WAGE 
Through the study of plant forms one not only obtains suggestions 
as to details, but also learns the underlying principles of beauty, 
and by the application of these principles, not by merely copying 
what his eyes see, he may hope to produce something fresh and 
new in art. 
C. Stuart GAGER 
NOES TONGAN AVERT CAN ORDER: 2 3@r 
AROGH TEC TORE 
While the 1933 exhibition on Plant Forms in Design was being 
planned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the writer happened 
to observe that the capitals of the porch columns on the Litch- 
field Mansion, Prospect Park, B ae (Fig. 12) derived their 
design from Indian corn (Zea Mays) and wheat (Triticum vul- 
gare). This recalled what was already known, namely, that there 
is a “corn capital’ in the Senate wing of the Capitol building in 
Washington. This is illustrated in Brown’s History of the United 
States Capitol,’ and the illustration is reproduced in this issue of 
the Recorp as figure 13. This capital was designed in 1809 by 
the architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, who also later (1817) de- 
signed a “ tobacco capital” (Fig. 14) which was executed in stone 
and may be seen in the north or Senate wing 
Latrobe also originated a capital with the design based upon 
the cotton plant. This was never executed, but Latrobe’s draw- 
ings of it are on file in Washington. He proposed these designs 
as contributions to what he called an “ American Order ” of archi- 
tecture. While cotton is not an American plant, it is, of course, 
an important American crop 
Shortly after the corn capitals of the Litchfield Mansion were 
noted, the writer learned that there were similar capitals on the 
Playmakers’ Building, University of North Carolina, at Chapel 
Hill. Through the kind cooperation of Dr. W. C. Coker, pro- 
fessor of botany, and director of the arboretum at Chapel Hill, 
1 The drawing of this ae on the front cover page of this issue of the 
Recorp is by Miss Maud H. 1h 
2 Brown, Glenn. History ae the United ot Capitol. (U.S. 56th Con- 
lst Session. Senate Document No. Vashington. Goverment 
Prit inting Office. 1900. 
