The morning times., 1895-09-08
Botanic Gardens of This
Country and Europe.
NEW YORK HAS THE FEVER
Her Park on the Bronx Is
to Rival Those of Paris
and Berlin.

The fame of the Botanical Gardens of
Washington are known the world over, but
the Capital is by no means the only city.
which boasts OF such an institution.
New York's botanical garden, on the
banks OF the Bronx River, fifteen minutes
b ytrolley from the town, in the history
of the world is the twentieth, the first o ne
having been laid out in Italy in 1920.
Venice had private one in 1898, Padua
founded one 200 years later, Pisa, with
its leaning tower, added a botanical gar
den in 1914, and Bologne caught the bo-
tanicaI fever in 1913.
In the student cities OF Europe, where
the great educational buildings, like Har-
ward and Yale, are situated, it is obliga-
tory by law that the city have a botanical
garden. md also obligatory that the
students go into it daily to study. The
public are only admitted at certain hours,
and at other times the only frequenters
are the students, who sit upon the benches
with books in hand, or wander in phiosO-
phic thought through the walks lined with
rare flowers
A FAD WITH THE QUEEN.
The Royal English Garden, Kew, was
started in the seventeenth century. Queen
Elizabeth wanted flowers for her court
dinners and state gowns, and they were
scarce. Admirers, knowing her love for
plants, would bring her the rarest speci-
mems TO be found, but, for lack Ufwarm
rooms in winter and sun in summer, they
died. She conceived the idea OF having
an English botanical garden She her
self laid out the grounds, much as they are
now, ana she set out the first plants and
small trees.
From the time OF its beginning to tho
present day it has furnished the royal
table with flowers for dinner. The Queens
soniu-law, Prince Christian, attends 10
it, being the royal botanical gardener,
and, though he does not personally dig the
ground. he is responsible for the hiring
OF the head gardeners and he is compl.
mented or passed by at the annual flower
shows according TO his diligence and his
plants
The English garden is the most com
pletc in the world from a botanical stand
point, but from a picturesque view 1t com
pares not at all with the botanical garden
at Sydney, Australia. This is the most
beautiful spot under the sun, and people
who have once vie wed il under the summer
skies live only to tell its glories. The Bay
OF Sydney, with the grandest harbor in
the world, beats against the side walls
OF the garden. These are Of stone, and
back Of them are tail palms, as tall as
maple trees, with great lunches of red
flowers waving at the top of the stalks.
Beyond are the paths.
as you walk through them with the
palms on one hand and the sweet flowers
on the other, you hear the perpetual music
Of the waves beating against that rocky
wall that shuts out the haTboT. The bo-
tancal garden leads into large park,
which is called the domain. 1t has more
natural beauties than any park Of the old
or new world It's roses are larger than
California jacques, and its palms and callas
grow in hedges, mingiing sweet and tall.
II cannot be initiated except in equatorial
climates.
LADY M'QUARRY's CHAIR.
There is a spot in the Sydney botanical
garden to which strangers always go. Op-
posite the Parliament House, across the gar
den, is a great chair of natural stone, not
quite large enoagh fer two people side by
side, but strong enough TO hold their com
bined weight. 1t is the lovers seat, and
its name is Lady MCQuarry's Wishing
Chair. Any wish made there and sealed
with the ratification OF true love in the form
of a kiss is bound TO be fulfilled before the
new moon "winks tired" The Austria
Ian botanical garden is what takes tour
lists out of their way in crossing Australia
and makes them liuger longer than the time
allowed for doing" the island.
The Jardin des Plantes garden OF the
plants) of Paris had its origin, like the Eng
lish garden, in court vanity, or court ca
price. In 1897 the Queen wanted flowers
for her dresses She was obliged To gown
herself with artificial flowers. Give
me white flowers" she demanded. A
tiny botanical garden was started. II
grew and if grew, aud twenty-five years
later it was enlarged by scientific gar
den of wild flowers of France. Then came
the wild ferns aud shrah and fruits for wine
and medicine, and finally the present very
beautiful Jardin des Plantes. Each tree
in the garden, each flower, and each shrub
has a label upon it telling its botanical
name, so that it is place Of study in real
vas well as in name.
The Berlin garden and the Vienna Schon-
bruDn are filled with students from morn
ing until night. They are compelled each
day to commune with nature for so many
hours The university sends them into
the garden, and there they puzzle out their
lessons and study the plants at the same
time That is why the AustriaDs and Ger
mans are so fond of flowers, and why they
know so much abbOut plants. The most
picturesque hooks are planned for them,
and though Lovers Nook is to them more
Imagination than reality, as far as the
garden is concerned, both of these botanical
gardens has a spot so named.
LOVERS NOOK ON THE BRONX.
The selection of Bronx Park for New
York's botanical garden is what might
have been expected. For years this little
stream has found its way through a rocky
bit of country named Bronx Park by build
ers who sought to sell adjacent property,
but as uncultivated and wild as the verieSt
bit of mountain fastness. Children found
their way there on holidays, and Maying
parties knew where the Bronx river and
its little falls and pretty bright fish lay.
Those who saw it once were wild for
others to visit it also. And, when the
projectors of the botanical garden were
led to this spot, and were beguiled down
the Bronx, past the old Snuff Mill, past
the Silent Pool, past the Palisades, and
into the clear running water below, they
were charmed and said, Here is the
spot"
The sweetest place in the new botanical
garden is a spot not often visited. 1t lies
! along the bank OF q small stream that is a
falls from its beginning to its end. 1t is