146 State Horticultural Society. 



and perhaps had a few white Hlacs with their leaves to soften the stiff- 

 ness of the apple branches. Here's the old habit suggested again ; 

 we must have soft bunches, but our triumphing wise Japanese artist 

 would have been content with nature's own grace and let the brown, 

 knarly apple twigs have emphasized the grace and color of their fragrant 

 burden. The purple lilacs were less prolific of bloom this season, too, 

 because of the cold winter. 



The pansy plants, grown from seed, could be transplanted at Easter 

 time from the house to the yard. For this reason they make a fine Easter 

 gift to the children, and for Sunday school make a nice change from the 

 usual colored card. Could anything teach more tenderly and completely 

 the lesson of the resurrection, when the 'blooms of sweetest breath, 

 coming from deadened bough and seed, tell of the miracle of miracles, 

 the life that follows death?' 



The next shrub to help out our decorations was the snowball. There 

 was such a dearth of flowers that we were glad to have the snowballs 

 while they were still young and green. It is so much a habit to want 

 color in our floral decorations that we forget to use the quieter tints. 

 But these are artistic, and we should accustom our eyes and mind to this 

 new beauty in a collection of various shades of green, such as the young 

 snowballs make with their own darker leafage. 



Another example of the beauty in quiet color is found among the 

 earliest responses to the call of Princess Spring, when the tiny red 

 tassels, bursting from the myriad maple buds, delight us by fulfilling 

 the promise of the autumn and the long-cherished hope of winter ; when 

 the pale and delicate tassels hang like a bridal veil over the graceful elm, 

 clusters of these two and other sorts of inconspicuous blossoms may 

 gratify our desire for expressions of the new life within our walls, 

 while with their soft tones they do as truly please and satisfy the artistic 

 sense. 



By the time the snowballs attained the whiteness of their name, the 

 lilies of the valley were just finished. But the white wygelia came on 

 immediately, in fact, were used with some snowballs tO' decorate in 

 lovely manner the table and room for a club breakfast. The pink wygelia 

 is a pleasing change from the succession of white shrubs, and might be 

 used more than they are for interior decoration. The large iris, or fleur- 

 de-lis, purple and white, are most decorative in large clusters ; but two 

 or three in a vase, with some of the long, stifif leaves, are very attractive 

 and ornamental. 



Is any flower more pleasing than the pink garden rose? Whether 

 you gather a few half blown for the table or cut long sprays to fill h 

 large vase in the corner of the room. All shades and tints you get. 



