Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-19
THE CENTENNIAL.
The horticultural Display-The DIvi-
stos OF the Grounds Arrange
EIent within the Hall.

7 ne horticultural DispIay-The DIvi-
sic. OF the Grounds -rhe Arrange
HIent Within the Hail.
The Continental Hotel OF Philadelphia
strikingiy resembles the Fifth Avenue Ho
tel of New York In the manner in which the
immense halls are crowded of evenings. Il
i the common gossip exchange, where the
PhilSdelphians and strangers from every
part OF The country meet 10 have n social
G. at, and p obably glass OF Frederickshall
bltter water-the prevailing IA shtOnable bSv-
erage OF the QUAKER City. And here the
Centennial ana all its works are nightly
scuss ed from the most varied of stand
points, and with every shade OF favorable
and unfavorable opinion. have mingled in
the talk at least fifty times. yet have never
heard an Enfavorable word spoken against
the horticultural building. which has been
fully described IN former letters and which
The readers of The New York Times may
recall as a siIikiBgly bold creature Of
The AOresque or SaTaceD.c order. II has
sUcct eded In charming everybody, and /
hoI city think that the exterior arrange
men t. will meet also with general apprOoa-
ton. For, with this department, there is
perl aIs more to see on the outside than on
The ia side. The building stands in grounds
of about forty acTes-the finRl swell of the
brG al plateau of LaIsdOwne Terrace before
It's banks siI precipitately to the Schnyl-
Kill river. These grounds reach from the
LaEsdowBe river drive on the east, along the
pathway skirtiug the great ravine between
il and The Art Hall on the south, TO Belmont
avenue, its western boundary. They extend
aIOT 2 This avenue up 10 the WOnau's WORK
Pavilion, ard their northern boundary
stretches in n straight line from that build
Ing to Lauber's restaurant, which restles
among the pine trees that overlook the
ScfuS lkill river. These grounds are bisected
north and south by the Agricultural avenue,
which extends from tie buildings of ths de
paTtmcht To the pathway along the great
ravine, and east and west by Fountain ave
nue., which extends from the drive to Bel
mont avenue, and ais1 by tOrtuOus aud
labyrinihlne walks having a total length OF
three miles.
In the disposition Of these grounds the su-
perintendent of the department, Mr.. Charles
II. Miller, has shown very considerable
taste, and also sincere desire 10 deal Justly
with the foreign competitors. For in no di-
vision of the Centennial Exhibition will be
displayed keener rivalry than here. Nor
is the reason far TO seek. The Americans are
essentially artistic in temperament, though
their material surroundings have rather de-
ferTed any tremendous outburst in evidence
of this. Yet it is perfectly well known TO
many that there are hundreds OF young mer-
chants and young lawyers who either sketch
very fairly in water cOlOrs or etch with real
ability. In Others the artistic desires and
lODgings appear only in exquisite apprecIa-
ton of cOlOrs, in dainty furniture, personal
adOTnment, or in passionate love for flow
ers. In New York the ecstasy of apprecia-
ton of these gems OF natures handiWork is
almost abnormal, and has led to a rage of eX-
tTavagance which would seem rather the
competition of purse pride than the reckless
ness of sincere liking. But the fact is unmis-
taxable that in the cities of America the COG
sumption of cut flowers is singularly great,
and that the consumption of New York alone
exceeds that of all others put together.
Hence America is a grand market, as the
dealers of Paris, Lyons and Hamburg know
full vel. Every spring their catalogues of
bulbs and rOse-irees Hood New York and
astOund the horticultu rally disposed by the
ever-iEcTeasiug lists OF new glaiioli, lilie5
tulips, amarsnthS, amaryllids. and even
hyacinths The lists of roses very seldom
have new additions; not that they are not
sou: BIT for, but that getting new variety is
Ike Fl ding large diamond. The latest
varts tics that have succeeded are the Jacque
mircaud a1d the Marshal O'NeiI, the first of
which came TO light, l believe, in 1852, and
the latter five years later. And yet single
JaquemineaUd flower before Easter Sunday
costs fifty cents, so that the profit TO the
dealers in selling the plant wien It was a
novelty must have been something pro
dig!Ou-; and as the trade of the foreign
dealers Is almost entirely in the things
named, It is obvious thar what they have 70
show VIII be on the outside AID not in the
interior, where the tall palms will droop
their long irOnds In tropical neat. and the
vivid hues of the cpiphyte blossoms Will
shine like precious gems.
