278 
PARK AND CCMETCRY 
Garden Experiments in Southern California. 
A correspondent forwards the following highly 
interesting letter on garden experiments in South- 
ern California — and we feel sure we will be pardoned 
for editing and publishing it: 
Ours is purely an amateur garden; briefly I 
will sketch our status. A year and a half ago, a 
few of us conceived the idea of an experimental 
garden where tropical plants could be grown, and 
such others as are uncommon or not known at all in 
gardens in the U. S., that is to say in the open 
ground. We succeeded in getting the city to allow 
us to use 10 or 15 acres of land in a tract called 
Elysian Park, which latter contains 600 acres; our 
tract is free from frost, rich but light sandy loam, 
with irrigating system already supplied. This was 
the beginning; since then we have set some 400 
plants, including palms, trees, shrubs and climbing 
plants. No attempt has been made to group the 
plants in genera (or otherwise? by themselves, 
except where incongruity was too obvious — the 
bamboos are by themselves. So with the palms 
and conifers — trees have been planted more with 
an eye to their future developement. Climbing 
plants are set against, an eight foot trellis 1000 leet 
long. We also have the nucleus of the more showy 
or interesting of Californian plants; a little later a 
collection of cacti and the rarer bulbs, principally 
those from South Africa. Also the Crinums and 
other amaryllidaceous plants, nearly all of which 
, flourish in the open ground here — in fact I have 14 
species of Crinums in my own garden, including 
C. amabile and a number of the pancratiums. 
Our garden will doubtless have many defects, 
but we will have to content ourselves with the 
thought that no where else in the U. S. will so 
many tender plants be seen in the open ground. 
Our list of palms in the open so far, in- 
cludes: Arcontophoenix Alexandra;, Howea Fosteri- 
ana. Cocos plumosa and Pritchardia gaudichaudiana, 
among the tender ones; and Chamaerops, Livistonia, 
Gabal, and Erythea, also Juba;a, among the hardier 
ones. Among tender climbing plants, we have: 
Bougainvillea, Allamanda, Stephanotis, Schubertia, 
Tacsonias, Passifloras, Bignonia, Cryptoslegia, 
Ipomoeas, Beaumontia, Quisqualis, Thunbergia, 
Jasminums, etc. and a number of less tender climb- 
ing plants. The splendid hardwooded shrubs of New 
Molland are almost unknown here. Yet in a few 
private gardens they exist in great vigor. So it 
is our idea to accumulate as many as possible, also 
the fine sub-tropical shrubs, a good many of which 
do nicely; such as: Tabernsemontana, Plumeria, 
Bauhinia, Michelia fuscata, Murraya and some of 
the Gardenias. Among interesting flowering trees, 
Castanospernum, Calodendron, Kigelia, Jacaranda 
and others do well. Colvillea racemosa promises 
fairly well when it gets stronger, Jonesia Asoca 
however dwindles away, so with Amherstia Nobilis; 
we think we may succeed with Brownea and hope 
for Michelia Champaka a little later. If we could 
get M. niligirica it would surely succeed (if obtain- 
ed from the Eastern slope. Ed. ) Our climate is very 
peculiar, a vast number of strictly tropical plants 
do very well, while by their side grow the Cape 
bulbs, Violets, Narcissus, Convallaria and others 
which would fail utterly in a thoroughly tropical 
country. J. C. Harvey. 
The Grant flonument at Riverside Park, New York. 
The exterior work of the Grant monument in 
Riverside Park, New York City, is nearing comple- 
tion, and the main features of the design becomes 
apparent. The accompanying illustration gives the 
front elevation of the pile, with suggestions of the 
statuary which will finally adorn it. It is construct- 
ed of Maine Granite, quarried at North Jay. 
The interior is far from complete, and it is not 
expected that the building will be turned over to 
the Monumental Association until April next. The 
interior will be handsomely finished, a large amount 
THE (;rant monument. 
