THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION 



55 



Exposition opened, it became apparent that more space must 

 be provided for plantations of ornamental plants, and the 

 interior of the wooded island was secured for the purpose. 

 The landscape department relinquished its charge of this 

 interior space, amounting to about a dozen acres, and main- 

 tained control of that portion only which lay outside the 

 boundary walk, and which was concerned in the decoration of 

 the shores. The Japanese building and part of its garden 

 exhibit were placed at the northern extremity of the island. 

 So it came that the island, which was designed as a homogene- 

 ous park, became, under the force of circumstances, divided 

 between two or three somewhat opposing interests. 



The Officers of the Department of Horticulture were as fol- 

 lows : J. M. Samuels, Kentucky, chief; John Thorpe, New 

 York, Superintendent of the Bureau of Floriculture; H. M. 

 La Rue, California, Superintendent Bureau of Viticulture; 

 Charles Wright, Delaware, Superintendent Bureau of Pomol- 

 ogy, and in charge of nursery exhibits, except those upon the 

 wooded island. 



The Horticultural Building. — The great horticultural build- 

 ing comprised a central dome area from which extended, 

 in each direction, two parallel curtains or wings, which 

 connected the dome with two end pavilions, as shown in the 

 ground plan on page 105. Between the curtains, on either 

 side of the dome, was a court, one of which, K, was devoted to 

 the California orange orchard, and the other, I, to the German 

 Wine Building and lily-tanks. The dome and the two front 

 wings or curtains were devoted to ornamental plants, while the 

 rear wings were devoted to fruit displays. The dome was 187 

 feet in diameter, and had an inside altitude of 113 feet, while 

 each of the front curtains was 270 by 69 feet in floor area. 

 The sides and roofs of all these curtains were of glass. In fact, 

 these wings were simply gigantic greenhouses of sufficient 

 height to accommodate tall palms and bamboos ; or in the rear 

 wings, the glass was shaded with drapings, a board floor was 

 laid, and the space was used for the fruit exhibits, much after 

 the manner of the ordinary County or State fair. The floor of 

 the dome and front curtains was covered with cinders. This 

 proved to be a very poor material for the purpose, being dirty 

 and unpleasant to walk upon ; its dull color was also objection- 

 able among plants. In these great greenhouses many thousand 

 plants were arranged in various fashions, a great number in 

 pots and some bedded out. 



The pavilions at the two ends, uniting the two parallel 

 wings or curtains, were each 117 by 250 feet, and of two stories. 

 In the upper story in each pavilion was a restaurant occupying 



