14 
85 of plum, 64 of peaches, 24 of gooseberries, 20 kinds of nut 
trees, 235 varieties of roses, together with figs, melons, the 
persimmon, papaw, currants, strawberries, Sag many varieties 
of Paeony, Iris, Phlox, Carnation, and Lilie 
An account of the annual banquet of a New York Horti- 
cultural Society, published in the New York Evening Post of 
September 1, 1825, states that the dessert from Parmentier’s 
garden “furnished a more rich and beautiful display of horti- 
cultural products than has ever before been exhibited in this city.” 
But in addition to stimulating horticulture and introducing 
new kinds of plants, Mr. Parmentier rendered another most 
valuable service to American horticulture. 
A visitor from Scotland, inspecting the Brooklyn Botanic 
Garden last week, remarked continually that this did not seem 
to him to be an urban garden—he could hardly believe he was 
really in the midst of a great city, so naturalistic was the treat- 
ment. It was André Parmentier who first in America spread 
abroad the gospel of naturalistic treatment for parks and gardens. 
In his catalog, just mentioned, he says: “It has been reserved 
for the good taste of the present age to make many advantageous 
changes in the embellishment of gardens, and to reinstate Nature 
in the possession of those rights from which she has too long been 
banished by an undue regard to symmetry. 
‘Our ancestors gave to every part of the garden all the exact- 
ness of geometric forms; they seem to have known of no other 
way to plant trees, except in straight lines; a system totally 
destructive to beauty.”” But he continues, ‘‘Gardens are now 
treated like natural landscapes, the charms of which are generally 
injured by any interference of art.” 
This was 30 years before the inspired architects of Central 
Park and Prospect Park insisted in preserving there a bit of the 
country in the midst of the city. What a splendid contribution 
to horticulture, to art, and to good taste was made, ina country 
where it was sorely needed, by André Parmentier! Says Mr. 
Andrew Jackson Downing in his Treatise on the Theory and 
Practice of Landscape Gardening,' ‘‘\We consider M. Parmentier’s 
labors and examples as having effected, directly, far more for 
—_— 
1 First published in New York in 1849. 
