70 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[]\Iarch, 



Fig. 2 —Plan of the Arboretum. 



den must stand still, and stoop down, wliicli, when repeated several 

 times, would soon, instead of a recreation, become very fatiguing, 

 Now trees and sliriibs are large objects, and there is scarcely one of 

 thera the beauty of which may not be seen and enjoyed by the specta- 

 tor while he is walking past it, and withont standing still at all. A 

 herbaceous plant is chiefly interesting for its flowers, and the form of 

 its foliage, in which in general there is little change of colour; but, to 

 these two sources of interest, trees and shrubs add the opening buds 

 in spring, the colour of the expanded foliage immediately after it has 

 burst from the bud, the fine green tinged with some other colour which 

 the first leaves assume when they are fully expanded, and which con- 

 tinues more or less till the middle of June; the intensely deep green 

 of summer, which continues till the end of July ; the first changes of 

 autumn to red or yellow, which commence in August; and the dying 

 oft" of all the different shades of red, crimson, yellow, orange, brown, 

 and purple, which continues taking place till Christmas; while some 

 deciduous trees, such as the beech and hornbeam, the common oak in 

 certain soils kept moist, and the Qucrcus Taiizin in all soils and situa- 

 tions, retain their leaves, after they have become brown, till the fol- 

 lowing May. There are also, in<leciduous trees, the colour and bloom 

 of the young shoots of the current year ; the different colour which the 

 bark of these shoots in many cases assumes the year following (Salix 

 decipiens, for example); and the colour and texture of the older shoots, 

 and of the branches and trunk. In addition to these sources of interest, 

 there is a very great beauty in trees, which, from the improper plant- 

 ing of artificial plantations, is often overlooked, or rather concealed ; 

 and that is, the ramification of the main surface roots at the point 

 where they join the trunk. In general, trees are planted so deep that 

 this ramification never appears above the surface, and the trunk of the 

 tree seems fixed in the ground like a post which had been driven into 

 it ; an appearance as contrary to truth and nature, and also to the 

 health of the tree, as the shaft of a column without a base or a capital 

 would, if employed in a building, be to architectural taste. To pre- 

 vent this monstrous and unnatural appearance from occurring in the 

 Derby Arboretmn, I have directed all the trees to be planted on little 

 liills, the width of the base being three times the height of the hill, so 

 that the junction of the main roots with the base of the trunk will ap- 

 pear above ground. 



Much more might be said to justify the preference which I have 

 given to an arboretum over every other kind of arrangement for the 



Derby Garden, but I consider any farther remarks on the subject un- 

 necessary. 



A glance at the plan, fig. 2, will show that I have provided as great 

 an extent of giavel walk as he space would admit of; the total length, 

 including the walk ro\md the flower-garden, exceeding a mile. There 

 is a straight broad walk in the centre, as a main feature from the prin- 

 cipal entrance ; an intersecting broad straight walk to form a centre 

 to the garden, and to constitute a point of radiation to all the other 

 walks: and there is a winding walk surrounding the whole. Asa 

 straight walk without a terminating object is felt to be deficient in 

 meaning, a statue on a pedestal is proposed for the radiating centre 

 in fig. 2 ; a pedestal, with a vase, urn, or other object, for the second 

 circle in the straight walk, fig. 2 ; while the pavilions, (fig. 1,) form 

 terminating objects to the broad cross walk. 



As a terminal object gives meaning to a straight walk leading to it, 

 so it is only by creating artificial obstructions that meaning can be 

 given to a winding walk over a flat surface. The^e obstructions may 

 either be inequalities in the ground, or the occurrence of trees or 

 shrubs in the line which the walk would otherwise have taken, so as 

 to force it to bend out of that line. Both these resources have been 

 emploved in laying down the direction of the surrounding walk, though 

 its deviation from a straight line hus chiefly been made in conformity 

 with the varying position of the trees in the belt already existing. 

 This belt, and also the trees in the flower-garden, and in other parts 

 of the plan, which were there previously to commencing operations, 

 and which are left conformably to Mr. Strutt's instructions, are shown 

 in the plan fig. 2. The point of junction of one walk \\\\h another is 

 always noticeable in an arlistical point of view, and affords an excuse 

 for putting down sculptural or other ornamental objects at these points; 

 we have therefore placed Mr. Strutt's pedestals and vases in positions 

 where, if they are kept properly supplied during summer with pots 

 of flowers (the pot being placed in the inside of the vase so as not to 

 be seen), they will form very ornamental objects; and, the names of 

 the flowers being written conspicuously on a card, and tied round the 

 narrow part of each vase, and the kinds of flowers changed at least 

 once a week, they will be instructive as well as ornamental. The 

 kinds of plants should be such as have conspicuous red or orange 

 flowers, in order to contrast harmoniously with the masses of green 

 foliage and grass with which tliey are surrounded. 



All the walks are drained by semicylindrical tiles laid on flat tiles in 



