New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-12
AMERICAN GARDENS.
A TALK WITH HENRI L. DE vILMORlN ABOUT
FLOWERS AND TREES.
FLOWERS sCAICER THAN LAWNs-BEAUTY OF THE
TREES IN AUTUMN-IMPRESSIONS OF WASH
INGTON-sUPERIOE CUT FLOWERS
SOUTHERN CALIFOHNIA-F2UlTs.


INGToy-sUPERIOR CUT FLOWERS
SOUTHERN cAIIFoENIA-FaUITs.
Henri L. de Vilmorin. Of the present mem
bers of the great seed house of Nilmorin Andrieux
Co. Of Paris. which for a century and hait
furnished the best illustration of business firm
which combines scientific investigation with COM
mercal enterprise, to this country during the
summer to make some investigation of wheat
supply and TO look after his business interests here
NJ de Vilmorn is perpetual secretary of The Agri-
cultural Society of France, perhaps the most I'M
portant organization of its kind the Continent;
is vice-president Of the National Horticultural So
c,ety of France, and the real executive of that
body He is the author of many important papers
on the breeding of cultivated wheat and other
economic plants, and is esteemed highly by scieh-
tfc men and horticulturists of all countries. At
the recent Congress of Horticulture in Chicago he
read a paper on Pedigree or Grade Races IN
Horticulture" which was considered by men OF
science of great value. Just before he sailed ior
home NJ de Vilmorin kindly consented to give some
of the impressions which he had formed OF the
horticulture of this country after travelling through
a large portion of it, including the western ana
Pacific States He had been over much OF the
same region three years ago, and when asked II
he had observed any changes in the horticultural
condition Of the country during this period ne sa
.My recent trip through the United States was
more largely designed for the study OF agriculture
fore me- I framed my itinerary more with view
10 seeing large fields of wheat than to observe 'he
DEVELOPMENT of horticulture. Naturally, however
/ took in as much in the way of horticulture as !
could because it is in my line of business ana
am much interested III anything connected with inc
subiect I send many seeds to the United states.
and / wanted to be well posted in the matter oil
local tastes and have weldeiined IDEAS as TO what
sort Of articles they liked. saw great zeal III
travelling about and in my studies on the SUBJECT
Nar
been here three years AGO, and in my recent .raVtS
what I distinctly saw great change for the
better"
RARITY OF PRIVATE GARDENS.
"What have you observed as the fundamental
differences between American and European gar
dense
"One of the first things I noticed during my first
visit and which still forces itself on the attention.
&c the rarity of private gardens here. 1t strikes
me that the people do not form the same attach
ment 10 a family place in this country which they
do in the old world. In fact have found num-
Der OF people who were born East emisra'eu 10
the West and then moved onward to Colorauo'
and even TO California, but they have been Kept
so busy especially in the newer countries that
,bev did not get much time to make the surround
ings of their homes attractive as they might w
by means of careful planting. and they nave not
remained long enough in one place 10 achieNe any
success in this direction. There is, however a
great deal of gardening in flowers In TINS couN-
trv II can Judge by the large quantities OF mower
seeds which are distributed by the seed houses.
saw some of the rooms in which the large seeu-
distributing firms of America have theh seeas
nut I'D in paper wrappers for shipping lhasn"oh
as there are thousands upon thousands OF papers
=, eorer seeds turned out and distributed every year
there must of course. be seed sown in many 10
calities but they not very apparent to the traV
eller In fact. 1 few really pretty mower gar
dens except in the East, and especially IN Massa
&c y,ll
er,v not far from Boston. where there are yer!
beautiful gardens and some extraordinarily pretty
flowers | notice also that in some OF the cues
there are many good displays, ana houce, 'oo
that some corporations give good examples OF gar
dening of mixed and ornamental MOWERS. roI IL"
s,once on the lines of the Pennsylvania faiiroan
find that most of the stations are PreV''ly ueoo
rated: they have well-kept grass plots and IN the
centre beds of mixed flowers ana mosaic "oin az
tistically arranged ,
..rhe Shaw Botanic Garden at St LOUIS SHOWS
good examples of mixed flower gardening. Ihey
80 ayerv,hinr there to teach the people now 10
,av ont and keep a garden with good taste ana III
elegant style. They have good grass nice i'i"e'
borders of flowers and bedding plants anu d" az
boretuun we'll planted and extensive. In TACT
may say that since my last FiSit i'iiu "'' %"
have greatly improved.
HORTICULTURE AT TIE WORLDS FAIR
..rho horticultural work at the Worlds Fair in
Chicago WAS certainly creditable and the more so
hecause as YOU know. it accomplishing under
unusual difficulties. 1t shows very well how diih
cult IL is with the American climate to turn 10
good account many pretty ANNALS with when we
In Furope accomplish such good results Here
there is not time TO develop these strong plants
fare they are scorcheI and burned by the summer
gun Some of the California plants ana your own
native plants do we'll They have there fine dis
nlav of petunlas The boldest effects. however
nv he large lowered
cannas which seemed to be a summer ana autumn
fl wer wonderfully adapted to the American chia'e
These are. Of course used in many other places
than Chicago. The display of gladden. at the
Worlds Fair was most effective, all the known va
rieties being exhibited from the old GandaVehsiS
forms to the newer hybrid kinds, which are very
picturesque, but certainly great deal more fuga-
cious than the other one l suppose the OLD Hahd-
avensis will remain favorite, however on ac
count of the substance of the flowers and their
ability to develop larger numbers OF buds AT the
same time and on the same stalk. After ALL the
establishment parks. extensive pleasure grounds
consisting chiefly of grass. trees ana shrup pidh'a-
tons are more to the American taste and nave
higher possibilities here than mere flower gardens;
but have had much qualification and admiration
at what have seen all over the country
'You went to Washington OF coursc?
Yes and / enjoyed the botanical gardens there
heartily. a striking feature in horticulture there
is the wonderful collection Of water lilies in the
Bartholdi Fountain. Almost all the known species
and varieties are be found there in bloom all
through the summer. and they make very beau
tiful picture.
Il was pleased, too, with the laying out Of Jack
son. Lafayette Square as it is called This
SPACE is quite limited in extent, but it is sufficient
TO show good growth OF fine variety of
mental trees. The grounds of the Smithsonian In
situation are planted In most systematic manner
tiees of the genus being brought close to
one another. forestaling the plan that is adopted
now for the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plains.
near Boston. 1t is thing 20 trees planted
with view Of large future development that
they do not become crowded. BY planting the
trees too close together when they young IL
happens often that some of The most valuable trees
have to be removed in order to make room for
others. so that as the plan IL developed many
Individuals are sacrificed or II they left they
clnd a,,d fnI Nl,,.