The herald., 1897-06-20

dence before. There are several new
things to be seen just now. You will
find them in the greenhouses in the
center Of the park.
1--WE are cleaning house Just now"
said D. r. Woods, the competent and
obliging foreman of the park, one day
last week. Mr.. Woods pays especial
attention to the nurseries and green
houses. and is full Of information and
enthusiasm regarding his delightful oc-
cupation.
'In few days the greenhouses will
be in perfect order for the summer.
What new and rare things have we this
season? Well. there are some fine speci-
mems of the Gloxinia that we have raised
ourselves, and they are Of a very good
strain. We have about 600 plants, and,
as you see, they are of many colors.'
The Gloxinia has a bell-shaped blossom
three or four inches long, and is, indeed.
a thing Of beauty. The coloring is in
tense and the shading perfect.
Another beautiful and comparatively
rare plant Is the. .Caladium, which came
originally from Brazil. 1t blossomes at
times, but is valued principally as a
foliage plant; 1t has heart shaped leaves
several inches In diameter and Of vari-
Gus colors; but the principal character
istic was the bright red veins Of the
plant. that made 1t very noticeable In
deed. 1t makes gorgeous foliage plant.
isn't that delicate little fern pretty?"
was the exclamation az we passed along.
But it was not fern; it was an aspara-
gus plant from South Africa.
THE MELON TREE
The melon tree in one Of the green
houses attracts a great deal Of atten-
ton from visitors; 1t is not new at
traction, but is in very fine condition
Just now, with large bunch of the little
green melone clustered around the
trunk some eight or nine feet from the
ground. "The melon tree is tropical
growth" said Mr.. Woods, land the ma
tives use II for food. Perhaps we will
have them in our backyard If we annex
the Sandwich islands," Carica Is the
botanical name of the melon tree.
Another fine speciman was LATINA
palm from South Africa. This is not
u TdI 6lOWtuy Jul tAAS Pdi eiSbidA SPSSA-
man has twenty perfect leaves and is q
real beauty. In the same greenhouse
is the fernery, but owing to the house.
cleaning process already alluded to,
the ferns were not seen to the best ad-
vantage.
In the cacti house is what Is said to
be one of the finest collections Of cacti
In the United States. Cactus plants Of
all shapes, sizes and conditions may be
found here-and they all prick. If you
don't believe it ask the Herald's artist.
One particularly interesting variety Is
a plant resembling head of fine gray
hair, to say nothing of the rat tail cactus
and many others, whose names would
make a long list. But why should
there be sign displayed: "Do not touch
the cacti?"
THE ORCHID DISPLAY
Mr.. Woods is very proud Of the collec-
tion of orchids at the park. There
are some 200 plants and there are some
very fine specimens. The orchid, as
every one knows, is an epiphyte as op-
posed to the ordinary plants which are
parasitic plants. That is they live off
some other organism, while the orchid
gets its sustenance from the air alone.
Some Of the best known men in the
country are orchid enthusiasts, Charles
A. Dana the celebrated editor, for In
stancec Kimball, the big cigarette
manufacturer, has what is probably the
finest collection Of orchids in the coun-
try.
Upon one occasion a woman came to
Mr.. Woods after viewing the collection
at the park, and wanted him to tell her
sall about orchid raising" Madam"
he replied, II cannot do that. ! have
been in the business for twenty five
wears. and have not learned all about
it yet, by any means. Orchid raising
Is an art"
"Well, what do orchids cost?'
The woman was 90 persistent tn ~
Woods asked her why she wan el
know. "Oh," she said, there wa
down to San Pedro not long ago,a
az the ladies wore . dres1 trimme