THE PLANT HOUSES AT KEW. 



A PROSPECTIVE VIEW OF NEW YORK'S FUTURE BOTANIC GAKDENS (?). 



HE ROYAL GARDENS at 

 Kew stand foremost in the 

 world as a horticultural es- 

 tablishment. There is 

 scarcely a corner of the 

 globe where its fame has 

 not reached, as proved by 

 the many donations of 

 plants and seeds, etc., 

 annually received from the remotest colonies. The 

 first account which we have of the gardens dates 

 from about the middle of last century, when the 

 collection was in the charge of Mr. W. Aiton, an 

 accomplished horticulturist ; by his great skill in the 

 cultivation of exotic plants he soon attracted the 

 attention of the leading botanists of that period, 

 who worked hand in hand with him to make the 

 Kew collection large and valuable. The number of 

 species in the collection at that time numbered 

 3,000 to 4,000, contained in one or two conserva- 

 tories. The number of species gradually increased 

 and the erection of other houses has been going on 

 ever since, till at the present time the plant houses 

 of Kew can boast upwards of 150,000 square feet 

 of glass — truly a magnificent total. 



A thorough system is employed in the arrange- 

 ment of the plants in their various houses, all be- 

 ing kept as nearly as possible under the conditions 

 of their respective countries. For example, in one 

 house we meet with the flora of South America and 

 its surroundings, while in another we find that of 

 Australia, New Zealand and so on, thus enabling 

 students and others to easily recognize the plants 

 they want. A brief description of the notable 

 houses may serve to give the reader an idea of the 

 vast treasures which are carefully stored in this 

 establishment. For the benefit of the numerous 

 visitors who throng the place daily all the houses 

 are numbered off in sections. 



Let us commence with No. i house, wherein are 

 contained the valuable collection of tropical aroids 

 to the number of 500 distinct species, the plants 

 being well grown and showing a considerable im- 

 provement in their condition over that in which 

 they are found in their native homes, due to the 

 fact of them being better sheltered than they would 

 be in their native soils. 



In houses 2 and 3 are contained the ferns, 



tropical and temperate — a collection grand indeed, 

 numbering nearly 2,000 species. Many fine speci- 

 mens of tropical tree-ferns are represented, show- 

 ing by their sturdy stems and graceful fronds the 

 care which is exercised in bringing them to perfec- 

 tion. The Kew collection of filmy ferns excels all 

 others, especially so since the late Mr. Cooper Fos- 

 ter (an ardent admirer of this class) bequeathed 

 the whole of his valuable collection to Kew. This 

 section is a particularly tedious one to cultivate 

 well. They revel in abundance of water during 

 summer, but woe betide the grower who allows the 

 strong sun to catch his plants, as that will spoil 

 them almost beyond redemption, thus destroying 

 the work of years. 



To be successful in the cultivation of filmy ferns 

 a site for the house intended for their recep- 

 tion should be chosen in a shady position. The 

 house is to be built low and cases fixed round the 

 sides of the house with doors made to slide to and 

 fro as it is necessary to water them dail}' during 

 warm weather. Practically speaking, in England 

 no heat is required in such a fern house, as in the 

 summer the temperature is sufficiently high to meet 

 the demands of the plants, and in winter the plants 

 rest ; yet in very severe or damp weather a little 

 heat is advisable to keep the air on the dry side. 

 Artificial heat, if possible, should be dispensed with, 

 and to do this a covering known as frigi-doino is 

 highly recommended as it will keep out many de- 

 grees of frost. Where possible, rain water should 

 be used for watering the plants, as the lime, etc., 

 found in wells is injurious and often fatal to the 

 plants. 



No. 4 is the house known as the conservatory, al- 

 ways gay and attractive. It holds a thousand or so 

 plants staged to give effect. Noticeable here are 

 the many fine climbers which adorn the roof, the 

 common though highly useful Lapageria rosea, 

 Clianthiis piinicciis, RJiodocJiitoii 7'oliibile and various 

 fuchsias ranging from the common gracilis to that 

 beautiful variety Monarch, which, hanging grace- 

 fully from the roof, greatly impresses the onlooker. 

 The camellias may not be passed over without 

 noting many fine specimens of a good ripe age, 

 planted in beds where they thrive in agreeable 

 fashion, each in season bearing large masses of 

 beautiful white or rose colored flowers. 



