Jane 36, 18S6. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



471 



was the carcase of a bullock, around which were congregated 

 a number of turkey-buzzards, aud not fur off on the edge of 

 the water were standing three beautiful white cranes in all 

 dignified solemnity, looking out for fish, and, to fill up the 

 whole picture of life, numbers of blackbirds Uitted about 

 amongst the branches. 



These blackbirds are not like ours, although they are so 

 called, for whilst ours are only found in paks, these are often 

 seen in flocks of many thousands, not being hke our beauti- 

 ful bird stationary and possessed of a delicious note, but mi- 

 gratory and songloss, at least only uttering a snatching twitter, 

 not at all hke a song, and quite unlike the rich mellow tones 

 of our own exquisite yellow-beaked friend. These seem to be- 

 long to all parts of the American continent, for a friend of 

 mine teUs me that he has seen them by thousands in Texas 

 and on the Amazon, and I have myself seen them equally 

 plentiful in Canada aud Louisiana. The kingfisher which we 

 Bee on this river is Ukewise common in Canada, being a bird 

 with a body about the size of a cuckoo, with a large crest, and 

 the pliunage white imderueath, and blue-grey on the back. 



We now begin to see patches of cultivated groimd on both 

 sides of^ the river and trees of some magnitude, along the 

 bank, or levee as it is here called ; for a firm, solid bank runs 

 along each side to keep the water from overflowing the laud, 

 and this bank has to be kept in repair at the expense of the 

 planters whose property riuis up to it, each bearing the ex- 

 pense of such portion as borders his estate. This tax falls 

 very unevenly, since some large plantations are only very 

 narrow, and run directly up from the river, leaving only a small 

 portion of the levee to keep in order, whilst others not nearly 

 BO large lie along the bank, aud consequently give a much 

 greater extent to attend to, aud therefore cause the proprietor 

 much more expense. These plantations were before the war in 

 a most thriving condition, being many of them of very large size, 

 and employing a great nimiber of negroes, and it is most melan- 

 choly as you pass up the river to see so many really beautiful 

 houses, with their accompanying Uttle hamlets of nigger 

 quarter3,'almost entirely untenanted and deserted, whilst noble 

 sugar mills look cold and neglected, with broken doors and other 

 unrepaired damages, and without a vestige of life about them 

 save in the luxuriant growth of rank herbage, silently but sm'ely 

 working out the ruin already begun, and covering with a green 

 leafy veU the rottenness and decay it has already been so in- 

 strumental in producing. 



All this, however, is now being altered, and the plantations 

 will speedily be brought to their former state of cultivation and 

 richness, though it is very doubtful whether such can be the 

 case with free coloured labour ; for niggers will not work like 

 white men, treat them and pay them as you will, for they are 

 naturally careless, lazy, aud thoughtless, and certainly carry 

 out the principle, " Sufficient unto day is the evil thereof ;" yet 

 there is such a large amount of emigration setting in from 

 Europe towards the Southern States that the nigger wiU be 

 compelled to work, starve, or migrate. It woidd indeed be a 

 good thing for America should the blacks be " wiped out " from 

 among its people. Eugland has paid dearly (ftiough for the 

 emancipation of the negro in her West Indian Colonies — pro- 

 perty depreciated to an almost fabulous extent, the emancipated 

 slaves became saucy, idle, and truculent, and at last they cul- 

 minated in attempted rebellion. I can only say, after a con- 

 siderable acquaintance with the blacks, M!ay they get their 

 deserts. 



What can that fine-looking house with the verandah round 

 it be, placed in a beautiful garden with the walk up to the front 

 entrance bordered with noble Orange bushes in fuU bearing ? 

 I call these bushes advisedly in contradistinction to Orange 

 trees, for those which line the drive or pathway up to the 

 main entrance of a Louisiana planter's house are strictly 

 bushes, and often slashed or cUpt in the same manner as the 

 trim neat hedges in many parts of England are treated, or as 

 the evergreens such as i'ew. Holly, Portugal Laurel, Box, &c., 

 used to be trimmed into those strange, precise, uncomfortably 

 neat-looking, unnatural shapes which used to so delight oiu- 

 ancestors under the title of the Dutch style of gardening, and 

 on which one-cannot look without visions of stately dames in 

 long-waisted dresses, with hoops (not the present degenerate 

 flimsy fashion, all sweep, shake, and nothingness, hke a 

 baUoou, which, being ript, collapses, but good stiff wooden tub- 

 hoops that would stand a push without giving way), and beaux 

 got up extensively in powdered periwig, huge white cravat with 

 laoB ends, ruflles, sword, and all the et-cetera of a swell of the 

 year 1700, or thereabouts. 



