Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-29

4
the trouble of ordering them plucked. Every
evening when she sits down to dinner her eve
is gIaddened by huge basket of fresh cut
/ flowers in the middle of the table. There is a
small bouquet to match at the side of her plate
and Mr.. Clevela land has little posy for his but
| tonhole. If there are any guests each lady has
bouquet and each gentleman a boutonniere.
Mrs. Cleveland's favorite flowers are pansies.
| At this season, when big velvety ones are
| blooming. she always has one or two vases
| filled with them in her bOudOir. They are
propagated in the green house from seeds which
/ have a market value of SIS an ounce. Pansies
are used on the table also, but there are never
| any flowers on the board at breakfast. and at
lunch there is oay big jardiniere of maiden
hair ferns. After pansies the Presidents wife
likes roses and orchids best. The White House
collection of orchids is one of the finest in ex-
istence. 1t includes many varieties which bear
blossoms that counterfeit forms of animal life,
such the butterfly" orchid, whose blooms
are like SO many gaudy winged insects, and
another kind which counterfeits with amazing
accuracy tropical moth. Then there are the
bee orchid. the spider orchid and the
lizard" orchid, One sort reminds the OBJ
server of grinning monkey, while another
suggests the aspect Of an opera dancer sus-
pended by the head There two hot houses
filled with orchids. Some of them grow in
earth. while others are merely suspended from
the roof by strings deriving their support
Wholly from the air.
DAILY FLORAL DECORATIONS.
Every day fourteen great vases in different
parts of the White House are freshly filled with
hyacinths, lilies. pansies, roses and other flow
ers. BY keeping the plants in cold frames out
of doors. covered with n heating blanket of
fresh leaf mold foot thick. tulips jonquils.
hyacinths and violets made to bloom in
plenty from Christmas TO late in April They
are brought in small quantities at a time into
the hot houses where they quickly burst
into beauty and are ready to be used for decora-
tive purposes. All through the winter the Ex-
ecutive Mansion is made beautiful with growing
palms and Towering plants, of which 200 are
placed in the lower and upper corridors, the
red room and the library.
Flowers play an important part in the deco
ration at state dinners. These entertainments
are given in the great dining room used for
such public functions. In the middle of the
table, which is big enough ordinarily to seat
thirty-elght persons. Is a long mirror. This is
an ancient and valuable appurtenance of the
White House. Surrounded by little bank of
| ferns or flower il has the appearance of a small
lake. Upon it. in the center and at both ends,
are placed baskets of roses or other blossoms.
Besides these there are four other baskets of
| flowers. At either end of the board is an i'm
meuse golden candelabrum with twenty-four
wax candles. At the sides are four silver
candelabra each bearing twelve candles. The
President ALWAYS sits on the north side of the
table in the middle of its length. which il ex-
tended from east to west. Opposite him sits
Mrs. Cleveland, the guests being arranged in
| the due order Of precedence. This matter Of
precedence is very important. especially at the
diplomatic dinners. but it is thoroughly under
stood by Mr.. Pruden, one Of the private secre-
taries, who himself writes the names Of the
guests dainty cards and puts them at the
places which the individuals are intended to
occupy.
Very often it happens that the persons who
must be invited number more than thirty
eight. Under such circumstances the table is
enlarged not by additions to its length, but by
four wings attached to the sides at each end
1lr. and Mrs. Cleveland are seated exactly where
they were In the other case, but the wings are
| SO shaped in curves that each of them is in the
middle of semiclrcle of guests. Thus ar
| ranged the hospitable board will accommodate
sixty people comfortably. There are four
more baskets of flowers at the end Of the
wings and instead of two golden candelabra
four are used. The effect thus produced, the
superb state dining room being further
adorned with tropical and Towering plants
around the walls. is simply gorgeous. On oc-
casions of this sort the head gardener, Henry
Pfister, lays himself out in the creation Of
| elaborate ornamental flower pieces.
For example, at one diplomatic spread the
central floral display was in the shape of a re-
volving globe which represented the world. 1t
| was made wholly of carnations, and was piy-
oted in such a manner that occasional touch
| from one of the walters would make it go round
for moments. The various countries
were in carnations Of different coiors, and the
oceans were done in camelia leaves, having a
| wavy effect. On another evening the design
was the hanging gardens of Semiramis in
monthly roses and carnations. The structure
measured six feet by three and was raised upon
columns so that the guests could see each other
beneath IL. At a dinner to the judiciary, given
by Mr.. Cleveland during his first admiuistra-
ton. a temple OF Justice constructed of
flowers. When he entertained Queen Kapio-
lani at the time of her visit to the United States
the design selected was the coat of arms
of Hawaii. The frameworks for these set
pieces are made to order by n wireworker on
18th street.
RAMBLING THROUGH THE GREEN HOUSES
Mrs. Cleveland spends good many of her
odd moments in stroiiing through the green
houses. In one Of them is an orange tree,
which was given her six years ago when she
| went south with the President. 1t is now COW
cred with ripe golden fruit. Under the same
glass roof are ripening lemons, pineapples and
bananas. They are grown for decorative pur-
poses and not for eating. 1t cost S75 900 to
build the hot houses attached to the Executive
Mansion. For taking Of them Congress
| appropriates $1,000 annually. To keep them
heated uses up 225 tons of coal q year. Since
| ISIS S373000 have been spent in improving the
| White House grounds. Up to that time they
| were unsightly waste, without grass or
| shrubbery. Until quite recent years the patch
| of land surrounding the Presidents house was
a sort of farm. 1t extended over the greater
\ part of the area now occupied by the buildings
| of the Treasury and the State, War and Navy
Departmental Where the treasury now is there
| was the White House vegetable patch, and the
| White House fruit orchard on the site Of
the present great structure to the west. When
| those buildings were put up and the street
| called Executive avenue was laid out around
the White House the orchard and vegetable
garden were wiped out.
| The lot back Of tho Executive Mansion
| whore the children roll eggs at Easter used to
be utilized as a COW pasture. There were
usually four or five COWS attached to the White
House. Beneath the front portico of the
| President 5 house was dairy. to which water
was brought by an inch pipe from a spring in
| Franklin Square, several blocks away. There
was no Potomac water then. This dairy was o
great source Of pleasure to the wives of some
Of the Presidents. When Andrew johnson was
chief magistrate the duties OF hostess at the
White House were performed by his daughter,
Martha Patterson, wife of senator Patterson Of
Tennessee. Every morning she rose early,
donned calico gown and white apron and
with her own hands skinned tho milk. The ice
for the Executive Mansion used to be got from
the Potomac AM stored in the ice house, which
Is now employed as . furnace room for one Of
the green houses. 1t ceased to be used rs an
ice house in Lincoln's time.
During Cievelsnd's first administration he
received call from an old lady Of seventy