The times., 1901-03-23
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

| With Easter only two weeks of. il be-
| comes now the question with the florists
! of the city of what will be the fashion in
| color and flower. The answer to these
| two questions means great deal. and
/ florists are attempting, i'm a tentative way.
| to sound public opinion by an early dis
| play of their choicest blossoms. So the
| show windows are filed to overlooking
| with novel shades and species.
| We can always count on having de-
| mand for the so-called Easter lily greater
| than we supply" said one OF Wash
| ington's leading florists last night The
| Easter lily has become so identified with
| the season that it will never be entirely
| displaced. 1t seems. however. if this
| year it was going to be more than usually
difficult to supply the demand. The dis
ease that attacks the bulbs of the Ber
muda planters. from whom we get most
of our stock has become each year worse
and worse. The few plants that are row
in bloom show that the loss through inn
perfcctions in the flowers will be larger
than it was last year. But the average
price OF the plants will be the same as
last year-from So to $50 a dozen.
FLORISTS who have been cuItivatng'
their own special colors of flowers have
been on the rack for several months,
waiting to see what would be decreed as
the color of fashion. The ultimatum
seems to have been issued, and to be en-
regle this year you must appear in pink,
or the more delicate shades of red, and
your flower must also have that shade.
LAS for the flower of fashion, l do not
believe there is any doubt about that, 1t
will be the carnation. pink in color, of
course. The carHaton has been rapidly
growing in favor each year. partly be-
cause of its delicate perfume, and partly
because o1 the many colors which IL has
been made to take on. No flower has
proved itself so capable of variation in
form and shade, 1t seems to be able to
show the most delicate tracings and
nianCeS Of color and to be capable of an
almost indefinite development in size. The
cultivation of the carndtion promises to
rival that of the chrySanthemum. which
so astonished the world. Blossoms row
produced are nearly three inches across,
and are giants compared with the puny
little things that used to be grown in gar
denS and called ''pinks.' The wonderful
stripes and spots and edgings which the
carnation has been made to show are
perhaps the most marvellous thing in
Horticulture
There will, of course be a prime favor
ite among the carnations but the season
has not progressed far enough for us to
be able to say which one is going to make
the strike. The Roosevelt, a deep pink
variety, may sail 70 popularity because of
its name. The Madame Bradt, a giant
flower. pure white in the main body of
the petal, but sharply striped with narrow
lines at the crinkly edges until it looks
like a floral ball Of peppermint candy, is so
striking that anyone who sees 1t cannot
help but buy it, The styles produced last
year, one especially, light yellow and
striped with pink Ike the Madame Bradt,
are likely to catch the eye.
The advent Of the boys on the streets
with trays of vioet5 sounds the knelI of
that flower in the fashionable world and
| yVi
be but few of them worn 10y people Of
fashion. The roses. and the lilies OF the
valley will take the place of secondary
Importance that they have always held"
I'VE human creatures are only moths"
remarked David Graham Of Boston. sen
tentiously. as he was leaning against the
clerks desk at the Riggs House last
night. Light has a great power Of at
traction which it eXerts on mortalS as
well as on insects. l felt the power when
] was making a visit at the Thousand
Islands a couple of years ago. 1t was ey- |
ening. and for some reason the myriad !
electric lamps that decorate the outside |
of one of the hotels had not been turned |
on. ! started ont on the water in boat !
and padded q good distance out in To |
the St Lawrence. Looking back / saw
the brilliant lamps all a-flare. l tried to
paddle on toward the darkness. but il
prov of my canoe always turning toward |
that light. and after many attempts | |
finally gave in and made my way back |
to the hotel and the lights I have al |
ways marveIed at the strange attraction !
those lishts had for me.
|
THE inclination Of the average Ameri- |
can citizen 70 get something for nothing /
is well illustrated by the propensity OF |
members Of Congress to poach on the |
newstands, said a boy who stands be- |
hind the counter at one OF the big up !
town hotels. Il am not the one to say !
that il is with the intention of saving a |
few pennies that Congressman wander |
over here in the morning and open one |
of the papers for perusal. II may be that |
they do not realize that they are COM |
mitting trespass, and are taking some |
thing for which they give no return. but |
It is fact that many big men have that |
little trick which YOU may, If you want |
to, call absent -mindedness. They fire.
queBty buy papers, but more frequently |
do not especially if it is paper from
out Of town. I could point out TO you at |
least half = dozen Representatives who |
make il Il rule while Congress is in ses-
sion To come up to my counter every
morning and look over the pile OF papers.
The Senators are not much better and
all of them seem TO think that what they
are doing Is beyond criticism. Two or
three men come every day and go
through their home papers without ever |
thinking of buying them.
These habituaI pOachers are the most |
annoying, because they never by any
chance buy. The casual class includes |
those Who come to look at a paper for |
special reason. \ friend will have told |
them that there is an article in such and |
such paper which is of interest to- them. |
and they come merely TO have look at |
the article to what is in it. If they |
want the paper Tor further reference they
buy 1t: If not, they put it back. | think
I'll put wire netting over my stock |
next year. by way Of TemOustTance against !
the Congressional poaching habit"
Naval Orders Revoked.
The Navy Department has revoked the |
order detaching Capt B. r. McCaIla |