Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1876-06-25
cENrENNIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
[From the SEsrISEL's Correspondent.

uated in one of the most fertile sections
of the Atlantic coast, where copious
showers of rain are never wanting TO
assist the growth of vegetation, 1t is not
surprising to see here such a profusion
of green foliage and luxuriance of flow
ers as now meets one view on all sides.
In the parks aud about the private res
licences i'm West Philadelphia the per-
fume from the blooming trees, vines
and shrubs is delightfully."- refreshing,
and much more pleasing to the senses
than the garlic-seasuned fumes which,
are inhaled by the people of Eureka.
This feature, so noticeable and pleas
ing to visitors here is greatly enhanced
whom they enter the Centennial linn
its and finds the grounds, which
have been laid out with so much arts.
tic skill and taste, adorned with rare
and beautiful plants from all parts of
the world, and iourishing as though
nurtured by their native soils, with
smooth cupped lawns and numerous
fountains scattering jets OF spray in
every direction. Nature has done
much to make Paramount park attract
i've. The most skillful architects, gar
deners and florists have used all their
knowledge ana experience to adorn 1t,
and the result is one OF the most de
lightful places imaginable. In the vi
cinity of Horticultural Hail the most
wonderful specimens of the florists art
are to be found. One of the displays
of this kind is SO lovely, and has at
tracted SO much attention during the
past three weeks that it may interest
your readers to know something about
it. 1t is known AS the "RhOIoden-
drons," and is made in a tent like
structure u hundred and fifty feet in
length by fifty in width, by Mr.. An
thony Waterer, of KNAPP Hill nursery,
Working, Surrey, England. There are
so varieties of these lovely flowers, all
in full bloom. planted inside OF this
tent, i'm II immense bed. with walks
laid out through it. No two varieties
have exactly the same shades OF color,
and nearly all of them some shade of
red, white or yellow. One variety is
bright rose, with fighter center. another
intense blood red, another rose with a
deep magenta biotch; then there are
spotted roses, spotted rosy purple. rosy
lilac, cream color, with distinct choco.
late blotch, white, blotched with vel
low, plum color, shaded and spotted,
and So OH all through the 80 varieties.
Each one has its own name, as Crown
Prince. Fair Helen, John spencer,
Lalla Rookh, Purity, etc. Their values
vary, too, according to the richness
of their colors. Some of the prettier
ones bring Il shillings while the more
modest ones are only worth 2shillings.
Under this name, "RhOdOdendron,'
most persons will not RECOGNIZES an old
acquaintance. 1t IS nothing but Il
mountain laurel, which was trans
planted to England a century or less
ago. As the same process of repro
duotion is employed by nature in plant
AS in animal life, it is quite reasonable
to suppose that the improvement
can be made in the plant AS in the ami
NAL Kingdom. After years of careful
breeding, we know that the stock OF
horses, cattle sheep, dogs, etc., have
been improved, and just in this way
has the common mountain laurel Of
America been advanced till now it can
scarcely be recognized in the wonder
u WV u SOtittts v
ago some laurels were taken from this
country to England, and in a favora-
BILE soil, cultivated with other laure,s
from the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the
mountains of India. and from this be-
ginning have all these varieties on ex-
hibition at the Centennial been pro
duced. The flowers are in bloom from
three to four weeks, and come but nee
a Uaar Tbo SoaSOn for than hpra *
about over, so that visitors after this
week will miss this great attraction.
There are many other attractive sights
in the vicinity of Horticultural Hall
and as soon as one fades away aud Is
forgotten another appears and is ad
mired. On the south side of this hall
and opposite from the laurels is a walk,
which for a moment makes n forget
his native land, and imagine himself
transported to a tropical cline. On
one side of it are about a dozen lemon
trees, all laden with full-grown fruit,
some of which are ripe and some
green. On the other side of the walk
are something like a dozen century
plants. Ii this should prove to be their
centennial year for blooming 1t would
be quite a feature of the exhibition.
Then there are flower. pots and beds in
every direction, showing different va
rieties of moss and other roses, ex.
quisite geraniums in countless mum
bers, with many other rare and beauti.
full collections from different parts oil
the world. Numerous fountains have
been placed in different parts of the
grounds, and these are constantly sup
piled with an abundance OF water.
One of these, situated on the east side
OF Horticultural Hall, is a perfect
model of gracefulness. The basin is
about twenty feet in diameter, in the
| center OF which is the fountain about
twenty feet in height. The topmosl
figure is q water nymph, surrounded
by a circle of jets which throw small
| curling streams of water all I'VE the
statue. The water falls into a large
b~owl-shaped basin, and from this again
into another of the same shape.
Under the lower basin stands four little
urchins protected from the shower OF
falling ate by the bowl above. They
are all ready to dive into the large pool
below, but stand there shivering and
afraid to step from their shelter into
the falling water which surrounds
them. In the lower basin are four
statues, those on the opposite sides be-
inc alike One pair represents Venus