THE PARIS EXHIBITION.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 125, 23 November 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE PARIS EXHIBITION.

(From Our Special Commtssfoner.) [No. B.] Patus, 25th September, 1889. The random papers in which I hnv< sought to give a general idea of the Exhibition would be materially mcompleto wen I to omit all notice of the guidons ant grounds of the Tiocadoro— in themselves i living exhibition of the choicest trees, plants, and flowers in tho world. The arei: utilized for the purpose is very extensive : the hothouses and conservatories are on j grand scale, and thero is a completeness about the whole which has probably nevei before been attained, nnd must bo invaluable for the purposes of science. Tho riw-rips contain veritably thousands of rose trees, all known varieties from every part of the world being 1 represented. In May and June the effect of these in flower was gorgeous; tho blending of colour, from the pale rosos of tho far East to tlio brilliant crimson 1 nnd gleaming gold of Western Europe, was moit effective. For a length of moro than 500 y.uds aloujc tho Seine— to tin; left oi tho control garden, with its beautiful fountains — oxteudw a belt of fruit trees. On my first visit, late in tho spring, the air wus redolent with perfumed fragranco ; the applo, tho pear, tho peach, the aprirot, the fig, and the almoud wero all in bloom, the buds on some just bursting, on others the young fruit just disclosed by tho falling flowerd. Tho trees are all trimmed with the greatest caro, so that no superfluous wood appears, and in some instances have been trained into queer shapes— cones, pyramids, and other geometrical figures — to the sici-ifice, it must be conceived, of their boaring powers. The exhibition of vegetables is admirably arranged. A market garden, similar, somewhat, to those in tho euvirous of Paris, but of some considerable oxteut, is laid out, and thore is to he soon overy description of vegetable, from the most common to the most choice and delicate, under cultivation in the mo&t approved manner and under the most favourable circumstances. A system of irrigation is shown in work, such us is now most ordinarily in use in certain central departments of France. Tsy an ingenious contrivance, entirely .simple in application, tho water, filtering through beds of propared substanco, serves, aftor tho f.tshion of tho Nile, as a fertilizing as well as a moistening agent. Throughout tho grounds there we groups of conifers — pines in every known variety, cedars, cypresses, junipor, and other trees — whoso elegance and regularity of form commond them to tho landscape gardener. There are also masses of climbing plants, clematis, wisteria, ivy, etc., trained aud displayed to the best advantage. On ouo nido of, and a little below, tho Tiocadero Palace, thore is ft perfect brako of femtrees flourishing in all their natural beauty, and close by a sploudid maple, shadowed by whoao foliage are a choice collection of tho rare conifers of Japan. A labyrinth, bordered aud covered in with tho verdure of trees of every kind, leads from hero by dovious ways to a " cool giot," where, in a miniature lake of translucent water, are to bo scon the most lovely aud rare aquatic plants, among which are especially to be noted magnificent specimens of tho nymphea hybrklcs of Latour Mariac. In front of tho labyrinth is a group of azaleas— a blazo of brilliant colour — and in marked contrast a bed of heaths, with their dark foliage and flowers of delicate rose and •volet. It is impossible, however, to give by description more than a faint idea of the interest and beauty of these gardens, displaying, as they do, to perfection, either in the opon air or under glass, the arboriculture and horticulture of every region under the sun. I may noto, however, specifically the exhibits from Japan — inter alia, a series of lovely lilies, planted in large whito porcelain vases, witb blue mouldings, which show off to perfection the exquisite variegation of delicate colouring. Tho great feature, however, is the exhibition of dwarf forest trees, some of moro than a contury growth ; under normal circumstances, these attain prodigious altitude, but under specific treatment, the real secret of which is religiously kept, thoy are only a few inches high, although in structure, foliage, and properties perfect. Since the opening of the Exhibition in May, thoro have been held in tho Trocadero gardensporiodical horticultural shows, when valuable prizes, donated with lavish hand, have attracted floriculturists, fmit and vegetable growers, professional and amateur, from every part of Europe accessible for the purpose. On these ooas- ions enormous tents were especially orected, aud tho number, variety, and excellence of the exhibits altogether surpassed anticipation. I was able to