254 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The third pond is of circular design, containing a fountain with 

 an arrangement of jets playing into it, and is enclosed by a circular 

 beech hedge 30 feet in height and 18 feet through — with a passage 

 about 7 feet wide and 10 feet high running all round in the middle 



of the hedge. 



Near by, The Sylvan Theatre is an interesting link with mediaeval 

 times. The theatre, which is enclosed by a bay hedge on three sides, 

 and opens on the fourth for the players, has seats cut in the slopes 

 for the audience, and was the scene of the first performance in Ireland 

 of Milton's " Comus." 



In the woodlands many fine specimen trees may be seen, amongst 

 them Pinus insignis, P. sylvestris, and Cedrus atlantica, with Ash, 

 Beech, Oak, and other native species in profusion. 



A fine old grove of evergreen oaks, some 75 feet high — many of the 

 trees with a girth of 9 to 11 feet round the stem at 5 feet up — planted 

 about 350 years ago, is on one side of the bowling green which 

 doubtless was used by the monks for recreative purposes. 



Not many miles from Kilruddery is Powerscourt in Co. Wicklow, 

 where the finest views are to be seen from any garden in the world. 

 It possesses splendid specimens of conifers and a very fine specimen of 

 Fagus betuloides. 



Any paper on " Irish Gardens " would be incomplete without refer- 

 ence to Glasnevin, which is 50 acres in extent, and in some respects 

 is one of the finest Botanic Gardens in the world. In passing I may 

 say that I am indebted to Sir Frederick Moore for the notes on 

 this most interesting public garden, and also for the notes on other 

 gardens which I have not been privileged to see, but which he 

 has — and, as you are doubtless well aware, no better authority 

 on all matters appertaining to horticulture in Ireland exists than 

 Sir F. Moore. He says with reference to Glasnevin : — 



" Some of the collections are exceedingly strong, in spite of the 

 fact that the soil is very poor, being a shallow gravelly loam, on lime- 

 stone gravel, and in many seasons suffering greatly from drought. 

 The chief features are the water-garden, the herbaceous borders, and 

 the rock-garden, and indoors the collection of species of orchids 

 which is believed to be the best in the world — even better than the 

 collection at Kew. 



The collections of Cycads and succulent plants are well known, 

 and both are good, though in this respect Kew is undoubtedly first. 



Of other interesting gardens in Ireland, Lord Barrymore's place 

 at Fota Island, Queenstown, is one of the very first. Unfortunately, 

 I have no photographs of the many marvellous things growing in the 

 gardens there. 



The vegetation on Fota Island is almost tropical, and it is quite 

 a distinct type of garden ; and, again quoting Sir Frederick Moore, 

 " the collection has been kept up, and probably stands first in Ireland.'* 



