davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1950-12-24

pale, lavender blue, almost gray
flowers are seen in January. They
must be planted like other early
crocuseS, in the fall.
The Siberian squill with intense
blue flowers is seen in Washington
in early February, though it is
not to be counted on until some
what later. Surprising indeed are
the early daffodils. In Tennessee,
the early Virginia yellow "jon-
quill is often in bloom for Gen.
Lees birthday, and in a sheltered
place in the District, it will bloom
long before spring weather arrives.
Even earlier are certain dwarf
daffodils like Narcissus canali-
culatus, with double clustered
flowers in February. and N. junci-
folius, only about five inches high.
with waxy chrome-yellow single
blooms also in February. Some
times appearing in February is the
daffodil February Gold" particu-
larly if given a sheltered position.
It's parent, N. cyclamineus is re-
Sponsible for its early Towering.
Hyacinths in January.
White Roman hyacinths bloom
in January. In the District they
should be coddled as they are not
very robust. They are so free
Towering, however, and their
fragrant slender spikes so pleasant,
that they are worth some trouble.
One year I had them in bloom in
December outside. A severe freeze
and heavy snow ruined them,
thought, but they howered lavishly
again in late January.
Bulbous flowers early in the
year are far from rare. The glory
of the snow, chionodoxa, some
times blooms with the very early
daffodils, especially in we'll
established clumps. Even the fat
Dutch crocuses bloom in cold
weather sometimes. The early
species usually but not always pre-
cede them. The winter aconite is
often recommended for winter
flowers, but our winters are too
warm for it. The old snowdrops,
galanthus, especially the plain old
variety hymenalis, are always with
us in January. Nothing is lovelier
than they are, planted under pussy
willows or by a small pool.
i Violets will flower in December
and throughout the winter in pro-
tected sites. They are easily ac-
commodated in cold frames where
they produce longer stems and are
safe from sudden freezes.
Besides violets, primroses ap-
pear early. The common P. vul-
igaris sports an occasional flower
lin early February. Candytuft,
Iberis sempervirens, starts bloom
ing in December and continues
through to spring. Its dead white
i flowers are set in deep green
leaves. The white cress, Arabs
albida, not so early, is even pref
tier. A favored combination is
the white cress planted with the
netted iris, I. reticulata.
Evening star., 1950-12-24

kept compact. However, when
ever the vine does become leggy
it may be pinched back to the de-
sired length without harm. The
tips removed may be started in
water; they root readily.
Dust seems to be the most i'm
portant enemy of the Philoden-
drons. The foliage should be
cleaned weekly with a syringe or.
wet cloth. If the dust is not re-
moved it soon clogs the breathinh
pores and the plant suffers. Al
weekly Swinging with cold water
is probably easier than washing
the leaves but it may require use
of the family tub if the plant has
reached substantial size. A wet
soapy rag will do the job very
nicely on the smaller plants.
Thrives in Forest Loan.
Much is made of the point that
the Philodendron will grow as veil
in water as in soil. Generally
most indoor gardeners prefer to
have their plants in soil since
water sometimes becomes brack-
ish. A potting soil consisting ct
gardening loan, peatmoss, or COM
post and sand suits these jungle
children which thrive in forest
floor loan.
AS mentioned above the Philo-
dendrons root readily if placed in
water. Normally, whenever a
plant becomes too large or too
leggy it should be replaced with a
young one, and especially so since
they are SO easily propagated.
However, if cut back they will
send out new shoots and continue
to provide green" for table, shelf
or mantle.
If space permits one might well
try the beautiful climber, P. ver-
rucosum, which has satiny-green
leaves with metallic shadings
above. Underneath they are lined
with bands of maroon. The leaf
stems also display the reddish
tone. Another, interesting and
useful Philodendron is the cne
with leaves shaped like those of a
white oak, P. dubiae. 1t is most
interesting when kept as an up
right bushy plant; excellent for a
low table A combination of P.
dubiae with the Heartbeat. the
latter providing the low foliage
makes a pleasing display.
Evening star., 1950-12-24
Life in the Country
No Finer Place Than the Farm
For an Oid-Foshoned Christmas
Department Photo.
BY jones Birchfield-

