The Washington bee., 1893-10-07
VANDERBILT'S MOUNTAIN HOME.
How Wilderness has Been Transformed
into q Flower Garden

How a Wilderness has Been Transformed
into Flower Garden,
George W. Vanderbilt, one of the
younger members of that famous fam
lily, has developed an untamed North
Carolina forest into a beautiful home.
He is not yet thirty years Of age, but,
to judge from the Lewisburg, Pa,
Chronicles description of the transfor-
nation he has effected in the North
Carolina mountains, he seems to be
spending his money with an intelli-
gence somewhat rare among men who
have so much to spend, and his enter
prise is suggestive Of the period which,
in view of the rapid increase of the
population Of the country, cannot be
very far distant when land in the
United States must be very much more
valuable than it is to-day. Mr.. Van
derbilt's tastes are said to run in the
direction of art and letters. His North
Carolina enterprise indicates that he
represents a development in his be-
yond the money acquiring stage. His
first step was to purchase, besides sew
eral mountains, $4,000 acres of land
along the French Broad and the Swan
anOa Rivers. The next step in which
he exhibited unusual intelligence in en-
joying his opportunities was to restrain
the natural temptation to carry out
plans of his own and to employ the
services of the greatest landscape ar
tist in the country, Frederick Law Ohm
stead, who had so much to do with
laying out the Worlds Fair grounds.
So far, sixty-fve miles Of macadam
road have been constructed on Mr..
Vanderbilt's North Carolina estate.
Seven hundred men are employed,
their wages running from 81 per day
to the salary of $4,000 paid to the
Overseer.
Three years ago the work of trans
forming old fields, pastures and wood
lands into harmonious landscape be-
gan, and Prof. Harbeson, who has
spent many days in studying the devel-
opment Of the place, is enthusiastic
over the progress made. He says that
Druid Hill Park, at Baltimore; Fair
mount Park, at Philadelphia; the Bos-
ton Garden and the Central Park, of
New York, contain nothing that is
comparable with several miles of the
approach on the Vanderbilt estate,
which is art Of the highest kind, com
bination of nature and the work Of
man so happily joined that the eye
cannot tell where the one ends and
the other begins. Bowlders have been
set in place, rhododendrons transplant
ed, and the whole is declared to be
poem in plants, trees and flowers, the
longest poem ever made and one Of
the greatest. A trained forester is set
ting out large plantations of forest
trees. The arbOretum is declared to
surpass the famous Arnold arboretum
at Cambridge, and when completed
will contain every tree, shrub and
woody plant found in the world which
Is hardy to the climate. Ten miles of
railroads have been constructed to
transport materials about the estate.
Vast eXtents of land, which q year or
so ago were entirely unproductive,
have been so changed by plowing,
heavy manuring and green soiling that
to-day Prof. HarbesOn says they are
growing as fine crops as can be grown
in the most fertile valleys of the
Northern States. Lately Mr. Wander
bilt has added 10000 acres for hunt
ing park. There will be deer parks
and lakes, and the house, which will
cost about S5,OOO,OOO, it is said, will be
the largest dwelling house In the world
and one of the worlds most famous
structures. Already by the introduction
of MOSES and vines at the bridges por-
tions Of the place have taken on the
appearance Of age and the appearance
of newness has been overcome.