The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-28
SAN DIEGO ID HAVE MUNICH AL FARM Will Grow Cut Flowers For Exposition In 1915
  EXPERTS EMPLOYED
City Will Cultivate Huge Quantities of Geraniums, Roses and Pop pies-Will Mean Great Saw
 ing to Municipality

San Diego. Cal. August 26.-Many cities
 have canyassed the idea Of starting a municipal farm. but it remained for this city to put one in operation and this farm Is unique in this country.
 l The Panama-California International ex- position Is to be held in 1915 in San Diego and two of the principal features of this expostlon are to be the floral and hor- ticultural exhibits When it came to con-
 sderlng ways and means of procuring the huge amount of flowers, vines and trees necessary the projectors were dsmayed 10 find that 1t would be impossible to secure the quantities wanted without going to lenormous expense and gathering them from every state in the union.
 It remained for Director General D. c. Collier to solve the problem by declaring that the plants would be propagated right in Balboa park in San Diego, tract of 400 acres in extent, in which the Panuma- California International exposition Is to be built The city park commission was called in, the proposal was made and adopted enthusiastically. The landscape architect, John Clark Olmstead, at once
 
 easy. The city purchased outright two huge nurseries. Over 90 acres were pre- pared for the propagation work necessary at once. Experts were called in and the work began. Thousands and thousands of plants were set out. The park com mission called on the people of the city for cuttings of every description. They
 were forthcoming. It took 100 men weeks to set these out and see that they
 scared" properly.
 Since the farm was started the acreage has been increased almost threefoid and
 planting has been done in all parts of the huge park. Thousands of trees have been
 set out in such manner that when the
 deposition opens January i, 1915, they will
 form perfect forest around the grounds.
 Such items as one million geraniums. which in this climate grow in profusion outdoors; one million red roses, one mil lion white roses, twenty acres of Califor- mia poppies, the little golden yellow beauty acres of Matilja peoples. large. beauti- full white flower that grows on the noun tain sides skirting the Ferris valley, flower. by the way, that has never been successfully grown elsewhere: one hum dred thousand palm trees of different va lrieties, the same number of black acacia, and all sorts of creeping vines and orr a. mental shrubs in like proportions-these are some of the items of San Diego's flower farm.
 A huge lath house is being built, which when completed will cover 10 acres of ground. The frames already In use ex- tend over five acres. The hot house. where the baby cuttings are nursed as tenderly as little animals could possibly be, frequently contains half a million plants of one variety. These must be protected until they take root. and even after they are transplanted into the open air. where their most destructive enemy has been the succulent cotton tail rabbit and the equally succulent quail, both of which abound in the big park.
 Opening the municipal exposition farm has had one result that was not expected It has put all the park superintendents on their mettle, with the result that San IDiegans are enjoying the most wonderful exhibition of flowers and park improve ment they ever saw. As municipal ina- provement and an economy the exposition nursery has been & great success so far, 1 and promises to surpass all the predic- ltions made for it. That 1t is not operated | for profit from the sale of products makes lit an unique enterprise and the commis- sion estimates that it will save at least 4 quarter of a million dollars before the gates are thrown open for the Panlma- California International exposition New Years day. 19l6.