The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1900-02-01
WHITE HOUSE BLOSSOMS.
HOW THE YIELD OF THE coNsERVA-
TORY IS ENJOYED.

tresses for Grand Occasions
Pains Which Many Years Ago Out
grew the Place Assigned to Them.
Each mistress of the White House
at Washington has had her favorite
flower, except Mrs. Mckinley, who
expresses little preference except an
aversion to yellow flowers and great
love for the blue ones, in which the
president joins he~. A large bunch
of flowers is cut from the conserva-
tory every morning aud sent to adorn
the presidents table, while others go
to Mrs. McKinley's apartments The
plants that adorn the domestic part OF
the White House are frequently
changed to give her the benefit OF the
rare aud beautiful variety that fills
the Conservatives. All of the finest
plants share her admiration, each for
as long a time as it can stand to be
kept from real hothouse atmosphere.
Neither Mrs. Mckinley nor the
president visits the conservatory reg
ularly, though before the busy days
of the war were thrust upon him, they
both loved the care and cultivation of
plant lite. Now, the president has
no time 10 watch the gentle unfolding
of nature placed under the vast area
under glass to the West of the White
House.
The rose house is always riotous
in bloom and at any season affords
ample cuttings for the home part
of the White House life, while
that part filled with violets is redolent
with perfume that watts to meet you
with the opening and closing of the
hothouse doors. Long rows of prim-
roses lie along one side preparing for
midwi ter blossoms. and though the
presidents chrysaothemums are suf-
fering from a rust that has beset that
particular family of plant life thee
is large corner of one of the honses
filled with rare specimens of these
Haunting beauties.
Hundreds of beautiful ferns ns-sev-
ersl houses of them-as we'll as of the
delicate trailing asparagus, tell the
story of the exquisite displays of
flowers and ferns that bank the man
telpiece and table on large occasions,
like public receptions. cabinet din
ders and similar functions. Each
mantel has a box made to fit it and
the ferns are loosened. from the. edge
of the pots and slipped in the moist
earth that fills the boxes. Roses and
other flowers are thrust in here and
there, making the gorgeous floral dis
plays that are read of and talked of in
all parts of the country. Just as soon
as possible after an affair the flowers
are taken out and the ferns are care
fully put back in the old pots and re-
turne l to the hothouse for future use.
Thus the same ones may be used for
all the receptions Of a winter. There
are a few .casions which even these
great conservatories refuse to give up
enough blosSom for the decorations.
Then florists outside are called upon
to supply whatever is needful.
Ju>t now the flowers ars being
taken up from outdoors, and one
house is entirely given up for cuttings
for next springs display. The houses
are filled with the rarest specimens
of tropical fora, and florists all over
the country vie with one another in
sending some rare specimen to the
White House conservatories, while
our officers, travelling to remote parts
OF the earth, often ship curions and
rare plants. The lofty glass domes
added to one side of the conservator-
les are filled with such, and one might
we'll imagine being in al African
jungle, so luxuriant and thrifty have
the plants become. About the newest
arrival is representative of the Phil
ippines. 1t is known as the dewey
plant" It occupies a conspicuous
place in the White House conserya-
tories, and in close proximity to the
myriads of ferns that adorned the
table and dining room at the great
Dewey dinner. These were inter-
spersed with beautiful profusion of
orchids that also claim the islands as
their home.
There is something decidedly sym
bolic and startling in the way flora of
the Philippines thrives in this eoun-
try, even when forced to it The
Dewey plants" that add so much
to the riotous tropical beauty of the
islands, are there known as the
"Acalypha sanderisns," and we're
dubbed by a Philadelphia florist the
Dewey plant" The White House
sp: cimens, of which there are several,
stand not more than IL or IA inches in
height, with rich, dark green foliage,
from which depend long, graceful
swaying tassels of brilliant rose color,
as soft and fine as chenille and not
unlike il.
There are many rare varieties of Or
chids from the Philippines, where
they grow most luxuriantly, as we'll as
snowy tropical plants of unpro-
nounceable names, that, when COM
bined with the gorgeous birds md
flowers of that country. make j. o.
yeritable glimpse of fair