Morning journal and courier., 1880-09-16
Price Four Cents.
The White House Conservatories.

What They Have Been and What They Are-Some Ofthe More Notable PIantr- The Organization of this Branch or the Public Service-The Disposition Made Of the Flowers.
 GCorrespondence of the New York Evening Post.l
 The carpenters are busily at work ons the White House grounds, repairing or rebuild ing rather, the principal conservatory attach ed to the Executive Mansion. This makes the present an appropriate time to notice some of the horticultural features of our re- publican palace
 Until comparatively recent time little at tent1on was paid by the families occupying the White House to the culture of flowers Pr1or to MT. Pierce's administration a small conservatory stood between the home of the President and the Treasury building adioin- Ing the quarters Of those persons who made up his domestic establishment President Pierce began the present series of buildinos to the west of the White House by removing the old conservatory to it's new position and adding to it's accommodations A part of the original walls still remain incorporated in two of the buildings. These are now eight in number, and, with their outlying gardens. occupying about an acre and half of ground \ Three of the eight have been erected during the present administration, bearing witness to the great and intelligent fondness of Mrs. ' Hayes for flowers
 Entering the grounds from the front by the  | tors right is chiefly composed of materials brought hither, as has been said, by direc- ! tion of President Pierce. It is used for pro I pagating purposes. Number two adjoining ' 1t on the west, is devoted more to s'forcing'5 ! plants and to the cultivation of tror,ical avo4 \ ics requiring high temperature. In this | house are many varieties of the delicate maid \ en-hair fern and few choice orchids The \ visitor bestows rather nasty admiration on \ the plants in this heated clime but after all ! in leaving it only exchanges the frying pan | for the fire, as conservatory Mo- is still warmer. Here are grown several sensitive tropical plants to whose health an abiding hot wave" IS necessary. Here also are placed a fine collection of thirty-eight yarie \ ties of Croton plants, one of the finest in the country The graceful arrangement and the gay decoration of their leaves make these | plants general favorite. Three of the most ' striking varieties bear the names of Washing ! ton, Victoria and Disraei. In this house also ' are thlrty-nine varieties of dracena, and fine \ si ecimens of the marenta or ostrich feather \ plant.
 Building No 4 is used for propagating ger | aniums, legonias and other common but at \ tractive and serviceabIe plants Some very ! beautiful climbing ferns are trained on the walls and ceiling, and in ''lean-t to" hotbed \ outside violets are cultivated
 Now turning to the left and entering the main buildings the visitor finds himself in 8
 
 great abundance. thicket of the shrubs occupies the centre of the building, while on either side of the aisles toward the slopinp roof and walls, are many choice flowers in pots. Here is the wax-plant with it's morn- ing drop of honey, the curious artillery plant whose tiny blossoms explode with wee puff when touched by water, a splendid collection of legonlas comprehending some rare and lovely varieties, collection of thirty-six va rleties of cineraria hybreda, the best perhaps
 in the country, and another collection equal ly fine of calceolaria hybreda, comprising if ty varieties. During the towering season of these plants, in the winter and early spring, this house presents most charming appear ance to lover of flowers, though from it's position it is less accessible and less frequent ly thrown open to the public than the gener- al conservatory above it and more immediate
 ly connected with the reception rooms of tho White House.
 Adjacent to this conservatory is the grape ry, where choice grapes are cultivated, prin- clpally Black Hamburg Muscat and Lady Downs Seeding Here also are some aqua tic plants, fine collection of the bletia, or Nun-hower, choice terrestrial orchid and large collection of calladiums
 No. ', the Rose house, is mainly devoted, as the name denotes, to the cultivation of this queen of flowers. Less regard is paid, however, to rare and expensive varieties than to those which are prolific in buds and pro- duce flowers held in popular esteem. But ten or twelve varieties therefore are grown under cover, though in the gardens outside there are perhaps hundred of the common hardy descriptions. In addition to the roses here is also large bed of smilax, and upon
 the posts, walls and ceiling number of rare creeping vines, conspicuous among them the superb Allamanda Henderson, with its rich yellow blossoms, some of which attain a di- ameter of four inches Here again Is the beautiful trumpet flower adanocalyma como Sd, and another the quisquallis villosa whose blossom changes as 1t natures from a pure white to deep maroon.
 There remains to be noticed the general show conservatory, opened of late to the public on reception days. It speaks well for the sef-respect of the people that rarely if ever is the privilege of visiting this charming and instructive apartment abused. Now and then flower is missed or the marks of wan ton damage are seen but such misbehavior is fortunately too rare to incline the Presi- dents family to return to the greater restric- tions of former times. This conservatory is 164 feet long by 32 wide, or, in the wings, AS and 64 feet, and is divided into three parts. The house wing is to be devoted to palms, the west wing to tropical plants, and the cen tral part to azaleas and miscellaneous plants. The direction is vested in a head gardener, who is assisted by twelve undergraduates.
 The superintendent, MT. Hevry Pfster, a
 most accomplished horticulturist is native OI DW1GZ6rlanO, where ne passed ms youth in the study of botany and the practi- cal cultivation of plants, emigrating after ward to England and thence to France, where for some time he was employed in the garden of the Luxembourg. In 1872 he was called to responsible position in Cincinnati, which he held till appointed head gardener at the White House in 1877. MT. Pfster's knowl- edge of plants and their habits is extensive: and is recognized by fellow gardeners in this and other countries In the annual Cincinna- ti flower show he was last year one of the
 jurors whose duty it is to decide on the rela-
 tive merits of the flowers exhibited and de-
 termine the awards-the money value of
 which, I may add parenthetically, exceeds
 that of any similar exhibition in the world.
 From the stock of flowers on hand the gar
 deners daily cull and form into bouquets a
 supply for the dinner-t table of the Presidents
 family and for the decoration of the recep-
 ton parlorS. Mrs. Hayes IS generally at home to friends on five evenings of the week, and
 the presence of flowers adds greatly to the at-
 tractiveness of the drawing-rooms at these in-
 formal receptions. More elaborate displays
 are made, of course, at the weekly public re-
 captions and on such special occasions as the
 diplomatic receptions and State dinners. It
 is needless to say that there is no difficulty in
 finding means of distributing any flowers that
 gre not needed in the official relations of the
 family at the White House with the world.
 Applications from fair committees, officers of
 government and personal friends flow in in 8
 stream, and are complied with so far as is
 possible Mrs. Hayes is not only extremely
 fond of flowers herself, but is disposed to
 gratify the same love in others, and does
 what she can to satisfy the calls upon her
 considerations in this regard i; and so at pub
 lie festivals and festive social gatherings, in the sick room and the hushed chamber of death, may often be found these rare and lovely flowers of the nation
 Medical Uses of Eggs.
 For burns and scalds there is nothing more soothing than the white of an egg, which may be poured over the wound. It is softer as a varnish for a burn than collodion, and