St Vladimir (fig. 151.), erected by Alexander, on tbe spot Avbere tbe saint was baptized,
for tlie purpose of commemorating tbe introduction of Cliristianity mto JRussia.
S u b s e c t . 2. Russian Gardening, in respect to the Cidture o f Flowers and Plants o f
Ornament.
468. Dutch flowcr-roots Avould doubtless be introduced iu the iiupcrinl gardens with
the Dutch taste in design, und soon atler copied, by such of tbe nobility as could allord
to copy in matters of this kind. I t was reserved, bowcA'er, for Catherine II. to give a
serious impulse to a taste for floriculture, by establishing at St. Petersburgh the first
public botanic garden, iu 1785, for the use uf tbe academy of sciences. Another was
soon after formed for the medical coUcge. , c n i
469. Botany, in Russia, bas been encouraged more or less since tbe time ot Catherine
II Diirim^ tbe rcigii of Alexander, 50,000 silver roubles, aud the Apotbccanes
i ' - ------------- ---------------.................... I .
director. . . , . , .
into a garden. The operations were commenced in 1824, and caiTicd mto cxecutum
witb such rapidity as, perhaps, bas scarcely any parallel iu the annals of botanical institutions.
Orders were given for ranges of gi-ccnbonscs, consenmtorics, and stoves, the
cost of which was estimated at 1,000,000 roubles (about 40,000/. sterling), and tbe whole
were completed before the winter of 1825. Udicrc arc three prmcipid bouses facing
the south, each 700 feet in length, and 20 to 30 feet from back to front, placed m
parallel lines bnt at such a distance from each other, tbat witb two other bouses of tbe
same length, running from north to south, and placed at the ends of these, the whole
forms a parallelogram, measuring 700 feet each way, intersected by a central house of the
same length. The middle building is most lofty, being forty feet high m the central
part. The three that face the south have sloping lights in front, reaching from the top
to the ground ; tbosc which run north and south have double roofs, arc comparatively
low, and have the iiatb in the centre. All arc heated by means of common fines, and
with wood, principally birch. Water is raised by engines from the river, and cisterns arc
filled in various parts of the houses, and in the most convenient situations. The largo
spaces of ground, or areas, beriveen the buildings arc filled with shrabs and flower-beds ;
only behind the most southern one is a splendcd suite of apartments ibr the royjil family';
these have windows opening from above into the house bcloAv, so that the plants may
be scon to great advantage. Handsome and commodious apartments arc built for
Dr. Fischer, and for the two chief gardeners, one of ivliom is a Dane, and the other a
Frenchman. Two secretaries arc employed, one a Fi'cnch gentleman, M. Flcnry, the
other a Russian ; and also an excellent botanic painter, a native of German)^ who has
already executed some very beautiful draAvings of ucav and rare plants : 100,000 roubles
were appropriated for the purchase of plants at the commencement; and 68,000 roubles
annually for the ordinary expenses. Dr. Granville, avIio saw this garden in 1829,
describes it th\xs: —
The imperial botanic garden of St. Pctershnrgh. Tho glnss-housos in this g.iv(len form a parallelogram
of three parallel lines ; which are united at each end by covered corridors, and constitute the principal
k a tu rc o fto «
‘ta „Orth
compartments, of lOOtoisos each. T '’® of open ground between th e lines
plot of ground is a nursery ol every ‘ft®® ¡ur !n Russia, especially intended for
systematical arrangement of *he natura! one : and to this p art of the garden it is
th e study of botany. T he classilication ’arboretum for such fruit and torcftt
Intendocl to add a collection ot plants to *o c p,,torsbur-di exists in another part of the garden. I ho
trees and shrubs as can ondarci the climate of division of the ground, of every
s tu d y o f medical botany IS fiici itated b j th ere is another division for culinary
vegetable article of t «L^^^teria m c m ^ have been devoted to
aud other economical plants. Iso l<.wi.i ® , the hospitals : and with regard to one article
medicinal plants, or simplc's, on a sea e sut cici t to snPPfr‘h® saving groat
