Calls at Gardens and Nurseries. 379 



Garden of Plants, at Paris, by M. Eugene Melinon, and 

 was brought from thence to the collection of the Duke of 

 Devonshire by the same individual, in the spring of 1842, 

 at which time it was in flower. {Pax. Mag. Bot.^ Sept.) 



Art. IV. Calls at Gardens and Nurseries. 



A few days since, we accepted the invitation of our cor- 

 respondent, Mr. Teschemacher, to visit the Conservatory 

 attached to the public garden, now under his charge. Great 

 alterations have been made in the interior arrangement of 

 the building, during the summer. The old central stage 

 has been completely removed, and the house remodelled on 

 a new plan — new, because now first carried into effect. 

 Mr. Teschemacher suggested a similar arrangement when 

 the conservatory was first erected, but his plan was not fol- 

 lowed. 



The old arrangement we described in our notice of the 

 Conservatory some time ago. (Vol. V., p. 219.) It was that 

 of a central, circular stage, diminishing to the top. On this 

 stage nearly all the plants were placed, but in such a 

 crowded manner, that the effect of any fine specimen was 

 entirely lost. Only a small portion of the stage being seen 

 at one time, no breadth of foliage could be obtained, and 

 the effect intended by the arrangement, — that of presenting 

 a mass of plants to the eye at once, — was quite destroyed. 

 In looking at the stage every view was nearly the same; 

 and whether seen from the gallery above, or the walk be- 

 neath, there was the same monotonous scene, a pyramid of 

 plants. Besides these objections to the old arrangement, in 

 regard to effect, one-half of the plants were always in the 

 shade, and soon became sickly and diseased : the other half 

 were exposed to the fierce rays of the sun, and many of 

 the leaves, particularly of the camellias, were scorched and 

 much burnt every spring. The difficulty of watering the 

 plants was also very great, and attended with much loss 

 of time. 



The entrance before was through the centre of the house, 

 beneath the central stage : that entrance is now floored 



