Cornell Mniversity Library

RETURN TO
ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY

ITHACA, N. Y.

Cornell University

Library

The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924002804049

THE

PARKS AND GARDENS|

PARIS.

Frontispiece.

TREBS AND BUILDINGS

fn the sutadl Garden in the Place du Carroused,

THE

PARKS AND GARDENS

or

PARIS

CONSIDERED IN

RELATION TO THE WANTS OF OTHER CITIES AND OF
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE GARDENS;

_ Being Notes on a Study of Paris Gardens.

By W:ROBINSON, F.LS.

SECOND EDITION REVISED, SEVENTH THOUSAND,

ILLUSTRATED.

Londow:

MACMILLAN AND CO.

1878.
fe

f CORE
UNIVERSIT Y
? LIBRARY ,

LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.

TO

VERNON LUSHINGTON, Q.C.,

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED

BY

THE AUTHOR.

INTRODUCTION.

1

“ And let it appeare that he doth not change his Country Manners for those of
Forraigne Parts: But only prick in some Flowers of that he hath Learned abroad
into the Customes of his own country.”—Bacon’s Essay on Travel.

Tuts book originated as follows: when some years ago the author
first went to Paris, he was privileged to note in the Times
anything of importance with reference to horticulture that might
be observed in that city and its neighbourhood interesting from
an English point of view. Upon some of the points noted a
lengthy correspondence arose, which (like most discussions) not
being calculated to point to any definite conclusions, he was led
to embody his notes upon the various subjects in the form of a
book. At first the questions discussed were of purely horticultural
interest, such as the extensive and skilful cultivation of hardy
fruit-trees in France which has made fruit-so good and plentiful
in that country and led to its being so largely exported; the
remarkable culture of Asparagus round Paris; the system by
which in a harsh climate the French growers supply so well not
only their own markets but those of many other cities with excellent
salads throughout the winter and spring; the cultivation in the
market-gardens round Paris, in which at least threefold more
produce is gathered than from similar extent of garden-ground
elsewhere ; the very curious growth of Mushrooms beneath Paris,
which had, till then, not been described or illustrated. With the
idea of the book, however, came a feeling that the great system of
public gardens formed of recent years in Paris, the many squares,
the vast series of tree-planted streets and avenues, and generally
that public gardening which has made New Paris, might be dis-
cussed with profit at a time when our own cities are so much

viii INTRODUCTION.

in need of change. “And I wished not only to record and illustrate
what is good in them, but also to point out what is harmful.

It is scarcely necessary to show that a clean and ordered city
is better than an ugly and filthy one, but it may be well to
consider that from the lowest point of view it is the interest of
even the poorest tradesman in London to help forward bold
measures for its improvement. Whatever the fortunes of our
country in the future, nobody can doubt that the English race
will form the most numerous of civilised peoples, nor that the city
where Shakespeare and Milton wrote will be holiday-ground to
millions of English-speaking people besides those that inhabit it.
The attractions of London to strangers are really greater than
those of any other city that exists, but our total want of plan, or
of any wise provision calculated to make locomotion pleasant or
even possible throughout London, and the filthy and depressing
aspect of the narrow streets, effectually drive away thousands of
people from America and our vast colonies only too anxious to
stay in London were it made possible to them. It is a common
occurrence for Americans to run the gauntlet of Fleet Street and
the Strand, and judging the whole town by their experience of a
few narrow and greasy thoroughfares, to escape with all speed to
pleasanter places. In Paris superb avenues may be seen often
leading to nothing ; in London many important points of interest
are practically unapproachable even to those who know the town.
Of course we cannot cut down our Fleet Streets or our Strands,
but we could at much less cost than that of similar improvements
‘in Paris drive a series of noble roads through the wretched shanties
that cover a good half of London, go that it would be possible
to get some clear and comprehensive idea of its plan, its suburbs,
its parks—its noblest treasure of all, its ship-cities, the river
below the bridges, its buildings, and its commerce.

The recent very remarkable improvements in Paris, such as the
opening of the stately Boulevard de Saint-Germain running
through and opening up to sun and air and trees the whole of the
south of the city, and the new Avenue between the new Opera
House and the Rue de Rivoli, have not only been made without
cost to the town, but even with a balance on the right side, the
vastly-increased value of sites for business premises in these new
and noble streets having more than repaid the cost of their forma-

INTRODUCTION. ix

tion and the removal of the old houses through which they were
driven. Abroad, every little capital possessing enough interest
to occupy one for two hours, is furbishing-up its attractions,
while we in London are neglecting advantages the like of which
are not possessed by any other city in Europe. The river, the
bridges, the suburbs, the surroundings, are infinitely superior to
Paris, but owing to stupid absence of plan many of the good
points are lost, many of the best suburbs being unknown ground
even to thousands of Londoners, owing to the impossibility of
reaching them without struggling through narrow and mean streets
and roads. The finest city avenue in Europe is the Champs
Elysées in Paris, and probably few would think it possible that
a site with equal capacities lies wholly unused in the heart of
London. Yet there it is in the Regent’s Park, barred up by the
railing of Park Crescent, and frittered away recently by narrow
strips of geometrical gardening. I have said as good a site as
the Champs Elysées, but it is really much better, the wide expanse
of beautiful ground which may be seen from the top of the Broad
Walk being entirely in the hands of the State. It has thus the
advantage of being freely open to noble improvement without the
enormous cost for removing massive, lofty, densely-packed houses
which had so often to be incurred in Paris. In many other cases
in like manner great opportunities are frequently unnoticed from
dead walls or narrow streets or miserable railings stopping the
view.

All this is not only sad, from its depriving us of so much beauty
that London might possess, but also from its far more serious
evil in the depreciation of property. I think it is very clear that
many quarters of London, beautiful in themselves, are greatly
lowered in value owing to bad approaches. A good and simple
system of broad tree-planted roads, radiating from the centre to
the suburbs, and connected by outer circular roads, would tend to
make all parts of the town of more equal value, and would go far
to prevent that terrible isolation of the poor in various parts of
the city the misery of which is at present a by-word throughout
the world. The real want is a want of plan, and this it is
to be hoped Parliament will some day give us power to obtain.
At present this want is glaringly apparent, not only in the
central and more crowded parts, but all round London, where

x INTRODUCTION.

admirable preparations may be seen for the formation of a mighty
cordon of suburban St. Gileses. A most crying evil of this
period of change when the masses of workers are steadily desert-
ing the country for the city, is that our towns are still built
upon a plan worthy of the dark ages, and only barely justifiable
where the breath of the meadow sweeps through the high-street.

Many people are apt to connect city improvement with
autocratic government. One has only to speak of our back-
wardness, to be reminded that it is all owing to our not being
blessed with a Napoleon. The best comment upon such a
suggestion is that since the establishment of the Republic in
France, improvements calculated to produce the best effects on
the beauty and salubrity of Paris have been carried out more
vigorously than before, with this difference, that they are done
more economically. In the creation of tree-planted streets in
the more crowded parts both of London proper and the suburbs,
they should not as a rule be formed on the site of old and much-
frequented streets, but, as far as possible, be pierced between
them, leaving the largest and most populous thoroughfares of the
present day to become the secondary ones of the future.

Here and there may be noticed in the book an impatience with
the present condition of things as regards the direction of gardens
by persons having no sympathy with the art. This is one of the
causes why public gardens afford little pleasure or instruction
compared with that of which they are capable. In Paris the direc-
tion of public gardens is frequently placed in the hands of
botanists, engineers, and architects—hence stereotyped and very
imperfect work. The plan and spirit of the old botanic garden is
wholly wrong as a system, and from it there is no hope. One of
these, of which the Garden of Plants may be taken as a type, so
far from helping horticulture is a living and persistent blight
upon its progress, in the region possessing such a garden. The
. leading idea in these gardens is that collections cannot be accu-
mulated without arranging them in a hideous and depressing
manner. The truth is, however, that when the art of gardening
is properly understood, it will be found that the richer the collec-
tion the more beautiful and varied will be the effect. But improyve-~
ment will probably never come through botanists, whose true and
very sufficient field is the world, with the herbarium in which to

INTRODUCTION. xi

store their treasures; nor through architects and engineers,
because their own work is different even in kind.

What, then, is wanted for the future development of an art
which, far more than any other, may influence the beauty of the
country ; which may add so much to the simplest and healthi-
est home pleasures of its people, to its wealth in forest and
field, to the supplies of its markets with much that is essential
for crowded cities, and to the adornment of the table with all
that is delightful to the eye and taste? The only direct way
onwards is through the trained and artistic gardener. We must
educate the young men, and in this way all has yet to be done.
Funereal Kensingtons and very one-sided Chiswicks will not help
much, though half the money buried in geometrical rubbish at
Kensington would, properly used, have given us a national garden
worthy of the country. The art of garden design is yet in a very
barbarous state, only a few monotonous notes are, as a rule, got out
of it, and we shall never know its true capabilities till there is a
school of young men trained for it from the beginning, and devoted to
it heart and soul. What they ought to know to make the country
and its homes more beautiful is outlined in the chapter on the
Pare Monceau. As no help need be expected from the State,
anything to be done must be by those more immediately concerned
—the horticulturists and landowners of the United Kingdom.

