The Washington herald., 1910-01-20


from a florist in the rue Royale. But
the house in question was unable 10 exc
cute the order and so il went 10 a arm In
the Boulevard dc la Madeleine, which
supplied magnificent wreath for $40
As at the funerals Of Victor Hugo. Theirs.
and Gambetta the number Of wreaths az
the interment Of President Carnot was
very considerable and many measured
several yards in circumference.
The flowers sold In Paris may be d.
vided into two main categories. "le Nice"
lie MIDI" which reach the capital in
large quantities every day by the trains
of the p l. NJ. company and lie Paris"
or lie chauffe,' so-caIled because they are
the product Of conservatories where their
growth is forced by artificial methods,
after which they are brought 10 the
Halles by the gardeners from their estab-
lishments around the city. carefully
wrapped up and protected from the cold.
lie tres beau Midi goes 70 the grand
florists who pay top prices. lie Midi ord!-
naire' 30 the little florists and the hum
bic flower sellers who hawk their per
TUNED stock in trade around the streets.
The ''chauffe" cost more than the beau
uful roses and violets Of Nice for the
reason that the artificial sun IN which
they owe their birth is a very EXPENSIVE
affair, whereas the Riviera horticulturists
get theirs for nothing. a Paris florist
sometimes charges three or four francs
Tor rose IN winter. But perhaps Il has
cost him two francs; he has ordered five
or six dozen roses from the South Of
France. but when they arrive q dozen are
'perdues,' and unstable and the loss
has TO be made up on the others.
The bouquets and corbeilles which fig
ure on the tables Of the wealthy fire.
quently cost a hundred francs (eD. but
they contain perhaps two or three dozen
orchids for which the flower dealer has
paid a good price. Besides the corbeiTe
is a veritable work Of art, a picture. and
is the achievement Of d special en-
ploye known among florists as a color
iste, whose occupation is TO arrange the
flowers so that they shall look their best
and speak their most seductive language.
The coloriste is generally a woman.
Her first duty in the morning is 70
dress the window. so utilizing the grace
and harmony of her floral treasures that
the passerby will be so charmed, so fasci-
mated that after a moments hesitation
he or she. yielding 10 the irresistible art
Of the coloriste, will enter the shop and
buy the flowers. The art Of the coIorfste
is Of course assisted by such accessories
as vases, baskets. and paniers. supports
and ribbons, and in the use OF these she
also shows a pretty taste. The commerce
Of flowers numbers in its ranks some real
geniuses. and in Paris they find a theater
worthy of their talents
1t has frequently occurred 10 me when
admiring the rare and beautiful flowers
displayed by some OF the finest shops
that there must he an enormous waste In
the business owing to the number of
roses orchids, and other expensive vari-
cites that must frequently be left on the
florists hands or fade before q purchaser
arrives, but I am assured that the loss
is not so considerable as I supposed: the
flowers one sees in the window are nearly
all orders Otherwise they would not be
there.
Cut flowers are only prepared when
they are wanted; at other times they re-
pose on ice or in the refrigerator IN the
basement. And when the luxurious bou-
quet has been made up the rest is not
thrown away. A florist who knows her
business can nearly always make up with
the remains number of inferior bouquets
to decorate the tables in a restaurant
Some restaurants take as many as ten
corbeiiles a day, which means 500 or
G120 month to the florist, and next day
when the panier comes back to be renew
ed, If the corbille has not been pilIaged
by those at table, the ferns can be fresh
ened up, the roses revived, the moss
combed out and dampened and made to
serve for a new "corbeiIIe a cine francs.