i8 CRUISE OF THE BARRERA 



possible use for wood pulp, and entertained the 

 disquieting thought of an invasion of pulp mills. 



About all the stations along the line, the railway 

 company has shown good taste in planting many 

 flowering shrubs, mostly of foreign origin. Among 

 these one is struck by the blossoms of the Chinese 

 Hibiscus {Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) which present 

 large splashes of brilliant color. To northern 

 eyes the greatest charm of these miniature botanic 

 gardens is in the wonderful Bougainvillea vines 

 that smother the fences and lattices and sometimes 

 the station houses themselves, hiding them beneath 

 a mantle of deep royal purple. The rich color of 

 this creeper is derived from the two or three last 

 leaves upon each stem and not from the flower 

 itself which is an inconspicuous little yellow affair 

 scarcely noticeable amid the riot of purple splendor. 

 Some varieties of this wonderful creeper seen at 

 the railway stations are of a reddish tint equally 

 startling. Among the trees in the station en- 

 closures one's attention is immediately drawn to 

 the Sacred Ti or Bo trees (the Ficus religiosa of 

 India). These trees with perfectly round smooth 

 trunk and ball of dense olive-green foliage have a 

 decidedly artificial appearance as though intended 



