NATURAL ALPINE GARDENS 
55 
ments are in progress relating to the 
growth of mountain Pines and their 
renewal in denuded areas, and to aid 
the peasantry by introducing better 
kinds of grain, fruit, and garden pro- 
duce than those now grown in the 
mountains. In a large bog-garden, col- 
lections of marsh and water plants are 
already established, with many alpine 
plants, native and introduced, now 
quite at home upon the rocky slopes. 
This garden cannot fail to be of great 
service, not only to the students of 
Montpellier, but to all interested in such 
matters. 
Roused to action by this increasing 
interest, in July 1900 the German and 
Austrian Alpine Clubs met at Stras- 
bourg to discuss the culture and pro- 
tection of mountain plants ; and as a 
result, a society was formed which has 
already opened alpine gardens in con- 
nection with the universities of Munich 
and Vienna. These are at Schachan 
(5, 400 feet) in the Bavarian Alps, which 
reported 2,000 visitors in 1903 ', and 
upon Gschustzthal in the Brenner Alps 
(Tyrol) , two stations at 3 ,600 and nearly 
7,000 feet respectively. A third gar- 
den is at Raxalpa (5,350 feet) in Styria, 
and the fourth at Neurent in Bavaria 
(3,600 feet) ; these are too new to call 
for more than passing reference, but are 
of interest as showing how this move- 
ment has gained ground. 
Italy has had its share of alpine gar- 
dens, but many have been abandoned, 
and the only one in full activity is that 
opened in memory of the botanist 
Rostan, in the valley of Piedmont, at a 
height of about 4,000 feet, and near , 
Mount Viso in the Cottienne Alps. 
This garden, known as the Rostania, 
was opened in 1900 in a charming and 
fertile spot, and is mainly devoted to 
the alpine plants of Italy and Piedmont. 
Another garden has lately been opened 
by Dr. F. Cavara, professor of botany 
at the University of Catania, in the 
Valle del Bove upon Mount Etna, and 
should it prosper, this should meet the 
wants of southern Italy. 
In conclusion, I refer at greater length 
to the garden of Rambertia upon the 
Rochers de Naye, visited by the con- 
gress held for the furtherance of natural 
alpine gardening during the summer of 
last year. The garden is of large ex- 
tent (14 or 1 5 acres), and placed astride 
a spur of the mountain at a height of 
more than 6,000 feet, with a superb out- 
look over a wonderful stretch of snowy 
alpine peaks . About thirty ' ' rockeries " 
of various sizes are scattered along a 
path which from the summit winds for 
some 500 feet down, into the valley of 
Plan d'Arene. While extremely pictur- 
esque, the garden has one serious draw- 
back in its lack of water, which — failing 
that gathered from the melting snow — 
has to be brought to the mountain top 
by rail, and then carried for a consider- 
able distance. The northern slope 
suffers little from this scarcity, but in 
its southern aspect, which is best suited 
to the bulk of the plants, they are almost 
constantly exposed to drought. The 
Rambertia is the most elevated of all 
the alpine gardens of Europe, and within 
it are grown such plants of the upper 
mountain regions as have any chance 
of enduring so rude a climate with its 
