Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-02-21
WHITE HOUSE BLOSSOMS,
HOW THE YIELD OF THE coNsERVA-
TORY IS ENJOYED.

tSni " INSSi 49, 81
Favorite Flowers of White House Mis-
tresses Displays fpr Grand Occasions
-PaIms Which Many Years Ago OUT
grew the Place Assigned to Them. +s
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 her. A large bunch
of flowers is cut from the conserva-s
tory every morning and 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 ars frequently
changed to give hcr the benefit of the
rare and beautiful variety that fills
the conserv6tories. All of the finest.
plants share her admiration, each for
as long a time as it eau 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 to 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 riotousi
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 chrysanthemums are suf'
fering from a rust that has beset that
particular family of plant life thoie
is large corner of one of the honses
filled with lnre specimens of these
Haunting beauties. a
Hundreds of beautiful ferns-seY-
eral houses of them-as well rs 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 boxea. Roses and
other flowers are thrust in here and
there, making tho gorgeous floral dis
plays that are read of and talked of in
all parts of the country. Just rs soon
as possible after m affair the flowers
are taken out and the ferns are care
fully put back in the old pots aud re-
turned to the dollhouse for future use
Thus the same ones may be ussl for
all the receptions OF winter. There.
are few OCCASIONS which even these
great conservatories refuse to give up
enough blossoms for the decorations.
Thea florists outside are called upon
to supply whatever is needful. ~
Just now the flowers arc 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 Conservatives, while
our officers, travelling to remote parts
OF the earth, often ship curious and
rare plants. The lofty glass domes
added to one side of the conserrator..
les are filled with such, and one might
we'll imagine being in an African:
jungle, so luxuriant and thrifty have
the plants become. About the newest
arrival is representative of the Phil.
ippines. It is known as the dewey
plant" 1t occupies q conspicuous
place in the White House conserva-
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 iu the way flora Of
the Philippines thrives in this coun-
try, even when forced to it. The
Dewey plants" that add 30 much
to the riotous tropical beauty of the
islands, are there known as the
"Acalypha sanderiana," and were
dubbed by q 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 it. ~---.
There ore many rare varieties of or
chids from the Philippines, where
they grow most luxuriantly, as we'll as
showy tropical plants of unpro-
nounceable names, that, when COM
bined with the gorgeous birds and
flowers of that country. make it "a
rar;tol,1o o,l;n,Dca of foirvlond