THE NEW LABORATORIES AT WISLEY. 
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THE NEW LABORATORIES AT WISLEY. 
When, some months before the outbreak of war, the Council determined 
to establish at Wisley a Research Station in Horticulture which should 
be without rival in the world, it was confronted with the problem of 
how this might be done without destroying the amenities for which 
the Gardens at Wisley are so famous. 
That the building now completed does provide a solution of the 
problem will be generally conceded by those who inspect the photo- 
graphs accompanying this note, and still more by those who have 
recently visited the Gardens. It is indeed a matter for general con- 
gratulation that it has been found possible to establish a great 
Laboratory which not only does not detract from, but actually adds 
to the beauty of the Gardens. 
The difficulties which had to be overcome before this happy result 
could be arrived at were not inconsiderable, and chief among them was 
the fact that Laboratories require in almost all their rooms far more 
light than is usually considered necessary in the rooms of dwelling- 
houses. This problem of lighting makes the pleasing treatment of 
the windows most difficult, and it has been met in the Laboratory by 
a skilful use of larger panes in the workrooms and smaller panes in 
the offices, corridors, &c. 
The importance of Horticulture to our national welfare is so great 
and so rapidly increasing that it was essential, if the research work of 
the Society should embrace the chief branches of Horticulture, that 
the buildings should be planned on a liberal scale. When, moreover, 
it is remembered that there is already in existence at Wisley a large 
and flourishing School of Horticulture, it will be recognized that the 
accommodation which the Council has provided, liberal though it 
undoubtedly is, is none too large for the purposes of teaching and 
research. 
The building is erected on three levels, owing to the steep gradient 
of the site, for the ground falls away some eight feet from south to 
north. 
Externally the building is treated in a manner probably best 
described as picturesque. The front towards the road is faced with 
thin hand-made bricks laid with wide joints ; the bricks are rough on 
the surface and vary in colour, the general tint being a low tone of 
purple pink. The front facing the Garden has a plinth of similar 
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