772 JOUKNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The exhibition house should be a sort of conservatory, but always kept 

 as a promenade, its roof festooned with plant life, which can be 

 obtained by the use of the foliage of temperate growing Palms, Acacias, 

 and climbers, and by suspending baskets, which should arch the 

 promenade, and yet not interfere with the ground space, all of which is 

 required for the exhibitions. At every period of the year seasonable 

 flowers should be supplied, either from the plant-houses or by exhibitors, 

 for example, spring flowers, Roses, large banks of stately Camellias, bulbs, 

 and so on. 



On the east side of the Exhibition Building are the offices of the esta- 

 blishment, and also the horticultural houses (usually called nursery-houses). 

 Of course these would contain many interesting sights for plant-lovers, 

 and, for that reason, they should be arranged with an entrance from the 

 terrace promenade. 



The west end of the building should be occupied as a club-house or 

 cafe, so that the comforts and necessaries of life may be close at hand. In 

 these buildings museums or collections of art could be formed, as the 

 times might require. 



The fernery should be arranged with rocks, in the natural garden 

 style ; the walks, edged with a proper proportion of gigantic Tree-ferns, 

 forming Fern avenues, to be over-arched by the monster fronds. These 

 avenues should be planted dift'erently, some distinctive species being used 

 in each, for instance, Dicksonia squarrosa, with its black stems, for one ; 

 Cyathea medullaris, with its silvery effects, for another ; and lower growth 

 of appropriate character introduced in each, as space will allow. Accord- 

 ing to the laws of development, all ferneries should have water eftects in 

 the ground design, with rock buildings upon the tableland ; rock develop- 

 ment is shown in my work " Residential Sites and Environments." The 

 innumerable features thus formed should be planted each with one 

 suitable character : thus, instead of a fernery showing mere pots and 

 labels, it should produce banks of golden Ferns, and, again, other banks 

 of silver ; arches of Adiantum capillus Veneris ; the long, bold fronds — 

 " growing yards of Fern" — dropping from table-rocks, while from the 

 alcoves in the masses of rock an abundance of the clear, green crystals 

 of the filmy Ferns Todea superha, " Killarney Fern," &c., should appear. 

 The rock columns might be carpeted with such plants as " Stag's Horns " 

 and varieties of the Davallia, and so on. How delightfully charming an 

 Adiantum dell would be, and many other species of Ferns, if arranged 

 according to their respective and special characters. 



Round Buildings. 



The two round, dome -shaped buildings shown on the plan are for 

 special effects ; for instance, in exhibiting, Orchids might be displayed in 

 one, Roses in the other, or other special flowers, as circumstances would 

 permit or necessity dictate. Separate apartments are always wanted in 

 showing plant life, as the conditions good for one are not suited to 

 another. The roofs should always be well festooned with climbers ; 

 Roses would do for the cool house ; Passiflora and Tacsonia for the 

 other. The ground space should always be kept free, as well as the main 

 buildings, so that they can be used for exhibition purposes. 



