Flowers for the President’s Funeral

     The call for floral tokens for the obsequies of President McKinley taxed the resources of Washington florists. The decorations at the White House were simple but at the capitol on Tuesday there was a display of flowers the equal of which was never seen in Washington and probably never exceeded anywhere in the United States, except possibly at Canton on Thursday.
     J. H. Small & Sons had the largest share of the orders for designs, executing forty-three in all, but everyone had all the work he could do and large numbers of designs, many of them elaborate, were sent from other cities. A. Gude & Brother received the order of President Roosevelt, and that of the British embassy, among many others. One of Z. D. Blackistone’s orders was for a wreath sent for the Emperor of Japan, another for the President of France, the Emperor of China and the President of Peru.
     J. H. Small & Sons made the amphian or Roman wreath herewith illustrated, for the President of Guatemala. A similar wreath with the addition of 100 blooms of Cattleya labiata was made for the President of the Argentine Republic.
     The American Rose Company made the open book sent by the binders in the government printing office. The pages were made of the new yellow Cochet rose and lily of the valley, with a book mark bearing the words “God’s will be done.” The book was raised on a plateau of the yellow Cochet and White Golden Gate roses, and the whole was draped with flags and ribbon.
     The wreath on an easel, herewith illustrated, was made by Mr. Blackistone for the President of Haiti. One part was of Liberty roses and the other of lilies of the valley. The ribbon was red and white.