Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-09-26
A COLLECTION OF RARE PLANTS.
On the oliver Ames Estate at North
Easton.

On the oliver Ames Estate at North
Easton.
The Oliver Ames estate at North
Easton, which is a competitor for the
H. H. Hunnewell triennial premium,
offered under the auspices Nof the
Massachusetts horticultural society,
was visited by the committee on gar
dens and it's guests on Tuesday. The
party was composed of Patrick Nor.
ton, chairman, Col Henry w. Wilson,
Warren Howard Heustis and Arthur
H. Fewkes of the committee, and
President o. B. Hadwen and ex-Presi-
dent William G. Strong, guests. There
are two prizes offered, and the condi-
lions under which the estates COM
pete are that they must not contain
less than three acres, laid out with
taste, judiciously planted, and kept in
years. The two excelling in these par
tfeulars will take the prizes. The
Ames estate having been competitor
for two years, and this having been
the third visit in order to determine
its condition. the committee has now
before it all necessary information for
making up its report.
This remarkable estate shows not
only the constant growth and change
going on in the vegetable products
that have been gathered for scientific
and ornamental purpose from all
parts of the world, but accessions are
being continually made by importa-
tions and hybridization. AS result
of visits made to South America, Cuba
and other parts of the world by Mr..
Grey, the gardener, for rare specimens
of plants, there can be seen growing
on the grounds and in the conServa-
tories the strange vegetable products
of the high plateaus of the Andes. the
lilies of the rivers of China and Japan
and the tropical growths of the West
Indies. Mingled with these are the
grand old trees personally planted by
Gov. Ames when he first laid out the
estate in which the trained eye of the
landscape architect and the hand OF
ifest, and the great collection of native
plants culled from fields. swamps,
ponds and forests by his son, which
are growing as thriftily as when taken
from the virgin soil
What was once an unsightly swamp
has been converted into three ponds,
fed by ever-fowing springs, and con-
nected by subterranean conduits and
babbling brooks. In these are the
great collection of lilies, which form
one of the most interesting and val
liable products of the estate. The
varities are many, but chief among
them is the great snowy Nelumbium
speciosum, the lotus of China and
Japan. So hardy and prolific has it
been found that ii is believed to be
only a question of time when it will
be one of the most attractive feat
ures of the landscape of New England,
Transforming unsightly boys and
ponds into places of great beauty. AL
ready has the cultivation of water
lilies, largely through the influence
of Mr.. Ames, become almost as i'm
portant and popular as the propaga.
ton of roses. BY careful cultivation
not only have the varieties been large
ly increased, but their size and beauty
greatly developed. A new breed of
Caladium, the first to be received in
this country and named for Mr.. Ames.
is highly priced because it has been
found very hardy and well adapted for
house culture. OF the cypripedium
there are in the greenhouses 377
species and of the insigne the most
complete collection in the world. OF
one variety there is only one other
specimen in the country, and this one
is valued at $3.50 The great difficulties
attending the propagation of these
will be realized when il is known, that
while one pod contains from 200. 600
to 100000 seeds. only 200 or 300 O,