STATE AND PROSPERITY OF HORTICULTURE. 



shows, and anniversary dinners — ^which have, indeed, become almost fatiguing from 

 their sameness — without the ambition to achieve any larger field of usefulness. 



Tn ornamental gardening, many and beautiful are the changes of the last few years. 

 Cottages and villas begin to embroider the country in all directions, and the neigh- 

 borhood of our three or four largest cities begins to vie with the environs of any of the 

 old world capitals in their lovely surroundings of beautiful gardens and grounds. The 

 old and formal style of design, common until within a few years, is almost displaced 

 by a more natural and graceful style of curved lines, and graceful plantations. The 

 taste for ornamental planting has extended so largely, that much as the nurseries have 

 increased, they are" not able to meet the demand for rare trees and shrubs — especially 

 evergreens — so that hundreds of thousands of fine species are annually imported from 

 abroad. Though by no means so favorable a climate for lawns as that of England, 

 ours is a far better one for deciduous trees, and our park and pleasure ground scenery, 

 (if we except evergreens,) is marked even now by a greater variety of foliage than one 

 easily finds in any other temperate climate. 



A peculiar feature of what may be called the scenery of ornamental grounds in this 

 country, at the present moment is, as we have before remarked, to be found in our rural 

 cemeteries. They vary in size from a few, to three or four hundred acres, and in cha- 

 racter from pretty shrubberies and pleasure grounds, to wild sylvan groves, or superb 

 parks and pleasure grounds — laid out and kept in the highest style of the art of land- 

 scape gardening. There is nothing in any part of the world which equals in all res- 

 pects, at the present moment. Greenwood Cemetery, near New- York — though it has 

 many rivals. We may give some idea of the extent and high, keeping of this lovely 

 resting place of the dead, by saying that about three hundred persons were constantly em- 

 ployed in the care, improvement, and preservation of its grounds, this season. The 

 Cemetery of the Evergreens, also near New-York, Mount Auburn at Boston, Laurel 

 Hill at Philadelphia, and the cemeteries of Cincinnati, Albany,Salem, and several others 

 of the larger towns, are scarcely less interesting in many respects — while all have fea- 

 tures of interest and beauty peculiar to themselves. 



From cemeteries we naturally rise to public parks and gardens. As yet our coun- 

 trymen have almost entirely over-looked the sanitary value and importance of these 

 breathing places for large cities, or the powerful part which they may be made to play 

 in refining, elevating, and afi"ording enjoyment to the people at large. A more rapid 

 and easy communication with Europe, is, however, beginning to awaken us to a sense 

 of our vast inferiority in this respect, and the inhabitants of our largest cities are be- 

 ginning to take a lively interest in the appropriation of sufficient space — while space 

 may be obtained, for this beautiful and useful purpose. The government has wisely 

 taken the lead in this movement, by undertaking the improvement, (on a comprehen- 

 sive plan given by us,) of a large piece of public ground — 150 acres or more, lying 

 almost in the heart of Washington. A commencement has been made this season, and 

 we hope the whole maybe completed in the course of three or four years. The plan 

 embraces four or five miles of carriage-drive — walks for pedestrians — ponds of water, 

 fountains and statues — ^picturesque groupings of trees and shrubs, and a complete col 



