New-York tribune., 1900-08-12

iron s,reenbouse which has lust been completed
will press the older structure hard for first place
in the estimation OF the visiting crowds i1s
progress was watched by many visitors, ana
when it ready to be put in use the plants
were taken in and placed in position and the
greenhouse one Of the largest in the world and
the second in size in this country. was opened
without form or ceremony and has been visited
daily since then by hundreds Of people As a
building of it's kind it is considered By artists
rarely beautiful. The central rOtunda, capped
by DOME is about hundred feet IN diam
eter To either side wings 10 feet long.
which are also capped by dones sixty feet
square. Each lateral wing has two compart-
nlents and these are filled with plants. but only
a few have been arranged and classified yet
The medium sized tropical plants are on the
west end. and those Of the temperate zone on
the east side.
| "A winters experience" said Or. n / Brit
ton, the director-in-chief viii determine where
| the plants shall be permanently placed They
l have been repotted and placed IN the house.
where they Will be carefully watched, and n Il
is found necessary to do so they will be changed
70 other parts Of the building In the west wing
are many specimens Of palms. bambOOs. crOtons.
aloes and other small tropical plants The sub
wing of the west side IS devoted to the succuIent
plants. among which there are many cactL
agaves. navelwort and orDines.
AN IMMENSE BEGONIA
| These and the cocaine chocolate acacias and
| begonias in the miscellaneous collection on the
west side usually interest the visitors The
! largest begOnia in the collection came from
Porto Rico It is said to be the largest speci-
men in cultivation. and was gift from Cor
nelius Vanderbilt Here also seen hand
some specimens of orchids. pitcher plants and
! caladium, better known elephants ears In
the central rotunda are the handsome palms
| and other tropical plants which were presented
| to the garden by Miss Gould and the monster
AnthUrum Veitchii which to the coIec-
| tion through the kindness OF Mrs. Ames- All
| these great specimens have little interest for
some visitors who rush past them and tiDger
over the racks on which the pOtted sensitive
plants are kept They tap the long leaves and
watch them drOOp and close, and then Iinger
| about the place TO them resume their nat
rI.s7 pose.
I South of the museum and east OF the green
house, in a natural valley Of eight or nine acres
in area, is the part Of the gardens known as the
herbaceous grounds. There the hardy plants,
| arranged in families are under cultivation
Every plant is marked. so that in walking about
on the grounds gets a glimpse Of a great
variety of the plants Of the north temperate
zone. The collection contains about two
thousand specimens. and these are arranged on
two sides of a pretty stream. which at one
/ point becomes a tiny lake IN which there
many varieties of water plants. On one side
OF the stream are the endogenOus plants. like
grasses, sedges, lilies blue flags etc and on
the other side are the exOgenous plants among
which are the buttercups pinks. peas maIIow,
milkweed. mint, foxglOve. teaseI. sunfoyFer etc.
On rocks TO the north are the stonecrop and
hardy cacti.
The south end Of the valley is now the most
interesting because it contains the blooming
specimens of the sunf0wer family On ledge
slightly above the glade is a plot devoted TO
such representatives OF the thistle family that
require constant shade 1t is a picturesque cool
spot. literally sprinkled with the tiny gray
metal labels that look like miniature head
stones and give that part Of the grounds the
| appearance OF a dolls graveyard
\ natural thicket. at the extreme south end
of the glade. contains the fern collection This
is also Of the beautiful spots OF the gar
den and rustic stone walls have been erected
to improve the picture. but here as at all other
points the natural features have been pre-
served. and no efforts have been made to de-
stroy the rustic appearance OF the place
South and east OF the glade one comes to q
natural forest Of about seventy acres forty
acres of which are covered by a thick growth OF
| hemlOck.
There may be people to whom the museum.