We have now to deal with fruit-culture, market-gardening,
etc., in Paris and its environs. On these matters there were
prolonged discussions in the newspapers, but many readers and
disputants have been misled by confounding the comparative state
of horticulture in France and England with the real point at
issue—z.e., the superiority of the French in certain special and
most important branches of garden-culture. JI have never
asserted, as has been assumed, that the French are our superiors
in general horticulture. We are far before them in horticulture,
agriculture, and rural affairs generally; but in certain very
important points of fruit and vegetable culture they are far in
advance of us. I am convinced, too, that more than one of their -
modes of culture will prove of great value to us. To avoid these
points, and utter commonplaces about our general superiority,
is to beg the question. Are we to ignore their good practices
because we happen to be more luxurious in our gardening establish-

xii INTRODUCTION.

ments than they are? My object is to point out in what way we
may learn from the French. That they, in turn, may learn from us
will be apparent when it is stated that intelligent Frenchmen have
in botanic gardens pointed doubtfully at plants of Rhubarb and
Seakale and asked me if it were true that we eat them in England !
The general introduction into France of these two hardy easily-
grown vegetables would be a material addition to the riches
and food-supplies of that country.

Of the practices which we may with advantage, and which
indeed we must, adopt from the French, those of fruit-culture
command our first attention, because good fruit-culture combines
the beautiful and the useful in a very high degree. There are at
least six important ways in which we may highly improve and
enrich our fruit-gardens and fruit-stores,

First, by planting against walls the very finest kinds of Winter
Pears—the Pears that keep long, the Pears that bring a good
return, the Pears of which the French now send us many thousands
of pounds’ worth annually. Varieties of Winter Pears are fre-
quently planted in the open, in all parts of these islands, that
an experienced fruit-grower in the neighbourhood of Paris or even
further south would never plant away from a wall, knowing well
that it would be sheer loss to do so. Sir H. Scudamore Stanhope
has proved in his garden at Holme Lacy (p. 299) that improved
wall-culture of the finer Winter Pears is as possible in England as
in France.

Secondly, by the general adoption of the cordon system of
Apple-growing in gardens. This will enable us to produce a
finer class of fruit than that grown in orchards. It may be
carried out in spots hitherto useless or unemployed, and will
enable us to do away with the big Apple-trees that now shade
our gardens. It should be distinctly understood, however, that
I do not recommend this system for orchard-culture, or for the pro-
duction of the kinds and qualities of fruits that may be gathered in
profusion from naturally-developed standard trees.

Thirdly, by the general introduction of the true French Paradise
stock into the gardens of the British Isles. Its merits are that
it is dwarfer in growth than any other, and that in wet, cold or
stiff soils it keeps its roots in a wig-like tuft near the surface
—a most valuable quality on such soils. When well known, it

INTRODUCTION. xiil

will be found an immense gain in every class of garden except
those on dry and poor sandy or gravelly soils, remarkable as it is
in inducing early fertility, and affording a better result without
root-pruning than either the Crab or English Paradise does with
that attention. The knowledge that the Doucin of the French
is an admirable stock for all forms of tree between the standard
of the orchard and the very dwarf cordon or bush, will also be
useful. The Apple should not be worked on the Crab unless it is
desired to form standard trees in orchards—by far the best method,
if properly carried out, for market and general supplies.

Fourthly, by the adoption in Peach-culture of some of the
smaller forms of tree that may be observed in French gardens,
as they will enable us to cover our walls with fruitful handsome
trees in a few seasons instead of waiting many years, as hitherto,
only perhaps to see them partially covered after all. These forms,
the cordon, U or double U forms figured in this book, are particu-
larly desirable where the soil is too light and poor for the health
and full development of large wide-spreading trees. ,

Fifthly, by adopting for every kind of fruit-tree grown against
walls a more efficient and simple mode of protection than we now
use. In speaking of fruit-culture, nothing is more common than
to hear our climate spoken of as the cause of all our deficiencies—
the “ fine ” climate of Northern France being supposed to do every-
thing for the cultivator. The error of this view of the case is
well illustrated by the fact that the fruit-growers about Paris take
care to protect their fruit-walls in spring by means of wide
temporary copings. In this country I have never anywhere seen
a really efficient temporary coping, though endless time is wasted
in applying boughs, nets, etc., none of which are in the least
effective in protecting the trees from the cold sleety rains, which,
if they do not always destroy the fertilising power of the blossoms,
prepare them to become an easy prey to frost.*

Sixthly, by the acquirement and diffusion among every class of
gardeners of a knowledge of budding, grafting, pruning, and
training equal to that now possessed by the French. Many of the
illustrations in this book show the mastery they possess over each
detail of training—the branches of every kind of tree being con-

* Since writing the above, various persons have introduced useful wide
temporary and permanent copings, and with excellent results,

xiv INTRODUCTION.

ducted in any way the trainer may desire, and with the greatest
ease. This knowledge is quite common amongst amateurs and
workmen whose fellows in this country know nothing of such
subjects. There are numerous professors who teach it in France ;
in this country, where it is really of far greater importance it is
not taught at all or only in the most imperfect manner. It isa
common thing in France to see a professor of fruit-culture and
his class assembled round a tree pruning it and discussing every
operation as it goes on. We require walls for our fruit-trees more
than the French do, and there is no way in which we need im-
provement more than in the matter of the proper covering of
fruit-walls and development of wall-trees. With standard trees,
pruning may be dispensed with to some extent; but so long as
we are obliged to devote walls to the production of our finer fruits,
such knowledge as is now possessed by French fruit-growers would
prove a great aid.

In the vegetable department we have also several important
things to learn from the French, and not the least among these
is the winter and spring culture of Salads. Enormous quantities
of these are sent from Paris to our and other markets during the
spring months. As I write this (April 19th) the market-gardens
near London are faintly traced with light green lines of weak
young Lettuce-plants, that have been for weeks barely existing
under the influences of our harsh spring. Around Paris at the
same season and for months before, in consequence of the adoption
of the cloche and a most skilful system of culture, it is a pleasure
to see the size and perfect health of the Lettuces—the difference
in culture, and not the imaginary difference in climate, solely
producing the result. By adopting the French system they may
be grown to fully as great perfection near London and in the
home counties as near Paris. The fact that we have to be
supplied by our neighbours with articles that could be so easily
produced in this country is a standing reproach. The French
system will have the first difficulty to get over—that of people
becoming used to it, and slightly changing their modes of culture
to accommodate it ; but it must some day be universally adopted
by us, and with the certain result of a great benefit being reaped
from it by the horticulturists of the United Kingdom. This
culture is, in all its stages, so distinct from what is done else-

INTRODUCTION. Xv

where, that it is not surprising that growers do not even know
how to begin. No doubt many still suppose that the tender
Lettuces sent in such abundance to our markets in winter and
spring come from some paradise in the south; these all the while
being the result, in a harsh northern clime, of the most skilful culti-
vation I have ever seen adapted to the growth of a vegetable.

The French are also far before us in the culture and use of
Asparagus, pursuing a system quite distinct from ours and growing |
it so abundantly that for many weeks in spring it is an article of
popular consumption. Some among us affect to ridicule French
Asparagus in consequence of its being blanched nearly to the
top of the shoot ; but to avoid this imperfection, if it be one, the
grower has merely to adopt the superior mode of culture pursued
by the French, but without blanching the shoot. But real
students of Asparagus who have had much experience of its
use both in France and England, and in its best state in both
countries, will probably agree that he has but a very one-sided
knowledge of Asparagus who prefers to eat it green. The ex-
perience of persons who abuse French Asparagus is frequently
limited to samples that may have been cut in France a fortnight
before they reach the table in England, having passed the inter-
mediate time in travelling and losing quality in market or shop.
However, nobody will deny that it ought to be more abundantly
and better grown in this country. Parisian Mushroom-culture
is interesting and curious in a degree of which few have any
conception, as will be seen by a perusal of the chapter devoted
to it. The sketches and plan that illustrate it will help the
reader to obtain a fair idea of places that have been seen by
very few people beyond the cultivators.

Among my own I have given illustrations from trustworthy
French sources, such as Dubreuil’s ‘ Arbres Fruitiers,’ Decaisne
and Naudin’s ‘Manuel de Amateur des Jardins;’ from the col-
lections of engravings belonging to Messrs. Vilmorin, Messrs,
Hachette, from Mangin’s ‘Les Jardins,’ the ‘Revue Horticole,’
and ‘La Culture du Chasselas,’ but these, as a rule, only when
they were as useful in their way as if made specially for the
book. Such illustrations have been used for the most part in
discussing modes of culture at once good and different from those
employed by us, and which have naturally been treated of by

xvi INTRODUCTION.

French authors. The main source of such ideas as are expressed
in the book is personal observation in the gardens of Paris of
every kind, at various seasons and for a considerable length of
time.

Since the first edition of the work was published, a variety of
trials have been made concerning certain modes of culture de-
scribed in it. Of improvements then advocated the preservation
of Grapes without letting them hang on the Vines, has been
adopted by most good Grape-growers throughout the land;
Asparagus on the distinct and wholly superior French plan has
been tried with exactly the same excellent result as in the
neighbourhood of Paris; the true Paradise stock has been tried
in various districts and found quite hardy and excellent on moist
and stiff soils; the cordon system for choice Apples and late-keeping
Pears grown on walls has been proved to be a great success ; the
light, neat system of wiring garden-walls, forming espaliers and
supports for fruit-trees,has been carried out in numerous gardens,
and a great quantity of wide and effective coping for wall-trees
has been erected throughout the country with very good results.

