The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-08
EASTER GIFTS UP TO DATE.
FLORISTS AND CONFECTIONERS'
GORGEOUS DISPLAYS.

Satin Boxes Embr oidered One way OF Spend.
ing MOney-MOdels or Autos and Boats
Are POpular-F1Owers More in de-
- mand Thai Eyer-Gardenias Lead.
The amount spent in New York every
Easter for plants, towers, fancy boxes,
eggs big and little, and bonbons, is variously
estimated by dealers at from 81 900 900 to
81, SOC, 900.
To spend SIS for an embroidered box
filed with bonbons, or for q box Of roses,
may be extravagant, as some folks think,
but 1t is good for trade" say the people
who grow the roses and embroider the
boxes.
"There are New Workers who II they
couldn't buy satin hand painted eggs at
$40 wouldn't buy eggs at ALL observed q
retailer of all sorts of beautiful Easter
novelties. "They wouldn't even look at
the paper covered sort costing half q dollar
each, and the artificial egg industry would
soon suffer; for, as most people know, Just
80 soon as manufacturers let up on high
class specimens of any article, be the article
useful or ornamental, the thing generally
drops out of fashion"
From this point Of view there is not the
slightest indication that Easter egg and
boxes are going out Of faahiop. On the
CONTRARY, never before were they SO MI
merous and 30 artistic. There are many
sorts of Easter gifts, but none SO popular
this year as the ornamental variety which
is useful too, as for example boxes which
may be used afterward for trinkets, or
egg mounted on gilded supports which
may be converted into jewel baskets.
In a Fifth avenue shop noted for French
novelties is a twelve inch high figure Of a
youth CARRIED in white satin trousers,
blouse and cap, and holding In one hand a
sheet of music and in the other hand a baton.
Before him on tree branch are two small
birds being taught to sing. This pretty
trlhe costs So, candy filed.
Arowboat in size eight by five inches, APP
parently filed with flowers and moss on
which is perched a humming bird, was in
demand at $40. Underneath the layer Of
artificial flowers the craft was loaded with
Jonbons.
A wagon minus shafts or pole and
mounted quite high or four wheels had a
surface load of eggs packed in moss, be-
meath which was candy. This cost 50.
A cone shaped basket ten inches tall,
CONtltt w X lGIE ulAN' ''' ~
geranium blossoms and a small bird, was
tipped enough from its foundation to show
n row of eggs peeping out. This ornament
was suspended by a satin ribbon and the
price was $40.
Gorgeous decorations of flowers, birds
and ribbons are seen on most Of the best
selling novelties, An egg perhaps eight
inches by six is made entirely Of green
- - ,u,tl n1r.AN rihhnra
and a bird. 1t sells for So, because, as was
explained. the egg holds nearly o u pounds
Of candy.
A purely decorative article much adj
mired in this collection is a birds nest Of
natural color on a tree branch, the nest
filed with candy eggs.
Tn ere were fancy egg shaped baskets OF
tin ted %orenwork straw, interviewer with
ribbon. which open in the middle, and are
suspend ed from ribbons and satin covered,
handpainted md embroidered eggs MOUNTED
on small gilded knobs.
One o the most striking Of the newer
Easter designs is an auto car of braided
gold and W hite straw trimmed about the
edges with a flower wreath, a white satin
egg, painted in pink roses, occupying the
body of the machine. From end to end
the car ia perhaps twenty inches long.
Fancy straw boxes, square, round and
oblonp, re among the snnrtest of the Easter
novelt! es, and u feature OF these is a pyramid
of ribbons and flowers rising from thecentre.
The varieties of the straw, or what looks
like straw, used in their make UP Is as
tonishing.
that the great advance in this class of Easter
goods is most noticed. Never before were
there so many varieties and such beal-
tiful specimens. The queen among the
collection in one Broadway store was
about twelve inches square and four inches
nigh and covered with white satin en-
hroidered in clusters of n single wild pink
rose and two green leaves. Or, to be ac-
curate, the green leaves were applied,
the edges curling up a tritie from the
satin. This box cost $i5.
There we're oblong boxes of the same
style; octagon, heart shaped and round
boxes of all shade OF satin, all sorts of
color schemes of embroidery.
Women buy Just as many boxes as do
the men to give away" said a saleswoman,
"and from $40 TO $50 is the average sum
spent for a satin covered box of any sort.
The basket boxes are lower in price
Fortunately for shoppers With slim
rocketbooks there is a multitude OF mail
articles patterned after these more I'M
posing ones, which retail for less than 81,
including eggs which even in the higher
priced confectioner's may I've had filed as
low as 60 cents.
Naturally tnSTB " llOt u 0OTlS' III tOWn
who is willing to admit that the increased
display Of Easter eggs and other novelties
at the confectioner's means a falling of
in the custom Of giving Easter presents
of flowers. On the contrary, say they,
every year the florists receipts go zip.
Perhaps l don't make more sales now
than l did three or four years ago, but 1
take In more money for the reason that
my customers order more extra va gantly, +"
said one. Moreover, flowers bring higher
prices now than formerly.
Take these gardenias, for example,
and the florist held up a white blossom big
as a bride ose-"a few years ago. when they
were Of ordinary size and society had not
taken them up l could hardly sell them at all.
Gardenias we're seldom or never ordered at
Easter. Now | get 81 each for this variety
and already ! have a number OF Easter or
ders to fill. Corsage bouquets of half a
dozen gardenias are sent to young women.
Often the order calls for one dozen. Gar
denias are practically a young peoples
flower.
sCut lilies, lilies of the valley and roses
are the principal flowers, in addition to
gardenias, sent just now to young I'M
married women. Violets and violets in
pots, orchids and carnations go to married
folks. Roses are always mn all-round
favorite. Carnations arc not req lily an Eas-
ter flower, no matter how handsome they
are.