Botanical Garden.

Although the Botanical Garden at this time of the year cannot offer that attractive display of plants and flowers which it has in the spring or summer, yet the garden itself is, at any time, far from being an uninteresting place to visit. Out of doors the preparation of the various plants for winter and the setting-out of bulbs for next year's bloom is now progressing. Within the conservatories where the winter plants are just beginning to bloom, and where one may, as far as plants are concerned, pass through all the zones in a few moments, the sight is a beautiful one and worth seeing.

The central section of the gardens is filled with palms of all sorts which grow in almost tropical luxuriance up to the very roof. The next division is devoted to ferns, from the lace-like maidenhair of our climate up to the rank growth of tropical varieties. In a third, nothing but varieties of cacti are found, growing in all shapes imaginable.

One of the most curious of the plants to be seen is the Laceleaf plant (onvirandra fenestralis). It is an aquatic variety, the leaves being entirely under water. As the name suggests, the leaves of the plant are formed only of the network of veins, and the appearance of the delicate but firm outlines of the dark green tracery just beneath the surface of the water is odd and beautiful.

In about two weeks all of the orchids will begin to bloom, which will add a decided attraction to those which the Garden already presents.