THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



147 



approached these gardens seems to be 

 the favorite place of residence for the 

 substantial business men of the city, 

 which had more or less of lawn and 

 garden attached ; and it was to us a new 

 sight indeed, to see Oleanders fully fif- 

 teen feet high, and Camellia Japonicas 

 laden with flowers. Crape Myrtle, Pit- 

 tisporum, Spanish Bayonet, and such 

 like plants as can be grown here only 

 in conservatories, flowering in the open 



ground. Roses too, of the tender, ever- 

 blooming kinds, which we shelter with 

 so much care during the winter months, 

 were here climbing over fences, trellis 

 and walls in great profusion and laden 

 with flowers. Marshal Neil seemed 

 to be at home here, displaying its mag- 

 nificent half open buds in size and 

 abundance quite astonishing to us who 

 have to train it under glass. There was 

 one peculiarity that struck us as quite 



JACK80N SQUARE. 



novel in the structure of their cisterns 

 for holding rain water. These were all 

 above ground, from which we infer it is 

 impossible for the people to have cellars 

 beneath their houses. Indeed, at this 

 time the city was below the level of the 

 water in the river, so that if the banks 

 of the Mississippi were to give way, at 

 least the fii-st story of the dwellings 

 would be wholly submerged. We found 

 too, on visiting the cemeteries, that 

 instead of burying their dead be- 

 neath the surface of the ground, they 

 built brick and stone vaults in long 

 avenues, wherein the bodies of their 



dead were deposited. One of the 

 public squares of the city, near the 

 famous French market, is known as 

 Jackson square, and we were surprised 

 to find the gardener trimming hedges 

 of the evergreen Euonymus, which did 

 not shew the least injury from the win- 

 ter. Camellias were laden with bloom, 

 the fragrant Olive mingled its odors 

 with the opening flowers of the orange; 

 the bananas were putting forth their 

 new leaves, and the yucca aloefolia was 

 in full bloom. Verbenas looked as 

 though they had remained in the bor- 

 ders all winter, and the Alternanthera 



