103 



but ijistead of grass had walks between them. Upon the top of 

 the Hill he planted in 3882 Arancarias and Crotons, and placed 

 ornamental vases and garden seats. At the head of the Lake 

 he launched an undertaking which failed. He removed the 

 flower beds; and a big cistern liaving been made in 1886, he threw 

 up mounds which were to be irrigated and to support delicate ferns. 

 While this was being done, he altered the footpaths on that side of 

 the -hill so as to conduct visitors to the fernery, and lie planted 

 trees round the cistern to hide it. 



Xorth-east of the Bandstand hill close to where Murton's 

 fernery had fallen, he made another fernery. Here he had forest 

 overhead, and by thinning it, and throwing the surface into mounds 

 into which stone was inserted, he obtained a very suitable place. 

 Funds did not enable him to finish it rapidly and what was started 

 in 1883 was not completed for a long time. 



The shrubberies all along the border of Cluny Eoad to the 

 Large Plant House he first made. New gate posts were erected 

 at the Main Gate in 1885 and topped with globes in 1886. By the 

 kindness of Messrs. (Tilfillan, Wood & Co. he was allowed to place 

 a hand pump across the Cluny l?oad and pump water to the Plant 

 Houses from the head of the little stream that runs there. He 

 did not follow up Murton's scheme of raising flowers for Iwuijuets 

 at the west of the old Economic Garden, but laid out what we now 

 call Lawn P in stiff rectangular beds for the purpose. In the 

 Ecoinomic Garden in 1883 he experimented with European vege- 

 tables. 



Cantley's staff for working the Gardens consisted of himself, 

 Walter Fox, a clerk, a foreman gardener and a propagator, both 

 the latter two selected as being able to read and write, a label-printer 

 H mason and a carpenter. Three constables were quartered in the 

 (ifardens each taking a day and a night beat in turn just as the 

 watchmen do now. Li the first three years of his service in the 

 Colony the Government grant was -$1<),()0() which was expected to 

 cover all expenses, with the help of $750 to $850 from subscriptions 

 and sale of plants. Hi 1886 tlie pays of Cantley and Fox were ex- 

 cluded, and the Government vote put at $7,000. The forest vote 

 maintained the planting upon tlie Military Reserve. 



Cantley, as time went on, became more and more tied by his 

 Forest work. Then at the end of 1887 his health again broke down 

 and he went to Australia on leave where he died. Mr. H. i!^. 

 Ridley succeeded him in the next year. But before Mr. Ridley had 

 arrived in the Colony a little " Guide to the Botanic Gardens, 

 1889,'' had been prepared by Mr. Fox and \Vas in tlie press. As it 

 gives an account of the condition of the Garden at the age of thirty 

 years, the reader is referred to it. All which here follows will be but 

 a statement of su])sequent changes taken seriatim in order that it 

 may be clear what of that on which the eye of the visitor of 1918 

 Tests, was absent in 1889. I 



Mr. Ridley's service marks the third period in the history of 

 the Gardens : and it will not be reviewed. The four outstand- 



