Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-21
ALGAL VEGETATION.
An Idea Of What May be Learned
in an Aquatic Conservatory.
THAT PROPOSED In WEST PARK.
Superintendent Hamilton Talked of it in q
General Way Yesterday.
WHAT THE NEW BUILDING WILL BE LIKE

The last princely gift of Henry Phlpps, Jr.,
to Allegheny City, an aquatic conservatory,
must be studied while to be appreciated. A
| few people favorably situated on the seashore,
with luxuriant flora on hand, live and die with
as little appreciation Of their surroundings as
does the hog who eats acorns under the tree,
without ever giving a thought as to their
origin-at least, some suppose the hog to be
thus insensate-but to the cultivated person
living in the city, where his senses are starved,
even the lichens, on the stone wall are of price,
less value. There are thousands of people
within 20. miles of Pittsburg who daily tread
under their feet beautiful forms of endozens
acrozens and thallofzens (sedges, grasses, FERNS
liverworts and mosses) without ever CIV
ing them a thought except as to their
commercial value. They may know that
Where the copsewood is the greenest
Where the fountain glistens sheenest.
Where the mountain dew lies longest
There the L. dry +. grows strongest;
but they don't care for that They regard
venerable oak, aged but still sound and full of
life, as worth so many dollars, and they have
no other regard for it. Not long since in a vii
lage on the Pittsburg and Lake Erie Railway,
not a dozen miles from the city, man well on
toward three score and ten, sold an oak to
vapdal sawmill owner for S5, Notwithstanding
that tree had shaded his cradle and was a thing
vicinity. He was a rich man, too, and didn't
need the money
CULTURE AND PROFIT COMBINE.
There is something more than a mere senti-
ment of love for the beautiful in nature though
that should be sufficient. TO be gained by culti-
waiting public taste. Did our people love beauty
more and dollars less, we should not now be
mourning so much disaster either from drouth
or flood as has been experienced in the last ten
1xarro had dr1nF,r doll fnh
Superintendent Hamilton states that promi-
nent feature in the new conservatory will be
water lilies, red, yellow, blue and pink.
The Victoria Regia throws out stems
plants are crryptogamous (howerless).
and all make interesting studies.
value. The Fungi, though they grow in the
shape of mushrooms, toad-stools, mold, mildew,
smut, rust dry rot and blight are related to
the alg@ The latter include both fresh and
salt water plants, chiefly the latter. They num-
Der thousands of species and range from micro
scopic cells floating on water to vast submarine
forests OF the alg8 it is said that I'm the
lowest forms some of these cellular plants ap-
prOach so nearly the boundary between vege-
table and animal life, that it is impossible to
tell where the one ends and the other begins"
The green runcous that collects on stones con-
stantly moistened by water is the lowest
form. Something nearly related covers the
Red Sea and from its color gives the name.
IN THE AQUATIC CONSERVATORY
in Allegheny will be propagated the lace plant,
beautiful, but howerless. Something in some
respects similar, but on an immense scale, is
found in the North Sea, and near the Orkpeys
it forms meadows through which it is difficult
to force boat. This thread-like species grows
from 80 to l,000 feet or more in length. and
from the thickness of thread to that of
mans arm. The Sargasso, or gulf weed, mats
so thickly the middle of the Atlantic that it
retards passing vessels AT short distance
away it seems sufficiently substantial to walk
upon. The Ssrgasso Sea is said to be equal TO
the area of tho Mississippi valley.
A volume might be written respecting the
beauties of algal study and hence the import
ance of stimulating by means of the conserva-
tory offered by Mr.. Phipps. The results may
be further reaching than we can even conceive.
As has been already stated the buildings
will cover 5000 square feet. One will be 40x60
feet and Is feet high, AMI two will each be 20x
50 feet and II feet high, with a connection be-
tween the present house and the new one 20x22
feet. In general the architecture will be the
Same as that of the present structure and will
add much to the already beautiful park in
which these conservatories are located.