VISITING THE GARDENS 175 



the glorious golden autumn time. But on the 

 other hand, the tropical forest throughout the 

 year is more variously coloured . . . due partly 

 to the fact that without special season for the 

 bursting or the fall of the leaves, throughout the 

 year it has trees both putting out new leaves, 

 white, or brilliantly tinted with green, pink, or 

 red, and others from which drop leaves with red, 

 yellow, and bronze colours burned deeply into 

 them by the blazing sun ; and partly to the fact 

 that in it trees of innumerable kinds, each with 

 foliage slightly distinct in colour, grow inter- 

 mingled. . . . The whole amount of colour 

 afforded by flowers is probably not very different 

 in tropical and in temperate trees, but is differ- 

 ently distributed." But, to be fair to the tropical 

 woods, so often drowned in the exuberance of 

 their own greenery, it should be remembered 

 how river banks and other open edges may show 

 bright with hanging clusters of bloom and radiant 

 festoons climbing to the tree -tops, while the 

 ground, parched and swamped by turns, will lack 

 that carpet of sweet and humble flowers, spring- 

 ing among soft turf, that is the special charm of 

 an English spring. 



" What can they know of England who only 