visit the general show of flowors and fruit held early in this month (September), and was especially struck with the latter, the specimens in several classes of which surpassed anything I hnd ever seen in England or the colonies. The cucumbers wero something to remember ; one, classed as the "snake cucumber," must have been several feet long, but involved in twisted coils, much as a python when exhibited in confinement under a glass cage. The variety of tubers, especially the potato, was legion, and all the green vegetables prodigious in growth. On the whole, I was disappointed with the fruit, but the period of the season was, of course, not propitious — too late for tho small fruits, rather early for the orchard, grapes, an 1 wall fruit. As it was, not to speak of Covent Garden, I have seen finer — much finer — grapes in Dunedin; and grapes, I should nave conceived, would have been a speciality in Franco. The chrysanthemum show was to bo held late in October, and, I was told, would bo something gorgeous, and put a fitting crown upon these altogether most successful exhibitions. Among tho ouriosities in the gardens of the Trocadoro is the Pavilion of the Forests, a most picturesque edifice, original in construction and design, every species of timber grown in France having been used in tho construction and shown in the polished panels of the facade and the roughly-hewn supporting columns. The general effect is that of a rustic chalet, the building being embosomed in trees, whilst an artificial water-course, supplying the fountains in the interior, gushes down through and by tho supporting piles. The Administration of Forests, ohftrged with the organization of this section of the exhibition, have carried out very effectively the idea of showing what the State forests of Franco produce, side by side with tho monster trunks exhibited by Brazil, Mexico, the Argentine Republic, and Australasia. The forest 3 of France are, as a mattor of fact, excellently managed : furrowed throughout by roads and tracks, to facilitate the traveller and the chaise, as well as the work of the foresters. Tho thinning out and lopping are intelligently regulated, tho inspectors and conservators constant in their attention to re-planting, and being in nearly all cases scientific men, devoting their leisure to the collection of flora and fauna for the museums of the Department. The want of funds— for the Parliament of the Republic is wont, like ether Pariiamonts, to starve Departments that are simply useful — has precluded a great deal being dono which is seou by tho Administration to be absolutely essential in tho interests of the country. The opportunity, therefore, has been taken to show in a very graphic manner the struggle which is constantly being maintained against tho almost irresistible force of inundations, by controlling torronts, keeping them within definito channels, and consolidating mountain slopes which menace ruin below. The results have been in many instances effected by judicious planting and ro-planting. Entire territories have been, as it ■\yere, reclaimed, and villages have reappeared whose population had fled before the flood and the landslip. The much, however, that has been done is but a little of what circumstances in many parts of France urgently demand ; but this means the immediate expenditure of perhaps millions of francs. The Administration, laudably desirous that this matter should be thoroughly understood, illustrate their work not only by drawings, plans, and models in relief, but by a series of dioramas, which render clear even to tho uninitiated the character and effect of the various operations. Passing through a dark antichamber, the spectator finds himself in a forester's or quarryman's hut, as tho coso may be, all tho surroundings being realistically comploto; and through the window or open door he views what might be — bo for as appearance — tho actual scene.

In a very favourable review of the work of tho Forest Department, a leading Paris journal it-marks, und the words are well worth taking to heart — " Let the new world meditate, in the face of these devastations, flier ked at bo enormous a cost, upon the dangers of cutting down the natural timber of a country, whilst it takes account of the ruin whir-h tho disappearance of tho forests eventually entails. It should be understood how urgent it is to chick the reckless destruction of woods which irmy seem to be inexhaustible, and that it is indispen«ible to regulate the fulling of all timber. In South and North Amork-a, in Canada and Australia, trees of marvollous .size are cut down without method or nrraugcmcnts for replanting ; entire forests arc sometimes burnt to clear tho grrourd for purposes of cultivatfon. Tho present occupants hasten to enrich themselves, curing not at all about tho generations who nro to succeed them."