Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-29
IN THEIR FALL GLORY
Rare Trees and Plants at the
Botanic Garden.
SOON GO IN HOTH0USES
Much Work Ahead for Superintend-
ent and His Assistants.
BEST YEAR FOR PROPAGATION
Unusual Success Attended Expert
ments During the Past Summer.
Some Curious Specimens.
BEST YEAR FOR PROPAGATION

There are 1000 object lessons in bot
any here in the gardens, all arranged sci
entifcally and geographically. inside and
outside of the buildings. This is a gar
den for the people, and a place where
they may study living botanic specimens
the best that can be procured-to the
hearts content
ANY one with an ordinary knowledge
Of the subject could walk through these
gardens and with DR.. Gray's excellent
book on the subject readily recognize the
various plants and trees. In fact DR..
Gray's book would be splendid guide
for the garden
The foregoing was the comment of
William r. Smith, superintendent of the
Botanic Garden. yesterday afternoon
upon his work while explaining the many
curious and rare plants which have -four
ished there under his charge. This year
exhibit at the gardens Mr.. Smith consid-
ers the very best and most complete from
scientific standpoint during the many
years of his experience.
Each year is better than the one be-
fore 1t. but this year, feel. the exhibits,
If l may term them such. make 1909 the
banner year. The gardens as they are
now are beyond my most sangune ex-
pectations when 1 took charge" said Mr..
Smith.
Instead of giving a general description
of the display Mr. Smith invited a Star
representative to take a botanical walk
with him, in which every nook and corner
Of the garden was visited and the botan-
lean construction, the individual pecul-
iarities, the habltatS and history OF the
specimens were explained. The superin-
tendent is an enthusiast in his work, and
often he found himself in the depths OF
scientific description beyond the lay
mans mind.
Pardon me, I'm forgetting myself" he
said as he caught sight of his compan-
ions puzzled expression. Its most
exact description-the best a botanist can
give. You can get something from 1t If
you don't understand 1t all"
The first part of the garden visited was
a large circular bed, 120 feet in circum-
ference, to the southwest Of the main
greenhouse, where. the superintendent ex-
planned, were planted twenty specimens
of ornamental grasses, ranging from the
most delicate specimens to coarse jungle
blades from the -rcpics.
The Abyssinian Cabbage Banana.
I'm the middle Of this bed you will see
plants resembling the Gamma, only larger
and Of a lighter green in color" Mr..
Smith said. 1T Is what we call the
Abyssinian cabbage banana. 1t grows on
the western coast of Africa generally,
and no doubt Mr.. Roosevelt has had his
taste of it. The leaves are pulled and
boiled and I understand it has delicious
flavor. About the only places 1t would
grow in American domains are Florida,
Porto Rico and the Philippines. 1t hasn't
been tried in any one of them. however.
The banana cabbage plants were prop,
ably dozen and half in number, and
occupied the uppermost part of the
mound. The superintendent during the
morning had completed arrangements to
have them replanted in the greenhouse
away from the frost, within the next few
days.
On the outer fringe of this bed curl
Gus red-leafed ornamental plant was
pointed out and called the Acalapera
Wilksi, which was discovered and pre-
sented to the gardens a number of years
ago by the Wilkes exploring expedition
in forests Of the southern countries of
South America. The superintendent said
that the plant had now become one Of
the chief botanical specimens for garden
Ornamentation.
A grass with long narrow green blades
crossed diagonally with thin yellow
stripes some distance within the bed was
given the name Of Enlatra zebrina be-
cause of the similarity to the zebra
stripes on a small scale.
"At one time that grass was the rarest
of botanical specimens found In Japan,
explained Mr.. Smith 1T was brought to
this country at q great cost and Is now
SAAS
wilksi."
Some distance away from this bed. to
the left of 1t, the superintendent pointed
out a handsome tree. resembling an oak In
its shape and growth. He called 1t the
horn bean tree. and said its original habi-
tat was southern France.
Ancient OK Jokes.
TN the very old days-the time before
harness was invented, I may say-the
limbs of the horn beam trees were used to
make the short, thick wooden beams to
go over the heads of oxen. to which was
fastened the ancient wooden plow SHAFT.
the SUPERINTENDENT said. Il imagine the
fellows who first used this tree as an aid
in agriculture were the ancient Gauls. Vol
taire was very fond of these trees and
planted great numbers OF them about his
home.
THE tree came from France about
twenty-five years ago and was planted
where 1t now stands. 1t ia between thirty
five and forty years of age"
Between the horn beam tree and the
southern side Of the greenhouse Is bad
of Yucca plants, very similar to the cacti,
but not of that botanical family, 1t was
explained. Their stand is similar to a
small tree palm, with long, dark-green
leaves, narrow and sharp enough to cut
the flesh if handled carelessly. The bios
some is similar to lily and develops In
large punches on a tall, narrow stem. The
odor is something like that of a magnolia,
but not so strong.
1.-The yucca is very snowy plant Mr.
Smith explained passing them by to
rarer specimens, but they're very COM
mon. You can find them in Mexico
Florida, Central America. Colombia
Peru. Ecuador and on down to Cape
Horn. They are very, very common"
In the front and rear Of the central
greenhouse in fountain basins are proba-
bly the best collections of double and
single water lilies to be found anywhere
i'm the east The standard colors of the
water lilies are white. red and among
the double ones, light blue. Hybrids have
been derived after long experiment, and
as result some Of the most beautiful
them. The hybrds range in color from
red. The full development Of water lilies
1t was explained. was a thing of the flu
ture, and the possibilities of future col
orings were great
The Papyrus Plant.
In small bed surrounded by ferns and
delicate mountain plants stood some spe-
| cimens of the papyrus, several Of them
very hardy and apparently in a flourish
| ing condition.
TT was the papyrus, you know" said
Mr.. Smith. MASKING one of the delicate
| leaves in his hands, and exhibiting the
long, fibrous strings. that paper was
made from. 1t possesses splendid fiber
| and 1t is used yet for making the thin
paper for cigarette wrapping"
Probably the most varied and snowy
1