THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



205 



BED OF liANANA PLANTS WITH GIANT CANNAS IN FDRE- 



GROUND SURROUNDED BY BORDER OF CROTONS AND 



AN EDGING OF DWARFED BOX. 



a tri|) of many miles to .see when at its l^est in seasim. 



At the door of the conservatory is a full grown cassia 

 tree planted by General Grant during his term of Presi- 

 dent of the United States and from here can be seen the 

 $500,000 monument being erected to his memory and 

 which will soon be completed. 



As one enters the conservatory his first view is of an 

 umbrella plant at the right and a magnificent specimen 

 at the left of Attalea E.xcelsior with leaves spreading full 

 thirty feet from the trunk to their tips. Near here is the 

 Travelers' Tree of ^Madagascar, from which the weary 

 natives of that coimtry obtain water while traveling 

 through the dry sections; and the Royal Palm of Florida. 

 Oreodoxa Regia. Passing into the east wing we find the 

 tree fern Cibotium Regalii beneath the spread of which 

 a half-dozen people could obtain shelter from the rays 

 of the sun in its native country. There has also been 

 planted in this wing coffee trees, Cinchona Superubii. 

 from which quinine is obtained ; and the gigantic banana 

 tree, a treat to Xorthern eyes for at the time of this visit 

 great bunches of fruit were hanging from its branches. 



^\'ere one Robinson Crusoed within this conservator\- 

 little difficulty would be encountered from lack of food, 

 or medicine, or of plants from which clothing, etc., could 

 be made, for in addition to those above named, there 

 grows with all the hardiness of its native soil Pandanus 

 UtiHs, from which the natives of Mauritius make ma- 

 terial for clothing for bags and sacks, and this thev even 

 use in the erection of their homes ; Camphora Ofticinalis, 

 warranted to keep away moths as well as being valual)lc 

 in the chemist's shop; Monstera Deliciosa, a bread fruit 

 rightfully named for its fruit has a very delicious flavor 

 akin to the pineapple. Should we require ])oison for anv 



'"^-'f-'-.Ti.'.^-V 



. -*4»*J^«^.- 



reason we have but to ta]j the Hottentot ordeal poison 

 tree of the species To.xicophlaea, for this is the tree 

 by which the Hottentots sought to tell the guilty from 

 the innocent. It was their belief that the innocent could 

 readily eat the fruit of this tree without being stricken, 

 InU needless to say no one ever passed through the ordeal 

 alive. These natives also used the sap of the tree to tip 

 their spears and arrows with deadly poison. 



In the octagon house at the east end of the main con- 

 servatory is the Strelitzia Reginoe, the bird of paradise 

 llower of South Africa, whicji unfortunately was not in 

 bloom, and many other useful and ornamental trees and 

 t'crns. all brought from other climes. 



Passing into the west wing of the conservatory we are 

 enabled to complete our collection of edibles — we can 

 season our food with the products of the Calvcantaceae 



A BED OF MANY V.SRIETIES OF GRASSES WITH SOME 

 CALADIUMS IN BORDER. 



srPEKi.\Ti:Niii;NT oi~ i'. .s. i;ot.\nic g,\kijens. i.;i-:o. w. iiess. 



AND MRS. HESS. IN FRONT OF THEIR RESIDENCE 

 ON THE RESERVATION. 



(alls])ice) or Cinnamonuim ZcAlanicuni I cinnamon ) and 

 if we understand Ghinese we can get some sort of food 

 from the W'ampie tree and also the pleasant tasting 

 Lichee nuts. Here also are a wild date ])alm and Sago 

 palm from far ofif Japan. In this wing later in the season 

 will also be stored the hundreds of palms and ferns 

 which now beautify sections of the grounds, but which 

 will not withstand the onslaughts of winter in this 

 climate. 



Having completed a round of the conservatory and its 

 several wings, we come to the front of the gardens and 

 there obtain a view of a wonderful fountain designed by 

 the famous sculptor, Bartholdi, for e.xhibition at the 

 Philadelphia Centennial in 1878, and which was later 

 brought to Washington and placed in the Garden.s. This 

 is a most wonderful ]:>iece of work and this spot is the 



