FLOWERS (ARTIFICIAL). The art of representing by flowers, leaves, plants, &c., vegetable nature in her ornamental productions, constitutes the business of the artificial florist. The Italians appear to have been the first people in Europe who excelled in the art of making artifi cial flowers ; but of late years the French have been most ingenious in this branch of industry. Ribbons folded in different colors were originally employed for imi tating flowers, by being attached to wire stems. This imitation soon gave way to that of feathers, which are more delicate in texture, and more capable of assuming a variety of flower-like figures. Bnt great difficulty was encountered in dye mg them with due vivacity. The savages of South America manufacture perfect , feather flowers, derived from the bril liant plumage of their birds, which close lv resemble the products of vegetation. The blossoms and leaves are admirable, while the colors never fade. The Italians employ frequently the cocoons of the silk worm for this purpose ; these take a brilliant dye, preserve their color, and possess a transparent velvety appearance, suitable for petals. Of late years, the French have adopted the finest cambric for making petals, and the taffeta of Flo rence for the leaves.
Tissue paper, twisted on wire, consti tute the stem and branches. The lean is are made from muslin, cambric, velvet, and gold and silver lama muslin, which are stamped out with a die, having the form and outline of the leaf. The flowers
are made from velvets and muslin stamp ed out as the leaves, and tinted with transparent colors ; occasionally the fine variations on the surface are painted with pencil and paint.
The greater amount of artificial flowers, and the richer kinds, are imported from France. The manufacture of the com mon kinds in this country is, however, very extensive.
M. de Bernardiere employs whalebone in very thin leaves for artificial flowers ; and by bleaching and dyeing them of vari ous colors, he has succeeded in making his imitations of nature to be very re markable.
The coloring matters used in flower dyeing are the following : For red : carmine dissolved in a solu tion of salt of tartar, or in water of am. monia.
For blue : indigo dissolved in snlphuri, acid, diluted and neutralized in part by Spanish whitening or chalk.
For bright yellow : a solution of tur meric in spirit of wine. Cream of tartar brightens all these colors.
For violet : archil, and a blue bath. For lilach : Some petals are made of velvet, and are colored merely by the application of the finger dipped in the dye.