204 
THE FLORIST. 
one-half of it is devoted to manufactories—the other, to music-gardens 
and other places of amusement. A large open space occupies the centre 
of the village, around \vhich the houses are scattered. At this time of 
year it looks very bright and pleasant; but as the soil is nothing but 
sand, and the summers here are very hot, the trees are almost leafless 
and the turf entirely burnt up by the end of July. Nevertheless, the 
celebrated Bavarian beer and the music are attractions which never fail 
in bringing visitors here by hundreds and thousands, especially on a 
Sunday. 
“ It was to the private residence of one of the principal manufacturers 
of this village that I was directing my steps; his garden is celebrated 
through all Germany. Herr Borsig is one of the leading locomotive 
engine builders on the Continent—it was a grand day for Moabit when 
the thousandth engine was finished. He does also a very extensive 
business in every other branch of the iron trade, and he keeps a little 
army of workmen. He is no less zealous as a horticulturist than suc¬ 
cessful as a manufacturer. The garden is thrown open to the public 
two days in the week on the payment of five silber-groschen (sixpence 
English), this money being in winter divided among the poor of the 
neighbourhood. The ground upon which this princely mansion and 
beautiful garden stand was, twenty years ago, an open common. 
While walking round it I could hear the dull heavy report of the ten- 
ton strokes of Nasmyth’s steam-hammer—‘ There,’ thought I ‘ is the 
fairy who has wrought this change.’ 
“ I was most politely conducted round the establishment by the very 
intelligent gardener, Herr Geardt, the man after whom that beautiful 
new variety of Gymnogramma is named. In visiting a German 
garden, nothing strikes an Englishman so much as the want of ever¬ 
greens ; the winter is too severe for anything except a few Conifers. 
It is astonishing, too, the amount of labour that is expended in keeping 
the turf fresh and green here. On either side of the flight of steps 
leading up to the hall-door were two fine plants of Dracaena australis, 
and two others of the New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax) ; these 
are planted out in summer and taken up every autumn. In front of 
the entrance there is an elaborately and intricately designed flower- 
garden, very different from anything of the kind we see in England, 
and the effect is, perhaps, not so good as our more bold and striking 
plans. The design of the small square garden, on the south side of the 
house, is more simple. Mr. Geardt explained to me that he kept the 
flower-garden as gay as it is now from the commencement of April by 
a succession of plants. I think more attention should be paid to this 
point at home, where the climate would be more favourable for it than 
here. I took a note of the plants he employed for this purpose. 
“ To the left of the mansion is a long conservatory, divided into three 
portions. The middle one is paved with marble ; the floor of the other 
two, covered with a turf of the common Lycopod, Selaginella denticu- 
lata. The effect of this is most beautiful; flowering plants are plunged 
in groups, and there is a semicircular bank of Australian plants as a 
background. A gallery runs along the back of these houses, and the 
w^all behind it is covered with the dark green glossy foliage of the 
