208 State of Horticulture in Italy. 



most beautiful building was a sort of circular concert-room, 

 surrounded by a conservatory some 500 feet in length. The 

 pavement was beautifully inlaid with mosaic, and the walls 

 and ceiling covered with statues, frescoes, and arabesques of 

 exquisite execution. When filled with plants, the tout en- 

 semble must be very beautiful. 



The best villa in the artificial style is that of the Doria 

 Pamphylia, and is, perhaps, more than half a century old. 



Through the grounds, which are some miles in circuit, pass 

 straight avenues of the beautiful Quercus Flex, or Evergreen 

 Oak, trimmed closely, square on the outside, and arching be- 

 neath, appearing on the approach like a close arched covered 

 way of living green. There was a flower-garden terraced, 

 beds of tulips, &c., winding walks, patches of flowers in the 

 rich green turf, groves of Portugal laurel and roses, high 

 hedges of box and laurel closely trimmed, lemons and oran- 

 ges trained on walls, fountains throwing several jets, arauca- 

 rias and acacias, lakes with water plants and groves of the 

 maritime pine, whose tall trunk and flat, umbrella-like top 

 constitute so prominent a feature in a Roman landscape. 

 There were some large specimens of the Magnolia grandiflora, 

 and beautiful groves of the evergreen cypress. In front of the 

 palace, was a little parterre, very fancifully laid out with min- 

 iature beds, fountains, lakes, water, plants, oranges, &c. In 

 this, as in other gardens in Italy, one is very much struck 

 with the great profusion of fine statues, some as mere orna- 

 ments, others representing sea monsters, or Roman deities, 

 throwing jets of water, or holding flower vases. In one gar- 

 den, I counted 100 statues in a line, some 3 or 4 feet apart, 

 and each throwing a jet of water. The most beautiful fea- 

 ture of the Villa Pamphylia was the long arbors covered 

 with oranges and lemons, the top one thick mass of glossy 

 foliage, and the rich, yellow fruit, hanging down below. Un- 

 der these were potted plants of ericas, camellias, &c. There 

 were some fine evergreen oaks of large diameter. The ground 

 was undulatmg and various ; wild flowers were scattered over 

 the close turf. This villa may be considered the best speci- 

 rnen of the artificial style ; but, with the villas Borghese, Al- 

 banie, &c., being the work of past days, and of great wealth, 

 cannot be deemed a criterion of the present state of horticul- 