W. R.
April, 1878.

CONTENTS,

CHAP.
I.—Tue Bots pe Boulogne
II.—Tur Parc Monceau
III.—Tue Garpen or Prants .
IV.—Tue Parc pes Burres CHaumont : F ‘
V.—Tue GarpENs oF THE Louvre, THE TUILERIES, AND THE
ELYs&e . Z
VI.—Tue Luxemsoura GARDEN
VIT.—Tue Bors pz Vincennes .
VIII.—Saquargs . - " is
IX.—AVENUES aND BouLEVARDS
X.—TReeEs For CIrizs

XI.—Tue Jarpin FLEURISTE AND OTHER Pusiic NURSERIES OF
THE Ciry or Paris

XIIL—THe Cemevreries or Paris

XIII.—Ivy in Paris . : P

XIV.—THE GaRDENS OF VERSAILLES .

XV.—WintTER GARDENS : ‘

XVI—A Frew Notes on PrivaTE GARDENS :
XVII.—Tue ScHoou or Horricutture at VERSAILLES .
XVIII.—Tue Corpon System or Fruit-GRowING

XIX.—Tue Panavise, Doucix, anp CraB Stocks

XX.—Some Notes on FRUIT-GARDENS

XXI.—Tue Peace Garpens or Montrevin P ‘ r .
XXII.—Fic-cuLtTuRE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD oF Paris .
XXITII.—Trainine s ; ; ‘ ‘
XXIV.—Frovir-cuttureE: How ARE WE To IMPRovE?
XXV.—CoxcERNING CERTAIN IMPLEMENTS AND APPLIANCES USED IN

French GARDENS ‘ ‘

Xviil CONTENTS.

CHAP.
XXVI.—Tue Market-Garpens or Paris ‘ ‘i

XXVII.—AspPaRaGus-cULTURE : x P

XXVIII.—SatapDs In Paris : F :
XXIX.—Some VEGETABLES or THE Paris MARKET
XXX.—MusuRoom-cuLTuRE IN CAVES UNDER Panis
XXXI.—Linacs or tae Paris GARDENS :
XXXIU.—FrLower, Fruit, AND VEGETABLE MARKETS

INDEX . ‘ .

PAGE
458
468
478
490
505
526
533

543

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

TREES AND BUILDINGS
Bors DE BouLoane

Ivy-ctap Rocks anp Hicu Latena

CoRNER FOR PLAY

A City AVENUE GARDEN
A ConrRAstT

GROUPS OF STATUARY .
WINTER GARDEN

Lake and Island View

Rocky Grottoes in Banks, ‘clothed with
Ivy .

Rustic Bridge ‘between Wooded Islands

The “Grand” Cascade in the Bois de
Boulogne .

Plantations on Banks of ‘Lake; rock-
shrubs and small cascades .

False Curves to Banks. .

Rocky a of Island in Lago Mag:
giore. .

Water margin in Loch Achray 5

View by the Seine, looking north from
near the Bridge of Suresnes

Weeping Beech on eae Bank of
Island 7

Bois de Boulogne

Sketch in the Pare Monceau

Hardy Bamboo (Bambusa me in
the Parc Monceau

Castor-oil Plant

Giant Knotweed (Polygonum "sacha-
linense) in the Pare Moncean, Sept.
1877. .

Tropical Arum (after a storm), Pare
Monceau_.. :

Montagnea Heracleifolia ‘

Musa Ensete, in the Pare Moncean,
1868. .

Beauty of form from Hardy Plants

Isolated Ferula on Grass

Frontispiece
To face page 16
” 68
- 126
4 136
” 178
” 194
35 224
—+1
PAGE
3) Rhus glabra laciniata. Hardy shrub,
cut down annually to secure fine
5 foliage .
7 | Aralia japonica (Hort.). Hordy shrub
with fine leaves .
9 | Ailantus and Cannas .
Group and single specimens of ‘Plants
11 isolated on the Grass
12 | Portion of plan showing Yuccas, Pam-
pas grass, Tritomas, Retinospora,
13 Acanthus latifolius, Arundo, Donax
13 variegata, etc., irregularly isolated
on the Grass z : . .
15 | Nook in Parc Monceau .
Japanese Honeysuckle on Stem of Birch-
17 tree, Parc Monceau
18 [ Clematis on Trees in May, Parc Monceau
21 | Ugly and needless Structures in the
Pare Monceau ‘i
22 | Roads in the Pare Monceau. How to
23 spoil a Garden
Cocked-up Flower-bed in the Pare
Monceau
24 | Plan of the Jardin des Plantes. How
not to lay out a Botanic Garden
25 | Old Judas-tree, Garden of Plants
26 | New Weeping Honey Locust (Gledit-
schia Bojoti), Garden of Plants
27 | Algerian Ivy, Garden of Plants . ‘
29 | Cedrela Sinensis (New Tree), Garden
50. of Plants s e

PAGE

31

32
33

35

36
37

39
41

42
43
43

46
47

49
51

53

xx

The Jujube-tree (Zizyphus jujuba),
Garden of Plants .

Clipped Trees in the Garden of Plants.

Effect of large umbelliferous Plant,
Garden of Plants . F

Sacred Bean in the open air.

Climbing Hardy Asparagus, Garden of
Plants . .

Old Acacia-tree, Garden of Plants

Planting of Stream above Stalactite
Cave, Parc des Buttes Chaumont

Unmutilated Shrubs on Turf, Pare des
Buttes Chaumont ;

Type of Modern French Garden plan :

View from Central Cliff towards
Stalactite Caves . . .

Rock-shrubs and trailing evergreens F

Group of Rocks, Pare des Buttes Chau-
mont

Little Gardens within the Louvre
exterior view

Little Gardens within the Louvre, view
from the interior .

The Survival of the most Unfit: Trees
in Tubs. :

In the Inner Garden, Tuileries

Vicious mode of Tree-planting

Marble Seat, Tuileries Garden

In the Garden of the Elysée

Flowers in Hollow Wall

Climbing Rose isolated on Grass

Wreaths on Trees, Luxembourg Gardens

Fountain in the Gardens of the Luxem-
bourg

English part of Luxembourg Gardens .

The Gardens and Palace of the Luxem-
bourg

Border of Roses, Luxembourg Gardens

Streamlet issuing from Ivy - clad
Rock .

Small Lake with Chateau, in distance : :
weeping and erect Trees on Islet,

View across larger Lake . 3

Rocky Streamlet with Yuccas and trail-
ing Shrubs . A A :

Streamlet entering Lake .

Margin of Lake near Temple, with tuft
of Giant Arundo .

Near Lac des Minimes, showing bad
effect of Road and Walk parallel with
margin é 7

In the Square des Batignolles

Portion of Margin of a Paris Square,
not hedged in ,

In the Square Montrouge, ev ening—(a
wretched statue is omitted) .

Showing widening of Walk for Play-
ground, with Seats and Shade-giving
Trees, F . . . .

PAGE

55
57

58
59

61
63

67

69
71

73
75

77
80
81

114

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Streamlet in Paris Square with Yuccas
and Water-side Plants . .

Acanthus on Turf in Paris Square

Margin of a London Square, with edge
of Plantation designed to cut off the
view .

Structure in centre of a London Square

A Town Square opened up

The Square and Fountain des Innocents

Tuft of large Grass a a in Paris
Square é .

Planes on Paris Quays 5

Glass-covered Corridor between the
Plant-houses in the Jardin Fleuriste

Diagram showing the arrangement of a
group of Glass Houses in the Jardin
Fleuriste

Caves under the Jardin Fleuriste, used
for storing tender Plants in Winter.

Propagating-house in the Jardin Fleu-
riste .

End view of. Range of Small-plant
Houses in the Jardin Fleuriste

In a Paris Cemetery in the Nineteenth
Century

View in an American Garden-cemetery,
1876.

A Contrast: the Cemetery of Pare la
Chaise A . . . .

St. Clothilde .

Ivy in Wreaths and Sheets on Railings
of Suburban Gardens (Auteuil)

Ivy on Trees in Champs Elysées .

Rocky Caves covered with Ivy . .

Small-leaved Ivy on Tree in Paris
Square * ‘ we

Ivy on High Window

Ivy over High Wall.

Screen of Irish Ivy — Boundary to
Garden on Banks of Seine at Cour-
bevoie ‘

Versailles.—Fountain of ‘the Bosquet
de l’Arc de Triomphe . .

Terra-cotta Mania in Garden, Fortifi-
cation Style: a Sketch in Suburbs
of York. Example of modern Land-
scape-work , 3

Statue on Terrace-—Vase from the
Basin of Neptune.—Vase Borghese .

The Colonnade at Versailles

Water-spout Gardening at Versailles,
Fountains of the Basin of Neptune .

Cottage in the Little Trianon

Streamlet in the Little
(Spring).

The Gardener’s House in the Little
Trianon,

Orangery in the Little Trianon,
wreathed with Wistaria in flower

Trianon

LIST OF

French-garden Side of the
Trianon .

