The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-03-18
BOTANICAL GARDENS OF MARTINIQUE
The Wonders Of Tropical. yegetation-
vivid Description of, tho Scenery. r. :.

The Wonders Of Tropical Vegetation,
Vivid Description of thp Scenery o.
In short time too short, considering
the beauty and novelty of the sceneryD
we arrived at the entrance to the botaf-
ical gardens. Somebody had told me
that these gardens were well worth see
ing, but that, soon found, was mild
way Of expressing it. The entrance was,
not at all imposing-only a big iron gate,
with small porter's lodge beside it,
Carriages are moi. allowed to enter, SO we,
left the carriage at the gate and walked
in. There were on the right IS we
entered several clusters Of mammoth
ban,boos, each cluster as high as a house
and az large around at the base as three
or four-hogsheads. On the left, short
distance in, q high steep hill, and at its
base small artificial pond, walled in
with; rustic stonework, and . miniature
cataract supplying itwith water, and the
surface Of the pond covered: with lilies
and other aquatic plants. Here the path
turned sharp to the left and entered a
glen between two high mountains! '"..',
The foliage ws.s so thick it was impos-
sible to tell where the hills began, and
whether the big trees were. unusually:
high orwhether they grew on the mount
ain side. Wherever they grew, they
were of immense hight. There were
scores of royal palms, running such a
distance into the air that it made ones
neck ache to look up at the tops of them;
and generally their straight round
trunks were festooned with parasitical
plants, that ran from the ground all the
way up into their branches. Wherever
there was any possible place on the
trunk Of a tree for one to stick, huge
air plant:was growing. There were bam-
boos without number, and hundreds of
thick tropical plants that had never
seen or heard OF before. The road wound
here and there through the ravine, and
led us to an elevated spot on which there
was small lake, its edges bordered with
such tropical plants as one usually sees
in pictures but seldom in reality There
was Erotto cut out Of the rock in the
mountain side, where the water gushed
through holes cut for it in the back,
dashed itself over sloping bed Of rocks,
and was caught in basin of stone at the
foot; and this basin was half-covered
with green leaves and growing water
plants. ...... :. .:s.' -.
faere were more lakes and more grot
toes and natural cascades where the
water fell from considerable heights and
broke itself into foam in tearing over the
rocks. Near the shore Of the largest lake
was small cottage; with chairs ana ta-
bles In its single open. room doubt a
fayorite resort for picnicking parties.
There were more high trees in that one
little spot than ever saw gathered to-
gether before, 1t fairly makes the back,
Of my neck ache now to think Of trying
to look up at them. And such vegeta-
ton everywhere Just such plants and
trees as you See in the pictures of tropi-
cal countries, and such as you generally
don't: see when you visit those countries
in person. But here they. were, all
gathered together in this botanical gar
den, Ine -wnoIe garuen covering spsice,1
at rough guess, of a hundred acres. l
remember seeing,a a gaudy hthograph
once in an atlas in the public library in
Bermuda Of "scene in South America"
The leaves were the deepest and brightest
greens, the trees were preternaturally
tall, the mountains were high, the foliage
was thick enough to. cut with knife,
and birds of brilliant rlumnlage sat in
the branches. I thought at the time
that that picture must have been made
by somebody who had never been in a
topical country; but here was just such
scene -colors, trees, shrubbery, birds,
and an, There was nothing lacking
Cor. New York Times. -, :....'.. .