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PbORISTS 



Copyright, 1698, bv 

 PUBL.ISMING CO.. 520-53S Caxton Building, CI1ICAGO. 



VoL J. 



CHICAGO AND NEW YORK, MAY 12, 1898. 



No. 24. 



End Wall of the Warm House at Lincoln Park, Chicago. 



COVERING CONSERVATORY 

 WALLS. 



That the otherwise unornamental 

 end wall of a conservatory may be 

 transformed into a thing of beauty is 

 well depicted in the accompanying il- 

 lustration, in which is shown a por- 

 tion of the warm house at Lincoln 

 Park, Chicago. 



The first step toward this very pleas- 

 ing result with the wall in question 

 was made by attaching to the wall a 

 covering of rough oak bark, in order 

 to provide a moisture retainer, and 

 at the same time to furnish a suitable 

 surface to which the various climbing 

 plants might attach themselves. 



This was done about two years ago, 

 and in the opinion of Mr. Stromback, 

 under whose efficient supervision the 

 work was done, the oak bark did not 

 give the best results at first, owing to 

 the amount of tannic acid it con- 

 tained, this apparently repelling the 

 plants for a time. In all probability 

 this difiiculty would have been over- 

 come by the use of sheets of virgin 

 cork in preference to other bark, the 

 cork being very enduring and likewise 

 attractive to the roots of many plants, 

 its frequent use for orchid blocks be- 

 ing an example of its adaptability for 

 such purposes. 



In the Lincoln Park conservatory 

 the plants are planted in a narrow 

 trough or box placed close to the wall 

 and at the back of the bench, the box 

 being filled with light, rich soil, and 

 requiring careful attention in regard 

 to watering, the plants used being 

 without exception moisture - loving 

 subjects. 



Among the plants used here are sev- 

 eral of the philodendrons. one of the 

 most satisfactory being P. varicosum 

 (or P. Carderii), the large leaves of 

 which appear in the upper central por- 

 tion of the picture, while P. aureum is 

 displayed to advantage at the left of 

 the preceding. Various species of 

 pothos are also found very effective. 



