.^ EDITORIAL ^» 



Ask any resident of the South to name the most beautiful 

 flowers of that favored region and he will at once mention 

 the crepe myrtle, the azalea, the dogwood, and perhaps the 

 Cape jessamine. No matter what other plants he names, he 

 is pretty certain to put the crepe myrtle first. Though this 

 plant has not yet reached the dignity of a national flower, it 

 has at least become a sectional obsession, like corn bread and 

 fried chicken. It is ([uite possible, however, that the South- 

 erner is quite justified in his position. \Mien the crepe myrtle 

 has reached maturity and some time in early summer bursts 

 into a living cloud of watermelon-pink, it is truly one of the 

 most beautiful of shrubs in this or any other country. It is 

 a perpetual delight to the eye, regardless of its location and 

 always has a certain dignity of bearing about it, whether bend- 

 ing in shelter over the humble cabin of the negro or flashing 

 from the shrubbery of some lordly estate. Mahomet, who 

 advised one of his followers with two loaves of bread to sell 

 one and buy some narcissus flowers because bread is merely 

 food for the body while flowers are food for the soul, doubt- 

 less never saw a crepe myrtle in bloom. The narcissus at its 

 best is a handsome flower, but, even at its best it is no match 

 for this resplendent shrub. In northern gardens several of 

 the lilacs might be thought not unworthy to compete with the 

 myrtle for the crown of beauty. The Persian lilac, especially, 

 seems at times only a smaller copy of its Southern rival. But 



