The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-23
Dolly Hears That Men LoDe
 Flowers More Than Women Do
How the Girl Fooled Her Whole Family Into Taking Country Place Just So She Could Wear Pretty Garden Hat-A Clever Trick-Mr. Luther Burbank the Plant Wizard, Says He Talks to His Flowers As Though
 They Were Human Beings
BY DOLLY DALRYMPLE

was a bewitching display of garden hats in the show window of this particular shop one day, and of course Clarice had to go in and try on hats. as you women say. She found perfect duck of a bonnet, all floppy and pretty and fresh as new mown hay, as she described it, with trail- ing flowers and clinging vines about it--a veritable riot of color and beauty, and most uncommonly becoming to her. It made her look like Billie Burke or some dainty creature who had just stepped out | of an old English Garden"
 | "Of course, she bought the hat" the Woman observed.
 Certainly" said he, that goes without saying, but the worst part of 1t all was | that in town she had no place to wear it. l Her home was on 50 foot city lot with no chance of a garden, and garden she must have to match the hat. The result I was that after a bit of persuading her whole family found themselves planted in ! a country place with a beautiful garden as a background for Miss Clarice's hat. Very feminine, eh? A girl who could upset the I cloclSwork of an entire family and get the 1 chance to wear a fool garden hat is-well -er-er-.some girl. don't you think?"
 Did they finally forgive her?" asked the Woman.
 eorhere really wasn't anything spe- cially to forgive" said he. You see, all the men in the family, as we'll as the 1 girls mother, liked the country. They | liked it just because it was the country, and they wanted a. garden. There wasn't l a man in the family who didn't adore flowers and, plants and all sorts of green growing things, and of course Clarice l found herself the lady in the tangle of | iDpS-tba ladv with nc real love for a flower garden except as a background for a floppy garden hat
 He went on citing many other instances | to prove that the masculine love for fiow- CTS Is stronger than the affection women have for them.
 He quoted from a recent magazine ar-
 ticle in which Mr. Luther Burbank, the Plantsyvjzard, told how he achieved such amazing results from his experiments
 "What do first" MT. Burbanks said he quoted from the interview Is to talk to my plants. For instance, say over and over aagin to a Cactus that I am try
 ing to persuade to stop growing needles, that will protect 1t"
 The Woman laughed curious little laugh.
 1T read that article" she said, land took 1t merely as a newspaper joke. You don't really believe that Mir. Burbank DOES talk to His flowers do you?"
 "Why not?" he demanded. "lf the power of suggestion works on human be- ings why shouldn't 1t be felt by plants Wasn't 1t Emerson who said that tree
 was only a man growing in the groundi II believe and I know that most men who are closely associated with flowers think
 that they do understand to q certain ex-
 tent. Mir. Burbank. l have been told, Is prepared to prove that plants have intel- ligence and affection. When he says to a
 Cactus. Now you won't need those needles any more: no ono Is coming near
 to hurt you: I'm here to protect you and
 see that nobody harms you, why
 shouldn't the flower get the suggestion
 and conserve its energy by throwing Itself
 as it were. on the protection of the mar
 1t recognizes as a friend?"
 . "Values 1t as friend" the Woman re peated, and her expression was puzzled She couldn't tell whether the man was
 poklng fun at her or not.
 q don't understand what you are driv-
 ing at," she finally said.
 II (Which verifes what started out to
 prove" said he triumphantly. That man
 has natural love and sympathy and un-
 derstanding with flowers that is far great } CT and of different character than the love of a woman has for them. She cares
 for flowers as a backgrounds decora-
 ton; he regards them as a FRIEND. A
 woman loves a flower for its beauty; a
 man like Burbank loves the same flower
 for it's intelligence.'