THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



streets of Florence; the beauty of white statuary against a green 

 background of trees or cHpped hedge; the charm of vistas; as, for 

 instance, that focussing the dome of St. Peter's, as seen from the 

 Villa Medici ; the Vatican Gardens ; those on the Palatine Hill 

 where flowers and plants of old Roman days are being reassem- 

 bled ; stately entrance gates to country villas, and glimpses into 

 courtyards of city palaces with central fountain and surrounding- 

 green of Ferns and Palms. 



Among the modern fountains shown, one of special interest 

 was that which was opened the year Italy went into the war, an 

 aqueduct, one of the longest in the world, from the west side of 

 the mountains to the east, cutting through sixty miles of tunnel, 

 bringing the water to "thirsty Apulia." 



Following this account of the beauty of the past, for which 

 Italy is famous, Signora Agresti closed with a brief description 

 of the service looking toward the future, which Italy is now 

 rendering in the midst of these ancient surroundings. In the 

 Borghese Gardens, a hilltop, which includes the house of Raphael, 

 close by the entrance from the Piazza del Popolo, has been given 

 by the municipality of Rome and the building erected by the King, 

 from his private purse, for the International Institute of Agri- 

 culture — a world clearing-house for agricultural information. The 

 idea was brought by David Lubin of California, and on the initia- 

 tive of the King, this organization has been established, of which 

 sixty-four nations of the world are now members, in the hope 

 that greater righteousness in economic relations may help remove 

 causes for war and so lead toward world peace. 



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