January i6, 1889.] 



Garden and Forest. 



27 



expected. A more unscholarly and inartistic collection of de- 

 signs it would be impossible to imagine, or one which should 

 be further from representing the real status of American archi- 

 tecture in its best developments at the present day. It is im- 

 possible here even to hint at all the vagaries, trivialities, mon- 

 strosities and veritable nightmares in the shape of triumphal 

 arches which the collection revealed, or the manner in which 

 Romanesque art, especially, had been maltreated and carica- 

 tured in an attempt after magnificence of general effect and 

 symbolic significance in detail. Suffice it to say that, in the 

 large collection there was but one ideally good design, and two 

 others to which a qualified word of praise might be given. 

 The rectangular Romanesque castle-like building which the 

 Messrs. Parfitt Brothers, of Brooklyn, showed as their second 

 or alternate design, had a certain dignity and grandeur, and, by 

 contrast with its fellows, much simplicity and good sense ; and 

 with certain alterations in matters of treatment — notably as re- 

 gards the four angle turrets which surmount the roof — it might 

 be made into a fine structure. But its form is hardly appro- 

 priate for a gateway — it is a building, rather than a triumphal 

 arch — and its style alone would render it inappropriate for the 

 place now in view. Mr. Page Brown's classic design, on the 

 other hand, though sensible and scholarly, lacks beauty of 

 outline, and is too heavy and utilitarian of air. 



The one design which is really excellent in itself, and really 

 appropriate, is the single one which was sent in without a sig- 

 nature. It shows a deep and lofty semi-circular arch, with 

 figures of victories in the spandrels, above which runs in large 

 letters the simple but sufficient legend : " To the Defenders of 

 the Union, 1861-1865." This arch is recessed between two 

 large and solid rectangular wings, from the front of each of 

 which projects a colonnaded portico, bearing groups of sculp- 

 ture. At the level of the springing of the arch these wings are 

 encircled by a simple but effective cornice-string, and, together 

 with the curtain of wall above the arch, they are crowned by a 

 true cornice, simple again, but massive, and amply sufficient 

 to cast an effective shadow. Above this cornice is an attic, 

 with groups of pilaster-piers and circular openings between 

 them, crowned itself by a lighter cornice ; and the whole is 

 surmounted by a group, finely suggested in the drawing, of 

 Victory in a chariot with plunging horses. This group is ex- 

 hibited on a separate sheet, so that the effect of the arch with- 

 out it may be appreciated. Even without it the effect is fine ; 

 but of course a really good sculptured group would vastly in- 

 crease beauty and dignity of air. The style is classic, with 

 Composite capitals to the portico columns. The monument, 

 as will be seen, is very simple, yet it is not too plain, for the 

 porticoes and the three works of sculpture would give sufficient 

 lightness and grace, and the cornices and strings and water- 

 tables which alone relieve the massive side walls, are charm- 

 ingly profiled and adorned. On the whole, it is an excellent, 

 scholarly and appropriate design, and the judges would com- 

 mit no sin in selecting it, although their fault would be great, 

 towards Art and towards their fellow citizens, did they even 

 think of selecting any other among those as yet submitted. It 

 seems strange that the necessity should not at once have been 

 recognized of limiting the contestants to classic designs. Such 

 designs having been chosen for the other gateways, common 

 sense, not to speak of good taste, dictates that no Romanesque 

 or other alien style should be chosen for the main gateway. 

 It has not yet been announced that a decision with regard to 

 these designs has been arrived at by the committee, so it is, 

 perhaps, not too late to say that three courses are open to it — 

 either to select the unsigned design just described ; to put the 

 work directly into the hands of the able architects who have 

 undertaken the rest of the park inclosure ; or to open a fresh 

 competition, inviting a number of competent artists to take 

 part, paying them fairly for their labor, and prescribing that 

 only designs in a classic style shall be submitted. 



The National School of Horticulture at Versailles. 



'X*HIS admirable institution for the education of pracfical 

 -*■ gardeners dates from the year 1874, and is probably the 

 best of similar schools in Europe. Its present situation is 

 historically an interesting one and is well suited for the pur- 

 pose, though perhaps the soil is rather too heavy and cold. 

 As early as the year 1679, this piece of ground was laid out as 

 a potager or kitchen-garden for Louis XIV., and for years, 

 centuries even, it supplied the royal and imperial tables of 

 France with vegetables, fruits and flowers. 



