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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



OCTOBBB 19, 1005. 



One wiehed that the treatment had been 

 of a softer character, more in keeping 

 with the simple beauty and quaintness 

 of the facade of the building and the 

 terrace walls. 



While at Queenstown and Cork I en- 

 gaged, in each place, a jaunting car for 

 a trip into the country. My object was 

 to get such impressions of agricultural 

 conditions as could be obtained in a run 

 of eight or ten miles, and through con- 

 versation with a few of the farmers. My 

 field of observation was limited, and 

 the time at my disposal short, yet I 

 could but come to the conclusion that the 

 Irish farmer, or cotter, of the neighbor- 

 hood makes little of his opportunities. 

 With splendid land under his control and 

 one of the best markets at his doors, he, 

 by lack of thrift and by indolence, per- 

 mits his advantages to be usurped by 

 Holland and France. 



In Dublin I took a jaunting car ride 

 in Phoenix park. I had heard much of 

 its beauty and its fine situation. I was 

 much disappointed to find it little bet- 

 ter than a pasture lot for cattle, at five 

 to seven dollars per head. The park is 

 a large one of 1,750 Irish acres, which 

 I was told equaled 2,500 English acres. 

 The revenue for its support, I was in- 

 formed, comprised $40,000, which the 

 government pays for the site of the vice- 

 regal palace and the barracks, and 

 $7,000, the proceeds of the pasturage of 

 1,200 to 1,500 cattle. The result is that 

 the park has a most unkempt appear- 

 ance. The small trees and what have 

 been fine hawthorns are ruined by the 

 rubbing of the cattle. The open mea- 

 dows and woodlands are tracked in every 

 direction. No pruning of dead limbs or 

 cutting out of dead trees seems to be 

 done. Thus a park that might be one 

 of the finest in the British Isles is given 

 up to ruin and desolation. 



ferns in fine condition, among which 

 were fine specimens of the Killarney fern 

 (Trichomanes radicans). Bougainvillea 

 Cypheri, a semi-double, attracted my at- 

 tention, as did Hsemanthus Katherinse 

 maryllidje, Campanula isophylla, very 

 fine blue and hardy, and Begonia Eex, 

 varieties Ne Plus Ultra, Our Queen and 

 His Majesty. Fine plants were also to 

 be seen of Begonia President Carnot and 

 B. Bowringiana. When looking over the 

 fine begonia collection at this garden I 

 wished that our Mr. Sander could have 

 been with me. Lobelia tenuior as a pot 

 plant was very attractive, aa was also 

 Trachelium caeruleum and T. cseruleum 

 album and Campanula pyramidalis, 

 Veitch's strain, compact and fine flow- 

 ered, as a pot plant was very good. 

 Many other old plants were grown in 

 pots. They were well grown, too, and 

 demonstrated their value for decorative 

 purposes in the greenhouse or conserva- 

 tory. In an aquatic house was seen a 

 fine lot of potted cannas of the new 

 strains. Under the indoor cultural con- 

 ditions the foliage and flowers were very 

 finely developed, both in size and color. 



The garden is noted for its large and 

 fine collection of alpine plants, which 

 would require days to properly observe 

 and describe. I simply had to content 

 myself with wonder and admiration, as 

 I hurriedly passed along, at their varied 

 and beautiful forms. 



Trinity College Botanic Garden is 

 situated in the city of Dublin. It con- 

 tains about fourteen acres. The smoke 

 conditions are rather severe on vegeta- 

 tion; hollies, however, seem to find the 

 location a congenial home, for many 

 good specimens are to be found in the 

 garden. Spring flowering bulbs are 

 planted everywhere, and must produce 

 rare effects in flowering season. This 

 might be expected, as Mr. Burbidge, 

 the curator, has long been a student of 



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The Royal Botanic Gardens at Glas- 

 nevin; a suburb of Dublin, have an area 

 of fifty-two acres, and are mostly situ- 

 ated on a sandy knoll, where conditions 

 are very unsuitable for the growth of 

 trees and shrubbery, consequently little 

 of note in that line is to be found there. 

