Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-11-23
DU POINT CONSERVATORY
SHOW PLACE OF EAST
Continued from page. :.

hai' whore the first glimpse OF it's
sihe ana beauty are almost beyond
conception. At first one may have
confused impression of tropical plants
tali pillars and vivid flowers. Then
The "orangery' in detail is revealed
The hall is about Is0rso feet ,h,.
lcfty dome supported by dignifed nil
lars, somc vine-wreathed, Others con.
trastng their soft tones with tho
green forest around them.
The walks OF prepared concrete
are almost rs springy as the green
turl IN the court enclosed by the
rliiars. Everywhere grow tropical
plants of endless variety. The vivid
globes of the orange trees. which give
the hall its name. gleam everywh re.
me greenish-yellow of lemons dinaly
giows through the green leaves. Pal.
gold grapefruits give splash OF colo.
II. another spot. At this season the
hall is gay with huge pots of chry-
santhemums, bronze. orchid. russet.
pink, white and gold. At every turry
new wonders are evident. Here three
tall shoots of bamboo nearly reach the
high roof, there spiny cacti spread
about on a plot Of rock and sand
as barren as a desert. Now the at
tention is drawn to a charming table.
It's top of mosaic OF brilliant sea
shells. Next one notices an unusual
plant with delicate cerulean flowers.
The Exhibition Hall opens from the
'orangery" and there one is fascin-
ated at first by the blending shades
Of green. Bay trees, as large as a
room in an average city apartment.
guard the corners of the indoor
theatre. They are as round as an
orange, with glossy leaves of deep
rich green. These trees crossed the
ocean on the deck Of a liner, too large
To be crowded into the hold. On the
marble stage delicate pale green tropi-
cal fern, their fcathery fronds spread
as the branches of q tree stand in
vivid contrast to the deeper tones
of other fern and evergreens. In front
of the stage is a fountain and a pool
which is drained just at present for
al. orchestra pit. The marble floor.
which is now waxcd, will accommodate 10
possibly 800 dancers. Between 600 and
700 guests can be seated in the minia-
tGre boxes behind the bronze and mar
hle railing. over which vines trace
their graceful way. In an alctSye.
hidden behind curtains. stands a mag
nihcent organ, a masterpiece of Us
builder.
AS the guests stroll during the in
termissiop, they may wander through
a myriad Of greenhouses. each hous-
ing different variety of gorgeou.
fruit or blossoms, with temperature
ard humidity adjusted TO range from
the torrid to the temperate zone, ac
oording to the requirements Of tn,
vegetable.
One hall is filled with chrysanthe.
NUNS ranging from tiny fiat flower.
like daisies to huge balls of gorgeou,
color. Gardenias bloom in anothe,
greenhouse. One section is devoted
to fern, another TO carnations, among
them a new variety of canary yellow
Large sweet peas, like butterflies jus
| pcrched on the vines. fill the passage
| way with delicate fragrance.
| In the peach houses are fruit trees
which are being trained to grow, con
inental fashion, on trellises lilS,
vines. Melons ripen in tropical
warmth. A mimic vineyard will offei
luscious grapes next spring. Two i'm