August  21,  1902. 
173 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
were  mostly  grown.  As  shade  is  a  great  requirement  in  this 
hot  climate  of  Madeira,  Platanus  orientalis  is  the  most 
commonly  planted  tree.  I  say  orientalis,  as  the  fruit  heads  on 
each  stalk  numbered  from  four  to  eight.  A  hurried  visit  to 
the  market  showed  us  vegetables  of  fine  quality,  and  fruit  of 
every  description,  selling  at  fairly  reasonable  rates  for  the 
early  season.  We  had  now  to  rejoin  our  ship,  and  shortly 
proceeded  on  our  journey  to  the  Cape. 
Cape  Town. 
Thirteen  days  after  we  had  sailed  from  the  sunny  shores  of 
Madeira,  Table  Mountain  was  sighted  early  in  the  morning, 
with  a  good  covering  of  snow  for  its  tablecloth,  a  rather  un- 
Phoenix  reclinata  and  Acacias.  A  fine  tree  of  Araucaria  Bidwilli, 
30ft  high,  stood  out  prominently.  Throughout  the  lawn  there 
are  beds  of  Pampas  Grass,  large  specimens  of  Agave  americana 
variegata,  Opuntias,  some  12ft  high,  and  some  fine  plants  of 
Doryanthes  Palmeri  were  seen,  and  seem  to  stand  the  winter 
well.  In  different,  borders,  fine  plants  of  Camellias,  Datura 
suaveolens,  Habrothamnus  and  Geraniums  were  blooming  freely, 
and  some  Solanums  were  quite  red  with  berries ;  while  enormous 
Marguerites  were  white  with  flowers.  There  is  also  a  fine  Rose 
garden,  but  it  appeared  that  its  occupants  required  to  be  kept 
under  subjection  as  some  of  them  were  at  least  Gft  high.  Still, 
some  of  the  Teas  were  showing  good  bloom. 
In  cne  part  of  the  garden  a  large  triangular  bed  was  being 
Alocasia  Sanderiana  nobilis.  (See  page  172.) 
usual  occurrence  for  that  part  of  the  world,  as  we  found  out 
from  some  of  the  townspeople.  I  wish  some  of  the  snow  had 
fallen  when  we  were  crossing  the  Equator,  as  the  heat  there 
was  almost  suffocating.  Talk  of  Pine  stoves!  you  should  have 
a  touch  of  the  Equator  heat  in  them  and  you  could  talk  then. 
Unfortunately,  it  was  cold  and  wet  when  we  reached  Cape  Town, 
but  after  we  had  passed  the  ordeal  cf  having  our  permits 
examined,  we  made  tracks  for  the  town.  Before  reaching  the 
dock  gates  we  had  a  full  mile  cf  mud,  4in  deep  to  wade  through. 
Unfortunately,  too,  it  was  winter,  else  we  might  have  seen  the 
renowned  Government  Avenue  at  its  best.  It  is  a  fine  broad 
walk,  bounded  on  either  side  by  sturdy  Oaks.  Close  by,  the 
Municipal  Gardens  are  situated.  Here  we  found  plants  which 
we  would  have  been  proud  of  at  home,  at  Gft  or  8ft  high,  grown 
into  trees  20ft  to  30ft  high ;  for  instance,  Grevillea  robusta, 
planted  out  with  Scabious,  and  very  singularly,  the  gardeners 
had  started  at  the  edges  and  planted  towards  the  centre,  where 
they  seemed  to  be  in  a  fix  to  make  a  decent  finish.  The  glass 
houses,  which  were  in  first-class  order,  comprised  a  fernery, 
stove,  and  a  mixed  house  cf  Palms,  Tree  Ferns,  and  Orchids, 
mostly  Cypripediums.  Adiantums,  cf  good  variety,  and  Nepliro- 
lepis  were  the  most  common;  and  in  the  stove,  much  the  same 
class  of  stuff  was  grown  as  at  home.  A  visit  to  Cape  Town  is 
hardly  complete  without  a  run  cut  to  Wynberg.  the  home  of  the 
Silver  Tree,  Leucade ndron  argenteum.  To  see  the  silvery  leaves 
glistening  in  the  sun  is  a  beautiful  sight  indeed.  In  some  shops 
in  the  town  these  leaves,  after  being  partly  handpainted  and  a 
suitable  inscription  printed  thereon,  they  are  then  sold  from  Is. 
to  2s.  6d.  each,  as  mementoes  of  South  Africa. — Alpha. 
(To  be  continued.) 
