180 



SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



plants that are trained over them. They di- 

 verge from a large stone basin in the centre, 

 constantly supplied by a fountain with water, 

 which, in small rivulets, spreads itself over 

 every part of this little paradise — imparting 

 freshness and life to thousands of elegant 

 plants and flowers, unknown to the eye of the 

 European, but which here, in a climate of 

 eternal spring, in the open air, bloom and 

 send forth their fragrance without the assist- 

 ance of man, and produce a very different ap- 

 pearance to the dwarfish sickly exotics of our 

 hot-house, which, with every possible care 

 and attention, with difficulty linger a few 

 years without re-producing their species. 



Apples, pears, peaches, quinces, and other 

 European fruits, flourish here, in company 

 with bananas, avocatas, and the most delicious 

 sapotas I ever tasted. 



The celebrated hand-tree, which has ex- 

 cited so much attention among botanists, is in 



