34 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[February, 



ral feeling somewhere beneath such an edifice of 

 art. It will probably be a long while before this 

 style of gardening is abandoned. There are some 

 figures for flower beds which look out of charac- 

 ter. The figures should harmonize with the sur- 

 roundings. For a circular spot there are few 

 things prettier than the old " Dropmore Pear beds." 

 In old times this " Dropmore flower garden " 

 was popular for affording masses of four different 

 kinds. The walks between the four pear-shaped 

 beds were of grass or shells, or small cobble-stones. 

 Since carpet-bedding, a close form of mosaic work 

 has become popular, the walks are made with 

 stone-crops, or kinds of house-leeks, or of some 

 kind of neutral colored leaf plant. Besides this a 

 border of some other color is placed round the 



whole thing, which gives it a pretty finish. We 

 give with this an illustration of what we mean. 



The straight lines are only temporary, to aid the 

 drawing of the figures desired on the ground. To 

 make the larger circle of the pear-shaped outline 

 the compass or string has one end placed at b. For 

 the two smaller circles at a and c. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



THE GOVERNMENT GROUNDS, DOMINION 

 OF CANADA. 



BY WM. ROBERTSON, SUPERINTENDENT, OTTAWA. 



Those grounds, from their natural position, ele- 

 vated as they are over three hundred feet above 

 the Ottawa River, make a grand impression on all 

 who have visited them. A finer view is seldom 



seen. Looking from them to the southwest, you 

 have the Chaudrie Falls, Suspension and C. P. 

 Railway bridges, and as far as the eye can reach 

 the river wending its way upwards, dotted with 

 wood-c6vered islands. On the background, in the 

 distance, runs a chain of mountains covered to the 

 top with various sorts of trees, evergreens, &c. On 

 the opposite side of the river hes the city of Hull 

 with its vast piles of sawed lumber. On the north- 

 west, at the bottom of the slope, is the Rideau 

 Canal, Major's Hill Park, and the lower portion of 

 the city ; in the distance, peeping from the woods, 

 is the Governor's residence, with the river flowing 

 downward. This river is the scene of much activ- 

 ity in Suminer, from the vast quantities of lumber 

 passing by raft and barge to the different markets. 

 The grounds contain an area of about thirty 

 acres, without its surrounding slopes. About 

 thirty feet from the top of this slope, which is very 

 steep, runs a walk called " the Lovers'," beauti- 

 fully shaded by trees. At its center is a fountain 

 of water, with seats where the weary may drink 

 and rest. This walk runs all round the back, 

 which is formed somewhat like a D, the straight 

 portion being enclosed by an ornamental walk 

 and railing, in which is the entrance gates from 

 a street of the city. 



The grounds may be considered as two flats ; on 

 the upper stands the Parliament building and Li- 

 brary ; on the lower two blocks of the Department- 

 al Buildings, facing as it were, and forming three 

 sides of a square, apart at the corners about two 

 hundred feet, in the center of which is about six 

 acres of grass. Down the center runs a walk fifty- 

 five feet wide, with two others running from the 

 upper part to the corners ; they are fourteen feet 

 wide. 



On the upper part of this square stands a para- 

 pet wall, straight in the center, but sweeping 

 around and falling at both sides, to the side build- 

 ing. Back of this again, sixty feet at the nearest 

 point, runs two short walls which catch the eye 

 looking from the front, where the front wall be- 

 gins to fall at both sides, giving an elevated ap- 

 pearance to the building which stands above. 

 Between those walls at each side is a carriage 

 drive and sidewalk, rising to the upper flat with a 

 piece of lawn on each side, in which are ten flower 

 beds, five on each side. 



The upper portion on the top of the slope has a 

 cedar hedge (arbor-vitae, Ed.), inside of which 

 runs a foot-walk. On this upper portion is the 

 greatest decoration of flower beds, embracing 

 thirty-six in number ; with two large borders, re- 