View on the English- -garden Side of
the Little Trianon

Grand Trianon: one of the results of
the “ Genius of Le Notre!”

An Avenue of old Lombardy Poplars

Little

at Versailles (near the Little
Trianon) . .
A Shorn Tree (“ ideal” form: after

years of mutilation the trees are
even more hideous)

Among the Trees,
(Spring)

In the Little Trianon (Summer).

Section of a Conservatory arranged in
the Natural Style . .

Ground-plan of Winter-garden .

Cool Conservatory with Vegetation
planted out.

Acanthus _latifolius
Paris . ‘

Wreath of Wistaria above Ivy (by
Roadside, Vincennes to Montreuil) .

A Paris Garden not spoiled by Beds.

Trellis for Vines on ae of Dead Wall
(Vincennes)

A Town-garden in Paris

The Degradation of Water (in small
Garden near Vincennes).

A garden horror: the mirror- -globe

Wall Pear-tree with vertical branches:
ten years planted e

Outhouse covered with Plum-trees at
Versailles F

Trellis for Pear-trees: ten feet high

View of portion of Square devoted
to double Espaliers of Pear-trees at
Versailles .

Double Trellis for Pear-trees :
high .

Wall of Easter Beurré Pears in the
School of Horticulture at Versailles.

Wall of Peach-trees in the Potagerie at
Versailles

Side-view of protection to double line
of Espaliers. 5

Border of superimposed “Cordons at
Versailles

Plan of a Fruit- -garden for the north
of France

Double Espalier with a row w of Cordons
on each side, showing mode of pro-
tecting the whole in spring

Fruit-tree in the Vase form. ‘

Hedge of Pear-trees (half formed)

The Apple trained as a Simple Hori-
praia cadens, grafted on the French
Paradise Stock . : .

Little Tri janon

in “Window in

ten feet

ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Simple and Double Cordon Trees train-

212 ing as Edgings
Cordon Tree on low Wall of Plant-house

213 | Young Cordon Tree of the Lady Apple

trained as an Ed ing .

214 | The White Calville Apple . <
Reinette du Canada trained as a Cordon
Edging of Simple Cordons three years

215 old in Fruit-garden at Brunoy .
Grafting by approach, to unite the

points of Horizontal Cordons . .

216 | Another Mode of Grafting to unite the

Cordons

217 | The Horizontal Cordon trained as an

220 Edging :

Simple Mode of protecting Cordon

233 Apple-trees in M, Jamin’s Garden at

236 Bourg-la-Reine . F
Narrow border in front of “fruit-wall :

241 | Peach wall and border
Simple wooden support for Cordon

249 | Iron support let into stone z
Iron support, with ratchet wheel at

250 the top

252 | Wall of Cordon Pear-trees in the Gar-

dens at Holme Lacy

253 | Oblique Cordon Pear. 2nd year

255 | Oblique Cordon Pear. 3rd year
Pear-tree trained as a Vertical Cordon

256 | The Pear trained as an Oblique Cordon

260 | Pear-tree trained in U form for very

high walls . z

262 | The Spiral Cordon against walls i
Young Peach-tree trained as an Oblique

263 Cordon. 1st year :

264 | Peach-tree trained as an Oblique Cor-

don. 2nd year’s pruning
The Peach trained as an Obliyue Cor don,

265 (Du Breuil) .

Young Peach-tree with three stems, 2 a

266 different variety being grafted on each
Flower of the French Paradise Apple .

267 | Fruit of the French Paradise Apple
Thomery mode of fixing the bottles

269 | Ferriéres mode of fixing the bottles
Portion of upright used in Grape-room

270 at Ferriéres .

Section of Grape-room at Heckfield

271 | Mr. Dodd’s tube for Grapes in Water .
Kemp’s Grape-rail . :

275 | Interior of Grape-room at Thomer y
Permanent tiled coping to Peach-wall,

Bourg-la-Reine .

277 | Peach-tree (Candelabr um) with the

278 vertical branches in the U form

279 | Peach-tree with 20 vertical branches

(Candelabrum form) in full eas
Pyramid Beurré Dumont .
280 | Winged Pyramid, Beurré Hardy,

324

325
326
327

Xxil

Pear Triomphe de Jodoigne, in Palmette
form .

Plan of Fruit-garden for the North of
France

Pear- tree grown by M. Croux, of
Sceaux : :

Pear-tree with horizontal branches

Mode of supporting stake for trees
trained as shown in the preceding
figure

View of Espalier Pear-trees and lines
of Apples trained as Cordons in gar-
den at Brunoy

Plan of Espalier in preceding figure at
corner of line :

Pear-tree in Columnar form 2

Portion of nie aes Espalier of
Pear-trees .

Stake for fixing the wires in the ground

Espaliers of “Pear - trees with the
branches grafted by approach. .

Specimen of fantastic training in Garden
at Brunoy .

Pear-tree trained i in the Balloon form,
ten feet high :

Pear-tree in Balloon form, seventeen
feet high and six feet in diameter

Plan of Pear-tree in Balloon form

Crossed and Self-supporting Hapsiss
Pear-trees at Saulsaie

Pear-tree with the branches trained in
lines exactly above each other, and
all the points united by grafting

Fantastic training in forming name

A Spur-pruned Peach-tree

Early Spring Aspect of a portion of
Peach-wall in garden at Montreuil .

Espalier-train‘ng at Montreuil

Espalier-training at Montreuil.
Montreuil Fan

Small Wooden Coping used to protect
young Peach-irees in Spring .

Second Pruning of Fruiting Peach-
branch r

Mode of preserving ‘the Lower Part of
the Stems from the Sun :

Fruiting Branch of Peach submitted to
the third year’s pruning ‘i

Pruning to replace old fruit-spur

Result of the preceding operation

Spring aspect of Fruit-garden formed
in North Germany ny M. Lepére
fils.

Mode of Pruning to cover bare. spaces
on the branches of Peach-trees, first
year . :

Result of preceding operation, ‘second
year .

Summer management of the Peach

The

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

Shoot of Peach without Fruit

Peach-tree trained horizontally : aspect
before Pruning .

Disbudding of the Peach, second. year ,

Disbudding of the Peach, second year .

Grafting by approach to furnish bare
spaces on the main branches of the
Peach-tree .

Multiple Grafting by approach, to fur-
nish bare spaces on the stems of
Peach-trees

Details of the preceding Figur es

Peach-tree in the double U form .

Peach trained in the double U form,
with the points of the branches
united by grafting .

Branch of Fig-tree bearing the Figs
formed during the preceding year
Fig-tree growing on level ground,
with the branches grouped in four

sets .

Fig-tree with ‘the branches trained in
twosets .

Showing the Mode of burying the Fig-
trees cultivated on level ground, to
preserve them from being destroyed
by frost in winter

Fig-tree planted on sloping earth buried
for the winter months . :

Fig-tree planted on sloping gr ound,
‘with earth basin on lower side to
better retain the water . F

Section showing Fig-tree planted on
inclined ground, with earth basin to
retain the water .

Stem of Fig the sixth year after plant
ing .

Fig-branch with young Figs :

Branch of Fig-tree after the gathering
of the crop .

Branch of Fig-tree after the gather ing
of the crop .

The Chasselas de Fontainebleau . :

Wall of Chasselas at Thomery, showing
the Vines trained as Horizontal
Cordons.

Low Double Espalier, and Mode of Pro-
tecting the Vines in Spring

Section of top of wali at Thomery,
showing the projection of the tem-
porary coping.

Pruning to obtain the two arms ‘of the
Cordon 2

Sulphur Distributor
Thomery

Low Espalier of Vines trained ver Healy,
four feet high

Layer of Vine raised and plantea in
basket :

employed at

PAGE
361

362

363
363

364

365
366
367
367

370

371
372

373
373,

374

374

375
375

376
377
378
379
381

381
382
382
383
383

LIST OF

Rose-Charmeux’s System of Vertical
Training

Vines trained Vertically | with alter-
nated spurs.

Movable Scaffold used for ‘thinning the
Grapes

Shade to pr otect the Grape- -thinners
from strong sun .

Frame for carrying small baskets filled
with Grapes from the walls to the
store-rooms .

Mode of Grafting the Vine at ‘Thomery

Mode of Grafting the Vine, by *p-
proach, practised at Thomery .

Gouge used in Grafting the Vine:
inches long .

Small Pit used for Forcing the Vine

Small span-roofed Pit for nates the
Vine . :

French mode of training Vines on open
Wall . :

Pear- tree trained
Verrier” *.

The Palmette Verrier.
and fourth pr uning F . ‘

The Palmette Verrier. Fifth pruning.

Palmette Verrier, with weakly outer
Branch completed by Grafting

Pyramidal Pear-tree a

Pyramidal Pear-tree. First pruning ‘

Top of Young Pear-tree

Pyramidal Pear-tree. Second pruning

Leading shoot of Pear-tree. ‘

Part of old leading shoot barked aaa
left to tie the young shoot to .

The best position at which to prune for
the terminal bud . .

Incisions made above and below branches
and buds to check irregularity of
growth ‘ x .

Pyramidal Pear-tree. Third pruning .

Grafting by approach, to cover bare
spaces on Pyramidal Trees.

Grafting by approach as applied to wall
and Kspalier Trees :

Pyramidal Pear-tree. Fourth pruning

Pyramidal Pear-tree. Fifth pruning .

