295 
r 
place those cut out; the woods are pa- 
trolled to guard against forest fires. All 
available firewood obtained is burned in 
the heating plants of the smaller build- 
ings, and the use of coal is thus reduced. 
In order to keep these woodland tracts 
as typical illustrations of eastern United 
States forests, no e.xtraneous plants have 
been brought into them, except in one 
small area on a bank just east of the 
fruticetum, where many herbaceous wood- 
land species not native of the region 
have been planted. 
The forest of Canadian hemlock spruce 
along the Bronx River, within the por- 
tion of Bronx Park set apart for the 
Xew York Botanical Garden, is one of 
the most noteworthy natural features of 
the Borough of the Bronx, and has been 
characterized by a distinguished citizen 
as “the most precious natural possession 
of the city of Xew York.” 
This forest exists in the northern part 
of Bronx Park on the banks of the river 
and their contiguous hills. Its total 
length along the river is approximately 
3,000 feet; its greatest width, 900 feet, is 
at a point on the river about 700 feet 
above the waterfall at the mansion. The 
total area occupied by the trees on both 
sides of the river is between thirty-five 
and forty acres. 
While this area is mostly covered by 
the hemlock spruces, and although they 
form its predominant vegetation, other 
trees are by no means lacking; beech, 
ash, sweet birch, red maple, hickories, 
oaks, dogwood, tulip-tree and other trees 
occur, and their foliage protects the hem- 
locks from the’ sun in summer to a very 
considerable extent; there are no conifer- 
ous trees other than the hemlock, however, 
within the forest proper. 
The gorge of the Bronx River extends 
from the boulder bridge at the north end 
of the hemlock forest southward for 
about a mile, nearly to Pelham avenue, 
and is a most beautiful and picturesque 
natural feature, besides being of great 
geological significance. Its depth from 
the summits of the hills on both sides 
averages nearly 75 feet, and its sides be- 
low the foot-bridge at the mansion arc 
nearly vertical rock faces. The hills on 
both sides are heavily wooded with hem- 
lock spruces and other trees. In the 
upper part of the gorge the Bronx flows 
slowly, being held back by the dam form- 
ing the waterfall at the mansion, and the 
elevation of its surface is only a few 
inches higher at the boulder bridge, than 
it is at the fall; after plunging over the 
dam, however, the river runs in its un- 
obstructed natural channel with all the 
appearance of a mountain stream, which 
at high water is exceedingly beautiful. 
Many interesting decorative hardy col- 
lections will be found in various parts of 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
the grounds. They consist of trees and 
shrubs, both deciduous and evergreen, 
and of herbaceous plants. 
Groups of deciduous shrubs will also 
be found in many places along the roads 
and paths, and in the fruticetum, where 
these are arranged in families, the deco- 
rative groups are in close proximity to 
the families to which they belong. In 
the fruticetum will also be found a num- 
ber of evergreen shrubs. 
The collection of cone-bearing trees, 
technically known as the Pinetum, is 
planted over a space of about 30 acres in 
the southwestern part of the grounds. 
The species of trees are grouped in gen- 
era, which are mostly separated by paths. 
The planting out of these trees was com- 
menced in 1901 ; the collection will con- 
tinually become more complete year by 
year as additional species are secured; 
many of these have to he raised from 
seed, and the process of establishing a 
collection of conifers thus recjuires much 
time. 
The collection of hardy hcrliaceous 
plants is situated in a valley southeast 
of the public conservatories, and between 
the main driveway and the western bor- 
der of the woods fringing the hemlock 
grove. 'Phis valley is about 1,500 feet 
long and averages about 300 feet wide. 
.•\ small stream runs through the valley 
from north to south and is here and 
there l)roaflened out into pools. 'J'he col- 
lections are arranged in three series: (a) 
'Phe systematic i)lantation; (b) the mor- 
l)hological garden; fc) the economic 
garden; the viticetum, or cf)llection of 
vines, is planted at an arl)f)r just east of 
the northern part of the valley. 
The area devoted to the plantation of 
hardy vines is above the easterly side of 
the economic garden, where a rough ar- 
Ijor has been constructed for them to 
climl) upon. 
The fruticetum or collection of shrubs 
occupying about 16 acres is located to 
tile northward of the lakes in the rear 
of the museum building. In this collec- 
tion are lirought together specimens of 
hardy woody plants which are shrubs. 
that is, plants with woody stems wdiich 
liranch from the ground and have no 
single main stem. The arrangement here 
parallels that in the herbaceous grounds 
and in the other systematic collections. 
The deciduous arboretum extends over 
much of the garden area east of the 
Bronx River. The sequence of plant 
families begins at the southeast corner 
of the grounds and continues northward 
to the northern lioundary, occupying the 
easterly ridge and the low grounds ad- 
jacent thereto. Here hardy trees are 
brought together, trees being regarded 
as woody plants which have a single 
main stem arising from the ground and 
not branching until some distance above 
it. 
The flower gardens, embracing the col- 
lections of herbaceous jilants, useful for 
horticulture, will be found along the west 
border from near the Moshohi bridge to 
the elevated railway approach; along the 
I)ath leading from this ai)proach to con- 
servatory range one and in the beds in 
the vicinity of this range; at the iris 
garden: and at the water garden. .Some- 
thing of decorative valne is always to i)C 
found in these collections, from tlu' .ip- 
piarance of the early llowi-ring bulbs ;mil 
other harbingers of spring to the .irrival 
of the chrysant liemums in the fall. 'Phe 
plants are plainly lalxhnl, so that the 
collections may be intelligently studied. 
