1880.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



163 



Baltimore, and Albany, and is a never failing 

 attraction to strangers on a visit to these cities, 

 and to none more than those from New York ; 

 for the feeble attempts at flower decoration 

 made by our Central Park, or Prospect Park, 

 Brooklyn, has hardly ever been such as to make 

 them aware that the thing had been attempted. 

 But if our commissioners are so far behind 

 those of our sister cities in making our public 

 parks attractive, — private enterprise is not. 

 Lewellyn Park, Orange, N. J., owned by pri- 

 vate gentlemen, is unequalled in decorative 

 planting ; and the extensive grounds of Mr. 

 Hoey, at Long Branch, N. J., Mr. Sargent, of 

 Fishkill, and Mr. Dinsmore, of Staatsburg, N. 

 Y., and others less publicly known, are mod- 

 els of gorgeous beauty during our summer 

 months, and offset to some extent the in- 

 efficiency of those in charge of our public parks, 

 who so poorly appreciate the public wants. 



Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Albany, 

 have not only left us behind in the decoration 

 of our public parks, but the two former have 

 advanced far ahead of New York in matters 

 connected with societies for the advancement of 

 horticulture ; although as I have before stated, 

 our first New York Horticultural Societ}' was 

 started in 1818, it can hardly ever be said to 

 have been a long continued success ; it was for 

 many years past out of existence, until resur- 

 rected again as our present Society in 1876. 



The Boston Horticultural Society was 

 started in 1829. Its hall costing about S250,000 

 was built in 1865. The Society had almost un- 

 varying success from the start, and particularly 

 since the erection of the hall in 1865. The 

 Horticultural Society of Philadelphia was 

 begun in 1828; its first President was the 

 well known Horace Binney, and among 

 the members of the excutive committee in 

 1829, we find the names of Nicholas Biddle, 

 Robert Patterson, Caleb Cope, and David S. 

 Brown, who were at that time the leading citizens 

 of Philadelphia. Their Horticultural Hall was 

 completed in 1866, it covers a plot 75x200 feet, 

 and cost 8221,000; as in Boston, the erection 

 of a building for the special use of the Horticul- 

 tural Society, gave a great impulse to the work 

 in Philadelphia. There is no question that the 

 successful condition so long continued of the 

 Horticultural Societies of Boston and Philadel- 

 phia has had much to do in accounting for the 

 more general taste displayed both in the public 

 parks and private grounds, in and about both 



those cities than at New York. Without some 

 centering point where new or rare products can 

 be exhibited for comparison or competition, no 

 individual effort by advertising or otherwise, 

 can bring them before the public. Thus, the 

 finest or rarest specimens of fruits or flowers 

 may be hidden for years, or even completely lost 

 to the community ; or, on the other hand, ar- 

 ticles without merit may be offered for sale 

 either through the ignorance or dishonesty of the 

 sender. This in places where there is a live 

 horticultural society, can never be done to any 

 extent, for without the society's stamp of merits 

 the sale must ever be limited. Our New York 

 Society is now in a fair way to emulate Boston 

 and Philadelphia, and before long, it is to be 

 hoped, we will be in a condition where our in- 

 fluence will be so felt, that we no longer will be 

 ashamed of comparison with these, or with any 

 other cities in the Union. 



HOLLYWOOD PARK. 



BY WILLIAM SUTHERLAXD, PHILADELPHIA. 

 (Concluded from page 133.) 



I next entered a range of houses, consisting 

 of a large rotunda-shaped one in the centre, and 

 two large houses running east and west from it. 

 The central rotunda contained some magnificent 

 specimens of Ferns; prominent among them was 

 a very large plant of Cybotium crinitum, said 

 to be the largest in America. Arranged be- 

 tween the ferns were large pans of different va- 

 rieties of Selaginella, whose varied forms gave 

 an indescribable effect to the surroundings. 

 Here, also, was a gigantic specimen of Pitcher 

 Plant, Nepenthes Hookerii, with over seventy- 

 five verj' large pitchers on. In fact, had Mr. 

 McKay told me there were a hundred, I could 

 have readily believed him, so truly grand was 

 the specimen. There were, also, some very fine 

 plants of Bananas, Bird's Nest Ferns, Gold and 

 Silver Ferns, and Tree Ferns, nestling among 

 which was a very fine plant of Elk's Horn Fern, 

 Platycerium grande, growing on a flat piece of 

 board without earth of any kind. A very rare, 

 curious and valuable plant. 



The western wing was devoted to the growth 

 of Orchids ; of these there were a very large col- 

 lection. Prominent among them was some very 

 fine specimens of the Holy Spirit plant, Peris- 

 teria elata in full bloom, with spikes of flowers 

 three and five feet in height There wore also 

 some very fine plants of ^Erides, Vanda, and 

 Dendrobium in bloom ; but of course the late 



