HORTicu lture: 



November 4, 1905 



NOTES ON BRITISH PARKS AND 

 GARDENS. 



le G. and F. ' 

 J. A. Pettign 



It may seem an easy task to relate 

 ■what one has seen on a trip across the 

 waters. So it appeared to me when 

 I started for Europe early in July of 

 this year. Your strenuous President 

 took a mean advantage of my error 

 when he extracted a promise from me 

 that I would talk to you on my retur|n 

 about what I had seen during my 

 rambles abroad. 



I can now understand how the 

 European travel fever is contracted. 

 One trip simply serves to whet the 

 appetite for more, and I should im- 

 agine that not before the third trip 

 would the tourist's mind be in a fit 

 condition to calmly observe and as 

 calmly record his impressions and de- 

 ductions. The sight-seer in Europe, 

 (for on his first trip he is simply a 

 sight-seer), is apt to rush here and 

 there in the endeavor to see a great 

 deal. So much is wonderful and new 

 or strange to him that the mind is 

 constantly appealed to and is kept 

 working at high pressure. Often 

 great bodily fatigue is experienced. 

 The result is, that, in spite of notes to 

 jog the memory, the mind has not re- 

 tained as clear an impression as was 

 expected. Some of you are experi- 

 enced travelers. I would, however, 

 say to those who cannot afford to have 

 the European fever, but who would 

 like to make one trip, or two trips 

 abroad, go slowly and quietly. See 

 only what you can give the time to 

 see properly. Do not overtax your 

 strength. Under such conditions the 

 mind and imagination can work active- 

 ly and be more vividly impressed and 

 more richly stored with the treasure 

 to be gleaned from the older civili- 

 zations. 



After a delightful passage of seven 

 days we entered Queenstown harbor 

 with its quaintly pretty town situated 

 on the sloping hillside. The hills en- 

 closing the harbor are mostly owned 

 by the British Government, and are 

 used for military purposes. Centran- 

 thus rubra, however, by right of prior 

 occupation and Nature's adaptation, 

 greeted us with sheets of purple bloom 

 which many of the passengers on the 

 tender were fain to believe was 

 heather. Of heather there was an 

 abundance, but its softer, hazy color 

 was overpowered by the decided color 

 of the centranthus. 



A stroll after dinner in the evening 

 revealed the mild nature of the climate 

 in this part of Ireland. Fuchias (Ric- 

 cartonii), wall - flower.s, antirhinums, 

 sedums, ferns, etc., clothed cliffs, stone 

 walls and slopes alike, while the cot- 

 tage gardens were, as is usual in the 

 British Isles, bowers of bloom. 



At Fota, a few miles from Queens- 

 town, is the seat of Lord Barrymore. 

 Roughly speaking, the gardens and or- 

 namental grounds contain about 100 

 acres. The entire plan of arrangement 

 has been carefully studipd. Excepting, 

 possibly, the terrace gardens, every- 

 thing speaks of Nature and simplicltj^. 

 The ornamental grounds abound In 



good things. Beautiful vistas of foli- 

 age and turf greet the eye at every 

 turn. An island in a small lake is 

 devoted to a collection of bamboos, 

 the borders of the lake being planted 

 with semi-aquatic plants. The effect 

 is very good and the setting of the 

 picture harmonious. 



The mild and moist temperature of 

 Fota admits of a much wider range in 

 the selection of material for outdoor 

 planting than obtains with us in New 

 England. Among the most noticeable 

 things in this connection are Azaras 

 escallonias, olearias, buddleas, fuchsias, 

 olianthus, Benthamia fragifera (resem- 

 bling very much our Cornus florida), 

 Desfontanea spinosa, osmanthes. Aca- 

 cia melanoxylon, colletias, Hymenan- 

 thera crassifolia, aristotelias, Drymus 

 aromatica, Caesalpina Japonica, Fabi- 

 ana imbricata, Eurya latitolia, philler- 

 ias, eugenias. Carpentaria Calif ornica, 

 veronicas and many others. Conifer- 

 ous trees do very well. A very fine 

 plant of Pinus insignia measures four 

 feet in diameter. Sequoia gigantea is 

 represented by several promising speci- 

 mens about thirty or forty feet high. 

 The broad-leaved evergreens, such as 

 laurels and hollies, simply revel in the 

 climate of Fota. In a shady hollow 

 a rockery has been introduced, which 

 is planted with ferns, where many of 

 the choicest variations from the Brit- 

 ish species are to be seen. Many ferns 

 from even more temperate climes also 

 have been planted, among which may 

 be noted Dicksonia antarctica, of which 

 there are several specimens doing well. 



The terrace gardens near the man- 

 sion were very gorgeous in their sum- 

 mer plumage of scarlets, blues, pur- 

 ples, yellows and whites; a very good 

 example of the florid style of summer 

 bedding. One wished that the treat- 

 ment had been of a softer character, 

 more in keeping with the simple beau- 

 ty and quaiutness of the facade of the 

 building and the terrace walls. 



