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77^6 Horticulliirist and Journal 



thither. It needs modernizing and progressive 

 planting to keep up with the spirit of the age. 



In one corner is a perfect wilderness of 

 maples, gingko trees, poplars and spruces. 

 There are excellent specimens of the Variegated 

 Althea, the Juniperus rigida, small specimens, 

 but with deeply pendent habit and feathery 

 sprays, highly ornamental. The Cercis Cana- 

 densis, or Judas Tree, furnishes a good speci- 

 men, 40 feet in circumference of branches. 

 The Camperdown Elm is a very fine specimen, 

 though not large ; low, 20 feet in diameter, 

 though not over eight feet high. There are 

 fine specimens of the Liquid Amber, with 

 denser heads than we have ever seen before. 

 Why is not this more generally grown as a 

 lawn tree ? By training the branches low, we 

 believe it would form heads of exceeding sym- 

 metry and grace. When the autumn frosts 

 come, it would be the most gloriously brilliant 

 tree of the lawn. In this arboretum are 29 

 varieties of pines, with specimens of the Cali- 

 fornia Big Tree, Sequoia, the Cedar of Leba- 

 non, and in all a full hundred of conifers. 



There are various nurseries connected with 

 the gardens, in one of which there are 20,000 

 plants growing, which will be set out in adja- 

 cent parks. There are often as many as 35 

 gardeners employed on the grounds, earning 

 an average of $2 per day. 



Connected with these grounds is the botanic 

 hall, a red brick building with high steps. It 

 is 35 feet wide, with a depth of 70 feet. Up- 

 on the floor is a beautifully tesselated pave- 

 ment, and overhead a frescoed ceiling of artis- 

 tic colors. Magnolias, palm trees, oleanders, 

 morning glories, pines and their cones, lilies, 

 apples, cotton tiowers, tobacco plants, with 

 different fruits, flowers and plants of the 

 tropics and temperate zones, are woven into 

 graceful garlands in the ceiling surrounding 

 the skylight. It is hardly possible to tell all 

 the treasures kept within these walls. Speci- 

 mens of natural history, seeds of all kinds of 

 vegetables and grain, bottled and arranged 

 together, pine cones of all sizes, papyrus, 

 feather flower, silk from worms fed on lettuce 

 and mulberry leaves, the lettuce showing much 

 the best in color, tea from Paraguay, the 



Sponge plant, fibre of the palm tree. Angora 

 wool, Egyptian wheat, cotton from Greece, Sea 

 Island cotton, and an immense collection of birds 

 and stuffied animals. It is a round of great prac- 

 tical interest, and instructive to every visitor. 



Close at hand is the residence of Mr. Shaw, 

 wherein all are welcome, and here is kept the 

 record of all visitors, many of them famous. 

 Just beyond is the now justly popular Tower 

 Grove Park of 70 acres, a gift from Mr. Shaw 

 to the city, already beautifully planted and 

 kept. On our return from his house we pass 

 the splendid octagon mausoleum, designed for 

 his final resting place, built of hewn stone, 

 with eight arches, hung over with trees which 

 cast a deep shade. We trust it will be long 

 ere it opens to receive him. Close by is an- 

 other tombstone, raised as a tribute of respect 

 to a gardener, esteemed for his devotion to 

 horticulture, bearing this inscription : 



TO THE MEMORY OF 



THOMAS NUTTALL, 



Born in England, 1786 ; died Sept. 1, 1869. 



Honor to him, the zealous and successful natur- 

 alist, the father of Western American 

 botany, the woi'thy compeei- of 

 Barton, Michaux, Hooker, 

 Torrey and liray. 



Within the past year Mr. Shaw has rebuilt 

 his conservatory on a much larger scale. It 

 is now 210 feet in length, almost as long as 

 the great palm house at Kew, that cost 

 $35,000 ; and doubtless he will continue to 

 spend more in improvements. This garden 

 has cost Mr. Shaw over 20 years' work, and 

 $20,000 a year. It has been wisely expended, 

 for to the citizens of the city and State the 

 beautiful sight has always been open " without 

 money and without price." And now it has 

 been devised to the city forever ; yet it has 

 added to the value of his own surrounding 

 acres far more than the garden cost. In addi- 

 tion to this handsome bequest of gardens and 

 parks, covering an area of 200 acres, worth at 

 least $200,000, Mr. Shaw has made sufficient 

 provision in his will to keep them up as a bloom- 

 ing Eden through all coming generations. Well 

 may we say : Generations shall do him honor, 

 and garden glories yet to bloom shall waft 

 sweet perfumes to keep his memory dear. 



