Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-12-29
BELL CONSERVATORY.
vrs r p. Crackers Adaptable Addition
@I,a S,ify

! to the Institutions of the CITY,
Four wears ago the block bounded by y
and Y. Ninth and Tenth streets, was out an
unattractive heap of sand. BY the eApeilo-
iture of A large sum of money there are now
thereon picturesque grounds, extensive and
beautiful buildings, etc, under the name
of the Bell Conservatory. The entrance 10
the main conservatory building is l6 feet
snuare and is marked for its architectural
bnauty. Here are numbers of Lilium longi-
forum. From the entrance the visitor goes
into the main building, which IS octagonal
in shape, glass sides rising perPentlcclaI!y
! % feet with a bell roof, and terminating IN
! = class dome the top of which is 80 feet
from the ground. This main structure IS
Is feet square, and is devoted principally to
tropical plants, such as the Musa Caven-
disbii banana tree. Hibiscus, Polnsetua
nulcherrima Mexican evergreen Dracenas
and paIm trees. The banana trees range
from ) to % feet in hight, with leaves eight
feet in length and two feet wide. Elght
pillars supporting the dome are ornamented
with climbers of the most lovely species III
cultivation. such as the Tacsona Van NolX-
emf. Thunbergia, Bignonia Nenusta, ana
! Stephanotis fiOribunda. " HE IN tnls
place one can easily imagine hllnSeil IN
some tropical cline. To the west Oh inc
| main corridor is an L-shaped addition %
feet in length by 40 wide at the cnd. ms
| is devoted TO choice hellotrope, apuulons'
steyia. Jasmine and few rose plants.
| To the east of the main building IS an
other addition, similar in size and shape to
the one on the west, but divided into two
parts fine first devoted exclusively to winter
| towering plants and begonias, while the
second part is the fernery and aquarium.
| There are two tanks, one in the form of
Greek cross, in which are hundred or more
| fan-tailed goldfish. The second is 10 feet
square and : feet deep, having been built
| for the Victoria Regia, which was success
| fully bloomed for fourteen months. At
present this tank is covered by q movable
platform, on which is Il mound OF towering
plants The ferns are of numerous varie-
| ties. In all the above houses shelving )!
feet in width runs along the sides, on
which are stored part of the thousands of
less hardy plants after they are turned
from the propagating beds into pots.
To the north or rear OF the main building
is the potting-room, % feet in length by 10
feet in width. Here are also stored sam
pies of almost every imaginary design in
wire forms From this the visitor enters the
four propagating houses, each 80 feet long
by II feet wide, with two propagating beds
in each house. Each bed is 90 feet long
bv 4 feet wide, and has a capacity of at
least 1900 cuttings. To the west of
the work-room is the office, and under it
is the boiIer-room and coal-bins. There
are two large-Size boilers, from which lead
4-inch pipes to all parts of the various
buildings One is used only while the
second may be out of repair. Below the
office is a large cool room devoted exclu-
sively to floral work, this department being
i'll the hands of an artist in this line.
Further to the west and separated only
by a driveway is the rose house. This has
Just been completed and is the second
largest glass house devoted exclusively to
rose plants in the United States. The de-
sign is entirely original, being different
from ANYTHING in glass-house architecture
before known. 1t is S5X55 feet. There
are four glass roofs, whose gables rise Il feet
above the ground Between the roofs and
on the two outer sides are decks 3! feet in
width, under which run the pathways
about the Rosery." The sides rise per-
pendicularly : feet, the upper feet OF
which is of glass sash. In the summer
season the entire sash IN this
building can be taken off and stored
Thus the plants are exposed to the weather.
The capacity of the house is 356 roses each
plant being three feet apart, and the idea
is to so make them rest during the summer
months that they will bloom luXuriantlY
in the winter They will thus supply not
only the people of Sacramento, but also san
Francisco. The latter city has roses in the
winter time, but Of very inferior quality.
The plants now being placed in this house
are of the choicest varieties to be had, such
as the Marechal Mel. Catharine Mermet,
| DR.. Berthet Andre Schwartz, Niphetos,
Duchess of Edinburgh, Perle de Lyon,
Miss Edith Clifford and many 9th
ers. To the left of the main building
are ten large propagating beds or frames,
with heavy glass SasheS. comprising
over 200 square feet. There are in all
over 25,000 square feet of sash, covering
1000 square feet of ground.
The grounds are marvel of beauty i'll
the summer time. In the center of one Of
the beds is a handsome statue of the
NEUROLOGICAL god = Mercury In addition
to the entire block now occupied by the
conservatory grounds and the quarter
block owned on the corner of Ninth and
W they have recently purchased the block
adjoining them, thus aff0rding about
five and Il half acres, which will be
brought into use as soon as the soil can be
gotten into a p1oper state for cultivation.
1t is the intention of the Bell Conservatory
to make speciality of the culture Of roses,
and they now have over 800 varieties of
the choicest plants to be obtained in the
country. They will also grow more extern
sively than heretofore ornamental trees,
shrubs and plants. The establishment is
under the management of VI. J. Dillman.