The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-04-01
FLOWERS FOR EASTER.
From the Woods That VIII.

Bloom Indoors.
New York Tcibune: The most beauti-
Jul centerpieces for the Easter table when
eEastcr comes SO near the opening of
.tpring as 1t does this year is one of blue
tepaticas and spring ferns. The hepatica
'f usually the first flower of spring. Close
;to the russell earth in the warm light
which drifts through the bare woodland
'boughs II opens its abundant azure bios
sons, es blue as the wings of the blue
bird or the sky of March. Lik the sky
and water of March the flower has so
perfect an azure hue that 1t seems to have
purified by frost. It has none of
the purplish color OF the violet that bios
sons later In the green grass of May
The hepattca, the trailing arbutus and
nearly all the early spring flowers perfect
Their flower buds in the autumn, wrap
ping them up in furry little covers cloce
10 the earth, where they rest through the
@Hinter under the snow to walt the awak-
ening suns of the vernal equinox. Some
lines II seems to be a race between these
early flowers as to which shall open it's
petals first and earn the right to be called
the first bloom of spring. 9TH brave
spears of the Junk cabbage" however,
bitten push themselves through the frozen
earth before the blue hepatica or the
trailing arbutus breaks its furry sheaths.
Any of these early flowers may be
easily forced in e wild ndo garden, so
that they will blossom indoors long be-
fore they appear in the forest. The plants
must be taken from the woods In the fall
or at the beginning of March, brought in
to the house and thawed out and then
planted in q sunny window, where they
will soon come into perfect bloom. They
are extremely pretty planted with the
evergreen spleenwort ferns, which are SO
characteristic Of the spring woods and
rocks, and which are more ilmy and deli
cate than the most delicate maidenhair
ferris that grow in the summer forests.
The matdenhair spleenwort, or Asplen-
ium trichomania. is an abundant fern on
limestone rocks in shady places. 1t
grows in thick tufts In pockets in the
rocks, its delicate Leaflets Mounted on
threadlike ebony stripes.
When the poisoning hepatica is massed
in thick clusters in a deep center dish
Of delft with only the spleenwort fern, 1t
is exceedingly effective, as 1T has no
leaves until after 1t blossoms. The leaves
that cling to the flowers are the half
w.thered leaves of last year, and they
should be trimmed away. These flowers
grow in such clusters and are SO intense
in hue that they are much more attract
i've as a table cen.erpiece han the trail
ing arbutus, which is sometimes forced
into bloom in the house and used in the
same way.
w hepatica comes into bloom In the
open woods late iii March or at the begin
ming OF April. To force it into bloom at
as early a date as Easter Sunday 1t will
be necessary to start the plants a week
or more in advance. See that the plants
selected I'VE abundant roots and show
a full cluster Of buds in their little hairy
sheathes close to the roots.
Thaw out the plants at first With cold
water and place them in the cellar. Dc
not bring them into a warm room until
all the frost has disappeared from the
earth around the plants. After a few
days place them N the dish in which they
are 20 grow in n sunny window. Water
them daily. II they develop too rapidly
and are in danger Of poisoning before
Easter, put them back in the cellar for
q few days. T:-ese flowers, massed with
spring ferns, max an attractive piece for
the Easter altar.