Pyramidal Pear-tree with arcoping
Branches. .

Wall Pear-tree re-grafted .

Pendulous Training of Wall Pear-tree «

Grafting to furnish useless Water-shoots
with Fruit-buds .

Proper mode of cutting shoot

Shoot cut too long

Shoot cut too low

Young shoot of Pear properly pinched
at about four inches from the base .

Shoot of Pear pinched too short .

ten

aS & oF Palmette

Second, third,

ILLUSTRATIONS. Xx
PAGE PAGE
Result of over-pinching 407

384 | Another result of over-pinching . 407
Pinching of the second growth of the

384 Pear . 407
The stipulary shoots forced into growth

385 by the removal of the principal shoot 407
Fruit-trees in a Front Garden (Vin-

386 cennes) : . 413
Pyramidal Pear-tree Re- -grafted . 415
Varieties of Vertical Training . 418

386 | Upright Peay-tree for Wall (Ar; genteuil) 419

387 | Fruit-trees along Railway . 432
Section of Railway-embankment and

387 Terraces for Fruit-trees. 433
Fruit-hedge fully furnished 434

387 | Form of Fruit-tree Fence . 435

388 | Railway Fence furnished with "Fruit-

trees . 435

388 | The Cloche as used in Winter-Lettuce

culture 437
389 | ‘The Cloche as used in the raising of

Seedling Plants. 438
391 | The Cloche as used in the Propagating-

house. 439
392 | Carriage for transporting Orange-trees. 440
393 | Truck for moving Plants in Tubs and

large Pots . 440

394 | Portion of Pear-stand at Ferritres _ 442

395 | End View of Pear-stand 442

396 | Section of Pear-rail in the Fruit-room

396 at Ferrigres ‘ 442

397 | Narrow Frames used for Forcing 443

397 | Frame for making Straw Mats . 443
Straw Mat (Paillasson) used for cover-

398 ing Frames . 444
The Sécateur Lecointe 446

398 | The Common Sécateur 446
The Raidisseur 446
Key of Raidisseur 447

398 | Collignon’s Raidisseur 447

399 | Side View of Collignon’s Raidisseur 447
Thomery Raidisseur. 447

400 | Borel’s Raidisseur 448
Open Loop 449

400 | Loop after three turns 449

401 | Bur-reed (Sparganium ramosum) 451

402 | Reed-mace (Typha latifolia) 451
Mode of Protecting Walls . 7 453

403 | Mode of arranging Wires on Walls. 434

404 | Wall Wired for Oblique Cordon Train-

405 ing . p : : 2 » 455
Trellis for Young Trees in Nurseries 455

406 | Gourd of the Paris Market 467

407 | Figure showing the depth of the succes-

407 sive annual ae given to the

407 Asparagus . 470
Planting Asparagus ; Trenches at Plant-

407 ing-time and after a Scason’s growth 470

407 | Frames used for Forcing Asparagus 475

xxiv

Section of Frames for Forcing Asparagus
Preparation for Forcing Asparagus.
Argenteuil Asparagus Buncher (closed)
Asparagus Buncher most commonly
used in France. 3 ‘
Argenteuil Buncher (open)
Sartrouville Buncher (filled)
Cloches over Lettuce in Spring
Plants of the Lettuce Petite Noire under
the Cloche in October .
Diagram showing the several stages of
Lettuce-culture under the Cléche .
Some Lettuces of the Paris Market—
Lettuce—Grosse Brune Paresseuse
(Summer)
Lettuce—Crépe (Spring)
Palatine (Autumn)
Lettuce—-Batavia blonde (Summer)
Lettuce—Romaine verte d’hiver .
Lettuce—Romaine blonde marai-
chére .
Lettuce Gotte
Barbe de Capucin
Early French Forcing Carrot ‘of the
Paris Market : .
Carrot—Scarlet Horn
Intermediate Scarlet
Intermediate Scarlet Stump.
* rooted .
Intermediate Nantes Scarlet .
Turnip- -rooted Celery

”
”

PAGE
475
476
477

477
477
477
479

479
482

485
485
485
485
485

485
486
487

491
492
492

493
493
496

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Mode of Tying-up the Cardoon for
Blanching . -
Blanched Cardoon
De Laon Artichoke . é
Some Navets of the Paris Market—
Navet gris de Morigny
N. des Vertus rond
N. des Vertus Marteau
N. de Meaux
N. Jaune de Montmagny
Cantaloup Melon of the Paris Markets.
Mouth of Mushroom-cave at Montrouge
Passages i in Mushroom-cave
View in Mushroom-cave at Montrouge.
Plan of large Subterranean Quarry a at
Fortes Terres, Frépillon
Section following the line C, D, in
preceding figure .
Sectional View: Operations as carried on
in the Mushroom-caves at Montrouge
Section.—Mushrooms attacked by the
“molle” .
View in old Subterranean Quarries
devoted to Mushroom-culture
Mushroom-bed in Open-air (January) .
Cave-mushrooms as gathered .
The Pansy-basket of the Paris Mar ket.
A Flower-market and City-square in
one. The new Central Flower-market,
with Plantation of Paulownias for
shade (early morning view) .

PAGE

499
499
500

501
501
501
501
501
503
505
506
507

510
511
515
518
520
524

525
533

538

THE

PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS.

CHAPTER I.
THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE.

Ir there be any aim more worthy
of a national botanic garden
than another, it is surely the
expression of the beauty of the
vegetable world; but the botan-
ists at the Jardin des Plantes
have so arranged matters there
that all who visit it in the hope
of seeing a fair garden will be
disappointed. So we had better
follow the world to the Bois
de Boulogne. There we break
quite away from the old and
dismal style of French garden-
ing, with its clipped trees and
unendurable monotony, and from the sad results of the open-air
pedantry of the botanist. The Boisis in many ways a garden such
as a great city like Paris should possess ; a noble system ot roads,
ample space, and fine sheets of water contributing to render it
deserving of a visit from all for whom gardens possess an interest.

Pains are taken to make the vegetation along the banks of the
artificial water diversified in character, so that at one place we

meet with conifers, at another rock-shrubs, at another Magnolias,
B

2 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuap. I.

and so on; without the eternal repetition of common things which
one too often sees.

The islands seen from the margin of the lakes are beautiful, in
consequence of the presence of a varied collection of the finest
shrubs and trees. They show at a glance the superiority of per-
manent embellishment over fleeting annual display. The planting
of these islands was expensive at first, and required a good know-
ledge of trees and shrubs, besides a large amount of taste in the
designer ; but it is so done that were the hand of man withheld
from them for half a century they would not suffer in the least.
Nothing could be easier than to find examples of gardens quite as
costly in the first instance which, while involving a yearly expen-
diture, would be ruined by a year’s neglect. In spring the scene
is animated by the cheerful flush of bloom of the many shrubs
that burst into blossom with the strengthening sun, and while the
Oaks are yet leafless the large, swollen flower-buds of the splendid
deciduous Magnolias may be seen conspicuous at long distances
through the other trees. In summer, along the margins of these
islands the fresh pyramids of the deciduous Cypress start from
graceful surroundings of hardy Bamboos and Pampas grass, and
far beyond is a group of bright silvery Negundo in the midst of
green vegetation, with an infinite variety of tree-form around. In
‘autumn the number and richness of the tints of the foliage afford
a varied picture from week to week; and in winter the many
graceful forms of the deciduous trees among the evergreen shrubs
and Pines offer as much to interest an observant eye as at any
other season.

Looking deeper than the immediate results, we may see how
the adoption of the system of careful permanent planting enables
us to secure what is the most important point in the whole art of
gardening —variety, and that of the noblest kind. We are told that
“ change or variety is as much a necessity to the human heart in
buildings as in books ; that there is no merit, though there is some
occasional use, in monotony ; and that we must no more expect to
derive either pleasure or profit from an architecture whose orna-
ments are of one pattern and whose pillars are of one proportion
than we should out of a universe in which the clouds were all of
one shape and the trees all of one size.” All this applies to public
gardens with even greater force. In them we need not be tied by

Crap. I] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 3

the formalism which convenience and economy require the archi-
tect to bear in mind, no matter how widely he diverges from the
commonplace in general design. In garden or in park there is
practically no limit to variety; in buildings there are many.
Vegetation varies every day in the year, but buildings bear the
stamp of unchangeableness. In the tree and plant world we deal
with things by no means remotely allied to ourselves: their lives,

LAKE AND ISLAND VIEW.
An absurd kiosk-like structure on this point of the island has been omitted tn the sketch.

from the unfolding bud to the tottering trunk, are as the lives of
men. There is infinite change in the individual, and boundless
variety in species and their forms. Therefore the opportunity for
variety is beyond comparison greater in gardening than in the
building art, or indeed in any other art whatever.

As yet we are far from perfection as builders, and the garden
still holds the relation to the building art which is oo by

B

4 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. I.

Bacon. There is no indication that any knowledge of the all-
important necessity for variety exists in the minds of those who
arrange or manage our gardens, public or private. And yet this
unrecognised variety is the life and soul of true gardening. If
people generally could see this clearly, it would lead to the greatest
improvement our gardening has ever witnessed. Considering the
wealth of the vegetable kingdom, even in northern countries, and
the differences in soil, climate, and position which we can command,
it is impossible to doubt that our power to produce variety is
unlimited.

