A WONDERFUL GARDEN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1482, 3 July 1912, Page 9

A WONDERFUL GARDEN.

TOBACCO KING SPENDS .-£3,000,000. Mr. James B Duke, the tobacco king, lias nearly completed an expenditure of a;3,000,000'on anew park round his homo at Soinerville, N.J. It was formerly a daiiy farm, but-Mrs. Duke had a fancy for ail artistic country estate, so landscape architects were called in, and lakes, hills, waterfalls, shrubberies, drives, and fountains, without regard to cost, were ordered. The park extends over 3000 acres, nearly live times as largo as Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens combined. Thera are thirly-two miles iof drives winding in and out of beautiful groves, past grassy lawns dotted with statuary, gigantic ilower Immls, roso-boworcd pergolas, fountains, balustrades, and temples. There arc more than 10,000,000 plants, of which olio million are the rarest rhododendrons. Some of the plants were specially imported from the grounds of old Preach chateaux. Fountains at\> tobacco pni'ticular weakness, and he has had two hundred of all sorts ami designs set up. The gigantic fountains of Versailles are rivalled by the group near the new mansion, I'ivory day 20.000,000 gallons of water will be spouted when t hey plav. Art treasures from Europe in Hip shape of magnificent bronze .statuary _ arc in-, eluded in the scheme, and anything that Mr. Diiko decided was not good enough for (ho pari; has been banished to the stables for tlio aesthetic edification ol tho horses. . The n<*w mansion that is to ho tlio centre of -this amnzin? private, garden is cf.fil under construction. Jt is .so designed that servants and tradesmen enter it I>V a tunnel from tlio main road without passing throne!) Hie pardons at all. Mr. Dulco has arranged to open the park , to tie general public, free of charge, two j days every week. j