alone, the extra ct of nmiiiiicd tlii mc-dical department of hospitals in the cxpeiisc to the crown, it having liunishc d t 'f t muuc.u u cHrdeiiing also hasc nooutr bseee onf lloarsgto ytteeanr
( 1828) , 4 r)G0 poundsof the Irc-sh cavosof th a t a plot of ground has been set ap a rt; and in
in the general aiTaiigeiiieiit ; r,,rrnk^ accessible to the student of botany, lor
a farther division of th e in November, 1824, oxexamining
every plant oaths et and caused considerable damage. The water
tended to this establishment, then ®// , oSns leading to the hothouses, to a height of lour
rose, as mark«! b j a rod 7 « in 0 0 0 „ „ „ e s of
f t f t k a f o i f a i d ti'famiiic s. Proiessor Fischer has fully availed hlmscil of tins
plants are kept and ft«' ®‘^Aogctlicr with a ® ® ® //® ;;/JJi"S e s of prescrvfiig them, and promoting
of seeds, cuttings, and plants of all plants wore /Icàcia speciósa, which had grown
tiicir propagaUon m the Fxicalyptusf which had attained the height of twenty-one
eighteen feet m the space ot tft" J«»,®-» « / ^ .s'milax excelsa also attracted D r. Granville s
f ee t in th o s a me pe ri.o.d; a beautilul sp - ___ f,,,. thY e nm c r o m n l a i n t s for which sarsaparilla attention, as tho plant ,s used hy h 1 f “ sta S d ios of Anstrallan plants, and thirty-two o f thoso
aLucuLum, a» t-tik. i.k.t— --- •• - a t ,v f . „ t v - s i x f am u io s o l A u s t r a l i a n ii i a u t s , <uiu - — -
is p r e s c r i b e d in E u r o p e . 1 h e r e ® tw ® n ty s i . f am i l i e s o f Capo p l a n t s , a n e x t e n s i v e c o le c tio
f r o m New I l o l h m d I n !“S { p h u ’ t s 1111 t h o fd 'th division of
r h o d o d e n d r o n s ,vnd other Americim biiw ren this and tho south lino contains, among o
no rth lin e., ,T h o hcing kept distinet from the rest
F.uropc. Ihoro “ O, twenty_stxj.min«^^ „lin ts, an extensivo ccoolllleeccttiioonn qolf
Df the
Miration betwecm this and tho soutn nne coman.», other
le. 1 nc cun-iuui kj. tr. the Cano being distinct rest. In
plants, a collection of AnuirylUrfeic, those belong g 1^. j , , . another to succulent plants ;
tbe south line, one house is cloyoted to the p lan k _ contains forty-eight families. 1 he
aiiaanocner and another to lu the uic natives ' «‘ / 7 h ' f , t » , * and J the Orobideaj orobideaj are both ootn luunciuunumerous,», «and »^ t,^........
contain
Flora Canariensis consists of /thirty-h irty -fo iour u r ramini.fam s,_m>'.t^ ,................. greenhouse,.lovfit-fxa devoted to th e cultivation to th e cultivation 1ol
ol
some fine specimens From th e south to tho^^^^ interesting sheltered prohardy
perennials and reserves, t he in del - P palms th e ferns, and an arrangement ot Cacti on
ménades to be m e t w ith m a n y botanic gardcm .1 among which is one of the two agaves
rocks, are included in this division. Here » ft« /h o jyi. Fischer, by th e Apotheplanted
by Miller a t the. Chelsea ‘^»rden, and PJ®®‘J /® /’ ‘ gigr^ptlc Cacti; together with some line
caries’ Company; the gipintic pi-intf, among which were a plantain (Mds«
s p e c im e n s o f t h e most celebrated monocotylcd^^^^òrme The cinnamon tree tree was was also also in in great grcav vigour here,V.:"":
and
ttiEiiirrttyy ffoocctt hhiigghh,, aanndd r»x/ «C/a«lrafdmmwm sag to ^ ,,.n ific e u t specimen of th e Japanese sago tree Cycas
had more than oncc llowcred; as had also
circiiiulis.whoso ¥ ;m 7 greenish g r e o Beyond n ld those Mr ™im !' .;was au “ ii;, f t( . a v o ‘ ,idios
a rum s J .—h »1
c ^ V p .™ o , l)v. G ^ tv iu o tho
470. n e botanie garden o f f «
“ u— / B oV Itow L d , ave nowvcstovod to tltcivoriginal
begun clm-mg In te r tlio Gicati, icign. nnn'norp of oTound. Two botanists
still the liothouses for exotics Asiatic Russia. In 1786 a catalogue was pubwcro
sent to travel over the "bole- of Asiatic varieties, exclusive of ,672
lislicd, wlioii tlie collection aiiionii „ > flnwcrs and 2000 species wliich had not
varieties of fruit trees, 600 varieties «ft j fto v e liow eager Dcmidow was
flowered. “ One single anccdotc. ’ says Deleuze, " f t Pft'.ft „f Petits
to oiirieh liis garden. Being at Ift’f t f t f t ’ „,.01- seen. The monks did not
Augustins del Corso the a good deal of money ami iiiflneiiee
wish to part with it, and lie f tf tf tf t^ P L » ^ , tree, whieh was planted 111
hy the F ren ch : the cstahhshmcnt has since
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