116 
W. W. Wilmore, Jr. 
Florist, Writer, Soldier. 
Corporal William W. Wilmore, Jr., 
of Wheatridge, Colo., well known to 
readers of The Flower Grower for 
the valuable articles he has contributed 
from time to time, died in a military 
hospital in France on September 12th 
following an operation on a shrapnel 
wound. Corporal Wilmore was chief 
gunner in a machine gun company and 
had been through several great battles 
on the western front before receiving 
his death wound. He was married and 
leaves a wife and two children. He 
was about thirty years old. 
w. w. wilmore, jr. 
Mr. Wilmore left Denver April 26 
last, going to camp Funston where he 
remained only three weeks before go- 
ing over seas. He was a crack shot 
and absolutely fearless, and was, there- 
fore, pushed forward as a picked man 
for special service. We have not the 
details of his last action on the field of 
battle, but a letter from a hospital 
attendant states that he had a bad 
shrapnel wound in the abdomen and a 
compound fracture of the right arm 
with severe hemorrhage. The shrapnel 
wound was about one inch square and 
necessitated an operation. He died 
shortly after leaving the operating 
room, being very weak due to loss of 
blood and peritonitis resulting from 
the wound. He was operated on and 
cared for by Colorado men who did 
everything possible for him and gave 
him an honored burial. 
The Great War thus comes home to 
Gladiolus growers, taking one who is 
well known to a wide circle of ac- 
quaintances through his valuable writ- 
ings on the subject of his chosen life 
work. It is certainly to be regretted 
that a man so young and able should 
not have been spared to continue the 
great work which he had already 
started and pushed forward so far dur- 
Ol)e Tlow<2x (Brower 
ing the brief period of his life. Had he 
lived there is no doubt but what he 
would have accomplished a very im- 
portant work in the Gladiolus field. 
Although making a specialty of 
Gladioli he had when working with his 
father, the great Dahlia specialist of 
Colorado, become familiar also with 
Dahlia growing and was well versed in 
this subject. 
Under date of July 2nd we had an 
interesting letter from Mr. Wilmore 
written after he had been in France 
six weeks. At that time he had not 
seen front line service, but stated that 
he expected to be sent to the front at 
any time. He realized his danger as he 
wrote that he felt as though he would 
like to write us one more letter at least. 
He wrote that he was very much in- 
terested in the native plants of both 
England and France and that he found 
many common plants growing wild 
that were listed among the cultivated 
flowers in the United States. He was 
gathering seeds of plants as he had an 
opportunity, using the tobacco sacks 
which the soldiers discarded for stor- 
ing the seeds. Some of the things that 
he found he expected to work into 
shape when he returned. We had 
hoped for further letters from Mr. 
Wilmore, but it is probable that when 
he went on active service his time was 
so taken up that it was not possible 
for him to write. 
Those who knew " Will ” Wilmore 
personally, all know that he gave a 
good account of himself on the battle 
field. He was a man of exceptional 
energy and a man who threw his whole 
life into action for whatever cause he 
undertook and it is doubtless owing to 
this quality that he came to his death 
so soon. Men of this kind are always 
selected for the most difficult work 
and necessarily the difficult work is the 
dangerous work. 
The Hemerocallis. 
[Yellow Day Lily.] 
[ IF' ritten expressly for The Flower Grower. ] 
By Bertha Berbert Hammond. 
The various sorts of Hemerocallis 
possessing as they do, so many com- 
mendable qualities, deserve to be more 
widely known and cultivated. They are 
perfectly hardy, strong growing, easy 
of culture and fine for massing in the 
hardy border or for planting among 
shrubbery. Once established they will 
practically take care of themselves and 
each year furnish a lavish display of 
large, showy flowers, ranging from 
lemon yellow to a deep coppery gold 
color. 
If an early flowering Hemerocallis is 
desired, H. Middendorfi, a dwarf grow- 
ing variety which bears in May, a rich 
chrome yellow flower, should be se- 
lected. H. Thunbergii is a late bloom- 
ing variety which comes into flower 
just as H. Flora ceases to bloom. H. 
Auranlicca major, one of the richest of 
the lemon colored day lilies, blooms 
during June and July. By planting 
different varieties together a succession 
of bloom from May until late in Au- 
gust may be easily secured. At the 
November, 1918 
present time, in front of my summer 
home is a long border (100 x 4 ft.) of 
magnificent H. Dumortieri aglow with 
hundreds of bright orange colored 
clusters, which, against their back- 
ground of graceful, rich green leaves, 
make a most striking and gorgeous 
picture, commanding attention and 
eliciting the admiration of all behold- 
ers. Indeed, a more prodigal display 
of bloom can scarcely be imagined. 
Perhaps the best known variety of 
Hemerocallis is H. Flora, commonly 
called Lemon Lily, which sends up dur- 
ing June and July, fragrant flowers of 
a lemon yellow color. But it is known 
to comparatively only a few flower 
growers, that this variety lends itself 
admirably to forcing for winter win- 
dow culture. Plants potted late in 
autumn are left out of doors, and al- 
lowed to freeze, then placed in a cool 
cellar and gradually brought into light 
and warmth. Kept well watered, they 
grow and bloom quite rapidly, giving 
a maximum of pleasure and satisfac- 
tion in return for the care bestowed 
upon them. After blooming, if the 
plants are again placed in the cellar 
and bedded out in the spring, they will 
in a year or two, regain their vitality 
sufficiently to bloom out of doors in 
their season. 
Indoor Flowers in Winter. 
The window garden for greenery, for 
flowers and for fragrance in the dreary 
winter time is a great addition to any home. 
Preparations should begin at once if not 
already done. A sunny bay or other win- 
dow may be provided, with shelving inside 
on which to place the pots. Favorite Gera- 
niums or other tender plants from the out- 
door summer garden may be potted, re- 
ducing the tops somewhat. These should 
be stimulated after potting by the use of 
liquid manure, or bone meal or other com- 
mercial fertilizer may be sprinkled on the 
soil in the pots. Tubs containing Oleanders, 
Rubber Plants, Palms, Ferns, etc., may also 
be moved inside to prevent killing by frost. 
One of the easiest grown and most effec- 
tive plants is the Narcissus or Daffodil. It 
furnishes pleasing green foliage and flowers 
at little cost. Take a bowl six or more 
inches across, fill half full of pebbles, place 
the bulbs, as many as will fill the bowl on 
the pebbles, keep water in bowl, covering 
the sides of the bulbs half way. They will 
soon send roots down among the pebbles, 
and their green tops, blooms and fragrance 
upward, helping to break the bleak monot- 
ony of the winter time. — John S. Kerr in 
Progressive Farmer. 
Royal Horticultural Society. 
(London, July 30, 1918.) 
G. Churcher, Alverstoke, staged a little 
group of very elegant Gladioli, all hybrids 
from G. Primulinus. The varieties Alice 
Tiplady, orange apricot ; Firefly, deep scarlet; 
Otranto, soft yellow ; and Altaic, rich salmon 
pink, were especially charming. (Bronze 
Banksian Medal.) 
Messrs. Alexander Dickson & Sons’ dis- 
play of Roses thoroughly merited the Gold 
Medal awarded. The varieties K. of K., Col. 
Oswald Fitzgerald, Mrs. E. V. Haworth, Sun- 
star, Red Letter Day and Elizabeth Cullen, 
were all largely shown and effectively staged. 
In Mr. James Douglas’ group of Carnations 
the varieties Sweet Anne Page, Solfaterre, 
Edenside and Orange King were of outstand- 
ing merit. (Silver Banksian Medal. — (The 
Gardeners’ Chronicle, London.) 
