The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-07-28


 Price-Orchids Make Them More Ex- pensive-Adyantages of the Pan of Flowers.
 The recent endeavor of a Broadway florist to collect through the courts bill of nearly s1,OOO for a pail of yio- lets opened the eyes of many to the ex- travaganee practised to-day in the way of funeral flowers. The florists plea was that with choice Violets worth $6 hundred at that particular stage of the season his charge was not exces- siye. .....-zs As matter of fact pail of violets may cost in these ultra luxurious days as much as $1 ,5OO. On the other hand, the figure might run down as low as one-third of that amount. -s These wide extremes are due in part to the great range in price of violets, which have been known to bring S7.50 hundred wholesale, at certain times of the year, while at others the retailer may obtain them at s1 or less; in part, to the quality of the blossoms, irrespec- tive of the extent of the supply; in part to the thickness of the massing; and, finally, in part to the situation of the florists shop. Prices are materially higher at the modish places on Broad way and Fifth avenue than elsewhere, but the workmanship is also finer.
 The violet pail which covered the cof- fin of William c. Whitney cost in the neighborhood of $1,0O0, the expense being added to by festoons of lilies of the valley. There was a single cross of violets at the same funeral that cost exactly $500.
 One of the first violet pals. of note was used at the funeral of Henry D. Polhemus of Brooklyn; and as this was some years ago the cost-S500 con- sidered an extraordinary outlay, where as among the very rich of to-day it would not be regarded as out of the common.
 Between these two pals in expense is recalled a pail which made the coffin of woman not long ago a mass of flowers. It was made chiefly of violets, but the color tone was relieved by clus- ters of roses. purple cattleyas, white llyacinths and mignonette on the sides and at both ends.
  is reached when orchids are used. Here the extremes would be $75O and $1.5OO, with the average we'll over $1 LOGO; and the cost would again depend largely up- on the season and upon whether the blossoms were arranged loosely or not. The pail used at the funeral of Will liam H. Vanderbilt must have reached the top figure as besides no end of cat tleyas there were so many long sprays of dendrobium and other choice orchids with small blossoms that the coffin could not be carried out of the church without breaking off a number of the frail flowers. This pail had some vio- lets in the body of it, but also far as the general offect was concerned it was all orchids, and extremely beautiful ones at that,
 For the most part the mauve cattle va, long the chief orchid of the flower trade both because of it's rare beauty and it's ease of cultivation in consider able quantities, is used for the pals in which exotic air plants furnish the flowers,
 Besides the violet and the orchid, the lily of the valley is to be numbered among the flowers brought into play for the most expensive pals. With many thousands of the tiny white bells of this flower set off by the pale green of the leaves, nothing more beautiful can be conceived
 Such pail is seldom seen however, for the fashion of white flowers at fu- nerals has gone by. Lilies of the val ley are none the less much used. but al- most invariably as relief for flowers of color.
 Even more beautiful than pail of li- lies of the valley would be one of wax en gardenias the fashionable flower of the hour. Outside the pallid, white ef- feet despite the rich emerald of the leaves-arad the fact that these flowers frequently cost $1 or more each, there would be the positive objection that the subtle fragrance of so many gardenias would be almost overpowering. A sin gle blossom perfumes a room noticea- bly,.
 The floral pail is a luxury of compar- atively recent date. Among the veal thy it is the last offering of the family and does away with the old time floral pieces which used to answer the same purpose at materially less expense.
 The fashion has extended to people of far smaller means, and the choicest designs are copied at a moderate cost Some have even been made by members of the family, partly because the ex- pense would otherwise be prohibitive and partly because it was a labor of love that they desired none other to perform. When thus made at home the cost may range from nothing in the case of summer flowers brought from the garden of fields to a minimum of from $35 to $50 in the case of cut flow CTS purchased when the prices of Eas- ter lilies and roses are at the lowest.
 With good taste employed the home made pail need not necessarily be any less beautiful than the costliest product of Broadway or Fifth avenut art. A piece of broadcloth of the color of the coffin, large enough to cover the top and hang few inches over the sides, is laid on a table and the flowers se- cured by stitches of thread and pins, care being taken to build up the central portion little by the use of greens and also to arrange the massing so that no stiff stems come very near the edge. When the EEall is completed the mass