248 Gardeyis and Gardening in Louisiana. 



I could find magnificent groves of magnolias (now in full 

 bloom,) with an abundance of choice trees and shrubs. All 

 that would be required to form the scene into a perfect /ac 

 simile of an English shrubbery would be to introduce walks, 

 and judiciously thin out and regulate the mass. To those, 

 therefore, who have such scenes daily under their view, a 

 perfect contrast — something displaying the art and ingenuity 

 of man — has a far greater tendency to arrest the attention, and 

 call into requisition the approbation of the community ; but I 

 would by no means be understood as advocating the adop- 

 tion of straight lines and dipt shrubs in a general way. The 

 parks, groves, and squares, formed by Le Notre, the father of 

 that system, can never, in my estimation, bear a comparison 

 with the scenic beauties formed by the principles advocated 

 and practised by Kent, Price, Knight, and Repton. This, 

 however, is merely a matter of taste, which, as respects gar- 

 dening, is, in many instances, very arbitrary, and may yet 

 be just. I shall, therefore, pass over the matter, and state 

 that the great and almost general error when forming a gar- 

 den is, — no expense is spared in the first instance — a vast 

 space is embraced — the subsequent necessary care never taken 

 into consideration. The consequence is, the whole, or, at all 

 events, the greater portion, is allowed to become a wilder- 

 ness. How much more prudent to have coimted the cost, cir- 

 cumscribed the limits, and kept the whole in a manner which 

 would give satisfaction to the owner, justice to his plants, 

 trees, and shrubs, and pleasure to the gardener ; but what 

 will ever prove a most serious impediment to the neat keep- 

 ing of pleasure grounds in the Mississippi bottoms of this 

 state is the " Bitter Cocco," (Cyperus hydra.) This detest- 

 able pest has completely overrun the country, and the gar- 

 dener's place is no sinecure, who endeavors to keep his grounds 

 in order, if he has this curse of the vegetable world to con- 

 tend with. 



Baton Rouge, La., Sih May, 1849. 



We are glad to hear from our old correspondent, and shall 

 be pleased to receive further accounts of the state of garden- 

 ing in the vicinity of New Orleans, where Mr. Gordon has 

 now located himself. We trust we may have some hints on 



