Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04
This and That
BY Charles E. Trace,peH.

Sunday was an exciting day in the
garden for Jack Spratt and his
friends.
In the first place, the humming bird
returned. In the second place, the
Ismene bulbs sent their fieshy green
shoots through the soil.
Old and new friends greeted us on
every hand.
Jack, the cat. dashed his striped tail
in welcome, as the shimmering green
bird, most fairylike of its kind, winged
its way over the yard.
| Last Sunday was q pretty day, as
you will remember, just the sort for
the first appearance Of the humming
bird in 1926.
| OF course, we all felt that it was
the same creature that graced our gar.
den last year. We wonder if 1t is?
Not being experts on humming
birds. we had no way of telling
whether he was the selfsame bird that
haunted our gladioli last Summer, or
If he were another of the same spe-
cies.
AT any rate. he is a humming bird
with gossamer wings. long bill. small
body, intent on dipping his way into
all bell-shaped flowers. tanning his
wings at such a rate that he can
poise perfectly motionless before a
| blossom.
If any living thing can be said to
stand on the brink Of nothing" it
Is the humming bird. He approaches
the flower he likes at pace verging
on 30 miles an hour.
Just as the beholder expects to
see him dash himself headlong
against his favorite gladiolus, the
humming bird puts on the brakes. in
a manner of speaking, and stands
still in the air. almost as if he had
struck some invisible bumper.
! X X X
At a respectful distance one may
watch the incessant flutter of the
birds thin wings, as fast as the whir
| of an electric fan, except in a back
and forward movement instead Of
circular.
There, at it's ease, the humming
bird sits on nothing, contemplating
the great pink flower it's six petals
invitingly open. HE is after honey"
some optipist is likely to exclaim.
but truth makes 1t necessary to de-
clare that the bird is after minute
insects which live In the hearts of
many flowers, and which are prac-
l
The cat hopes to be able to catch
the little fellow this Summer. but in
| all probability will have no better
| success this season than he did last
| when 10 feet was the nearest he ever
| got to the bird.
The Ismene bulbs were put in the
ground Is days before. Each bulb
was about the size of base ball.
| each with one or more shoots already
| sprouting.
The bulbs were purchased on the
strength of a laudatory notice in a
| garden book, to the effect that the
Ismene ought to be the joy of every
amateur gardener, as it blooms in
three weeks.
This Summer-fowering bulb is
listed In the catalogues as Ismene,
or Catalina, or Hymenocallis Gala
thina. or Peruvian daffodiL 1t is
described as bearing beautiful white
flowers.
Day after day we waited for the
Ismenes, as we called them, to show
their sprouts above ground, and day
after day were disappointed. Once
we even grew impatient and dug
down to find that the shoots were
on their way. This practice. as a
rule, cannot be commended.
| Going into the garden early Sun
day morning, we saw something
green had split the ground. Twas
the Ismenes! Days following showed
them pushing up eagerly, broad and
solid. looking for all the world like
small pickles.
If they bloom in six weeks we
will be satisfied. In addition, as
every gardener likes to have some
thing no one else has, we wonder
IL any one else in the District of
Columbia Is growing this flower?
Jack Spratt gave snuff at the
shoots and turned back to con-
template the humming bird. But