The necessity for it is great. What is the broadly marked
defect of the gardening of the present day? The want of variety.
What is it that causes us to take little more interest in the
ordinary displays of “bedding out,” which are fostered with so
much care, than we do in the bricks that go to make up the face
of a house? Simply the want of that variety of beauty which a
walk along a flowery lane or over a wild heath shows us may be
afforded by even the indigenous vegetation of one spot in a
northern and unfavourable clime. But in our parks we can, if
we will, have an endless variety of form, from the Fern to the Oak
and the Pine—infinite charms of colour and fragrance, from the
Alpine plant to the Lilies of Japan and Siberia. And yet out of
all these riches the fashion for a long time has been to select a
few kinds which have the property of producing dense masses of
their particular colours on the ground, to the almost entire neglect
of the nobler and hardier vegetation, The expense of the present
system is great, and must be renewed annually, while the end
obtained is of the poorest kind. To a person with no idea of the
rich variety of vegetation the system may prove sufficient, and to
the professional gardener it is often so; but to most persons the
result attained by the above method is almost a blank. There
can be little doubt that numbers are, for this reason unknown to
themselves, deterred from taking any interest in the garden; in
fact, it is without meaning to them.

Eyes everywhere among us are hungering after beauty; but in
our public gardens they, as a rule, look for it in vain; for the
presence of a few things with which they are already as familiar
as with the texture of a gravel walk must impress them with an
opinion that gardening is the most inane of arts. In books

Cuap. I.] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 9)

they everywhere find variety and some interest, even if high
merit is rare: the same is the case in painting, in sculpture,
in music, and indeed in most arts; but in that which should
possess it more than any other, and is more capable of it than any
other, there is as a rule little to be found. This is not merely the
case with the flower-garden and its adjuncts ; it prevails in wood,
grove, shrubbery, and in everything connected with the garden.

sPaats

ROCKY GROTTOES IN BANKS, CLOTHED WITH Ivy.

These serve for shelter or garden-stores: a suggestion for those who build hidecus wooden
structures for such purposes.

What attempt is made in our parks and pleasure-grounds to give
an idea of the dignity and beauty of our hardy trees? How rare
it is to see in any garden a tithe of the beauty afforded by
deciduous shrubs! Hitherto our gardening has been governed by
two schools—by one of which a few, or comparatively few, plants
are grown; while by the other, the botanic-garden school, every
obtainable thing is grown, be it ugly or handsome, What we

6 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ‘[Cwar..1.

want for the ornamental public garden is the mean between these
two: we want the variety of the botanic garden without its so-
called scientific but very unnatural and ugly arrangement; we
want its interest without its weediness and monotony.

There is no way in which tlie deadening formalism of our
gardens may be more effectually destroyed than by the system of
naturally grouping hardy plants. It mayafford the most pleasing
results, and impress on others the beauty of many families now
almost unused. Suppose that in a case where the chief labour
and expense now go for an annual display, or what some might
call an annual muddle, the system is given up for one in which all
the taste and skill and expense go to the making of features that
do not perish with the first frosts. Let us begin, then, with a
carefully selected collection of trees and shrubs distinguished for
their fine foliage—by noble leaf-beauty, selecting a quiet glade
in which to develop it. It would make a feature in itself attrac-
tive, and show many that it is not quite necessary to resort to
things that require the climate of Rio béfore we find marked leaf-
beauty and character. It would teach, too, how valuable such
things would prove for general use. Many kinds of leaf might be
therein developed, from the great simple-leaved species of the
Rhubarb type to the divided ones of Lindley’s Spirea, and the taller
Ailantus, and other noble-leaved trees of Asia and America. The
fringes of such a group might well be lit up with beds of Lilies,
Irises, or any showy flowers; or, better still, by hardy flowering
shrubs. An irregularly and artistically planted group of this kind
would prove at all times a source of interest; it might be improved
and added to from time to time, but the original expense would
be almost the only one.

Pass by this rather sheltered nook, and come to a gentle knoll
in an open spot. Here we will make a group from that wonderful
rosaceous family which does so much to beautify all northern and
temperate climes, And what a glorious bouquet it might be made,
with American and European hawthorns, double-flowered cherries
and peaches, plums, almonds, pears! While we should here have
a marked family likeness prevailing in the groups, we should
entirely escape the monotony resulting from planting, say, five
or six thousand plants of Rhododendron in one spot, as is the
fashion with some ; for each tree would differ considerably from its

Crap. 1] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 7

neighbour in flower and fruit. Then, having arranged the groups
in a picturesque way, we might finish off with a new feature. It
is the custom to margin our shrubberies and ornamental plantings
with a rather well-marked line. ¢ Strong-growing trees come near
the edge as a rule, and many Of the prettiest spring-flowering
shrubs of low growth are lost in the shade or crowding of more

Rustic Bridge between Wooded Is’ands.

robust subjects. They are often overshadowed, often deprived of
food, often injured by the rough digging which people usually
think wholesome for the shrubbery. The best of these should be
planted as neat low groups, or isolated well-grown specimens, not
far from the medium-sized or low trees of the central groupings,
but quite clear of their shade. The result would be that choice
dwarf shrubs would display a perfection to which they are usually
strangers. It would be putting them as far in advance of their
ordinary appearance as the stove and greenhouse plants at the

8 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar, I.

great flower-shows are to the ordinary stock in a nursery or
neglected greenhouse. It would teach people that there are
many unnoticed hardy little shrubs which merely want growing
in some open spot to appear as beautiful as any tropical or
subtropical plant. The system might be varied as much as the
plants themselves, while one garden or pleasure-ground need no
more resemble another than the clouds of to-day do those of
yesterday.

In the rich alluvial soil in level spots, near water or in some
open break in a wood, we might have numbers of the fine
herbaceous families of Northern Asia, America, and Europe.
These, if well selected, would furnish a type of vegetation now
very rarely seen in this country, and flourish after once being
planted without the slightest attention. On rocky mounds quite
free from shade we might well display true Alpine vegetation,
selecting dwarf shrubs and the many free-growing, hardy Alpines
which flourish everywhere. To turn from the somewhat natural
arrangements, occasional plantings might be made as the years
rolled on to show in greatest abundance the subjects of greatest
novelty or interest at the time of planting. In one select spot,
for example, we might enjoy our plantation of Japanese ever-
greens, many of them valuable in the ornamental garden; in
another, the Californian Pines ; in another, a picturesque group of
wild Roses; and so on without end. Were this the place to do
any more than suggest what may be accomplished in this way in
the splendid positions offered by our public gardens and parks,
scores of arrangements equal in interest to the above could be
mentioned. If the principle of annually planting a portion of a
great park or garden of this kind were adopted instead of giving
all the same routine attention after the first laying out, it would
be found to be the greatest improvement ever introduced into
gardening. The embellishment of the islands in the Bois de
Boulogne is very successful, but it is merely one of many fine
results that artistic planting would secure. Plantations as full
of interest and beauty might be made in other portions, and the
fact is the vegetable kingdom is so extensive that, although the
combination of knowledge and taste necessary to success might
not often be found in the designer, the materials for any number
of varied pictures could never fail.

Cuap. I.] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 9

More than one view of the river as it glides along one side of
this noble park may serve to show how much may be gained by
arranging the ground and planting so that the beauty of the
natural water may be seen. In the park various artificial lakes
have been made, while, for the most part, the fine opportunities
offered by the river have not been taken advantage of. Wherever
a garden or park possesses natural advantages of this kind it is

THE «« GRAND’’ CASCADE IN THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE.

Pines, Birch, and Ivy have somewhat concealed its original ugliness.

well to develop them in preference to making pieces of artificial
water. Lake-like reaches, islets, effective planting, turf-margined
bays, and every feature that makes water, or ground near water,
charming may be secured in such a case far more readily than
with artificial water.

As a combination of wild wood and noble pleasure-garden, the
Bois is magnificent. As regards size, it is ample, containing more
than two thousand acres, of which nearly half is wood, a quarter

10 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuap. I.

grass, an eighth roads, and more than seventy acres water. In
some spots it has more beauty and finish than any of our London
parks; while in others large spaces are covered with a thick scrub-
like wood, in which there is an abundant growth of wild flowers,
such as are never seen in our prim London inclosures. There are
plenty. of wild Cowslips dotted about, even over the best parts of
it, in spring.

From a landscape-gardening point of view, the great drawback
of the Bois is its want of breadth. Except for the roads and
avenues that intersect it, it is, speaking generally, a mass of
dense monotonous wood. ‘There is no open, airy space of any
extent (except the broad roads) for a long distance from the gate
nearest Paris. This of course is stupid in a park of such vast
extent. Even if effect were not taken into consideration, it must,
nevertheless, be remembered that the result of such dense masses
of low wood is to prevent that motion of the air which is so desir-
able in a great park. It would be difficult to find a city park so
ill-arranged in this respect. It is owing to other things than
design that the parts more distant from Paris are breezy, open,
and pleasant to the eye. The racecourse of Longchamps and the
training-ground necessitated open spaces, and the result is very
satisfactory from a landscape point of view.

