A SOUTHERN VOUR (Continued.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 461, 9 April 1890, Page 5

A SOUTHERN VOUR (Continued.)

[By Hortus.] Dunedin Exhibition. The Exhibition Buildings at Dunedin are built on land that lias been reclaimed from the sea. They occupy a considerable space of ground. The front has rather an imposing appearance, but the rest of the buildings has the same external appearance as an ordinary building of corrugated iron. Inside the building it is like a large series of shops, on either side of long corridors. The longest corridor, I was informed, was about a quarter of a mile long. Now, just fancy how monotonous it soon became for me to wander through this series of shops, even though the best productions on earth were there. Sauntering through, the sight of them soon produced a sense of utter w eariness, and I was glad to take refuge in more congenial pursuits in the

Fernery. This building is about 150 feet long and about 60 feet in breadth. The roof of this building is “ hipped.” The centre arches supporting the roof are literally covered with green moss, and a large number of small ferns are placed in the moss, and grow very well. Here and there small pieces of the wire netting which hold the moss and ferns in position can be seen. The side walls and ends of the building are similarly covered with moss and ferns, which have a very fine effect. The centre, or floor of the building, is occupied with rockeries, arranged so as to give p enty of space for promenaders all about them. Tho rockeries had the appearance of miniature mountains, with steep, wild, jagged peaks, breaking out from the mass into every crevice between the rock. Multitudes of small ferns had been introduced, making it appear that every mountain peak had its own bit of forest surrounding it. Here and there large tree ferns had been introduced, the stems of which looked like huge mountain forest trees beside their smaller brethren. The fronds of these also droop in handsome graceful folds down over the rest, and greatly add to the fine effect which the whole produced. The centre of the fernery is occupied with three large irregularly built rockeries similarly furnished with a larger variety of ferns. The centre group, especially, looks very attractive, the rock work here being more exposed and the ferns being smaller. Water was kept continually dropping or rather trickling downwards till they arrived at a small miniature lake which lay at the bottom. This lake seems to look so quiet and cool with the edges partly or nearly wholly covered with numerous fronds of tho ferns. These fronds also cause a very pretty effect by the shading of the little lake. Around the main sides of the building are also arranged a few small lakes almost entirely hidden by the immense mass of foliage. On the rafters of the building there are placed a large number of stag-horn ferns, some of them splendid specimens. At night when tho fernery is lit it has a very fine effect. For some few minutes I was there all alone, and I thought for a time that 1 was suddenly transported into one of those places where hobgoblins and such like would hold their gambols. The lighting was accomplished by a number of small electrical lights which diffused a strange weird light, in some instances bringing out the pale - green colour of the ferns in a conspicuous manner against the darker background. In several positions small artificial caves have been made, and in amongst the foliage of the ferns a number of small electric lights had been placed. These lights glittered and glowered in much the same manner as. if a number of glowworms had taken possession of them. The fernery, in my estimation, was more attractive at night tha» during the day, as then the effect of dead* and drooping fronds was not so apparent* and I fancied a number of couples that 1 saw there later on in the evening also found it pleasant.