394 



The open spaces of Berlin are too often planted with that same 

 lack of inspiration •with which we are so familiar in this country. 

 But occasionally one sees striking and pleasing effects. There is 

 a fine series of thorns in the Konig Platz, and one sees admirable 

 specimens of the Rouen lilac (Syringa chinensis) grown as stan- 

 dards. In early June a very attractive display was made by the 

 Dieryillas. A favourite form of garden decoration is the training 

 of Virginia creeper and other climbers in festoons reaching from 

 the trunk of one tree to another. 



No one interested in landscape work should visit Berlin without 

 seeing the waterfall in the Victoria Park. This park is situated 

 on the sides of a conical hill which is the highest point for some 

 distance round, and affords an extensive view over Berlin. The 

 summit of the hill is crowned by a monument recalling the battles 

 of the last Napoleonic campaigns, 1813-5. But the great feature of 

 the park is an artificial waterfall which courses down one side of 

 the hill. It is modelled on a steep mountain gorge, and there is 

 nothing skimpy or makeshift in either the design or its execution. 

 The water, which is supplied in splendid profusion, rushes down 

 the gorge over immense boulders arranged in perfect imitation of 

 nature, and the sides are overhung with a profuse and picturesque 

 vegetation. The whole thing, however, which is the work of a 

 genius, is marred by one defect. As one stands at the bottom of 

 the hill looking up the gorge through which the masses of water 

 are tumbling down, the eye finally rests on the black, ugly, Gothic 

 monument at the top recalling the defeats of Napoleon. This is 

 sufficient to destroy all vraisemblance, and it is curious that the 

 authorities who manage this park do not block out the sight of 

 the monument from this particular point, as could easily be done 

 by planting some quick-growing tree at the top of the gorge. 



Mr. L. Spath's Nursery. June 9. 



There are few firms of nurserymen which can boast of as long 

 ana successful a career as that which has its present head in 



f + i « g ^P ath > of Baumschulenweg near Berlin. The founder 

 ot the farm Christoph Spath, was born in 1696, and the business 

 was m his hands from 1720 to 1716. He was succeeded by Carl 

 ™ e + nc 1 k Jpath--1746 to 1782 ; then by another Carl Frederick- 



l~Z mi/' , u^ mn Carl L «dwig Spitth carried on the business 

 irom itwi to 1863, and since then it has been in the hands of the 



™tf™ i° Wn t r ' * £ he firm of S P ath ma y> ^deed, be regarded as a 

 national asset of Germany. Some idea of the reputation it holds 



among leading -men may be gathered from the fact that both 



S LJ fu * ^ ltke honoure <* ^e nursery by planting memorial 

 trees therein with their own hands 



S90 a^a=\ i i LT present nme ±,3UU morgen (^aDout 



bnsin P «« 'La 1S *? mg incre * s ed almost yearly. An enormous 

 and ahSh. f ^ *" °™ r Nor ^ern and Central Europe in trees 

 S B r" r . OTer y Purpose. Whilst, to meet demands of this 



enormous 

 various 



> 



the 



in 



There are few 



