226 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



CEDAR OF LEBANON 

 Fig. 2. Unusually interesting trees in the grounds of the garden 

 are the Cedar of Lebanon (center), and the low-growing Euro- 

 pean Hornbeam on the right, both trees which attract mucli 

 attention. 



tholdi Fountain in the winter time, when it has been 

 draped with hundreds of icicles, many of them of great 

 length, and all glistening with wonderful brilliancy 

 upon a moonlit winter's night. 



Note, too, in Figure 1 the fine view one gets of the 

 dome of the Nation's Capitol, while the wealth of trees 

 prevents one from seeing little else of the building. The 

 fountain is surrounded by a bed containing many inter- 

 esting plants, some of which are from foreign countries 

 and the admiration of the visiting botanist. 



Ui)on closer view, we have the south entrance of the 

 main conservatory in Figure 4 a most imposing struc- 

 ture, and attention is invited to the two cypress cedars in 

 this illustration. The one on the left was planted by Ed- 

 win Booth, the famous tragedian, and the other by Law- 

 rence Barrett, equally well known in the theatrical profes- 

 sion. Many such historical trees are in the grounds, but 

 space will not admit of either picturing or noticing them 

 all here. 



As we approach the south entrance we pass two very 

 remarkable trees, rarely seen growing anywhere in the 

 United States ; they are well shown in Figure 2. The 

 tree on the left is a fine specimen of the Cedar of Lebanon 

 {Cedrtis libani), while the other is a very grand one of 

 the European Hornbeam {Carpinus betulus). Note its 

 short trunk, and how soon it throws off from it its far- 

 reaching limbs. When this tree is in full leafage in sum- 

 mer, it ])resents a most glorious spectacle with respect 

 to form and foliage. 



Near another path we come across two beautiful Pa- 

 paw trees a male and a female one, which are of ex- 

 ceptional interest, and known as Carica papaya; they 

 are seen in Figure 5. 



"The main conservatory," says a writer at hand 

 "commenced in 1867 from designs by Mr. Clark, Archi 

 tect of the Capitol, consists of a central dome and two 

 wings. The base is of marble and the superstructure 

 iron. The entire length is three hundred feet, and wings 

 twenty-five feet. The dome is supported on a brick 

 column, which answers the double purpose of being a 

 chimney also. Around this column winds an iron, spiral 

 staircase, which leads to a cupola surrounded by a balus 

 trade. From this point the finest view of the West Front 

 of the Capitol may be obtained. There are "^en smaller 



PAPAW TREES IN FULL FRUIT 



Fig. 3. One can gain some idea of the size of the main con- 

 servatory in the garden upon seeing full-grown trees of this 

 species in a flourishing condition within it. 



