Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-09-26

Ames estate having been a competitor
5 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-
ftions 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
|
estate in which the trained eye of the
landscape architect and the hand OF
the careful tiller of the soil are man.
lfest, 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, ald con
nected by subterranean cOnGiiits 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
speclosum, the lotus of China and
Japan. So hardy and prolific has it
been found that it is believed to be
only 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 it is known that
while one pod contains from 100000
to 100000 seeds, only 200 or 800 of
these can be counted on to terminate,
and only three or four probably will
live to the Towering stage.
One of the greenhouses, because a
cool temperature must be maintained
throughout the year, is devoted ex-
clusively to the Masdevallia collection
on the Andes mountains by Mr.. Grey
for botanical work in the laboratory.
He spent two years in South America
making this collection. In the rookie
ries are "a species of native ferns, and
in beds 27 species of asters. A great
rCGe bed has been recently added to
the estate in Difference to the tastes
of Mrs. Cakes Ames from her own de-
signs, and while beautiful and har-
monious Ines have been observed,
everything has been adapted to ease
in cultivation and gathering. On this
estate there are 455 trees and shrubs
growing out of doors, but the number
is much larger on the farm of lis
acres four miles away, maintained by
Mr.. Ames for exclusively botanic pur-
poses. A novelty in greenhouse cul-
was a small plantation of sugar-cane
from Louisiana and the experiments
being made in propagating the cane OF
Cuba for the purpose of improving its
value for commercial purposes.
Although much of the time of Mr..
Ames is given to the botanic garden
of Hazard university at Cambridge,
he maintains in connection with his
conservatory a finely equipped labora-
tory, where he conducts, with the aid
of an assistant his experiments in
hybridization. Over 1000 species
are now preserved in alcohol for
laboratory work. To conduct these
experiments there il in use a micros-
cope that magiifies 1000 times, and
an instrument called the microtome,
which will cut the cross section of
plant ovary into lengths of the l.
1000th part of an inch. The great col
lection of specimens of orchids pre-
served in albums and the remarkable
library of works on botany and kin
dred subjects, contained in the house,
are features of this estate that cannot
be matched by any other in the coun.
try.-BostOn Transcript.