The plot OF ground nearest TO the WOmau's
Work pavilion has been ceded ID American
bOTtcUlturists and 70 dealers in rdsGic work
SOuin Of Them Germany has 10000 square
feet. reaching from Belmont avenue to Agri-
cultural avenue. But in this ground are iu-
ciCLed the areas occupied 10y the German
Coy 6THment Pavilion, the Brazilian PdVii-
ion, and the Kiosk 81 the Morocco Scherifr
At tie Junction o. tie Agricultural aveaue
with tue main pathway Dfthe horticultural
grounds-FOuIta tain uvcu le-which runs dre
east and west. Ih,Ie is an open circUlsT
space, which may be decorated with small
maI bic fountain, Il the display of the italian
mai bic work can pare such a thing Bar
the certain adOrnmeuL Will be the hyaciutuS
Wh CHI, to the number OF p 200 bulbs, have
b eD planted around the circle. TIE depart.
nent planted Is 600 bulbs, private cOmpeJi-
tcrs 5000. and France I,20O. GA the
O her side of Agricultural avenue, opposite
tn tie German Empire, England has Que
sore exactly, which Will be filled up by her
Eor,sts as ,hey choose, only they must not
change the forms OF the plots which ha We
bt en- arranged liz those serpenIine lines which
may have been remarked in the Central
park, up a the Old convent. JIst north of
item there VIII be displays by two makers
Of rustic work, and east of them comes Spain
with O. 90 square feet, which will be devoted
to floral displays from Cuba. There will be
a fountain In this allotment, and an OIL &c of
faithful isle. Then comes la belle France
with 1900 square feet, in which are included
those glorious Old chestnut trees near the
lavine, and that magnificent clump OF pines,
tall and stately, that borders on the new
drive, and is close to the end of the bridge
built go elegantly and quickly by Mr.. VIII
son, one OF the engineers of the Pennsylvania
railroad. The Netherlands, just south of
them have only 200 feet, and perhaps NAV
here remark that Holland seems out OF
humor with this Centennial, and sends very
little indeed TO her transatlantic friends
Directly east OF the buildings, where the
broad plain slopes down TO the steep river
banks, the department has reserved all the
land for ITSELF, and has arranged q circular
walk, around the interior of which is a plot
OfgTOund with thirteen star shaped parterres
and IN the centre fountain with @ high 1T
OF water. North OF this Is at present a wood
OF young pines, but these are TO be cut away
to admit OF Austria S dis play in an allotment
OF 200 feet. North Of this is the broad drive
on the other size of which is Lauber's res
taurant, among the glutinous fragrance Of
the rcGinous pines. And this brings US up
exactly TO the north OF tue building, where
an annex is TO be erected mainly for the
special exhibition OF cut flowers, and plants
In pots, &c, which are for sale. But for the
opening six weeks Of the exhibition England
Will have the sole use OF this building 10 dis
Play the giories OF her ThododendronS. Those
WHO have not been To the great London
flower shows at old Gore House, in South
hensingtOp, and at Kew, have we'll
grounded belief that the bold BritisheTs
Will carry away the palm from the
native exhibitors OF the same kind OF
shrub, which ia purely American, and in
seed clothes with unmatcBable splendor the
mountain sides OF the Pennsylvania ana
New York ranges in early summer. Along
tie Delaware and the SusquehanGa and the
Juapita, and up the sleeps OF the CatskiIlS
aud kittatinnles the glow OF color in June
passes belief But in spite OF all that, the
shrub has been little cultivated in this cOun-