are living in world where the
spirit of Christmas is uppermost
Our neighbor, Paul Strickler,
| has fallen under the spell OF new
grass. Paul is selling out. lock
stock and barrel, and is moving
to Florida. There he will find out
what he can do with some OF the
new Southern grasses.
| Paul's great devotion is to grass
| He came East from Iowa because
the grass looked greener here in
the spring, and now he is of to
what he hopes will be still greener
pastures.
He was down the other day to
tell us about his new adventure.
And while we are sorry to lose
him, we admit there is excitement
in developing a farm in the South.
Paul is convincing fellow. and
when he starts talking about the
beef cattle business in the South.
it makes you want to pack up and
go along. He has promised to find
a second farm with nice lake on
it. so you never can tell.
Becky, our border collie, is fast
taking over the duties of a general
manager of The 40 Acres. be-
1ieve she is the busiest dog I have
ever seen.
She must constantly keep her
eyes on the cows to see that they
take proper care of themselves.
She watches the fllly just to be
sure she doesn't get into one OF
the COW stalls. and the chickens
to see that they remain in the
right places. She also keeps the
cats away from the back door, ex-
amines all visitors and sends off
all departing automobiles.
At milking time she is on hand
to see that only one COW at a time
comes in to be MIXED She helps
carry in the milk, and then goes
along to oversee the feeding OF
the calf. She closes the house up
at night. and in the morning she
is the first to start off the day.
If I am a minute late starting
toward the barn, Becky is scratch
ing at the back door to hurry me
along.
I sometimes am afraid she will
break under the strain, for surely
there has never before been so
small a dog with SO much to do.
Evening star., 1950-12-24
This Week in the Garden

cool situation. Check the soil in
the pot, if it feels moist to the
touch water may not be needed.
if dry give the plants good soak
ing. II you regularly water from
the bottom, occasionally reverse
the process and water from the
top to wash out the salts which
tend to accumulate at the surface.
AS rule, one good soaking a week
supplemented with either surface
or saucer watering should keep
the plants in good condition.
However, no part of the pot should
be submerged for more than a
few hours because a saturated
soil does not contain air-and
most plants must have air at the
root to thrive.
Pointers on Making Good
Lawns" is the title of leaf1et No.
281. United States Department Of
Agriculture. The IA steps neces-
sary to the making of good
lawn are we'll worth knowing and
following. A copy may be OBJ
tanned without charge by writing
to the department. w. H. Y.
Evening star., 1950-12-24

find. It should be remembered
in this connection that the
emphasis of the picture must al
ways be centered on the subject
rather than upon extraneous
matter that may happen to be
in the composition.
The cameraman who must rely
on foodlights for his pictures will
have to be patient and wait to get
his shots. You cans very well tear
the tots away from their new
found toys even for the sake of a
picture. The best plan is to wait
until your young subject has set
tied down to play with one par
ticular piece of his loot and then
have a go at it. If you don't in
terfere too much the chances are
the youngster will not be wor-
ried about you and your camera,
Set your lights up, utilizing some
plain wall for a background and
lure the tot over into the range of
your lens. A calm and friendly at
titude will work wonders and once
he goes on with the business of
playing where you want him to
play. you can go into action.
Since the child probably will be
looking down at the toy that pre-
occupies him at the moment, your
camera should be down at low
level near the floor. Otherwise all
you will get will be a series of pic
lures of the top of his head.
You can wind up your picture
story of Christmas with a scene of
the family at the dinner table,
turkey and all and final shot to
top it off might show the ex-
hausted youngster, tired and worn
out, asleep in his bed or crib sur
rounded by his newly found toys.
Evening star., 1950-12-24

