THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



12' 



shall expect to see in it the best example of 

 flower-colouring of which Mr. Eyles is ca- 

 pable ; and we have no forebodings, remem- 

 bering, as we do, the exquisite planting of 

 the Crystal Palace gardens by him in 1859. 

 The two great triangles, in coloured sand, 

 and dwarf-box, comprise about a quarter of 

 an acre each. There will be over ten acres 

 of grass. The entire width of the gardr.n 

 is 700 feet in the portion comprised in the 

 three terraces, and of the ante-garden, 800 ; 

 the length from north to south about 1200 

 feet. It is here, on the upper level, where 

 "we can easily survey the whole, that the 

 disposition of the levels is seen to the great- 

 est advantage ; and we can appreciate the 

 skill which has made the most of the trifling 

 fall of between thirty and forty feet. The 

 third terrace overlooks the whole garden, 

 and affords an agreeable promenade along 

 the front of the grand conservatory, which 

 is being pushed forward with liaste by 

 Messrs. Kelk, who undertook the contract 

 for ^15,470. On each side of the conser- 

 vatory the great colonnade will extend in 

 two great horns, inclosing the semicircular 

 head of the garden, and form an ai-chitec- 

 tural sweep of 250 feet, and 700 feet span. 

 In front of these the grass ramps define the 

 boundaries and inclose the spaces on which 

 visitors will assemble to hear the music, 

 the band-houses being in the foci of the 

 horns on either side. From the colonnades 

 the view will be complete and grand, and 

 the extent of the ground will be virtually 

 enlarged by the regular descent of the levels 

 from terrace to terrace, over rich breadths 

 of turf, broken by a perfectly symmetrical 

 arrangement of beds and clumps, parallel 

 walks, the four canals, each 180 feet in 

 length, the matched patterns in embroidery 

 work, and the profusion of sculpture, dotted 

 about in conspicuous positions ; water-jets, 

 specimen trees, avenues, bedding effects in 

 geometric patterns, and grass ramps will 

 fill in the scene with a multitude of harmo- 

 nious details, and this will probably be the 

 most finished garden on the mixed Italian 

 model in the land. 



But here we must remind the reader 

 that for horticultural purposes one -half the 

 outlay to be incurred would have sufficed 

 to illustrate the modern etyle of display, 

 and the suitability to our climate of the 

 various trees and shrubs employed. We 

 should entertain no doubt as to the perma- 

 nent success and final triumph of the Hor- 

 ticultural Societj', even with an expendi- 

 ture of £70,000 (an excess of £20,000 on 

 the original estimate), were not its ante- 

 cedents such as to give rise to them of 

 necessity. The history of the society is a 

 series of mishaps, misunderstandings, and 



misfortunes; and the scattering of the fine 

 library and herbarium only just previous 

 to the coalition with the commissioners of 

 the Great Exhibition, gives the gray tone 

 of warning where we are invited to behold 

 only the rosy hue of a prospect, said to be 

 full of great; auguries for the future. The 

 society emulated the phoenix, and in the 

 moment of expiration was determined to 

 soar once more into life and strength out 

 of its own dust and ashes. Though we 

 have some few misgivings as to its future, 

 we cannot but express our hearty sympathy 

 with it in its present great and meritorious 

 work, and we have watched the progress of 

 these gardens with more than ordinary in- 

 terest, and have more than ordinary hope 

 as to the result. It is no small task that 

 Mr. Eyles has become responsible for, in 

 carrying into effect the bold project of 

 Mr. Nesfield. The trees removed from 

 Chiswick had to be prepai-ed for the pro- 

 cess by tedious and careful operations. 

 Now that they are in their places they tes- 

 tify that they were cared for in good time 

 and judiciously handled from the outset. 

 Deodars, of fifteen to twenty-five feet in 

 height, are not exactly babies to deal with ; 

 but, like babies well cared for, they look 

 plump and promising, they are shaking off 

 the brown foliage that was killed back by 

 the winter, and their new growth pro- 

 mises a wealth of dark verdure for relief 

 to the flower-beds and lawns. Most of the 

 large trees were lifted by screw-power, 

 after having been tunnelled under, and the 

 roots well matted, and were then trans- 

 planted in an upright position on machines, 

 without injury to a branch or fibre. Now 

 that earthworks are nearly completed and 

 building operations in fair progress, we 

 may ask. What is the prospect of the 

 society ? An outlay of £70,000, in great 

 part on debentures, will place the society 

 in no new position. It is vised to debt. 

 The enormous expense to be annually in- 

 curred in keeping up the place according 

 to the grand scheme of the designer intro- 

 duces no new element. The society is ac- 

 customed to great outlays, and, under 

 heavy pressure, seems to be as expansive 

 as a balloon. The hope for the future 

 must be based on such a co-operation be- 

 tween the two gardens — that at Chiswick, 

 where experiments are carried on, and that 

 at Kensington, where the society will act 

 as a preceptor in matters of taste — as shall 

 insure a constant influx of new Fellows ; 

 not out of sympathy with novelty, but by 

 the necessities of an advancing science. The 

 floral and fruit committees iiave already 

 shown how much may be done for the real 

 advancement of horticulture by a combi- 



