286 New York at the Woeld's Columbian Exposition. 



natural beauty of the scene. All the tropical countries of the world 

 were beautifully represented by grand specimen palms and foliage 

 plants that were gro-«Ti from seed, and reared at great cost by the 

 wealthy citizens of New York State. Some of these plants had passed 

 through generations of New York families. Here were carniverous 

 plants, first discovered in the jungles of India ; bromeliaceous gems, 

 found in tropical America ; lovely foliage queens from the crevices and 

 summits of the Andes ; and fern trees, depicting in themselves pictures 

 of the forests of far-off Australia. Here was a grand specimen of the 

 Traveler's tree, whose parent grew on the desert lands of Madagascar. 

 Near by was a gigantic banana tree with immense leaves, giving a 

 massive and primeval forest tinge to the whole. O'erhanging vines of 

 the bread-fruit plant met and formed arches. Parasitic moss, peculiar 

 aroids and epiphytal orchids, indigenous to the torrid regions of the 

 tropics, twisted their curious shapes round the trunks of trees or hung 

 in fantastic garlands from overhead. Date palms from Asia and 

 Africa, eycads from Japan, graceful arecas from the Norfolk and 

 Mauritius Islands, caryotas from Ceylon, with many others from differ- 

 ent countries were arranged amongst the thousand specimens used in 

 these beautiful groups of rare and valuable plants which formed the 

 principal plant exhibit of New York State. 



HOETICULTUEAL AeCHITECTUKE. 



New York supplied almost all the exhibits of horticultural archi- 

 tecture at the exposition, winning the greatest honors for novel, beauti- 

 ful and practical designs, complete in every detail of improved methods 

 of construction and finish. These exhibits were in three groups, con- 

 sisting of nine specially designed greenhouses and conservatories, and 

 were situated on lawns west of Horticultural Halll. These lawns 

 covered an area of 50,500 square feet, wholly occupied by exhibits 

 from New York of greenhouses, lawns, lawn tools and appliances, and 

 beautiful sub-tropical and ornate designs in bedding plants. Six of the 

 greenhouses, fitted with complete heating apparatus, were filled with 

 beautiful and costly collections of plants by New York State, assisted 

 by the New lork Florist Club. These plants while on exhibition 

 received the same treatment as is usually given plants in both com- 

 mercial and private establishments; the most improved implements 

 and garden appliances manufactured in New York State were employed 

 in their cultivation. One of the houses was a model rose house, such 

 as is used by the commercial rose growers of New York. It was filled 

 with four varieties of new roses, some of which were here shown for 

 the first time. _ From June till November these roses bore thousands 

 of blooms, which all visitors were welcome to inspect. Another house 

 during the months of June and July was filled with a fine display of 

 gloxinias, of which there were many hundred plants, most of them 

 bearing from twenty-five to thirty-five fiowers. These flowers were 

 delicate cups of every imaginable hue and color. In August, Sep- 

 tember and October, these were replaced by a superb collection of 

 tuberous rooted begonias that were greatly admired. During these 

 months they were the only flowers under glass at the fair. They bore 



