The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-04-25
Il HEy SC.4y SIGHT.
HIoahhS Gardens-How and for What
ihes are Constructed-One OF the Satua-
al Wonders of Mexico.

at
iheS are Constructed-Oneo OF the Natua-
! al wonders of Mexico.
Mexico Letter to Baltimore Americana
we visited the celebrated floating
gardens, Regarding these renowned
noatlns gardens, the reader can form
a correct idea OF them from thefollow-
INES written upon the subject by a
distinguished traveller:
When tract ofvegetationcomp
Oh reeds, water-plauts and bushes. in
terwoyen and laced together. becomes
so dense that it will bear super
structure strips of turf % to 30 wards
long by ? yards wide, are cut from
some suitable firm place, iloated to it
DOWN the canal and laid upon it; this
I Is repeated several times. and thus an
| island rs securely raised = to 3 feet
above the level of the water: q little
! son Is spread over it, and it becomes a
! GAiil&Hnpa, or tloatinggarden. OnWhich
iltotih corn, vegetables and flowers
are grown. The gardens vary in size
rom 100 to 200 feet in length. and
rom 20 to 100 in width, according to
The nature OF the Vegetation which
supports them.
10 secure these gardens in theirprOp-
| er places long willow poles are driven
| through them into the ground below.
where they soon take root. ThepOles
| also throw out roots into the beds OF
the floating gardens, and so hold them
steady.
We took a line OF street cars and
We're landed near an old Spanish
bridge, alongside OF which we found a
number OF miserable hatboats GOV
| cred with awnings, with a seat on each
side covered with red calico. We held
our noses, as well as our breaths.
Upon leaving the city thecanal is lined
on both sides with beautiful trees Of
the species OF the weeping willow. only
that they are quite tall. The CITY
Gate or local Custom House is then
passed. Here are to be seen many
boats laden with lumber, iirewood.
vegetables, fruit flowers, etc, waiting
to pay toll. \ large daily revenue is
derived from this source by the Gov
eminent. The stalwart Indians swift
~ pole the boat up the stream for
about ten minutes more, and Santa
Anita Is reached. This is an old In
DIAN village, which has undergone few
or no changes for the last 300 years.
II we except the public school for BOYS
and girls, and a small church. 1t is a
taVorlte pleasure resort for the inhab-
ltants OF Mexico, specially during the
summer months, and is rendered
doubly attractive by the numerous
chlnampaS or Neutrality-suspicious. found i'm
Its vicinity, ON which are grown in
remarkable abundance vegetables Of
all kinds and beautiful flowers, which
are sold for a mere trihe.
TheWater IN the canal was the color
OF dlshwater. At Santa Anita we
entered Il narrow ditch lust wide
enough for our boat. The little boy
who pulled the boat with Il long pole
worked manfully. We passed by a
number OF women washing clothes on
the bank and using fiat stone as a
WaShbOard. The gardens surprised
and pleased us. Here was a small
strip OF land, say 20 feet wide by
100 feet deep, surrounded by water,
producing the finest of onions, another
cabbages, another radishes, another
carrots, another flowers, and so on,
for at least a mlle-a succession of the
best cultivated gardens | ever saw.
These Mexican Indians are the best
gardeners in the world aside from the
Germans Their methods are rude.
but they know how to cultivate their
garden patches On our return we
met boat-loads of girls and boys sing
ing and laughing as they slowly glided
along TWAS not a Venetian scene, but
it showed that the brown-shouldered
black-eyed lndiangirl could dream and
talk OF love