The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-09

different with the vessels you are to
make practical use of.
Therefore, when choosing them, shut
your eyes stubbornly to their beauty
and think of them as they will appear
when put to their legitimate use.
Quite often such a consideration of
them will lead you to choose something
which at first did not appeal to you
very forcibly. Bear in mind the fact
that the vase is always to be subordi-
nate to that which it contains, and that
a most attractive piece of workmanship
may be wholly unfit for your purpose,
because its beauty will be always as
sorting itself as a rival attraction to the
flowers you may use in it. Graceful
outline should always be insisted on.
Simplicity Of design is always pleasing
and artistic. Color, If there is any,
should be very subdued, and care should
be taken to see that there is always
harmony in tone between the vase and
flower. AS a general thing, crystal
vases, without color of any kind, are
more satisfactory than any other fer
table use
In vase with a fiaring mouth, ferns
show to fine effect, if arranged so their
fronds fall over it with flowers above.
If ferns are not obtainable, almost
any vine can be substituted with good
results. l often make use of aspara-
gus sprengerii in lengths of two and
three feet, and it is always greatly ad-
mired, The vine can be given a twist
about the pedestal of the vase, and this
brings a portion of the color scheme of
the decoration down to the table with
out making it unduly prominent there.
Ferns and vines of light and delicate
character often add much to the at
Effectiveness of table decorations, be-
cause they soften harsh outlines and
tone down what may sometimes seem
to be too strong masses of color.
When a flower has fine foliage of it's
own, and plenty of it, as a general thing
no other foliage should be used There
may be exceptions to this, but they are
the exceptions which prove the rule
A vase of roses shorn of their own TO-
liage is never as pleasing as it would
be if their own leaves were there to
serve as a background to the blossoms.
Ferns are beautiful, but they do not
blend as satisfactorily with roses as
their own foliage does. Lilacs need
nothing but their own foliage to relieve
the beauty of their blossoms. But ILL
les, carnations, sweet peas and other
flowers with scanty foliage must have
something furnished to offset their lack
in this direction, and nothing supplies
the need quite as pleasingly as ferns.
Some flowers, however, require but lit
tie foliage, notably dahlias, chrysan-
themums and rudbeckias. Just little
touch of green affords all the relief they
need. A large amount of it spoils the
effect. Large, heavy flowers, like those
last named, are hardly in harmony with
the delicate ferns Of the Adiantum
class, but the Osmunda, the pteris and
the nephnolepsis members. of the fami-
ly, with their broader, heavier textured
fronds, combine with them much more
effectively. The long fronds of the
sword fern are charming accompani-
ments for the wax-white lilies of late
winter and early spring, which have
no foliage of their own, to speak of.
But with the other flowers named, /
would prefer 10 use. if / could procure
| 1t in sufficient quantity, foliage more
like that of the English ivy in shape
color and texture. Long sprays of this
plant Will be found extremely useful
If thickly set with perfect leaves. They
can be kept fresh for weeks IL the water
in which they are placed is changed
daily.