Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-06-11
The Botanic
Gardens
BY Frederic j. Ffaskin.

| Botanic Gardens Wartime visitors TO
! the national capital always find a welcome
here Benches shaded by tropical palms,
beds Of pink pconics, and fountain
spashing in the center help to make the
gardens popular spot on summer day
The click of the camera Is heard on every
side, and the ubiquitous soldier and his
best girl argue ns To the advantages Of the
capitol, the famous Bartholdl fountain,
or Hhrubbcry for "A background.
Bartholdi, sculptor of the fauious
Liberty Statue in New York harbor,
modelled this fountain for the Centennial
| Exposition nj Philadelphia in 1876. After
the exposition the government bought the
much admired piece Of statuary and IT be
| came one of the special sights Of the i3otan-
ic Gardens
A botanic garden was included in the
original plans for the national capital
George Washington decided on the pres
cnt site, JiIst west Of the capitol grounds,
but Davy Burns Scotsman who owned
the creator part 81 the District, held out
for having the gardens near his cottage
As IN several other encounters with the
Obstinate MIR Burns. Washington final
" had ms way II Is said that m earlier
times the site Of tho gardens was the pub
liz execution ground. and that n number Of
dangerous characters mct thclr tate
| here
FUTURE RUTroNHofE BOUQUETS.
Plans for The gardens began 10 he con
sidcred seriously sorpe years later by
| Congress with an eye 10 future butfonhole
bouquets. An appropriation Of five
thousand dollars partly drained the
| swanpy garden and fountain was
installed But the propriety If utilizing
the public funds 70 furnlah Legislators with
| hornl adornrnent became n subject for
| considerable argument with the result
| that Congress became irregular IN apprp-
priatiug funds for the gardens
Today this beautiful spot - regarded
as a valuable acquisition Furnishing
| flowers to Congress has become minor
activity, and the Botanic Gardens arc
known for their beauty, their wonderful
| collection Of plants and trees, many
historic associations and the scientific
experiments carried on there
In the conservatorios are queer rare
md beautiful plants crowded t0gcf her for
want of space, and breathing an atmos-
phere II foreign lands There IS be
| fiottcntot ordeal tree from the Cape u
Good Hope. Trials Of the IIoftentpt- r.
| sInplfed ~ the use IF the fruit u ms
| tree to fest the innocence IF the accused
| As the fruit Is one of the strangcst pot-ar4-
! known. Il trial of tbls sort il inevitably
| followed hy i funeral
ruF u9rHER-I~-LAw Plant
Another plant 10 10 avoided Is TIE
! Diffehhachla plcta better known as ne
| duub cane Or mothcr-in-iaw plant Ire
| $40 II which Las power ~ paraiyzo the
| tongue far eight days Humboldt the
| naturalist discovered fhIs plant ii south
/ America and Was speeches ior eight
| Ias9 after tasting # ~ ap experiment
j eolared workman IN the garl"-s vas
once persuaded t. taste tins plant hy
J5f5ctlfaI poker. and history tgaiu.t states
i that the virtirn bad - use be III lam
guagc fGr eigbt davs following
III j fountain 1t thc bark q d" CON
-sr.sf9rs S a cIlnp III Egyptian papFrI7,
tail tr4thcry grass from Whlch he
ilaeIrnt- made paper hi@ grass Is aiso
supposed to be he kind y bG!r4sh which
sheltered the baby Moses IN the River
Nile
Cedars Of Lebanon. late palms, and
fhe crown Of thorn- arc Suggestive 81
tsnie lands and history tJne p ne best
etoWn trees 81 he gardens i ae rec ot
aufucQs grown from aa acorn rougnt
/ from THE grave 1i the CLlErSe scholar
i Twin expresses known as ne actors
i trees form i high arcawav lending He
conservatory ! asse t-r.s Nerr planted 1N
! Iooth aud Forest The most beautiful
/ tree ii lie garlen- IS 1 European horn
! lam plla.cI ~ abraham Lincoln he
+ trunk .. ms giant tree IS lot over .o4r
! faot high and from Ties l9W base ~
: branches spread - form massive shade
i tree pcrfecr b shape
TIE remarkable ms.@enu - toregn
! plants noW saued ~ taf government
/ Wa> starred n I~42 y hen Rear tJura
/ Charle, Wilkes. returning from southern
/ eXp.ora on VOYAGE. brought With hsn
i collection II specimens which were gwen
tothe Botanic Gardens. George ~ Hess.
Nc present superintendent instituted
/ p.4n 81 exchanging rare trees and plants
with foreign governments and n THIS ~
manv valuable aGdltioas hase been made
though AZ present thc war has about cat
oil this source Of supply
Among recent ac4slsatio by The
exchange system are a number Of plan
from the Hawaiian Islands Ap interest
ing theory regarding Hawaiian native
flora is that IL IS nor H4lyelH Hawaiian
At all I; Is explained rhst Volcanic
eruption. especially n carly days Of "a,
stands. must have destroyed any bur Fhe
most persistent vegetation and that most
Of the so-calcd Hawaiian plants were
/ brought to the stands by 81, cap tasfls ana
immigrants
WARS EFFECT HERS, roo
War is having us effect not oE!N on he
Botanic Gardens but on the entire flower
industry A14leas were procured IN