Various banks and rocks near the water here are very tastefully
adorned with Ivy and rock-shrubs. The planting of the banks
near artificial water offers an opportunity for securing good effects
which are worth studying. The contrast with the water, and the
certainty that from across the water at least the result of tasteful
planting will be seen and not be obscured by chance or unre-
strained growth or unwise planting, should encourage the planter
to devote his attention to the subject. One happy effect here is
afforded by ivy on the rocky margin of the water, in combination
with rock-shrubs and hardy Cupressus and Junipers. Sheets of
luxuriant Irish Ivy fall over the rocks and carpet the banks. This
is welcome in winter, when it forms such a contrast to the dug
surface on which so many shrubs have to stand through most of
the year. Among the evergreen rock-shrubs and low conifers
suitable for such positions, a few good deciduous early-flowering
shrubs may be placed with charming effect; such, for example,
are the Japan Pyrus (P. japonica) and its, varieties, the Forsythias,

Cuar. 1] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 11

the large white Chinese Magnolia (M. conspicua), and other early-
flowering shrubs. The attractive Chinese, Japanese, and Ghent
Azaleas, and the Rhododendrons, are, of course, admirable for such
positions ; but there is a peculiar fitness in placing the very early-
flowering shrubs on these well-carpeted green banks, where the
surroundings are not so winterly as they are often needlessly
made in gardens.

Plantations on Banks of Lake ; rock-shrubs and small cascades.

There is one feature in the Bois de Boulogne which cannot be
too much condemned—the practice of laying down here and there
on some of its freshest sweeps of sloping grass enormous beds con-
taining one kind of flower only. In several instances, near the
plantations on the islands, may be seen hundreds of one kind of
tender plant in a great unmeaning mass, just in the positions
where the turf ought to have been left free for a little repose.
This is done to secure a sensational effect, but its only result is to

12 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. I.

spoil some of the prettiest spots. Let us hope that some winter
day, when the great beds are empty, they may be neatly covered
with green turf. It would be a great gain to horticulture if ten
out of every twelve “flower-beds” in Europe were blotted out
with fresh green grass.

The illustrations in this chapter show some of the beauty of
the Bois, in the part
that is most essentially
a garden. .They show
the rocks in the lower
lake with their drapery
of Ivy and shrubs;
the “grand” cascade
from its best point of
view —it was origin-
= === ally ill-formed and

False curves to banks, hard formal margin, and parallel walk
ugly and needless. * Compare with two margins to natural unhappy as regards

water on page 13. its surroundings, but
nature has thrown a graceful mantle over it in parts—the island
view, which is pretty ; the St. Cloud view, from a point near the
training-ground, one of the most charming views in Paris,
but which is more the result of accident than design; the
bridge with its fringe of creepers and shrubs; and the river
view, which tells of the wisdom of developing the natural advan-
tages of a beautiful stream, instead of wasting efforts in creating
an artificial lake.

The main defect of the most frequented part of the Bois de
Boulogne is that the banks which fall to the water are in some
parts too suggestive of a railway embankment, and display but
little of that indefiniteness of gradation and outline which we find
in the true examples of the “ English style ” of laying out grounds.
This fault is common to almost every example of the “picturesque”
garden to be seen about Paris; in most of the walks, mounds, and
turnings of the streams may be detected a family likeness and
a style of curvature which is certainly never exhibited by Nature,
and would never be drawn by an artist who had studied her.
The natural style of laying out ground cannot be fairly judged
of till we are accustomed to obey in our gardens the same laws by
which artists are governed in their work. An avowedly geometrical

Cuar. I.] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 18

garden with stately and abundant vegetation is often more pleasing
than a so-called naturally designed garden in which the great
lines are laid down by persons who have no knowledge of or
feeling for what is right in the matter. It must not be supposed
that the right thing is not possible: a good deal of English work

Rocky margin of island in Lago Maggiore.

in this direction is irreproachable. The gentle and graceful
gradation which would generally recommend itself in our lowland
gardens is indeed easier to form and to keep in order than such
stiff embankments as those by the water here. These too clearly
bear the impress of the engineer and the navvy.

More vicious still are the walks which run by the margin of

Water margin in Loch Achray.

the water on all sides, destroying the good effect which turf
running down to clear water generally produces. These walks are
a fatal error in a scene like this: from many points of view they
are offensive. There is no surer way of robbing garden-lake
scenery of its charms than by putting formal walks close to and

14 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuapr. I,

parallel with the margin. Frequently it may be found desirable
to approach the water edge for the sake of a view, or for other
reasons. In such cases it is right to approach it boldly, and to
let the gravel touch and run into it. Then it should recede again
and leave the margin green, quiet, and artistic in outline and
gradation. It is vexing to notice that these eternal and ever
visible serpentine walks steal all beauty from the margins of
the water.

Forming racecourses in important positions in public parks
ig surely a great mistake. France is large enough to accom-
modate her racing men in the way usual in other countries. The
creation of a new steeplechase-course in the very best position in
the Bois, just beyond the top end of the upper lake, is as vulgar
an error as can well be committed in a public garden! Imagine
the best part of the Regent’s Park in London, or the Central
Park, New York, prostituted to the purposes of “suburban
meetings”! And not only is this park thus misused from time to
time, but a large space railed in with a “grand stand” and all
its appurtenances are in permanent occupation of what, three years
ago, was one of the most beautiful spots round Paris. It is un-
worthy of a city to allow its finest open spaces to be thus violated.
Apart from the incongruity of a great city or state taking such
doubtful gambling business under its care, there is the objection
that the great numbers attracted are likely to do much damage to
the planting, as, indeed, they often have done on crowded days in
this park. The older Longchamps course, almost apart as it is,
might have been excused in a people anxious to naturalise
“meetings” that English people even dread coming near their
houses ; but this creation of a second racecourse in the same park
is no credit to the city authorities.

Trees and Avenues in the Bois de Boulogne.—It would be
impossible to find nobler roads and avenues than in the Bois de
Boulogne ; but they are bordered by the usual badly grown trees
seen everywhere in Paris. There may be some reason for being
satisfied with mere sticks in narrow streets and in gas-saturated
earth, but not here! Trees are planted everywhere to give shade,
but they are so managed that they never afford any such pleasant
shelter from the sun’s rays as may be enjoyed under tall spreading
trees. The shade, forsooth, from these starvelings is not to be

Cuar. I] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 15

compared to that from stately trees beneath the tall limbs of
which the cool air might circulate. It is easy to imagine the
effect of really well-grown trees along these superb avenues.
They only want room on all sides and freedom from the municipal
pruning-knife. For grand avenues trees must have space to
grow, and sufficient exposure to winds to cause them to anchor

VIEW BY THE SEINE, Looking north from near the Bridge of Suresnes.

Developing views of this kind is better than dabbling in artificial water. This quiet nook of the
park has escaped the attention of the landscape-engineer ; there are, therefore, no false curves
on the banks, no hard straight margin, and no parallel walk. Compare this with margins of
artificial water in this same park, and herbstone to our own Serpentine.

well in the soil on all sides. The lines of young Planes and other
trees-are often planted at a distance not greater than from nine
to twelve feet from the dense, badly grown’ wood, so that their
tops touch; and the trees themselves are often only fifteen feet
apart in the lines! It is curious to notice how people persist
in wasting money in so planting trees that they can never attain

16 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. I.

a third of their proper size. The result here deplored is not
owing to the soil or any other disadvantages of the site. Many
of the trees of Europe and America would attain their full
stature and dignity here if not crammed together in the way the
engineers seem to have decided that trees should grow.

More noticeable still is the condition of the trees in the
wood itself generally. They look as if France wished only to
grow coppice-wood for barrel-hoops in this her favourite park !
Monotony reigns along all the main drives from this cause. There
is nothing to be seen but illimitable and impenetrable forests of
sticks and brambles. Why allow the trees to crowd each other
to death or starvation? Thousands of Acacias and Oaks are
struggling for bare life, while by thinning them out those left
would form noble trees in good time. Where a wood of Pines
breaks the monotony, it looks like a deserted nursery—the trees
as close together as a plantation of saplings, and never thinned !
These woods ought not only to be properly thinned, but spaces
cleared to give breadth and to relieve the eye. In these spaces
various noble aspects of tree-life might be easily developed.
There are other and better gardens than those that require the
mowing-machine, It is in such wide expanses of ground as this
that the tree-gardens of the future will be made, and not in the
narrow botanic gardens hitherto formed in Europe. Even all the
trees and shrubs native in France planted, not in any formal
order, but in ample groves and groups, would form features
which would be very beautiful and interesting, while valuable to
the country. And instead of bracken beneath and around these
trees, why not naturalise everywhere, in the grass the beautiful
hardy herbaceous plants of France? In such a way we might
form gardens requiring no perennial care, and which would
soon surpass in beauty the trimmest and most costly.

The Gardens of the Acclimatisation Society.— Nowadays other
gardens than those avowedly botanical or horticultural often
claim attention from their gardening interest. In our own
Zoological Gardens there have for some years past been attractive
floral displays both in spring and summer. The warm tempera~-
ture and light of some of the new houses afforded opportunities
for indoor gardening which were taken advantage of. This
desirable innovation might be carried out with advantage in many

4

4
ih

}

\
f

‘

i
ly

:

View towards St, Cloud.