While at Queenstown and Cork I en- 

 gaged, in each place, a jaunting car 

 for a trip into the country, and was 

 fortunate in securing quick, intelligent 

 men as drivers; in fact, in this capacity 

 there seemed to be none but those who 

 had well-defined opinions of men and 

 things. Under similar conditions, a 

 brighter or more genial lot of men it 

 would be hard to find. My object was 

 to get such impressions of agricultural 

 conditions as could be obtained in a 

 run of eight or ten miles, and througn 

 conversation with a few of the farm- 

 ers. Though my field of observation 

 was limited, and the time at my dis- 

 posal short, yet I could but come to 

 the conclusion that the Irish farmer, 

 or cotter, of the neighborhood makes 

 little of his opportunities. With splen- 

 did land under his control and one of 

 the best markets of the world at his 

 doors, he, by lack of thrift and by in- 

 dolence, permits his advantages to be 

 usurped by Holland and France. But- 

 ter, eggs, poultry, and many other 

 products are shipped by these coun- 

 tries to England in enormous quanti- 

 ties, of which trade Ireland should 

 have a large share. 



In Dublin I took a jaunting car ride 

 in Phoenix park. I had heard much 

 of its beauty and its fine situation. I 

 was much disappointed to find it little 

 better than a pasture lot for cattle, at 

 five to seven dollars per head. The 

 park is a large one of 1750 Irish acres. 



which I was told equalled 2500 Eng- 

 lish acres. The revenue for its sup- 

 port, I was informed, comprises $40,- 

 000, which the government pays for the 

 site of the vice-regal palace and the 

 barracks, and $7000, the proceeds of 

 the pasturage of twelve to fifteen hun- 

 dred cattle. The result is that the 

 park has a most unkempt appearance. 

 The small trees and what have been 

 fine hawthorns are ruined by the rub- 

 bing of the cattle. The open meadows 

 and woodlands are tracked in every 

 direction. No pruning of dead limbs 

 or cutting out of dead trees seems to 

 have been done. Thus a park that 

 might be one of the finest in the Brit- 

 ish Isles is given up to ruin and deso- 

 lation. 



The Royal Botanic Garden at Glas- 

 nevin, a suburb of Dublin, has an 

 area of 52 acres, and is mostly situated 

 on a sandy knoll, where conditions are 

 very unsuitable for the growth of trees 

 and shrubbery; consequently, little of 

 note in that line is to be found there. 

 They have, however, considerable glass 

 and a fairly good collection of plants. 

 Especially noticeable was a lot of filmy 

 ferns in fine condition, among which 

 were fine specimens of the Killarney 

 fern (Tricomanes radicans). Bougai- 

 villea cypherii, a semi-double, attract- 

 ed my attention, as did Haemanthus 

 Katherina amaryllidea. Campanula 

 isophylla, very fine blue and hardy; 

 Begonia Rex, Ne plus ultra. Our Queen 

 and His Majesty. Fine plants were 

 also to be seen of Begonia President 

 Carnot and Bowringiana. When look- 

 ing over the fine begonia collection at 

 this garden I wished that our Mr. 

 Sander could have been with me. Lo- 

 belia tenior as a pot plant was very 

 attractive, as was also Trachelium ce- 

 rulea and cerulea alba (order Cam- 

 panulaceae). Campanula pyramidalis, 

 Veitch's strain, compact and fine flow- 

 ered, as a pot plant was very good. 

 Many other old plants were grown in 

 pots. They were well grown, too, and 

 demonstrated their value for decora- 

 tive purposes in the greenhouse or 

 conservatory. In an aquatic house 

 was seen a fine lot of potted cannas of 

 the new strains. Under the indoor cul- 

 tural conditions the foliage and flowers 

 were very finely developed, both in size 

 and color. 



The garden is noted for its large and 

 fine collection of Alpine plants, which 

 would require days to properly ob- 

 serve and describe. I simply had to 

 content myself with wonder and ad- 

 miration at their varied and beautiful 

 forms, as I hurriedly passed along. 

 Mr. Moore, the curator, unfortunately 

 was absent. His absence, however, 

 gave me an oportunity of meeting a 

 horticultural graduate of the gentle 

 sex, into whose hands I was consigned 

 by the secretary, and who did the hon- 

 ors of the place with a charming mix- 

 ture of intelligence, good nature and 

 dignity. 



Trinity College Botanic Garden is 

 situated in the city of Dublin. It con- 

 tains about 14 acres. The smoke con- 

 ditions are rather severe on vegetation. 

 Hollies, however, seem to find the lo- 

 cation a congenial home, for many 

 good specimens are to be found in the 

 Garden. Spring flowering bulbs are 

 planted everywhere, and must produce 

 rare effects in flowering season. This 

 might be expected, as Mr. Burbidge, 

 the curator, has long been a student of 



