146 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



NEW ORLEANS. 

 It seems biit fitting in connection 

 with the meeting of the Mississippi 

 Valley Fruit Growers' Association, to 

 give our readers some idea of the ap- 

 pearance of this city, and of its horti- 

 cultural productions as they appear in 

 the last days of the month of February. 

 The thermometer during our stay ran 

 up as high as 78^^ in the shade, aihd con- 

 tinued so warm during the night as to 



make the room uncomfortable unless 

 the windows were fully open and the 

 fresh air allowed free entrance. Yet 

 we found that sudden changes of tem- 

 perature were by no means exceptional 

 here, for within twenty-four hours the 

 thermometer fell fully forty degrees, 

 and we were awakened in the night by 

 such a change in the temperature as re- 

 quired the closing of the windows and 

 looking up of heavy blankets in order to 



CARROLLTON GARDENS. 



our physical comfort. Yesterday light 

 clothes were almost a burden, to-day our 

 woollen wraps and overcoats scarce 

 make us comfortable when exposed to 

 the chilling wind which prevails. Not- 

 withstanding this, vegetation seems to 

 come forward, and the fig trees are put- 

 ting forth their leaves. The broad- 

 leaved evergreen trees, which are very 

 abundant here, give a summer-like ap- 

 pearance to the public squares and 

 gardens which would look nearly as 

 bare as our own without them. The 

 Japanese plum trees, as they are called 

 (the Mespilus), are now laden with fruit, 



some of which is already ripe, and the 

 trees of the bitter orange, which ai-e 

 planted for ornament in the public 

 squares and on many of the streets, are 

 loaded with golden fruit which con- 

 trasts beautifully with the dark green of 

 the foliage. The accompanying engrav- 

 ing is a picture of the Carrollton gar- 

 dens in New Orleans, in which will be 

 seen specimens of palm, banana and 

 yucca, from which our readers will ai 

 once perceive that the climate in its 

 greatest severity must be mild indeed, 

 compared with the frost which we ex- 

 perience. The avenue by which we 



