Hortus Fluminensis. 
34i 
commenced within the next few years, as the Brazilian Govern¬ 
ment is very creditably munificent in the encouragement of all 
attempts to open up the resources of their half-continent. The 
condition of up-country Brazil, even in the settled districts, cannot 
be called civilized, even by the most partial critic, and any such 
exploration would involve penetration into areas where the white 
man has never yet set foot, so that there are certain difficulties in 
the way of its accomplishment. “ God is great,” say the Brazilians, 
“ but the forest is greater.” 
The forests upon the Rio hills are all rain-forests of the most 
pronounced type, and, where their timber trees have been cut, the 
lianes and climbing bamboos have multiplied to such an extent 
that a passage is very nearly impossible. “ Matto ” is the Brazilian 
name, and no word could be more excellently descriptive. 
In such forest, an homogeneous formation, yet a pure mixture 
of the representatives of every order extant, where one can pene¬ 
trate for a kilometre and hardly see the same species twice—the 
problems of transpiration and light supply are obviously dominant 
questions. The carefully-filtered light which eventually reaches 
the few Hymenophyllacese and Orchids on the ground, and the 
steamy air that rises through the tree tops, are the warrants for it; 
and some attempt was made to attack one or two aspects of these 
great problems during an all-too-short stay in Rio. 
Not that forest is everything, even in the Rio Gardens. There 
are open spaces where European and Tropical flowers flourish 
bedded side by side as in an English Park: many also are the 
strange fruits which a visitor may enjoy if he be there in summer¬ 
time ; but in these he will probably find disappointment, for tropical 
fruits do not seem to bear out their common reputation. Those of 
the sub-tropics are in general, more agreeable to an untrained palate. 
The Gardens comprise, as above described, a considerable 
extent of uncultivated ground, of more interest to the botanist than 
to the general, but that is only a minor part of the total area, and 
the features of horticultural interest are many and striking. 
Foremost in public estimation are the great Palm Avenues, 
but there are also plantations of Bamboos which reach a height of 
about 10 metres and form a water-side arcade, always in deep 
shadow ; a group of Dendrocalamus giganteus, rivalling in size that 
at Peradeniya ; an avenue of Fourcroya, striking too in its rigidity ; 
avenues of Mangos ; fine groups of the hugh musaceous Ravenala 
madagascariensis; a very good collection of Cycads—some 22 
species—only just installed; sections devoted to distinctive families 
such as Aroideae or Marantaceae; a great abundance and variety 
of epiphytes on almost everything, even the telegraph wires being 
decorated, while some of the larger trees are hardly visible under 
their load of Tillandsin , Rhipsalis, Orchids, etc.; extensive nurseries ; 
a collection of Conifers, including fine specimens of Araucaria ; a 
pond full of Pontederiaceae in variety, and many other aquatics ; 
and, lastly, one must recall the great collection of Palms and the 
native trees, planted everywhere in great profusion. 
The pond and its surroundings are remarkably picturesque, 
and, even on the hottest day the bamboo shade is cool. The water 
comes from a small river, running down the valley behind, and 
crossing the Gardens on its way to the Lagoa. From this river, 