OF a recent, severe storm in New
York, some witch hazel bushes
bloomed at the south end of Gen.
tral Park. The Chinese member
of the family is regarded as the
handsomest. but it is not easily
bought. Witch hazels would not
attract much attention if they
bloomed in the summer, but IN
January and February the thread
like flowers, strung along the twigs
are delightful. There are about
five sorts available. three of them
native and two from the Orient
The Eastern ones are the ones to
get.
In January, in the deep South
the WintersWeet (meratia prae-
cox) blooms. Its flowers are ex-
tremely fragrant and each narrow
petal is twisted into a quill shape
so that although the petals are
really papery. they appear waxy
It is shrub suited for a warm
wall where the blossoms are pro-
tected from harsh weather.
Another fragrant shrub is the
osmanthus or sweet olive. Famil-
lar to Southerners is the tea olive
tosr1anthus fragrans). with
smooth leaves and tiny. cream
colored flowers in fall and winter
A safer choice here would be os-
manthus fortunei, with holly-like
leaves. 1t blooms in fall and win
ter. Osmanthus also blooms ir
the spring and it is possible. by
planting several sorts, to have
flowers through most of the sea-
son. The Library of Congress
has some sweet olives around the
entrance to the annex.
Honeysuckle Is Favorite.
Oleasters, or Russian olives
| (eleagnus pungens), also flower
in fall and spring, with occa.
sional blooms in winter and are
very fragrant. An oleater grows
beside bus stop at Twentieth
street and Massachusetts avenue
NV. Both osmanthus and eleag.
nus are evergreen.
Fragrant winter honeysuckle il
familiar to most gardeners. II
blooms about New Years Day ane
continues until March, when the
long, woody shoots should ht
severely cut back to guarantee
flowers the next year. Fragrance
of those honeysuckles is marvel
Gus and the name, in case OF or.
dering from nursery, is lonicera
| fragrantiSsima. 1t roots easily
from cuttings.
Other more or less dependable
winter bloomers are the Towering
ounce, chaenomeles japonica
which last year bloomed all win
ter, magnolia stellata, often COM
ing in February, and as often
damaged by late frosts, pussy will
lows, salix discolor, the daphnes
lmezereum and odora. The last
named is tender here and would
require some pampering.
Among early dubious plants is
| the crocus tomassinianus, whose
Evening star., 1950-12-24
Variety of Winter Flowers Possible in District Area

distant for its roots to be protected
by the paving.
Heathers Do Very Well.
The heaths are very satisfactory
and some of them are winter
blooming. Those seen at florists
are usually South African heaths
and not the ones to grow here. A
better choice is the common Erica
Carnea, which is whitish or
pink. 1t grows about foot high.
Peat or aluminium sulphate will
insure the acid soil it needs. If
the soil is not naturally acid, grow
acid loving plants in raised beds,
otherwise the alkaline elements
will seep into the low areas.
Heathers agree in a preference
for completely exposed sites. The
top of a rocky retaining wall is a
good place for them. They seem
| to be in bloom for months, since
the bell-shaped flowers persist
even though withered. Not to be
overlooked in the catalogue of
their charms is the tinted foliage
1t hugs the stems and in summer
is grayish-green. In winter, it is
ruddy or lavendar gray color-very
warm looking and a splendid foil
| for colored foliage and evergreen
Frequently blooming in January
are barberries and the closely re-
lated mahonia, often listed ir
catalogues as barberry. They have
yellow, lilly-o Of f-the-valley flowers
referred to as being fragrant. The
low g feetl mahonia is one o1
the obliging evergreen plants In
this climate. This Beris aqui.
folium has spiny, glossy leaves ano
in exposed situations, its color
varies from bronze to purple anc
red in winter.
One of the showiest and fool
proof plants for winter effect Is
the Pieris Japonica, frequently
called Andromeda Japonica. Las
spring at the big garden show al
the armory. this Towering plan,
attracted wide attention. It il
used in small front yard gardens
in Washington. The leaves re.
main a glossy green in the mos
inclement weather. It flowers ir
abundance in winter and early
spring. It's white, waxy trusse.
are much admired each year ir
the Bishops garden at the Wash.
ington Cathedral, between the en-.
closed herb garden and the carr
pool.
In open weather, from Novem-
Der on, one often sees forsythia
putting out yellow blooms. They
can be cut and placed in water
and will continue to bloom in
doors. Other ahead of schedule
Towering plants include most fruit
trees; fall-blooming cherries and
hawthorns occasionally show
blooms in winter also. The COM
mon rosemary, or Rosemarinus Of
ficianalis often has 1.-the, gray
fragrant branches starred with
fragile blue flowers long before
spring.
The witch hazels are unde-
servedly neglected. At the height
Evening star., 1950-12-24
Corner
On nCoins
By Ted Hammer

