Evening star., 1925-01-27

vegetables are the main end of gar
dening, after all
Very properly the seedmen devote
the first portion OF their annual cata-
logues to the vegetable seeds, roots,
etc. The reader may be generations
removed from the farm. Perhaps the
nearest he ever gets to a tomato on
vine is when his train runs through
! the Eastern Shore, and he sees from
the window the acres of red, ripe
fruit
But a thrill passes through him, just
the same, city man and white-collar
man though he be, as he turns the
pages of his seed catalogue and runs
across the really beautiful pictures, in
full colors, of the big tomatoes; and
the cabbages and the beets. And there
is an old friend-the girl who was In
last years catalogue-holding on as
faithfully as ever to the stack of
Holland cabbages.
One sees that this particular cab
bage resembles the modern American
girl In at least one point, or rather
two. The cabbage is "a little leggy,"
says the catalogue
Here is a dark red beet that would
go into our garden, if we were going
to raise vegetables this Spring. Prob
ably the best of the larger Sorts" the
well at all seasons, and is one of the
best to sow in early Spring, to sue
ceed the extra early and medium crop
sorts"
But ah! here is the section we pre-
fer, all of us with a 2x4 back yard.
Here is the flower seed portion. occupy
ing the last half Of the catalogue.
Here we have the aid in selecting
flower seeds for various purposes and
situations, and hints on culture of
flower seeds, and a picture OF a man
handling cold frame, and little Illus
trations Of the wrong way and the
right way to transplant seedlings.
All, Sweet Alyssum, Aster, Calliopsis,
Candytuft, Celosia, Cosmos, Dianthus,
Hollyhock, Larkspur, Marigold, Migno-
nette. Nasturtium, Pansy, Petunia
Phlox, Poppy, Portulaca Verbena, Zin-
nia-where in the world will we find
anything more beautiful than you!
Even your names are words of
beauty resplendent with the fragrance
of memory even more sweet than the
actual odor Of your bright blossoms,
blooming for a month and day that
we may be happy again.
For Springtime is the day OF happi-
ness. Let those who will say they
like Winter best. They are only joking
In the heart OF every man and woman
Spring is enshrined forever.
In looking over the names of our
flower friends one wonders II the
names are beautiful because Of the
flowers, or simply in themselves, and
comes to the conclusion that they are
so lovely because OF both.
II men had searched the combinations
OF sounds and letters purposely to Sc
lect pleasing names for the flowers,
with no other thought in mind, they
could not have achieved better results
There is the Columbine, the Rose, the
Aster. the Peony, the Artemesia, the
Auricula, the Celosia, softer in sound
than the very Chinese wool flower itself
the Carnation, the Violet, loveliest Of all
flowers and names.
Harken to the music Of the Morning
Glory, the anthem of the Crysanthe-
NUNS. the symphony of the Delphinium
and the Heliotrope and the Gypsophila
playing together. the evening song Of
the white Mooniower.
Here are the shy Forget -Me-Nots,
and the pastels of the Sweet Peas, de-
butantes of the garden, clothed in
their costly, sweet simplicity. done for
ever with frills and iounces, leaving
mere ornaments to the humble Cab
bages.
The debutante Sweet Peas have
learned that the true glory of dress
lies in line and shade, not in laces or
vivid color.
Idly turning the pages of this first
catalogue of the Spring. we dream of
Althea, the Rose of Sharon, and of
that shrub with the grand name, Hyd-
rangea Paniculata Grandifora
| Yes, there can be = doubt of it,
| Spring is here,