The Southern herald., 1893-04-14
FASHIONS lN FLoMERs


Lass rhlrig fearE
Thirty years ago society wonsh haa
to fan back on eamellias for their table
decorations The flowers were grown
IN half dozen eolors and answered as
many purposes. Violets and white car
nations were scarce, and roses, though
small and short-stemued. were regard.
ed as great luxury. Not any gf The
grace and beautiful comparison Of cols
ors entered into the stiH and ponderous
bouquets carried at the balls and even
ing parties
In those days the florist arst fastened
together a ballot bouquet green" with
several yards Of heavy wire, and into
the ball were thrust the camellas and
carnations Sometimes by way Of va
riety vacancies were left and filled in
with viOlets, giving spotted effect TO
the bouquet and making it both gro
tesque and ungraeeful.
Then, one Of the most frequent direc-
tions to the florist in making up bou-
quet was to put It together as lightly
as possible Bouquet green was very
heavy stuff, and an average bouquet
would tip the scales anywhere from
three to five pounds. and frequently
ladies retired after an evening enter
tainment more tired from holding the
indispensable bouquet than from stand
ing and being pleasant for four hours
II is related upon good authority that
when Miss Lorillard was married TO
James P. Kernochan, servant in the
Lorillard family drowned a superannu-
ated pet dog BY tying the brides bou-
y quet about the animals neck and drop
ping him in the river
Roses that a person even outside the
fringe Of society would not deign to
buy to-day were sold for 81 and $3.50
each in 1867. The lie Marque, safrano,
yellow Isabella Sprint, and the Cloth OF
Gold roses, now back numbers, were
the most common twenty-five years ago,
but only the wealthy could afford to
buy them. The American Beauty rose
was then unknown, and comparatively
few Jacqueminot roses were grown
and then only in the spring.
In 1869 tea roses were introduced II
Boston, and the following year The
roses became the rage here. Soor
afterward two varieties OF green orchidl
were first used In 1879 smilax, now Sc
common in floral decorations Of al
kinds, was put up in the florists win
dows and sold for $3.50 = yard. To-da,
smilax can be bought for twenty cent
a yard. The first Duchesse de Braban
and Marechal Neil roses were sold Il
this city in 1870, and about the sam
time the florists began to force flowers
so that tulips, hyacinths, jonquils
narcissus, and such summer blossom
were sold in the winter. The frs
forced lilies Of the valley and lilac
were offered for sale during the winte
: Of 1901. At that time Easter lille
/ were not used, but Gala lilies wer
| common.
In 1870 the Gloire de Paris, the frs
long-stemmed rose, was introduced
. and then followed in rapid successio
, the Anna de Diesbach, Magma Charts
Anna Alexif and several new tea rose
, --Catharine Mermet and La France
) roses all now in common use. Ten year
4 ago the popular American Beauty ros
. was presented to the public. The Amel
lean Beauty was introduced in Wash
: ington, and though not general
1 known was the recultivation Of an ol
Z rose called the Madam Germaine, er
larged by careful propagation.
Palms have only been in use for te
years During the days Of the civ
$ war there were but two large palms
the city, and they belonged to Isa'
a Buchanan, an old-school florist N
Q Buchanan imported the palms fro
5 Brazil at a great cost, but he made Il
l times over the price Of the palms in ls
a ting them out at receptions and we
dings.-N Y. Times.