The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-06-21
THE FLOWERS AND SONG
BIRDS OF FLORIDA

Moses Folsom, in Times Union)
Florida is known as the state OF
flowers, and we can have them in ev.
cry month, a constant procession OF
beauty and fragrance around the year,
but we are not making the best Of our
opportunities with native and import
ed varieties.
There are not enough of the flower
ing trees, shrubs, plants and vines in
the parks and home grounds of the
cities and towns of Florida, Floricul-
ture means refinement. Fruits and
vegetables may be cultivated with
some degree Of pleasure. live stock
demands and receives our sympathy
and tender care but flowers are at
tended with reverence. Parks and
home grounds attractive with flowers
add grace and charm and get favor
able comment from every passer-by
Plant flowers to the right Of you, left
of you, front of you, and rear Of you,
and yours will literally be flowery
path.
Tallahassee sets an example for
other places, for the capital city Is
one of flower gardens. The wistaria
vine is riot Of beauty in the trees
and trailing over the verandas, roses
are to be seen each in season with
wide range Of size and color and Of
fragrance, and lilies such as Bermuda
knows not Of, and the jesamine, the
myrtle and star flower. And all
about are encompassed the forest
growths in which the clinging Span
ish moss augments the natural beau
ty of the oaks, the bays and magno-
las, with long stretches Of Towering
dogwood and veritable masses of hon
eysuckle and thorn bushes and Ian
tana. / have often wondered why
flowers were not shipped north from
Tallahassee by the carload under
refrigeration the same as other pro-
ducts of the farm.
The natural fora Of Florida is abun-
dant and varied, and in going about
one must look up as we'll as down,
for there are flowers in tall trees and
tiny buds and blooms peek out every
where in the profuseness of green on
the ground, often tangre of vines
and shrubbery. The palmetto of
course is everywhere adding beauty
and coziness to the landscape. A
popularity Of the palmetto is that 1t
has its greatest diameter when it is
young, when 1t bulges out with leafy
stems, which in time fall off and a
clean, uniform and barkless trunk is
left, with feather buster like top
high in the air. The ferns are fond
Of them and often cluster about them
with fronds looking as If set in vases.
The tree pine is always in evidence.
Let other bards their harps atune
To sing of gold and courts and
kings,
But leave to the voice Of June,
The music that the pine tree sings"
One might think there was no other
tree in Florida yet there are more
varieties Of trees in our state than
in any other state in the Union, hav.
ing in the south part many kinds ap.
preaching the mahogany in value
The cypress is here with their strange
knees and the water and live oaks are
glorious trees. There are trees in
Florida not known to botanists any.
where else.
The birds Of Florida at one time in
cluded many species and multitude
nous in number. The pot hunter and
the call for plumes and feathers in
the millinery trade have defeated the
supply. The little green paraket has
entirely disappeared and other varie
ties are going, regardless of the es
Itablished fact that birds maintain the
balance of nature in the struggle
against insect life so destructive tt