the AMERICAN GARDEN 
PBOSPEOT PABK. 
(For Flan, see TUle-page.) 
About two miles from the City Hall or true 
center of Brooklyn, Long Island, and a half 
hour’s ride by the horse-cars from the prin¬ 
cipal ferries of that city, is situated a 
pleasure-ground which in some respects we 
may term the most noteworthy in America. 
Prospect Park with its five hundi’ed acres 
is by no means the largest or most elab¬ 
orate place of public resort in the country, 
but it has this one distinguishing character¬ 
istic above all other parks in that it realizes 
in the highest degree the true pastoral idea, 
the embodiment of which gives the old Eng¬ 
lish la'wn its special and peculiar charm. 
The main approach to Prospect Park is 
perhaps the most artistic featm’e it possesses. 
A great oval paved space of ten acres, called 
the Plaza, and situated at the j^mction of 
Flatbush and Ninth avenues, introduces the 
visitor at once to the most agreeable and im¬ 
pressive portion of the park. Embracing 
from its high point of vantage a comprehen¬ 
sive view of Brooklyn for miles, the effect of 
this Plaza is greatly enhanced by the char¬ 
acter of its boundary lines, which consist of 
several mounds twenty-five feet high, covered 
with choice Evergreens. It is curious to note 
how, with all their actual artifice, these 
mounds impress the observer as genuine bits 
of the natural formation of the region. In 
the center of the Plaza is a colossal fountain 
and statue of President Lincoln. 
Passing through this noble vestibule, dis¬ 
tinguished alike for amplitude, symmetry, 
and dignity, we enter upon the area of the 
park itself. Our space does not, of com-se, 
permit us to describe in detail the many 
features of interest that meet one at every 
turn thi-oughout the intricate maze of six 
miles of carriage di-ives and eleven miles of 
foot-paths, but we will consider briefly a 
few of the more important and attractive 
points. 
As we enter and saunter along the west 
side of the park, we find ourselves completely 
shut out by trees and shrubs from Flatbush 
Avenue, a few yards away. The sense of the 
close neighborhood of the city is still farther 
eliminated by the natural woodland appear¬ 
ance of the system employed in arranging 
the trees and shrubs. A short distance from 
the Plaza, a glimpse through an archway 
under the main drive, evidently placed at 
precisely this point for a distinct purpose, 
reveals a gi-eat far-reaching sweep of undu¬ 
lating meadow fringed by remnants of an 
original forest of Oak, Elm, and Chestnut.' 
This green or Long Meadow, as it is called, 
consists of not over twenty-five acres of open 
grass space; but its natm-al hills and hollows 
have been managed so as to give, through 
our peep-hole of archway, the impression of 
an unbroken perspective of miles. This 
feature is the most important in the park ; 
for, without a single carriage road, a field of 
ample dimensions is offered for the illustra¬ 
tion of the pastoral idea. 
“ Thousands of people,” says the “ Keport” 
of the landscape architects, “ without any 
sense of crowding, stroll about the level or 
undulating, sunny or shady tuif spaces that 
are to be found in this strip of pasture or 
woodland.” Here, as elsewhere, the original 
featm-es are not only strictly ad^^ed to, but 
actually intensified by raising the h^Hs vn* 
soil and trees and deepening the ho ows^ 
Old forest trees are generally throng 
park carefully preserved. 
Passing on by a deep dell where a small 
pool and steep hill-side are beautifully orna¬ 
mented -ivith choice specimens of rare trees 
and slumbs, and where the water and open 
gi'ouiid are arranged specially for the amuse¬ 
ment of childi-en, we come by deifious ways 
past a deer paddock, protected by a sunken 
moat and fence, to an important region of the 
park. 
Here we find, on the borders of a lake of 
sixty acres, an open space finely decorated 
with carved stone balustrades and vases. 
Within this space grow some of the best 
trees and shi'ubs of the park, choice Elms 
and Maples from Japan, America, and Europe, 
and on the hill-side, remarkable specimens of 
Rhododendrons and Conifers from all parts 
of the world. It may be truly said that some 
of these Conifers, Silver Firs, and Arbor 
Vitres, are hardly equaled by those of any 
other lawn in America. The spot is, more¬ 
over, so fortunately protected from cold 
winds, by embowering hills, that Evergreens 
which usually fail nortli of Washington and 
Virginia are here found in perfect health 
and vigor. Cannas, Coloeasias, and other tall- 
growing foliage plants, tastefully arranged, 
thrive -vagorously and imoduce a rich tropi¬ 
cal eft'ect. A rich display of bedding plants, 
Coleus, Geraniums, Salvias, Alternanthe- 
ras, etc., is presented at this point 
year after year in connection with the 
refectory and shelter, which are iserhaps 
the most ambitious arohitectiu'al structures 
of a pai-k where the pastoral idea of nude- 
spreading turf and woodland is intended to 
be everywhere dominant. 