The Orange bushes in these gardens as well as the trees are 

 tended with great care. They produce a most delicious fruit, 

 and bear the soubriquet of Creole Oranges to distinguish them 

 from those brought from Havanna, these latter being generally 

 smaller, redder-skinned, and lacking the peculiar sub-acid so 

 agreeable and remarkable in the Creole fruit, which is also very 

 much more juicy than its foreign relative. Many of these tree* 

 are most enormous bearers, and I have heard of one tree which 

 produced 1300 Oranges in one year, thongii I think this must 

 be a slight exaggeration, since 5U0 are considered a large yield, 

 but it is a fact that in many places they are so plentiful as ta 

 bo scarcely worth gathering. ■ 



We will now pass by this Orange-orchard with its lovely dark 

 aud bright green foliage, golden fruit, aud delicious perfume, 

 and get over the fence into that field of what appears ta 

 European eyes to be either enormous coarse succulent grass, 

 or most gigantic Leeks planted in rows aud carefully weeded and 

 kept in a clean condition. This is a sugar cane plantation, and 

 as the cane is ripe we see hands in another part of the field 

 cutting it and laying it in rows ready to be taken away in 

 carts aud passed through the mill, whence, after the juice has 

 been expressed, it is again brought to be used as fodder for the 

 cattle, they being very fond of it, and growing excessively fat 

 upon it. However, whilst we are talking, and it is tremen- 

 dously hot, let us go under the shade of these trees at the edge 

 of the forest; but, as it is somewhat low and swampy, look out 

 for snakes and alligators, though give them time and either 

 will get out of your way. " Oh ! how lovely, how picturesque, 

 how very elegant ! " I fancy I hear some of my lady friends ex- 

 claiming, as wo look at tliese tall straight-Umbed trees ; and yet 

 how solemn and funereal is the sceue before us ! and what a 

 strangely striking object is that noble tree which seems to be 

 clothing itself in grey weeds and plumes ready for its approach 

 ing death, for as it adds to its mortuary banners so does it bo- 

 come choked and its sap dried until it becomes a leafless bark- 

 less trunk. This is caused by a parasitic plant here indiscrimi- 

 nately called Moss and Barbe d'Espagnol, which gi-ows on the 

 branches of the trees, hanging in long elegant sweeping 

 weepers somewhat after the manner of the Weeping Willow, in 

 colour of a dull greenish grey, and often covering the tree from 

 its very top to the ground. This moss is most useful, and 

 much employed in New Orleans and the Southern States for 

 stuffing mattresses. It is very full of insects, and therefore 

 needs preparation before it can be apphed to this use ; it is 

 consequently buried for some time, and after a certain amount 

 of decay has taken place it is uncovered and thoroughly well 

 washed and dried, when it presents somewhat the appearance 

 of very rough coarse black hair, and it makes a Ught, elastic, 

 tolerably durable mattress. — A Sukgeon. 



LONICERA AUREO-RETICULATA BLOOMING. 



This truly beautiful hardy chmber is now in full bloom ia 

 my garden ; aud as I have never heard of its having bloomed 

 out of doors in this country before, it occurred to me that 

 many, who, like myself, have cultivated it for the beauty of itc 

 foliage alone, will be glad to hear that it can be flowered. It 

 may be well to add that it has been grown on a front wall of 

 a lean-to greenhouse with a south aspect, aud that owing to 

 the lowuess of the wall we have had to keep it well cut-in, and 

 this has, probably, forced it into bloom. 



It is dehciously scented, and should bo grown by every one. 

 — J. B. Saunders, The Laurels, Taunton. 



EEL) LEAD FOR PRESERVING SOWN SEEDS. 



In regard to what was stated in your number of the 19th 

 inst. with respect to the protective character of red lead for 

 seeds, I can state from an experience of some years that I have 

 found it thoroughly eft'ectual against both birds and mice. 



I adopted it in consequence of a recommendation to that 

 effect in your pages, and the method of preparation was the 

 same as that described by y>iur correspondent. Early-sown 

 Peas thus coated over have always remained untouched ; and 

 even when they are above ground, mice, which so commonly in 

 hard weather then attack them, leave the crops free from injury. 



I have since adopted the same plan on my farm for Wheat, 

 Barley, and Oats, and with equal success, liooks, which 

 abound with us, aud other birds, will have nothing to do with 

 corn thus protected ; and there is this advantage — that there 



