The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-01
THE SAN MA EO
FORAL DISPLAY.
Enhancing Profusion of
Beautiful Blossoms
and Plants.
LILIES AS TALL AS MEN.
Roses as Big as Footballs and
Plenty of Them at Red
wood City.
THE FLOWER SHOW EXERCISES.
Germania Hall Crowded-Many Visit.
ors From All Over the Country.
The Baseball Game.

hEDWOOD III l. CAL', April Susan
Mateo County's floral revels are now fairly
on, and these are Redwood City's gala
days. The Queen of the carnival of roses
was crowned last night; necessarily, there
fore, Redwood City awoke at later hour
this morning.
Now that the coronation ceremonies
and ball are things of the glorious past.
people realize how great the success really
was and what a dazzling spectacle they
witnessed.
This afternoon-a little late, because the
decoration committees work was DELAYED
llttle-the great flower show opened in
Germania Hall, and this evening the for
NAL opening exercises were held. The
b all itself was beautifully decorated with
foliage and blossoms, roses and evergreens
predominating, though there was lots of
fine ferns and some wild flowers. The
front of the stage was covered with gar
lands of pink roses and green foliage, and
in the center OF the hall was high tower,
built of ferns and trimmed with roses.
One could scarcely mention in detail all
the exceptionally pretty features of the
fair of roses, but some of the special ex-
hibits really demand notice. One of these
is Mrs. Job. Schroeder's table, near the
entrance to the hall. On large semi
circular table, covered with a Nile green
cloth, are a wonderful profusion of sweet
peas and roses. The sweet peas predomi-
nate. They are of many varieties, giving
an exquisite perfume, and OF monster size.
Mrs. Schroeder has also smaller table,
showing oranges which were grown at her
home at Bay Ridge.
F,h faf-
table of Mrs. James A. Robinson of Red
wood City. BEHIND it is lattce-work
piece filled with red roses, and on the
tables in front are big roses in vases
altogether collection that would make
its owner rich if it could be transported to
New York by some magicians wand.
Indeed, stranger from the East would
think some magic alone could produce
all this profusion of blossoms in April,
and, of course, he would be quite right in
his guess. There is a deal of magic in it
all-the magic performed by Dame Nature
for her favored sons and daughters of the
Santa Clara Valley-a magic beyond the
widest dreams of Kabaalist or Mahatma.
Mrs. George Z. Ross collection is quite
unique iii its way, even for San Mateo
County. All her flowers are watched and
| nursed by her own sympathetic hand, and
she has red roses as big as q football, Paul
Neyron roses and callas as high as the
tallest man. Mrs. Ross place is at Wood.
meath, Belmont. She has two large tables
at the fair. One of these is devoted almost
entirely to the beautiful peiargoniums; the
other table groans under burden OF
Shirley peoples, snapdragons, sweet peas,
maidenhair ferns.
Just above Mrs. Ross tables Is the
Queens oais, upon which the throne rests
in perfect fairy's bower Of roses and
delicate green things. All in all the deco
rations of the hall are very beautiful.
Flowers abound lavishly and in exotic
abundance. The whole hall is a fairy dell,
from which one hesitates to depart ana
regrets that it cannot be photographed in
its existing colors. Some of the other
notable features Of the fair, together with
the names OF their lady patronesses, are as
follows:
Japanese tea garden-Mrs. E. E. Cooper; as
sistants-Miss Addie Underhill, Miss Jennie
Kelly, Miss Clara Miramontes, Miss Charlotte
Miramontes.
Single rose voting booth-Miss Alta Turner,
Miss Eugenia Turner, Miss Sallie Nelson.
Icecream booth-Mrs H. W. Snow, Mrs. C.
Jacobus; assistants-Miss Lottie Christ, Miss
Blanche Walker, Miss May Cook, Miss Olga
Heiner Miss Edna Hatch
Candy booth-Mrs. Robert Brown: assist
ants-Miss Matte Stelter, Miss Madeline Bart
lett, Miss Maud Beeson.
Lemonade booth-Mrs. Fred Glennan: as
sistants-Miss Fannie Grove, Miss Clara Grove.
Miss Emma Harvey.
DI har
held high court at Germania Hall this
evening. J. J. Bullock was the Prime Min
lister for the time being, and presided over
the exercises. These began with very
neat little speech by Mr.. Bullock, in which
he announced the formal opening of the
San Mateo County floral festival, after
which he introduced as the orator of the
evening A. ]. Thatcher of this city. Col
onel +. +. Preston was to have delivered
| the address of The evening, but at the last
moment his law business called him to
Stockton. So Mr.. Thatcher was induced
to perform the important function. He
congratulated the Free kindergarten AS
suciation upon the splendid success that
so far had attended their efforts, and also
congratulated San Mateo County st large
upon the success OF this its first carnival
season, and upon the enthusiasm ana I'M
selfishness with which everybody seemed
to have entered into the spirit of the &C.
casion.
Mr.. Thatcher spoke of the general bene-
fit of floral festivals in this State. They
not only helped greatly to advertise Cali
fornia in the East, but they served as oc-
casions OF healthful outings for the people
at large, induced many people of the city
to get out into the country and enjoy ma
lures own beauty and freshness. The
festival also did much toward bringing out
the true spirit of mutual help among
neighbors, and the desire to work together
tremendously for a common good. San
Mateo County would be immensely bene-
fitted by the present festival, he felt as
sured, and this would be but the begin
ming of many future successful floral carni-
walls.
Mr.. Thatcher's address was succeeded by
the following programme:
Horn solo FL TrihoIat