Passing under an archway and down by a 
lovely pool where stands the skate-house in 
winter, we come to the grove where the 
band discom-ses sweet music in summer, and 
so on, past wide meadows and bold hill-sides 
clothed with fine Evergreens, to Lookout 
HOI, the highest point in the park. From 
this point the eye wanders over a distant 
view of the ocean on one side, and ou the 
other over the gi’eat city of Brooklyn. The 
same sense of largeness of design accom¬ 
panies this outlook that is felt iii considering 
the general treatment of the park, whether 
the subject be meadows, trees, or water. 
Turning our faces toward the main en¬ 
trance and Plaza, we pass through a lovely 
ravine with picturesque masses of rock cov¬ 
ered with Rhododendrons, Evergreens, and 
vines, and on by a quaint dairy-house and 
restaurant embowered in charming masses 
of the Japan Ivy or Ampclopsis Iricuspidakt. 
Not far from here, across the Long Meadow, 
wo meet nnmcrous groups of the grand old 
native forest trees that have here as else¬ 
where boon carefully and judiciously pre¬ 
served, and frame so boautil'ully the open 
grass spaces of Prospect Park. 
Wo might ramble, indeed, for liours over 
the walks and drives of tliis noble pleasure- 
ground and find charming near and distant 
landscapes at every turn, but the longer wo 
ramble, the more surely wo arrive at the 
conclusmn that, for attractive open spaces of 
kioensward and valuable specimens of rare 
and choice trees. Prospect Park must bear 
the palm over all other parks in America. 
S. Parsons, Jr. 
NEW- YORK HOBTIOULTUBAl SOOIETy,. 
The “ Show of Floral Designs and Decora.- 
tions,” held on the 4th and 6th of Dece®. 
her, was in its way as great a success as the 
“Chrysanthemum Show” of the previous 
month, and as a whole was the best and 
most remarkable exhibition of this kind we 
have ever seen. Think of it,—an exhibition 
of floral designs without a single actually . 
hideous exhibit! Who ever heard of such a 
thing? Moreover, that among the many 
hundreds of designs there were but very 
few which did not produce a pleasing effect, 
may be con.sidered highly complimentary to 
the good taste of the New-York florists. lu 
the limited space at om- disposal, it would be 
impossible to describe even the best pieces 
only of each class; so we have to confine 
ourselves to the most prominent ones of the 
whole. 
The “ Dinner-table Decorations ” attracted 
probably the largest share of admiration, 
although to our mind better taste was dis¬ 
played in the arrangement of the baskets 
and trays. The fruit prize of $100 was 
awarded to Hauft Bros. The table was cir¬ 
cular, about eight or nine feet in diameter. ■ 
In the center was a large circular bed of 
La France Roses ; radiating from this were 
five arms in the form of rose-leaves, repre¬ 
senting flower-beds. Foiu- of these were 
thickly dotted with Roses, one kind to each 
bed, \fiz.: General Jacqueminot, Niphetos, 
Mardchal Niel, Catherine Mermet, and the 
fifth contained a great variety of choice 
Orchids. Ai-ound all was a heavy, rounded 
band of Firebrand Carnations, and all inter¬ 
vening spaces were filled in with fresh, 
smooth rock moss. A ring of about a foot in 
width was all the space left for the service 
proper, consisting of twelve plates uith full 
appointments. A corsage bouquet of one 
kind of Roses was placed on the plate for 
each lady, and a button-hole bouquet of the 
same land of Rose on the plate of each gen¬ 
tleman. The flowers employed were of ex¬ 
quisite beauty, and the general effect was 
very striking. Yet we should think that 
during the hoiu-s of an elaborate dinn er it 
would become somewhat monotonous. The 
greatest merits of the arrangement consisted 
in the excellence of the flowers and from 
the view of utility, in that its highest point 
was raised but a few inches above the level 
of the table. Some of the competing designs, 
although more tasteful in their general 
an-angoment, were so high and massive as 
to completely hide one’s opposite neighbor, 
which, under circumstances, might spoil all 
one’s i)leasuro of the ontertaiuiuent. 
The decoration which to our taste would 
have been the best of all, but for the unfor- 
tuuiito circumstance that it was placed on 
so small a table, or so small a table under 
it — wo could not tell which — as to oom* 
pletely spoil its effect. On a table half o® 
large again it would liave been perfectly 
charming. Its main design consisted of * 
bank of Selaginellas running through tho 
middle of nearly the entire length of th® 
table. In tho center was a graceful specifflO^, 
'i'roe Fern, AhophUa Avstralis, surrounde 
'vith various foliage plants. At each end ® 
the bank was a gi-aceful group of Bego^^^^t' 
and small Ferns, and midway between th^ 
