Omaha daily bee., 1885-04-07
FLOATING
One of the Natural Wonders of
Mexico,
MEXICO Letter to BAltlmor. American.

Mexico Letter to Baltimore American.
We visited the celebrated floating gar.
dens. Regarding these renowned float
ing Islands or gardens, the reader can
form q correct idea of them from the
following lines written upon the subject
by a distinguished English traveller:
"When a tract of vegetation composed
of reeds, water plants and bushes, utter
woven and laced together, becomes 50
dense that 1t Will bear a superstructure,
strips of turf 20 to 30 yards long, are
cut from some suitable firm place, floated
down the canal and laid upon 1t; this Is
repeated several times, and thus an is.
land is securely raised two or three feet
above the level of the water; a little soil
Is spread over it, and 1t becomes a
chinampa, or floating garden. on which
Indian corn, vegetables and flowers are
grown. The gardens vary in size from
100 to 200 feet In length, aud from 20 to
100 feet In width, according to the ma.
ture of the vegetation which supports
them"
To secure these gardens In their proper
places long willow poles are driven
through them Into the ground below,
where they soon take root. The poles
poles also throw out roots into the beds
of the floating gardens, and 80 hold them
steady.
We took a line of street cars and were
landed near an old Spanish bridge,
alongside of which we found a number of
miserable fst-boats covered with avn.
ings, with q seat on each side covered
with red calico. We held our noses as
well as our breath. Upon leaving the
city the canal Is lined on both sides with
beautiful trees of the species of the weep
Ing willow, only that they are quite tell.
The City Gate or local Custom house Is
then passed. Here are to be seen many
boats laden with lumber. firewood, vege-
tables, iruit, flower, etc, waiting to pay
toll. A large daily revenue Is derived
from this source by the government,
The stalwart Indians swiftly pole the
boat up the stream for about ten minutes
more, and Santa Anita is reached. This
Is an old Indian village, which has un-
dergone few or no changes for the last
800 years, If We except the public school
for boys and girls, and a email church.
1t is a favorite pleasure resort for the IN
habitants of Mexico, specially during the
summer months, and Is rendered doubly
attractive by the numerous chlnampas or
floating gardens found In It's vicinity, on
which are grown In remarkable abund-
ance, vegetables of all kinds and beauti-
full flowers, which are sold for a mere
trlhe.
The water in the canal was the color
of dish-water. At Santa Anita we en-.
tered 3 narrow ditch Just wide enough
for our boat. The little boy who pulled
the boat with a long pole worked man.
fully. We passed by a number of women
washing clothes on the banks and using
a fiat stone as a dashboard. The gardens
surprised and pleased US. Here was a
small strip of land of, say, 20 feet wide
by loo deep, surrounded by water, pro-
ducing the finest of onions, another cab
bages, another radishes, another carrots,
another flowers, and SO on, for at least a
mile-a succession of the best cultivated
gardens l ever saw. These Mexican In
dams are. the best gardeners in the world
aside from the Germana. Their methods
are rude, but they know how to cultivate
their garden patches. On our return we
met boat-loads of girls and boys singing
and laughing as they slowly glided along,
1t was not a Venitlsn scene, but 1t
showed that the brown-shouldered,
black-eyed Indian girl could dream and
talk of love.