 They have, however, considerable glass 

 and a fairly good collection of plants. 

 Especially noticeable was a lot of filmy 



and a writer on- bulbs. A rockery with 

 a saiall collection of alpine plants 

 showed, by its condition, that this pretty 

 and interesting class of plants has a 

 warm place in his heart. Here I saw the 

 beautiful rosette-like Eaymondia Pyre- 

 naica for the first time; a piece of rough 

 wall admirably served it for a home. 

 Mr. Burbidge, being away from home 

 on a week-end vacation, greatly disap- 



pointed me, as I had anticipated much 

 pleasure in meeting him. 



The country around Dublin bay is 

 most charming. Howth, Kingston and 

 Bray are right on the bay. From Bray 

 Head, a hill of some 400 or 500 feet, 

 a fine view of the bay can be had, with 

 the Hill of Howth about six miles away 

 in the distance, while between lies Kings- 

 ton, in the hollow, with its fine old pic- 

 turesque houses. Kingston is an ol^er 

 settlement than Dublin, from which it 

 is distant about eight miles. The Danes 

 held the coast at this point, a few cen- 

 turies ago, and two or three of their 

 strongholds, now in ruins, lend additional 

 interest to the scene. 



At Kingston I took the Holyhead mail 

 boat, and in three hours I stepped on 

 Welsh soil and boarded the train for 

 London. The scenery between Holyhead 

 and Chester was just such as to tempt 

 one to don a knapsack and wander 

 through its mountain ranges. That it is 

 a great resort for tourists was quite evi- 

 dent from the large amount of passen- 

 ger business at each station. 



At Chester, which was reached in the 

 afternoon, I stopped for a day or two. 

 Chester is one of the oldest towns in 

 England. There is good evidence that 

 it was a town of considerable importance 

 prior to its occupation by the Bomans, 

 in the first century of the Christian era. 

 The town is famed in song and story, 

 and I think one of the pleasantest 

 memories of my trip is laid within its 

 walls, and I wish to commend it to you 

 as a place worthy of a visit. 



Near the Bridge of Dee I took a small 

 steamer and sailed up the river for 

 Eaton Hall, one of the seats of the Duke 

 of Westminster. The hall is modern and 

 stands on ground gently rising from the 

 Dee. Broad vistas of lawn stretch out 

 toward the river. No trees of great 

 size are to be found, the plantations be- 

 ing apparently of no greater age than 

 fifty or sixty years. Beeches, oaks and 

 limes predominate ;, a few Cedrus Libani, 

 forty or fifty feet high, gave promise of 

 future greatness. 



The gardens were in excellent condi- 

 tion. They partook largely of the old- 

 fashioned style; hedges and cozy nooks 

 abounded. Climbing roses were every- 

 where, Dorothy Perkins especially. It 

 was here that I first experienced English 

 hospitality; the gardener, N. F. Barnes, 

 gave me a hearty welcome, and placed 

 himself wholly at my disposal during 

 my visit, Mrs. Barnes being not one whit 

 behind her husband in kindness. In the 

 course of my conversation with Mr. 

 Barnes I found that the English gar- 

 dener, like the American park superin- 

 tendent, has an unhappy time when he 

 undertakes to do any thinning out of his 

 trees or shrubs. I found, also, that the 

 English gardener is very often tram- 

 melled in the matter of planting good 

 things (in themselves) in unsuitable 

 places, and that he cannot always plant 

 things where, in his judgment, things 

 should be planted. So it is not always 

 fair to the gardener to lay upon his 

 shoulders the blame for violations of the 

 artistic which may be found in the place 

 over which he has charge. I was shown 

 the new bothy at Eaton Hall. It was 

 a pretty two-story house, in the timbered 

 style, of which the Cestrians seem so 

 fond. Each gardener had a bedroom up- 

 stairs; a dining-room, kitchen and a 

 parlor occupied the lower floor. The 

 place had an appearance of comfort. I 

 was glad to see this improvement in the 



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