addressed to Her Majesty's Office of Works in which 

 "the formation of a Rock Garden on a sufficiently 

 important scale" was warmly urged. The matter was 

 under consideration when it was " brought to an issue 

 by the gift on the part of the executors of the late 

 George Curling Joad, Esq., F.L.S., of Oakfield, Wimbledon 

 Park, in accordance with the wishes expressed by him 

 before his death, of the entire collection of herbaceous 

 plants cultivated at Oakfield." 



A sum of 500/. was granted by the Treasury for the 

 formation of the present Rock Garden which was con- 

 structed on the vacant piece of ground adjacent to the 

 herbaceous ground. Part of the rock used was weathered 

 oolite obtained from Bath ; part weathered mountain lime- 

 stone from the Cheddar Cliffs. For the rest use was 

 made of the materials of " an overgrown and neglected 

 rockery (Stonehouse Ruins) dating from the time of George 

 III., " in the Arboretum, south of the Temporate House. 



Mr. Joad's collection of plants amounted to 2,630 

 specimens, and had .been got together at great pains 

 and expense. It pretty well furnishsd the new Rock 

 Garden ; it has since been continuously added to. 



A rock garden is, however, unsuitable for the cultiva- 

 tion of Alpine plants from the higher levels. To these 

 the dampness of an English winter in the open air is in 

 the vast majority of ases fatal. Again, in an English 

 spring the plants flower too early and suffer severely 

 from its harshness. They can only be successfully 

 wintered in frames, which take the place of their 

 natural covering of snow. The extensive collection is 

 maintained under these conditions at Kew, and when 