It is enfirely a free school, and the only requirements of ad- 

 mission necessary are, that the student on entering should be 

 between seventeen and twenty-seven years of age, and that 

 he should pass an easy examination in reading, writing, spell- 



ing and simple arithmetic. The regular course is for three 

 years and at the end of each year an examination is held cover- 

 ing the work gone over. Those students who fail to pass 

 this examination cease to be members of the school. Those 

 who pass a satisfactory final examination at the end of the 

 course receive a certificate from the Minister of Agriculture. 



The work of the school is divided into eleven departments : 

 I. The cultivation of fruit trees in the open air and under 

 glass ; 2. The cultivation of ornamental and forest trees ; 3. 

 The cultivation of vegetables in the open air and by forcing ; 

 4. The cultivation of flowering-plants in the open air and by 

 forcing ; 5. Elementary and descriptive Botany ; 6. Principles 

 of Landscape Gardening and Garden Architecture ; 7. Ele- 

 ments of Physics, Meteorology, Chemistry, Geology and Minera- 

 logy as applied to Horticulture ; 8. Elements of Zoology and 

 Entomology as applied to Horticulture and Arboriculture ; 

 9. Geometry and Arithmetic necessary for gardening purpo- 

 ses ; 10. Linear design and the sketching of plants and im- 

 plements ; II. French Language and Book-keeping. 



Instruction is given by means of lectures and recitations. In 

 addition every student is expected to actually do his share in the 

 necessary manual labor required for the Inaintenance of the 

 gardens. The time is so divided between the theoretical and 

 practical branches of instruction, that all the students take a 

 part in the work of the garden every day, and divided into 

 squads of ten or more under the guidance of well-trained 

 master gardeners, they spend at least a fortnight in each de- 

 partment of the garden, thus acquiring the manual dexterity 

 which is so indispensable. In addition to the instruction 

 given in the school, the students are taken from time to time 

 to visit the large horticultural establishments in France in 

 order to make them familiar with the methods employed in 

 them. 



Good permanent collections are allthe time beingformed, and 

 already there is one of seeds and cones, one of wood-specimens, 

 a large herbarium, a quanfity of models of fruits, etc., a collec- 

 tion of animals, birds and insects harmful to vegetation, and 

 an excellent library. There is also a living collection of trees 

 and shrubs, but this is in rather bad condition at present owing 

 to overcrowding on account of lack of space and conse- 

 quent heavy pruning. It serves, however, to make the students 

 familiar with the more common varieties usually found in 

 gardens and furnishes a constant supply of herbarium speci- 

 mens. 



Much attention is paid here to the espalier system of grow- 

 ing fruit trees, now so popular in France, and this school has, 

 without doubt, done much towards diffusing information as to 

 this method of growing fruit in the open air. 



Paris, 1888. H. S. Codinan. 



Foreign Correspondence. 



London Letter. 



AFTER a week of heavy fog the unusually mild and 

 sunny weather has returned, which, at the beginning of 

 December, had such an extraordinary effect on vegetation. 

 The poisonous gases of a London fog destroy most white 

 flowers, a foggy day leaving such flowers as those of Phal- 

 aenopsis, Calanthe, many Begonias and white Chrysanthe- 

 mums withered or limp, as if they had been dipped in boiling- 

 water. The recent fog has done a great deal of mischief 

 here, very few choice flowers of any kind remaining in Lon- 

 don gardens. 



In the markets the principal plants are the same as those we 

 had at least five years ago : — Epiphyllums, Erica hyemalis, 

 E. caffra, E. gracilis, Roman Hyacinths, Lily-of-the- Valley, 

 Tulips, Marguerites, Pi-imulas and Poinsettias. It takes a long 

 time for a new and useful winter-flowering plant to gain favor 

 with market-growers, so that, notwithstanding the numerous 

 good plants of recent introduction, the market-favorites here 

 are almost identical with those grown a generation ago. No 

 one suspected that Epiphyllum would prove a good market 

 plant, till one of the shrewdest and most enterprising of Lon- 

 don market-growers tested it and found out its worth. The 

 cut flowers of the season are the same as of old. We have 

 Gardenias, Eucharis, Tuberose, Stephanotis, forced Lilac and 

 a few other things of less importance. All these are abund- 

 ant, and they are always in great demand. I am told that 

 flower-growing in winter is done better in the neighborhood 

 of New York than in England. Probably the advantage you 

 have in drier, brighter winter-weather will account for this. 

 Cut flowers are very abundant here this Christmas. 



Freesias. — These beaufiful cape-bulbs are amongst the very 

 best of the newer additions to winter-flowering green-house 



