -
The Allrlch Drummer rose, 20 which |
have alluded above, IS an exquisite
foyer-in fact. the most beautiful that
grows. II is of a deep. rich crimson color,
very much like but handsomer than tho
American Beauty. and perhaps q little
larger. Its extremely high price-S5 per
do2en-is due to the fact that 1t
frequently has TO DO forced. The
young man who can sum up the
nerve to send his girl a dozen Of
these is nothing short Of q hero, and yet,
be- il said 10 the credit OF the society
cnaps. a great many Of them do II. IN
truth. several intrepid youths, who were
wildly in love. have wen been known TO
send two dozen at one clip, but this form
Of mental alteration does not appear
often. The ambitions OF tho average
| v~ouugster are entirely sated when ho pays
- g.. a. Iayap Aruarfpnn HnunfCu
] IT'S NAMRsAKE-yERY PRETTY.
Some one has appropriately remarked
that women are in the moral world what
flowers arc in the physical, and l think
may add IN this connection that the May
Handy violet is in the floral world what
this lovely belle is in the social-tnat Is 10
saw. 1t is a a gem Of beauty and sweetness.
II IS several shades lighter than the ordi-
nary violet and "a blue as a summer sky.
The florists will reap almost as large a
harvest Oh the pOtted plants as they 10 on
the cut flowers. as there Is always a great
demand for Easter and Gala lilies. wnie
azaleas and astclbe are becoming exceed
incly popular. In fact, all classes of peo-
nie bny flowers Of every description at
this season and 1t Is the time above all
Others, barring Christmas, when the
florists reap their richest harYests.
LARGE SALE or BoSNETs.
The millinery establishments are 10 tho
feminine portion of our population what
tho florists are o. the masculine con-
tiCent and If the weather Is bright and
warm next Sunday hundreds Of new bon
nets will bud our like the blooms on the
frnit.trees. As q matter Of fact. very few
sprlnC dresses risk the weather under any
circumstance at this season. IL IL the
| combination Of the flowers and hats which
produces this idea in the brain Of the
stronger sex.
Outside Of the dry-goods and millinery
lines the merchants have very few Easter
goods. and novelties are scarce. Inc craze
for cards appears to have been somewhat
revived. and all kinds OF designs, III deli
cate colors, can be found.