Librorian, American Nvmismo'ie Association
Despite efforts of the American
Numismatic Association and other
agencies and individuals, reports
persist that any coin no longer
found easily in circulation is
worth more than face. This
writer receives 200 letters month
indicating this.
Il know my coins are worth a
| lot because they are 100 years
DID," write many correspondents.
Others write, Il just know I have
valuable and rare coin because
it's so worn can't even make out
the date"
To start with, any coin that is
so worn the date cannot be read
will have no value to coin col
'lectors. We repeat once again
age alone doesn't make a coin
valuable.
If a coin has any value over
face, the premium is determined
by the same two factors that fix
values of other articles. These
factors are condition and scarcity.
A century or more ago, there were
occasional years when only a few
thousand coins of certain
denomination were issued. Col
lectors knew within a few years
that these coins one day would
be scarce and some were put aside
in mint or fine condition. This
situation has resulted rarely in
more recent years.
The 1922 cent is a good example
only 7 million were issued and
the coin, therefore, commands a
premium. Dealers pay up to Is
to 20 cents for a 1922 cent with
the mint mark D under tbs date,
This may not seem like much of a
profit, but few other investments
of 1922 would pay such a h.eh
percentage. Dealers pay even
higher for coins that never were
in circulation, SO If some one put
aside a few rolls of 1922 cents,
/ he would realize a nice profit on
them today.
! Only $4,000 cents were struck
at the San Francisco mint in 1891
and these are scarce today. yet
brilliant new specimens can be
purchased from dealers for 80
cents to ST..
Kip Ross has been elected pres
dent of the Washington Numis-
matte Society for 1851. Other
officers are: E. Ward Russell, vice
president; Col. Harry w. Atkin-
son, secretary, and r. G. McCabe
sergeant at arms.
Evening star., 1950-12-24

If there is any one plant that
is adapted to modern conditions
the Philodendron should get all of
the votes; that is. the Heartbeat
Philodendron, which botanically Is
P. cordatum. It will thrive with
less light than many kinds; it is
immune to gas fumes in the air,
which few others are, and the
usual run of house plant insect
pests seem to pass it up. That
should convince any one that if
their green finger is slipping they
should switch to the Philodendron.
That is a large-sized blast of
favorable propaganda for any one
plant but the Heartbeat Philoden-
dron deserves it. Not so with the
other Philodendrons. They are
nice, in fact excellent in their
place, which is usually larger than
the private home. The Heartbeat
is the smallest Of the Philoden-
drons with leaves that seldom
reach full size-4 inches in
length-in the home. The others
are far larger; one, P. grandifol-
ium, has leaves that may reach 2
feet in length. They are Philo-
dendrons that may be used for
bold effects in large rooms or
lobbies.
While the Heartbeat Philoden-
dron will do well in a dimly lighted
room, it will tolerate considerable
light. Frequently it is used as a
vine to frame window and some
of the leaves will be growing in
direct sunlight. -..
Has to Be Helped.
It is a vine that requires as
sistance since it does not have
aerial rootlets. Most home usel S,
however. treat the Heartbeat as a
trailer and place it on mantle or
table where the vines may spray
downward. Still more interesting
effects may be obtained by train
ing the vine into a columnar ef-
fect-they may be fastened to wire
or sticks and held in any position
The Heartbeat is a strong grow
ing vine and should be kept in
restraint, otherwise the leaves
which appear at the nodes are far
apart and the whole appearance is
skinny" Overfeeding or a too
favorable growing condition is to
be avoided if the growth is to be
Evening star., 1950-12-24
Purtv

The annual Christmas party of
the Twelfth Street YMCA's Foto-
Craft Club will take place Thurs
day night at 8 o'clock in the
assembly room of the "Y," 1916
Twelfth street NV. All members
and their friends have been in
vited to attend but reservations
will be necessary.
Evening star., 1950-12-24
DOG Notes
BY Peter Boegs

