PARK AND CEMETERY. 
53 
of the garden is a cobble paved space about one 
hundred feet wide, including the site of the Parian, 
and still largely occupied by the ever persistent ca- 
joncitas. Jiast is the Plaza de Armas, about two 
hundred feet wide, extending along the whole front 
of the National Palace, — cobble paved, and with no 
other adornment than a double row of sickly trees. 
There is a space equally broad bn the west side of 
the garden. 
The Plaza de Armas extends northerly along the 
easterly side of the Cathedral andSagraria grounds 
forming what is known as the Plaza del Seminario. 
Its only adornment besides its trees is a handsome 
bronze statue commemonative of the services ren- 
dered to the city by Enrico Martinez, an engineer 
of the seventeenth century, who constructed the 
tunnel which has since become the drainage cut of 
Nochislongo. 
Since 1880 the atrium of the Cathedral north of 
the plaza has been laid out in gardens upon 
the same general scheme as the Zocalo garden. 
These gardens extend along the western side of the 
Cathedral where the flower market has been erected. 
Fault might be found with the park treatment 
which the Plaza and its environments have received, 
that the gardens and tall trees mar the architectural 
effect of the great Cathedral, by forcing the obser- 
ver much closer to that structure than the require- 
ments of good perspective allow. But these gar- 
dens are exceedingly beautiful in themselves and 
are in happy contrast with the vacant and barren 
aspect which this focus of the life of the Mexican 
capital formerly presented. And it is doubtful if 
any other treatment could have been made so suc- 
cessful in beautifying the spot. 
A. H. N. 
FLORAL CLOCKS. 
Among many interesting characteristics of the 
floral kingdom, nothing is perhaps more striking 
than the regularity with which many plants open and 
close their flowers. And not only that, but through- 
out the greater part of the 24 hours, flowers may be 
found expanding or closing their petals at stated 
hours, and with so much regularity that the time of 
day may be fairly judged by their development. 
This peculiarity has frequently led to the creation 
of flower beds arranged in the form of a clock, in 
some leading public and private gardens, and it is 
stated that Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, who is an en- 
thusiastic botanist, is arranging such a bed on the 
grounds ot her Pludson River residence, at Tarry- 
town, N. Y. , from designs of a Cleveland landscape 
architect. 
The University of California, atBerkeley, Calif., 
also proposes to create one this present season 
There have been several examples of such de- 
vices in England, notably those of the Duke of 
Westminster and the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, that 
of the latter displaying the closing hours, and it is 
upon the question of showing the opening or clos- 
ing hours that decision hinges. 
In Mrs. Rockefeller’s floral clock, the yellow 
dandelion will form the hands; they open at 5:30 
A. M. and close at 8:30 P. M. A number of plants 
have been suggested to complete the device, and 
the selection will be made by Mrs. Rockefeller. 
From ancient times certain flowers have been 
the common timepieces of the peasantry. In Pliny’s 
day the “day lily” opened at 7 A. M. and closed at 5 
P. M. and it still keeps its regular time according to 
all accounts. I11 the poorer rural districts of Scot- 
land, school is often dismissed by the yellow goats- 
beard of the meadow which closes promptly at noon. 
It does likewise in France. 
There are some sixty-seven flowers known ta 
have regular times for opening or closing their pet- 
als, and these vary in a remarkably small degree, 
and then chiefly in climates with sudden extreme 
changes. 
In order to carry out the idea to its fullest util- 
ity, it is necessary to have within available reach an 
explanatory guide, and this is usually supplied in a 
waterproof case, or ort waterproof material. The study 
of the clock then becomes an educational pleasure. 
The proposed Rockefeller clock has created a 
great deal of interest in the subject and in connection 
with it the Chicago Tribute recently published the 
following table of time blooming plants, furnished 
by a Lincoln Park 'Gardener: 
Plant. Opening hour. 
Morning glory (Ipomcea Purpurea) 2 a. m. 
Rutland Beauty (Calystegia Sepium). ... 3 a. m. 
Oyster plant (Tragopogon Porrifolium) 4 a. m. 
Poppy ( Papaver Somniferum) 5 a. m. 
Bitter Sweet (Dulcamara) 6 a. m. 
Water lily ( Nymphsea Odorata) 7 a. m. 
Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis Arvensis) . . 8 a. m. 
Field marigold (Calendula Arvensis) .... 9 a. m. 
Red sandwort (Arenaria Rubra) 10 a. m. 
Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum Umbel- 
latum) 11 a. m. 
Passion flower (Passiflora Coirulea) 12 m. 
1 p. m. 
Feverfew (Pyrethrum Parthenium) . . . . 2 p. m. 
3 P- m. 
Marvel of Peru (Mirabilis Jalapa) 4 p. m. 
Viscid Catchfly (Silene Noctiflora) 5 p. m. 
Evening primrose (Oenothera Biennis). . . 6 p. m. 
Lycus Vespertina 7 p. m. 
Night blooming cereus (Cereus Grandiflo- 
rus) 8 p. m. 
