1882. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



227 



flowers), Ipomea (tropical Morning Glories), 

 Clematis flammula and roses, if the fence is an 

 open one, — for they need circulation of air about 

 them in order to thrive, and languish without it. 

 Any offensive object should be covered with 

 lattice-work, or wire may be fastened to the 

 upper part of a fence, to interpose as a shield 

 for unsightly vistas. Wherever a rustic arch 

 can be put, or a rough post for climbing plants, 

 they will when covered with graceful, swaying 

 vines, add much elegance to the grounds. In 

 Nice I saw wire arches so arranged as to form 

 frames to portions of the landscape. This could 

 be done on a small scale among city vistas or 

 village scenes. All blank spaces should be cov- 

 ered with vines, as they give life and elegance 

 to an otherwise dreary sameness. 



I have drawn up the above list at the request 

 of Sir Joseph Hooker. Following is a list of 

 those hardy in the St. Petersburg Botanic Gar- 

 den. A comparison of the two lists may inter- 

 est some of your tree-cultivating readers. 



Abies balsamea, Sibirica 



Juniperus communis, nana, Sabina, prostrata 



Larix Dahurica, Europea, Siberica, 



Picea alba, Engelmannii, Schrenkiana (nigra, rubra both 



dubious) 

 Pinus Cembra, contorta, Montana, 

 Pumilis Strobus, sylvestris 

 Thuja Occidentalis 

 Pseudotsuga Douglasii (doubtful) 

 Retmospora obtusa, filifera, pisifera (doubtful) 



PUBLIC PARKS OF ST. LOUIS. 



BY CHARLES CRUCKNELL. 



In the Southern part of the city is another of 

 those medium-sized, breathing places which is a 

 favorite resort for the people living in that sec- 

 tion. So popular indeed is this park, that nine 

 out of every ten persons one speaks to on the 

 subject will tell you " Benton" is the prettiest 

 park in the city, and naively ask : "Now, don't 

 you think so?" The grounds are kept in excel- 

 lent order, and one is sure of finding a profu- 

 sion of flowers in bloom all through the season. 



Roses are extensively planted, chiefly Teas 

 and Bourbons and free-blooming Remontants, 

 like Madame Charles Wood and General Wash- 

 ington. It is no unusual sight to see thousands 

 of flowers open at one time. Each color is 

 planted by itself, and the beds cross and inter- 

 lace each other in delightful confusion, the 

 whole forming one continuous border on the 

 edge of a large pond. 



This flower garden has many little fancies 

 which are full of interest. Thus, in one place 

 a tiny thread of water trickles down a bank, 

 forming a shallow pool at the bottom scarcely 

 deep enough to cover some rocks which lie 

 scattered around. A sensitive plant near by has 

 thrown out a strong shoot which is creeping like 

 a huge centipede over these rocks. The whole 

 thing does not occupy more than six feet, yet 

 what a world of attraction is centred in this 

 spot. 



In another place a tunnel has been built 

 under the road-bed, and leads to a distant part 

 of the park. The entrance to this is planted 

 with tropical plants and looks like a bit of fairy- 

 land. Overhead a handsome vine — " Passiflora 

 princeps" — makes a dense shade and is festooned 

 with hundreds of flowers of a carmine red 



