Evening star., 1936-03-21

discouraged. Three years later an
other shipment was received and the
good health Of these newcomers took
them past the plant immigration bar
rierS.
Mrs. William Howard Taft, at the
time First Lady Of the Land. planted
the first tree in Potomac Park and
upon her invitation ViscounteSs
Chinda, wife of the then Jamanese
Ambassador, placed the second one in
the ground. Next followed the setting
out of the rest of the 5000 in geomet-
ric patterns.
MOT least among the charms Of the
4 ' blossoms are the names Of the va
rieties. There are two great species,
the single, which usually appears about
q fortnight in advance of its rivals,
and the double. The white single bios
som which transforms the lagoon OF
the Tidal Basin into an enormous deli
cately tinted teacup is called Shira-
yuki, which literally translated means
snowflake" Then comes an inter-
mediate, Ariake, signifying dawn"
and this finds no one so lacking in
imagination as to fail to divide the
derivation of the name. The last to
bloom, in double blossom glory. Is the
Fukurokuju, most stately Of all. Its
upright branches bear blossoms of
deep pink and symbolically the Japa-
nese have given it the name which
means Happiness"
The cosmopolitan character of the
congregation that annually parades
before this altar of natural beauty is
most emphatically expressed on the
Sunday falling halfway between the
appearance of the buds and their de-
parture, often brought about by sud-
den wind which blankets the park
with their petals with dismaying
speed. The motorcade which con-
verges on Washington at that time
from the luxurious limousine to the
"jaloppy" And this does not take
into account the many thousands who
travel bloSsomward on trains and by
air.
So great has become the onrush OF
foreign" cars at cherry blossom sea-
son the proportion of those contrib
uted to the parade by Washingtonians
yearly grows steadily smaller. This is
intensified by the discovery that
more satisfying way of viewing the
spectacle Is walking under them, and
many thousands who arrive in motors
take care to park their cars far from
the congestion that requires the most
extensive special policing the Capital
undergoes save, perhaps, quadrennially
at Inauguration time. Recently side
walks have penetrated the farthermost
reaches of the blossoming garden Of
trees, and bride paths, too, carry their
heaviest equestrian traffic when the
display Is at its zenith.
RUT if the popular appeal of the
blossoms reaches its peak on one
particular day, that does not mean it
begins or ends with a single occasion.
On the contrary, it rnanifests itself
with the unfolding Of the first white
tips Of the Shirayukis and continues
until breezes have carried of the last
pink petals of the Fukurokujos. Thou
sands make daily visits to the park
and all sorts of preferences for seeing
the blossoms at their best speak
through their systems" Many pre-
fer the twilight hour. when the Shi-
rayukis make a huge white bouquet
in the gathering dusk. An ever-in-
creasing number maintain the ideal
time to see the trees is at dawn when
the pink buds Of the Ariake and Fu-
kurokujo species greet the first beams
Of the rising sun.
The reverential awe In which the
beauty of this most celebrated grove
Of ornamental trees is held is the suc-
cess with which vandal hands are
stayed from destruction they are all
too often accustomed to wreak upon
natures handiwork. The trees are
protected. Of course. by law. as are all
the ornaments of Uncle Sans spa
cious parks and gardens, but they are
even more thoroughly guarded by the
public esteem in which they are held.
It would be hardy soul indeed that
would snip one wee bud and police,
accordingly, say the blossoms are the
most easily protected Of any OF WASH
tngtons natural beauties, 30 numer-
ous are their unoficial friends.