The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-29
COMING OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The FrovvSy Heads of Famous show
Flowers Are Carefully Dressed.

The FrowSy Heads of Famous show
Flowers Are Carefully Dressed.
New York, Oct. 27.-Of course you are
going TO the chrysanthemum show and
will enjoy looking at the gorgeous colors
and perfect forms Of the magnificent blos-
SONS. But they didn't grow that way The
perfect flower has not yet been develop
cd, any more than the perfect man or wo-
man. Bnt art may and does step in to
aid nature in regulating details. just as IL
does with the human being. The chry-
santhemums that are so much admired
have had their toilets made with more
care. and at a greater expenditure of time
and PATIENCE than has gone toward the
dressing of a great ladys hair.
1t takes three hours sometimes TO make
the toilet of a single rare specimen OF the
chrysanthemum one would hardly believe
ii, but here IS the process of dressing
single flower, and imagine the care, pa
tituce and genteness OF touch required.
one look at an ordinary chrysanthemum,
or fine one in d.shabille, win show that
there Is hole at the center of the blos-
som. and that the petals straggle in all
directions. up ana down, right and left. IL
looks like a lazy boy who has forgotten"
to comb his hair. The fower-hair-dr
has his combs ana brushes, but the combs
are pincers Of various siz and the brushes
Of the softest camefs hair.
Suppose that The florist has succeeded
In growing some fine specimens of that
huge variety My Lady" some blos-
SONS of which have measured four
teen inches IN diameter. He cuts the
blossom with q long stem, 80 that he
can handle it well. Then he places 1t i'm
high glass vase, with a broad base,
.~l.aA
looks like the socket Of a candlestiok
with hole In t. The stem passes
through this hole and down into the
vase until the lower petals of the blos-
som rest on the zinc support but not
too firmly. BEFORE putting the flower
into the vase to keep 1t from whiting
under the long operation. he has per-
formed the toughest part Of the work.
This consists I'm pulling out with the
pinccrs enough petals around the cen-
: ter OF the blossom to permit the others
to close over that part. He is careful
TO remove any worms, or defective, dis
coored petals. and then he begins the
+ "combng process" The most tedious
part Of all with the less rare varieties.
which do not take so long, this is all done
rapidly but gently while the stem Is
held IN the hand, but with My Lady"
who Is too arstocratic to have her tenn
per so tried for three long hours this
part OF Ailt WOth ~ tVh''t HiiAit hA4N NA+'+A'
refreshing moisture in the vase.
one by one each petal Is put in place,
so that the contour Of the blossom VIII be
either a perfect circle or a star OF many
rays. IF any petal proves too obdurate
10 stay in place 1t is pulled out by gen.
he jerk with the pincers of which there
are several sizes on hand, one for the
work at the center and several others
for the combing process Of finer or coarser
varieties When every petal has been put
into place the work would appear 20 be
over but this artist Is most fastideous,
nothing but perfection satisfies him. and
he takes up Cameis hair brush with
which he gently smoothes out every
wrinkle that u detected by his practiced
eye. Then, and not til then, Is MY
Lady" ready for the admiring throng at
the exhibition.
This art of flower perfecting was FIRST
introduced by the English florists In their
attempts to Guido one another by showing
4 the most perfect blossoms, but II has
! spread to America end the continent, and
( Is proctced by all those seeking prizes at
the chrvsanthcmum shows. The process
b varies slightly, being somewhat more diffi-
Z cult when the flowers are to be exhibited
/ on the stalk. I'm pots. but the hand of the
! artistic florist has been at work, no mat
ter how natural the flowers appear TO the
uninitated. IT IS said that from three to-
four years of practice is necessary before
man can be called an expert at the TASK
Of making the toilet OF the flowers, but he
then commands n high salary and Is con-
sidered at the head Of his profession, as
I he esteems IT, Art has to assist nature to
/ perfection, even IN flowers, which seem
; TO us to be the most spontaneously beauti-
ful Of anything In creation. 1t would seem
that feminine patience and skilfulness OF
touch ought to adapt women especially for
this work, but strange to say no woman
has yet undertaken 1t, or is known to have
done so.