Evening star., 1932-03-26

Every one of thousands of packages
of Zinnia seed used by gardener
throughout the civilized world bears tn,
name of a great German physician.
Every dahlia tuber set out, if marked
with tag as it probably will be, vii
be a memorial to a Swedish botanist.
Every forsythia, bending its yellow
sprays to greet the Spring, will heralc
the memory of a British Army officer
Every package of clarkia seed will pay
unconscious tribute to the life and wori
of a great American Army officer.
Zinnias. favorite of gardeners every.
where, on account of their sure-fir,
qualities, as we'll as their beauty. arr
named after Herr DR.. J. G. Zinn of tht
University of Gottingen.
The dahlia gets its name from DR.
A. Dahl, a Swedish botanist who did :
great deal to make this glorious flower
what it is in our gardens.
The forsythia was brought to Western
civilization by Maj William Forsyth o.
the British Army.
The clarkia gets its name from the
great early American explorer, Gen
William Clark.
These are but four Of many flower
names which perpetuate the memory o.
men whose active interest in them lee
to their betterment.
There is no more interesting story
than that of plant discovery and sub
Sequent improvement at the hands O.
experts.
Men of all nations, as may be seer
by the countries instanced above-Ger.
many, Sweden, England, the Unitec
States-work in this interesting field
Holland gives us our tulips and some
of our gladioli
France specializes in roses and lilacs
among the many flowers which French.
men have worked to better
Better iris and peonies, finer shrubs
and evergreens, bigger and more
crinkled petunias-
There is nothing too large or toc
small for the loving care of the mar
or woman interested in plants. For tn.
best interest, undoubtedly, he mus
make it his life work.
II he makes plant culture his life.
task he must make living out of it
He must get something out of it, ir
the way of solid cash. Spiritual value:
lie that way, too. This is easy enough
to see, when one considers such thing.
as flowers. It holds true of less fragile
commodities no less.
X
These great botanists left memorials
OF lasting beauty behind them. Thou
sands of people who plant the flowers
named after them, although they may
have no remote idea to whom the
names refer, nevertheless will enjoy
an6 benefit from their loveliness.
The great majority of flower planters
Will never have flowers named after
them actually using the syllables OF
their names. 1t will be seen from the
above instances that the botanist with
a monosyllabic name has the best
chance. His name makes the best flower
name, after ia" has been added to it
What the average person can do
and what is largely done, indeed, is to
plant lasting things, such as trees and
shrubs, wherever he goes, and to leave
them there as his contribution to the
neighborhood, if he should move.
Today throughout America fine ole
lilac bushes. from Maine to Minnesota
pay tribute to the memory of the pio-
fleers of a hundred years ago.
On countless fences old rose vines
tW1ne. Every one of them was planted
by some lover of beauty Even the
honeysuckle, rank in growth though il
Is, difficult to get rid of when it be-
comes the nuisance it so often does,
speaks of some human being who had
the light of beauty in his eyes.
1t is with the eyes and for the eyes
that we plant. A garden springs into
being through the eyes. The colors of
flowers, the deep greens of foliage, the
graceful bending of shrubs in the wind,
the shadows of old trees-these are
eye appeals in which the entire beauty
loving nature of man shares.
X X
Wherever you go, therefore, and es-
pecially whenever you go, leave some
thing planted to speak of you Those
who pass may not know about you-but