The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-22
GREAT FLORAL CLOCK
ON AGRICULTURE HILL
Worlds Fair Visitors Will Be
Able to Tell Time by Land
scape Decorations.
DIAL A REVOLVING GARDEN.
Elaborate Plans for Beautiiying
Grounds Have Been Matured
and Florist Will Construct
Mammoth Timepiece.

Elaborate plans for the treatment of the
| hill on which the Agriculture Building will
stand have been perfected by Frederick
W. Taylor, Chief of Agriculture and Horti-
culture.
The most curious feature OF the plan Is a
gigantic floral clock that will tell exact
time on dial 100 feet In diameter, which
will occupy the center of the northern
slope of the hill. Two OF the exhibit de-
partments will Cooperate In the produc-
ton of the feature
An exhibitor applied to Chief Hubert of
Manufactures for the privilege OF show
ing the machinery for such a cock and sug-
seSted that the dial be q mammoth flower
bed The floral portion Of the design was
turned over to the Horticulture Dspa. tment
and Mr.. Taylor has found florist who is
willing to furnish the dial In flowers.
BEDS OF DIt'FkREST HOES.
The crown of the dial will be Of white
5edoing plants Each figure OF the hours
will be ten feet high. The hsnos will be
fifty feet long. The clock is operated pneu-
matically. hidden power-house TO shelter
pressed air is to be built at the southern Or
end of the clock.
The clock will occupy a slope of about
thirty degrees. SO that it will be VISIBLE
from the entire district west of Skinker
road ana north Of Agricultural Hill. 1t will
be sixteen times as large as the great time
which is said to be the largest on earth
The mechanism for driving the hands is an
enlargement OF that used in the ordinary
tower clock, and Is to advertise a manufac-
turer OF tower clocks.
The east slope of the hill abutting Sk:nker
road will contain a rose garden 500 feet long
and 800 feet wide, in which will be shown at
least $500 separate plants of every known
variety that grows in this latitude. Above
this rose garden two immense flower beds
are planned. One has been named the Hor
dcultural Bed. the other the Historical Bed
NAMES FORMED OF PLANTS.
The Historical bed uses the fieur de lis.
ha hDt Il
1904. and the names of Napoleon. jefferson.
Mckinley, Roosevelt and the United States
flag and shield. The Horticultural Bed
uses the fieur de lis. the letters l.. p. E.
the Exposition flag and the names of four
men who have done great things in horti-
eulture-Peter Henderson. a seedman:
Thomas Meehan shrubberyman; Henry
Shaw. the St Louis botanist. and J. Sterling
Morton. who while Secretary of Agriculture
founded Arbor Day. These beds will be al
most Loo feet long.
The planting of the rose garden and of
the beds will begin next fall The beds
VIII change with the seasons. They will
be first planted in tulips by q florist from
Rotterdam, Holland. 1000 bulbs being used.
The bulbs will be out into the ground next
fall and will have attained their full glory
tulips cease blooming. they will be re-
placed by other blooming plants.
On the eastern slope Of the hill Il space
plants in two ponds OF considerable size
Tor which depressions are naturally formed.
One OF these ponds Will be artiticially heat
ed by hot-water pipes to supply a proper
temperature for growing the victoria regia
the largest of aquatics.
ENTIRE HILL DEVOTED TO FLOWERS |
"A rockery" will be maintained on the |
same slope. where will be grown agayes.
edums, aloes. cacti and other plants which
thrive best in rocky places. The remain |
der OF the hill will be given up entirely TO
Tower beds to be made and maintained by |
florists from ali parts of the world These
peds are to conform in shape location and
Color TO plans drawn by the staff of Chief
iaylor and they are to compete for awards
with tie plants shown in the Horticulture
building.
Between the Horticulture and Agriculture
buildings. the largest display of cacti ever |
made on earth will be installed by the Mex
can Government. Commissioner Nuncio has |
already applied for the space and his en-
, s;s are out gathering the material to |
The ground covered by these plans en-
ora9es sixty-ntne acres. Special provisions /
WIFE be made by the Exposition Company's |
andscape department for supplying good |
SOL for the plants. Twelve inches Of HACK
soil will be put into place there Three |
grass. '
The landscape department in all the grad |
ing operations on the site has strIppe1i or |
the black soil and heaped # in mounds AT
various parts of the grounds. This soil NAV
De spread wherever II is needed