Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-10-10
OCTOBER FLOWERS.

greatest flower shows that ever was,
but there are so many other things in
which 1t is great that the rarity and
beauty of It's floral features are per-
haps apt to be overlooked. If people
would take more time to allow the ar
tistic and beautiful features of the Ex-
position to impress their senses and
permeate their inmost being instead OF
racing from one part of the grounds to
another, trying to see every exhibit
and every show on the Midway, they
would go home feeling greater benefit
from their stay in the Rainbow City.
The Pan-AmeriCan is full of gardens
which tempt the visitor to rest awhile
and drink in the beauties of nature. 1t
may seem surprising that in the month
of October there are flowers worth
looking at, but such IS the fact. The
rains Of the past few weeks have kept
the landscape as fresh and beautiful as
in May and June, and as one flower
goes out of the scene another takes its
place. On opening day the hyaCinths
filed the air with their dainty fra
GRANGE, in June tulips lifted their proud
heads, later I'm the month of brides and
sweet girl graduates came roses, with
their rich perfume, and as the summer
passed the other flowers in their sea
son sprang up as If by magic to take
the place Of those which had done their
blossoming and served their turn In the
entertainment of the visitors to the
- g1l, A,,I hn
tall Gamma, the gay geranium and such
old fashioned flowers as grandmOther's
garden had--the phlOX, the pink, the
begonia, the petunia and other posies
which are no less beautiful because
they do not happen to be novel.
In entering the grounds by the Elm
wood gate visitors pass two tall and
curious looking trees, which perhaps
few In their anxiety to reach the heart
of the Exposition stop to notice. If
they realized that they were century
plants just budding, a thing which, as
all know, century plants only do once
in q long, long time, they would doubt
less stop and look with open mouths
and wondering gaze. 1t Is a sight
which one cannot see very often any
where else. One Of these century plants
is nearly forty feet in height.
The Rose Gardens around the WON
ans building, having for their back
ground the outlines of the Spanish
renaissance buildings about the main
court and the Electric Tower looming
up at its north end, with the Mirror
Lakes and the Triumphal Bridge and
the groups Of statuary aboundlng, form
O scene whose artistic aspect must ap-
peal to even the least aesthetic visitor.
The cannas are very effective deCora-
tive plants, with their tall leaves in
green and red and brown. \ rich Gamma
one sees here is named Governor
Roosevelt. 1t would seem appropriate
now to change its name to President
Roosevelt.
On the opposite side of the Tri-
umphal Bridge IS the Wooded Island,
and here one rOams amid old fashioned
flowers, growing as though they had
sprung up there all by themselves with
out any assistance from the landscape
gardener and his corps of assistants.
But of course that Is not the case. The
studied carelessness Of the gardening
of this island IS only one of the pretty
deceits employed to produce the i'm
preston that it IS all the work of Moth
er Nature herself.
Have you seen the fairylike effects
In the garden about the Fountain of
4 L I. l.. 80 L.,
new things. This small garden is very
beautiful by day, and at night electric
lights Of different colors have been hid
den among the flowers and planks, so
that one sees the surface of the ground
dotted with these little spots of light,
bringing out the beauty Of the flowers,
and all forming a scene impossible to
describe, but very charming indeed to
witness. 1t is quite a pretty surprise
even to old Pan-American visitors.
Did you ever notice in crossing the
| Court Of Lilies, south Of the Machinery
| building, a heavy vapOr arising from
| the basin in the center of that court?
| Sometimes it has SO much the appear
ance of smoke that people think some
thing must be atire in the garden, but
1t is only the steam or vapor created
by the heating of the water in that ba-
sin for the benefit OF the tropical lilies
| which grow therein. These lilies, which
are known as the Victoria Regia, have
enormous leaves, some Of them three
| feet In diameter.
Other gardens where there are flow
| ers in bloom during this month of Oc-
tober are those In front of the United
States Government building and the
Horticulture group, where the gay ge-
raniums and sweet petunias contrast
their colors with the green flags grow
| ing In the basin and with the white
statuary disposed along their slopes.
There was a floral fete at the EXposi-
| ton during the first week Of October,
and this in It's way, of course, was an
affair OF much beauty and magniti-
cence; but, as a matter Of fact, there
have been floral fetes at the Pan-Amer'
lean since opening day.