The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-18
LUXURIOUS SUMMER HOMES.
Pierre Lorillard's Newport Place-A Boston
Woman's Fortune in Flowers.


Woman's Fortune in Flowers.
Newport Correspondence Boston Journal.
Very few people can realize the extent and
oeauty as WEI. % course, as Tie cost Of main
tenance of some of the summer residences IN
this city that are the homes of the wealthy, who
leave their town life only because the heat COM
pels them, and the object of many of whom in
coming here is to recuperate their strength and
be in readiness for sthe coming winter seasons
excitement and gayety. The incomes Of some
of these people must be enormous or they
couldn't stand it, Take, for instance, Mr..
Pierre Lorillard. of New York. His place here is
estimated to be worth in the neighborhood of
$500, OO0. AT per cent. that means $24, 900
year and for a ten weeks occupancy that is
s., 400 week. There is in addition to this the
cost or sta5llng, servants, grounds and green
houses; which i'll some cases is enormous The
grounds of some are made the special hobby.
Particularly is this the case with Mrs Gardner
Brewer, wellknown society lady OF Boston and
this city, who with her daughter, Miss Brewer,
VINO IS one OF the most popular Of society ladies
here, entertain very elegantly and maintain the
reputation of their city home for generous hos
pltality. In 1877 Mrs Brewer and Miss Brewer
gave fete champetre in aid of the Old South
Church, of Boston, full account Of which was
given in the Journal at the time. The band of
the United States Artillery discoursed fine music,
which is always attractive, but the great attrac
ton to the hundreds of fashionable and wealthy
people who flock to Finisterre, the name of the
lovely summer home of the Brewers, was not
the charming sounds that might chance to be
heard from the instruments of expert musicians,
but the lcvely-grand, in fact-display Of flow
ers and tropical plants, which were the pride of
that place
But if they were grand then, how much more
grand and costly, and beautiful is the collection
that can be seen there to-day Both Mrs. Brew
er and Miss Brewer have excellent taste in the
selection of plants and bulbs which they desire
to raise, so that with the assistance of an expert
1r(lD, 49,
their social rivals in the cultivation Of horticult
ure In and around the dwelling house are to
be seen some very costly and rare orchids and
cacti the latter being especially of great value.
Dellcate ferns and rare palms and other tropical
plants are to be seen in all directions, some of
the ferns being finer in texture and weight than
lace Itself. But it is In the green houses that
the most valuable plants are to be found. Mrs.
Brewers floral possessions are worth scores upon
scores of thousands of dollars, and it is stated
friends who are constantly on the alert to seize
that is new or novel. OF the catieya
orchids Mrs. Brewer is undoubtedly the happy
possessor OF the most valuable plants in New
port or Boston, and it is believed that, in the
number and extent of variety Of the catleya,
there is but one person of wealth whose pos
sessions OF this kind surpass hers, and that is
Mr.. Erastus Corning. In his magnificent green
houses at Albany he has no less than twelve
hundred catleyas, the market value of which
would surprise even the least dubious ones. At
this time Mrs Brewer has in bloom q large
number of cacti, the hues of which are as beau
tiful and varied as they are delicate. These
plants, or at least majority of Them have been
raised within the greenhouses of Finisterre.
Mrs. Brewer imports from Europe large
number of bulbs, varying in cost from pound
to ten and fifteen pounds sterling. The lawn
surrounding the Brewer mansion is very extern
sive, and is kept in excellent condition. Some
of the flower beds are very prettlly arranged,
all these lovely surroundings and costly horti
cultural belongings the ladies of this beautiful
place are not unmndful of their duty to the world
1t is sufficient to say that many poor person
can tell tale of their bounty.