Evening star., 1926-10-24
Tales of Well Known Folk
In Social and Official Life

Fifth avenue and to small domicile
near Seventy sixth street.
Mr.. Pierre du Pont OF Longwood,
just over the Delaware line into Penn
syfvania, has been awarded the beau-
tiful and valuable gold medal Of the
Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
This il the supreme honor in this
country, and the medal. the gift of
George Robert White. is cast from a
new die each time it is warded. and
then for some distinctive service in
the horticultural field. Mr.. du Points
Winter garden ~ the reason for his
receiving the honor. and, according to
authorities, nothing in this country
can equal the beauty and restfulness
Of this six-acre plot. The orangerie,
which is under lofty glass roof, and
has grass plots feet wide, is in the
CLASSIC style and strongly recalls
those at Potsdam or the beautiful
palace of the former Kaiser in Corfu.
The Winter garden was completed in
the architectural sense almost five
years ago, but the planting has re.
quired all this time to show its beauty
and perfection.
In the rear wing of the great
tubbed bay trees section a pipe organ
has been installed and frequently MIR.
and Mrs. du Pont entertain hundreds
of friends from Wilmington. Phila-
delphia, and adjacent centers when
certain rare and beautiful blossoms
are at their best Longwood Is near
Kenneth Square. the quaint old town
which sheltered Washington and his
staff after the disastrous battle at
BrandyWine 1t was established by
an early resident of this section of
Pennsylvania. Josiah Pierce, who
built the sturdy gray granite mansion.
the corner stone of which bears the
date of 1889 and began what was
the very first botanical garden in
the New World and the remnants of
which Mr.. du Pont has carefully
tended and preserved.
Mrs. Frederic Courtlanh Penfield
has recently purchased the Green
wich, Conn, place of the late Elias
Cornelius Benedict, for many years
commodore Of the New York Yacht
Club and the intimate friend and fre-
auent host Of Grover Cleveland. Mrs.
penfield is said to have paid a half
million dollars for this beautiful es-
tate. the spacious stone and brick
mansion Of which is at Indian Harbor.
on the Sound. and so close to the
water that it was possible for Commo-
dore Benedict to step from his terrace
onto his yacht Oneida. always an
chored in the deep water off the gar
den. The widow of the Amba sSador
to Austria. Mrs. Penfield has
lived abroad and in New York and
Philadelphia alternately. but she now
proposes to make Greenwich an all
the-year home. All Of Tweeds Island
is included in the sale. smaller owners
having disposed of their holdings to
Mrs. Penfteld. who intends to erect
pavilions and Summer houses for the
comfort and amusement of guests dur
ing the heated term. There are deep
forests on the estate and these will
he stocked with game. Mr.. Benedict's
fishing parties were famous during
the Cleveland regime. and the present
owner has many friends who are just
as fond OF casting line into such
profitable waters as the Sound is at
Indian Harpor.
Mr.. and Mrs Charles Brown Of
Athens Ohio. devoted the entire sum
mer to raising flowers for hospitals
and invalid homes. especially for chill
dren. and they have inaugurated a
custom which is spreading most salts
factorily all through the Middle West
and which will no doubt find imitators
everywhere. Having more space for
flowers than they could Use for them
selves or their families Mr.. and Mrs.
Brown began this Spring to cultivate
about four times as many roses as
they could place in the home and to
sending the others to Cincinnati.
Cleveland. Columbus. Dayton and
other centers of population, to he
reached on the day of the cutting by
parcel post. For some time they de-
frayed even the postage of their gifts,
but this part is now borne by the in
stitutions receiving the gift. A flower
guild has been organized in Athens
since Mr.. and Mrs. Brown added so
greatly to its fame. and throughout
Ohio the ailing will feel the benefit
all through the blooming season.
Sir Louis Cotter has just issued a
book, which is finding its way into
this country, on the indoor culture of
bulbs. Such knowledge as the ami
able barOnet from Devon gives so
generously will be boon to those
who delight in Winter and whose
efforts have hitherto been confined to
paper white narrissi. with an Occa-
Sional freeSia or ShineSe lily. To read
the fascinating pages of this book is
to see window lodges gay with poet
narcissus. with striped jonquils and
vari.colored freesias and a perfect
riot of pink. blue. white and pale vel
low hyacinths. The cultivation of the
tuberous begonia seems simple enough
to warrant wholesale purchasing of
them and started in time to bloom
about Christmas. The late Mrs James
Pinchot was devoted to Winter bulb
culture, and her fine library. occupy
ing all the second floor overlooking
the northwest corner of her home.
facing on the peak formed by Rhode
Island avenue and Seventeenth street.
was delight with quaint bowls Of
narcissus. brass pots Of freesa on
every table while great mounds Of be-