New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-20
NATURE AND Art AT THE CAPITOE
THE NEW TERRACES-TREES AND SHRUB
Berry ~ TIE GROUNDS.

~
fFRoM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE rRIBUNEl
WASHINGTON, Dec 1S.-Duriug the long recess tho
Ca pol has been nicely secured and polished all over,
and the new Congress finds it as willie and smooth
and shining as a freshly planted grlyestone Tho
marble surface had begun to weather into texture to
hold the mellowed light instead of rejecting it back
from gterng points and streaKs and patches as from
Furnished metal and the staring white had begun to
cloud into soft grays. when the usna resolution to
scrub the buildings exterior passed The reason
for whitening up the walls to make the masses OF
shadow appear less profound and all the recesses moro
allow has not been revealed Meantime the archi-
ecura terrace the north OF the Capitol has been
completed as has that on the south side, with tho
exception OF some surface details, and ii is evident
now how the dignity and nobility of the entire struct
ure are sustained and augmented by the broa d-set
sodity of the base 1t is plain too that the grading
OF the grounds when it is completed strengthens tho
architectural purpose and effect oi the work
In the plarting there i little OF what Is known az
landscape gardening although the art with whe1
breadth Of 1pen gre usward With surrounding masses
of foliage has Been secured the west iTOat OF tho
CauitoIs north wing IS noteworthy Bat the prevail
n purpose has been TO reveal anu ser lott tne com
m@uding proportions OF monumental building. FROM
every ue If approach It can be SEEN with nothing 10
ob,ruct the sight distract attention and IRON many
Doints II is presented in Citing framework OF foliage
10 detaeh it from surrounding objects while drapery
or oack ground OF trees has been arranged To bring cut
its lines with distmctne's. Provision for crowds OF
President requires large paved areas and many
paths are needed. But belts of sbrhbbery without
being high enough 10 oOstT1ct the view nave bet
dspostd co as To mask the walks and overcome the
hard stony effect they wOld otherwise produce.
The street trees If which the people mere are justly
proud naturally come INTO mind whenever any puDhc
planting at the Capitol thought o. In no other city
of the country have been generally used and
nowhere else have they succeeded 20 well. Ii has
been objected TO them that they are to close to-
ortber lint there are two sides 10 this question ii is
an undcnable misfortune, however, that so large a
nrnnoron of brittle soft wooded speces like poplar
and silver nape were selected. Ii has been proph-
esird too that they AT their best because tho
soil is sterile te OF this was removed where each
trre was set It's place was hlled with nch ioam
n @ trees must have already taken up most OF the
rutriment contained in this and the fear Is that Tho
roots will find feeding hereafter But II VIII DO
tim- enough Ike up this lamentation wheh the
determination begins. Trees planted here years ago
ore aourishing n be seen IN the me growth on
the Smithsonian grounds The grouping OF tLese rets,
by the way is admirable aud this Is not surprising. Tor
il was t6e work of less master OF his art than
A. J. Downing. The adjacent grounds OF the Apn-
cultural Department would have been much more
satisfactory ii they had been designed by some one
,'iib Rawlings genus The selection of some Amei.
cam tree fer the broad avenue would have had
contain apuropratcneSS III such a place, but ii an
A.atir srrri.s was needed some better avenue tree
,h.n the piugkc with its still and angular way of
ha.cling could haze been selected. There are many
men ard iuteIt sling specimens III this attempt at an
ann, etum but the grounds are too small or the num-
Ter o trees t1O great Even now, Wien the trees aV3
of bo crown they are Wdng each other, and many
IF the finest young oaks tor EXAMPLE will soon
De hopcesSly dishgued.