I tell you the story of Drum -
a story that is considered a dog
classic. 1t isn't exactly a Christ
mas story. However. many of you
readers have asked me to repeat
it each year at this time.
Drum was just an ordinary
hound dog. He lived on a farm
in the country with his master.
Between the two a strong bond
of affection existed. Early one
morning Drum dragged himself to
the door of his masters house.
He had been shot by a neighbor
and before help could be sum-
moned, died. Drums owner, after
much prodding, was induced to
file suit for the loss of the dog.
Weeks and months passed. The
case progressed through the lower
courts, finally reaching one of the
higher tribunals. The defense
seemed on the verge of winning
when a young lawyer for Drum S
master, arose and addressed the
court. This young attorney was
George Graham Vest. In slow,
meaused tones, he began to speak.
Gentlemen of the jury: The
best friend man has in this
world may turn against him and
become his enemy. His son and
daughter. whom he has reared
with loving care may be migrate
full. Those who are nearest and
dearest to us, those whom we
trust with our happiness and our
good name may become traitors
to this faith. The money that a
man has he may lose. 1t flies
away from him when he may
need it most. Mans reputation
may be sacrificed in moment
of ill-considered action. The peo-
pie who are prone to fall on
their knees and do us honor when
success is with US. may be the
first to throw the stone of malice
when failure settles its clouds
upon our heads. The one unself-
ish friend a man may have in
this selfish world, the one that
never proves ungrateful or treach-
erous, is the dog.
Gentlemen of the Jury, a dog
stands by him in prosperity and
in poverty, in health and in sick
ness. He will sleep on the cold
ground when the wintry winds
blow and the snow drives fiercely,
if only he may be near his mas
ters side. He will kiss the hand
that has no food to offer, he will
lick the wounds and sores that
come in encounters with the
roughness of the world. He guards
the sleep of his pauper master as
if he were prince.
when all other friends desert,
he remains. When riches take
wing and reputation falls to
pieces, he is as constant in his
love as the sun in its journey
through the heavens. If fortune
drives the master forth. an out
cast into the world, friendless
and homeless. the faithful dog
asks no higher privilege than that
of accompanying him to guard
against his enemies and, when
the last scene of all comes and
death takes his master, if all his
friends pursue their way, there
by the graveside will the noble
dog be found, his head between
his paws and his eyes sad. but
open in alert watchfulness, faith
full and true even unto death"
The jury arose and retired to
deliberate the merits of the case.
They were out only a few minutes.
The foreman announced verdict
in favor of Drums master. The
court awarded him $500. He had
used only for the nominal sum of
5000.
Released by McNausht Syndicate. Inc.
Evening star., 1950-12-24

feels that the tree is his personal
conquest. IT will not be many
years before the job will be his
own.
In many ways Christmas will be
like other days on the farm. There
will still be the milking to do and
the livestock will have to be fed
just as on any other day. Where
there are not so many animals.
though, there is a closer relation
ship, so the chores are not taken
as real work.
But the real treat of Christmas
is the good fellowship of friends
who call during the day. We can
forget for time that we no longer
Evening star., 1950-12-24

hope for good pictures is out
of the question. This is so be-
cause a plain uncluttered back
ground has always been a requi-
site of good photography. Some
argue that the paper wrappings
are part of the holiday atmos-
phere, but I doubt very much
that pictures made with such a
litter around will be acceptable
even to the most enthusiastic.
The principal reason for this is
that the white paper will catch
the lights and be SO prominent
that the subject will be hard to
Evening star., 1950-12-24
To Elect Officers

The National GladiOlus Society
will meet Friday in Room 43 Of
the National Museum, Tenth
street and Constitution avenue.
Election of officers will be held
and there will be a question and
answer period devoted to gladi-
olus. The public is invited.
Evening star., 1950-12-24
PhiIodendron Durable
Heartbeat Variety Defies Poor Lighting,
Gas Fumes, Plant Pests and the Like
By Wilbur H. Youngmon
Corden Editor

plant that kept compact However when
adapted
all of pinched back the
the votes Heartbeat sired length without The
Evening star., 1950-12-24

Foliage plants usually need
watering but twice a week, flower
ing plants more often. Woody
plants need more water than
succulent or herbaceous plants.
These general rules are as near
a guide as can be given. Some
houses are drier than others.
Plants growing in rooms with the
higher temperatures need more
water than those growing in a
Evening star., 1950-06-02
Northeast Council Asks
Route | Bypass Plans

The Northeast Council of Citi-
zens' Associations Is going to ask
the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission what it
plans to do about constructing a
cutoff on U. S. Route l to bypass
Washington.
The proposed bypass would
start above Hyattsville and con-
meet again with the highway north
of Alexandria. Completion of the
project would involve construction
Of a bridge at Shepard's Landing.
The entire project is understood
to be in the blueprint stage, where
is has been for a number Of years.
Members of the council urged
the bypass because of heavy truck
traffic which is "wrecking our
streets"
In other business, the group
elected Ralph w. Donnelly as
president. Reelected were: Mrs.
Franklin P. Sartwell, vice presi-
dent; Mrs. Melba Harlow, record
ing secretary; Mrs. Mary Kane,
corresponding secretary, and
Frank Harrison. treasurer.
The meeting was held in No. IL
Precinct station, Rhode Island
avenue and Seventeenth street
NE,