the fallen
acicular leaves of the pines are impervious to the damp. These Gardens
are more than a mile and a half in extent, and are computed to possess
some four miles of footpaths. The Upper Gardens are contained within the
Branksome estate, and are consequently thrown open to the public only by
the courtesy of the owner. They extend to the Coy Pond, and are much
quieter and less thronged with people than the Lower Gardens, with their
proximity to the Pier and the shore.

Another of those picturesque open spaces which do so much to beautify
the town is Meyrick Park, opened in 1894, and comprising some hundred
and twenty acres of undulating land on which an eighteen-hole golf
course has been constructed. Another course of a highly sporting
character is in Queen's Park, reached by way of the Holdenhurst Road.
Beyond the Meyrick Park Golf Links lie the Talbot Woods, a wide extent
of pine forest which may fittingly be included in Bournemouth's parks.
These woods are the property of the Earl of Leven and Melville, who has
laid down certain restrictions which must be observed by all visitors.
Bicycles are allowed on the road running through the woods, but no motor
cars or dogs, and smoking is rightly forbidden, as a lighted match
carelessly thrown among the dry bracken with which the woods are
carpeted would cause a conflagration appalling to contemplate.

The famous Winter Gardens are under the management of the Corporation,
and in 1893 the spacious glass Pavilion was taken over by the same
authority. It may be mentioned incidentally that Bournemouth spends a
sum of six thousand pounds annually in providing band music for her
visitors. The full band numbers no fewer than fifty musicians, and is
divided into two portions, one for the Pier, the other for the Pavilion.
The Winter Gardens are charmingly laid out with shrubs and ornamental
flower beds, and on special gala days clusters of fairy lights give an
added brilliancy to the scene.

Boscombe possesses her own group of gardens and open spaces. Boscombe
Chine Gardens extend from the Christchurch Road to the mouth of the
Chine. At the shore end is an artificial pond where the juvenile natives
meet the youthful visitors for the purpose of sailing toy ships. The
Knyveton Gardens lie in the valley between Southcote Road and Knyveton
Road, and cover some five acres of land. King's Park, and the larger
Queen's Park, together with Carnarvon Crescent Gardens, show that
Boscomb