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Transactions. 



ACADKMY OF SCIENCES. 



The regular meeting of the Academy of Sciences was held in Ebell Hall 

 January 14th, 1902. President Wm. H. Knight called the meeting to order. 

 The Secretary, Mr. B. R. Baumgardt being absent, Mr. G. Major Taber 

 acted as Secretary pro tern. 



Mr. Ernest Braunton, editor of the "California Floriculturist," was 

 introduced as the speaker of the evening, his subject being "Landscape 

 Gardening and Floriculture." 



The speaker took a broad and scientific view of the subject, and said 

 in part: — "That the effect of gardening on civilization hadbeen very marked. 

 That Ivydia had been famed for her gar ! ens 2000 years before the Christian 

 era, as also the hanging gardens of Babylon which Nebuchadnezzar made 

 the wonder of the world The study of the picturesque was the order of 

 the day down to 600 years B. C. 



He stated that Ptolemy laid out magnificent gardens at Alexandria 

 containing avenues, statuary and fountains, and that the Greeks were noted 

 for their art in landscape gardening. 



The speaker advocated following as near to nature as possible, and 

 remarked that A.J. Downing, the pioneer of landscape gardening, assisted 

 by Fredrick S. Umslead, laid out the Central Park in New York City, and 

 that it was one of the most beautiful parks in the world. He spoke very 

 highly of the Golden Gate Park of San Francisco. 



The speaker laid down three rules as underlying principals, that of 

 preserving open lawn centers, planting in mass, and avoiding straight lines. 



He made the assertion that California had not yet developed a system 

 of her own, but had imitated eastern methods, and that Prof. Bailey was in 

 favor of California adopting a distinct method, owing to her superior ad- 

 vantages of climate. He asserted that the possibilities in L,os Angeles were 

 greater for landscape gardening than in any other country, and yet they 

 were far behind many of the eastern cities, and that many of the eastern 

 nurseries contained a greater variety of plants and flowers than could be 

 found in our own nurseries here. He stated that the trees and shrubs bor- 

 dering the streets were not the best adapted for the purpose. The speaker 

 criticized the unartistic design of the 6th Street Park, and suggested the 

 planting around the Park a hedge to make it more secluded. For shade 

 trees for the roadside, he preferred the Sterculia Diversifolia, sometimes 

 called the "Bottle Tree." 



The speaker took up the subject of the cultivation of the Rose, giving 

 direction as to pruning, watering and fertilizing, going into the subject very 

 thoroughly. During his remarks he called the attention of the audience to 

 several designs of lawns, explaining the rules governing the artistic points 

 in the laying out of them. 



The President in a few appropriate words, thanked the speaker in 

 the name of the audience for his interesting lecture. 



G. Major Taber, Sec'y pro temporary. 