BOIS DE BOULOGNE:

Cuap. I.] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 17

other cases. The temperature, moisture, air, etc., given to houses
of exotic plants of various classes would perfectly suit various
forms of animal life difficult to preserve in good health in cold
northern countries. The interest and beauty of both the animal
and vegetable kingdom might be heightened by such a mixed
arrangement as we speak of, tastefully and judiciously carried
out. The economy resulting from adapting the same structures
and heating power to the wants of both the animal and vegetable

: Weeping Beech on Sloping Bank of Island.

treasures would permit of fuller justice being done to each. In
cities rich enough to afford first-class separate establishments, this
proposal in its entirety would not so readily commend itself. But, -
however objectionable it might seem to introduce zoological
elements into the botanic garden, there would be no two opinions
as to the good of adding all the charms of vegetation to the
zoological garden. In small cities with only one zoological or

botanical garden it would be easy so to arrange the two matters
c

18 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuapr. I.

that a happy result might be produced. If these ideas be sound
so far as buildings are concerned, they are equally so as regards
the open air. The old narrow idea that a small portion of ground
in a town suffices to worthily represent vegetation in a public
garden—the idea that we see illustrated in so many continental
cities, and in some dozen of our own—must be got rid of before
we ever see ornamental horticulture properly carried out in any
city. Every garden and open space may do as much towards this
end as any similar space of the so-called botanic garden. That
it should do so two things are mainly requisite—first, that the

BOIS DE BOULOGNE,

Line of Planes near the Mare @’ Auteuil, showing scrubby wood and crowded planting.

garden should be laid out on a sensible plan; secondly, that it
should not be devoted to imitating what is done everywhere else.
Beautiful it might be made with every flower or tree that those
who resort to it love; but, in addition, let it show us one or more
families of trees, shrubs, plants, or fruits, as completely illustrated
as may be. It should, in fact, like a useful type of man, know
a little of everything and everything of something. Among
modern public gardens, that of the Acclimatisation Society in the
Bois de Boulogne shows a fair attempt to make a garden, mainly
zoological, satisfactory from a landscape point of view. At one

Cuar. I.] THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE. 19

time it was pleasant, from the judicious planting of a variety of
trees and shrubs. Recently, however, the zoological element has
predominated so much over the rest that the beauty of the place
is almost destroyed, with, perhaps, the exception of the winter-
garden, which shows a variety of subtropical subjects planted out.
It is suggestive of what lovely scenes may be made by means of
this plan as compared with the tub-and-pot one. Here masses of
Bambusa gracilis grow up 15 feet high, and with all the elegance
of a weeping Willow, while graceful Palms and Tree-ferns look
quite at home when seen without the usual ugly assemblage of
_pots and tubs.

20 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuap. IL.

CHAPTER II.

THE PARC MONCEAU.

Wnar first excites the interest of the visitor accustomed to
the monotonous type of garden now so common is the variety,
beauty of form, and refreshing verdure which characterise this
garden—for it is not a park in our sense. The true garden is a
scene which should be so delightfully varied in all its parts—so
bright, so green, so freely adorned with the majesty of the tree,
the beauty of the shrub, the noble lines of fine-leaved plants, and
the minute beauty of the dwarfish ones; so perpetually interest-
ing, with vegetation that changes with the days and seasons,
rather than stamping the scene with monotony for months;
and so stored with new or rare, neglected or forgotten, curious
or interesting plants—that the simplest observer may feel that
indefinable joy which lovers of Nature derive from her charms in
her own fairest gardens. If any good at all is to be done by
means of flowers and gardens, we must give men a living interest
in them, and some other objects than those which can be taken in
by the eye in a moment. Numbers are occupied with gardening
as it is at present, but it cannot be doubted that a system with
something like an aim at true art would be sure to attract many
more. It is patent that there are numbers even among the
educated classes who take little or no interest in the garden,
simply because they can in few places find any real beauty or
character in it.

Here it is that the phase of gardening which is known among
us as the subtropical, and which so much helped to open people’s
eyes to the drawbacks of the “bedding out” so common a
few years ago, was first practised extensively. This system

Cuap. II.] THE PARC MONCEAU. 21

of garden-decoration, which simply means the use in gardens
of plants having large leaves, picturesque habit, or graceful
port, has taught us the value of grace and verdure amid masses
of low, brilliant, and unrelieved flowers, and has reminded us
how far we have diverged from Nature’s ways of displaying
the beauty of vegetation. Our love for rude colour led us too
often to ignore the exquisite and inexhaustible way in which
plants are naturally arranged. Ina wild state flowers are usually

SKETCH IN THE PARC MONCEAU.

relieved by a setting of abundant green; and even where moun-
tain and meadow plants of a few kinds produce a wide blaze of
colour at one season, there is intermingled a spray of pointed
grass and other leaves, which tone down the mass and quite sepa-
rate it from anything shown by what is called the “bedding
system” in gardens. When we come to examine the most pleas-
ing examples of our own indigenous or any other wild vegetation,
we find that their attraction mainly depends on flower and fern,

22 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cwar. II.

trailer, shrub, and tree, sheltering, supporting, and relieving each
other, so that the whole array has an indefinite charm and
mystery of arrangement.

We Lhe be ee by the wide spread of purple on a heath
or mountain, but when we go near and examine it in detail we
find that its most exquisite aspect is seen in places where the
long Moss cushions itself beside the Ling, and the fronds of the

HARDY BAMBOO (Bambusa metake) in the Parc Moncean.

Polypody peer forth around little masses of heather. Everywhere
we see Nature judicious in the arrangement of her highest effects,
setting them in clouds of verdant leafage, so that monotony is
rarely produced—a state of things which it is highly desirable to
attain as far as possible in the garden. We cannot attempt to
reproduce this literally—nor would it be wise or convenient to
do so—but assuredly herein will be found the chief source of
true beauty and interest in our gardens; and the more we keep

Caap. IT.] THE PARC MONCEAU. 23

this fact before our eyes, the nearer will be our approach to truth
and success.

We should compose from Nature, as landscape artists do. We
may have in our gardens—and without making wildernesses of

CASTOR-OIL PLANT,

Showing one year’s growth in European climate; type of tender plants that make vigorous
growth in open atr in summer.

them—all the shade, the relief, the grace, the beauty, and nearly
all the irregularity of Nature. This bold growth of “ fine-foliaged
plants” has shown us that one of the greatest mistakes ever made
in the garden was the adoption of a few varieties of plants for

24 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Crap. II.

culture on a vast scale, to the exclusion of interest and variety,
and too often of beauty or taste. We have seen how well the
pointed, tapering leaves of the Cannas carry the eye upwards ;
how refreshing it is to cool the eyes in the deep green of those
thoroughly tropical Castor-oil plants, with their gigantic leaves ;
how noble the Wigandia, with its fine texture and massive out-
line, looks, after we have surveyed brilliant hues and richly

AGEXANDRR de BAR ==

Giant Knotweed (Polygonum sachalinense) in the Parc Monceau, Sept, 1877.

painted leaves; how too the bold tropical palm-leaves beautify
the garden. In a word, the system has shown us the differ-
ence between the gardening that interests and delights all
beholders, and not the horticulturist only, and that which
is too often offensive to the eye of taste, and pernicious to
every true interest of what has been called the “ purest of humane
pleasures.”

But are we to adopt this system in its purity—as shown, for

Cuap. II.) THE PARC MONCEAU. 25

example, by Mr. Gibson when superintendent of Battersea Park ?
Tt is evident that to accommodate it to private gardens an
expense and a revolution of appliances would be necessary, which
are in nearly all cases quite impossible, and if possible hardly
desirable. We can, however, introduce into our gardens most of
its better features ; we can vary their contents, and render them
more interesting by a better and nobler system. The use of all

~ Mgues
=)

Tropical Arum (after a storm), Parc Monceau.

plants without any particular and striking habit or foliage or
other desirable peculiarity, merely because they are natives of
very hot countries, is unwise and generally impossible. Selection
of the most beautiful and useful from the great mass of plants
known is the good gardener’s pride, and in no branch must he
exercise it more thoroughly than in this. Some of the plants used
are indispensable—the different kinds of Ricinus, Canna in great

26 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. II.

MONTAGN-UEFA HERACLEIFOLIA,

variety, Polym-
nia, Colocasia,
Uhdea, Wigan-
dia, Ferdinanda,
Palms, Yuccas,
Dracenas, and
many fine-leaved
plants. A few
specimens of
these may be ac-
commodated in
many gardens;
they will embel-
lish the houses
in winter, and
may be trans-
ferred to the
open garden in
summer. Some
Palms, like Sea-
forthia, may be
used with the
best effect for the
winter decora-
tion of the con-
servatory, and be
placed out with
a good result,
and without
danger, in sum-
mer. Many fine
kinds of Drace-
nas, Yuccas,
Agaves, etc., are
adapted for
standing out in
summer, and are
in fact benefited
by it. So with

Caap. II.) THE PARC MONCEAU. 27

some Cycads and other plants of distinct habit—the very things
best fitted to add to the attractions of the flower-garden.

Thus we may, in all but the smallest gardens, enjoy all the
charms of this style of gardening, without creating any special
arrangements for it. But what of those who have no conservatory,
no hothouses, no means for preserving large tender plants in
winter? They too may enjoy the beauty which plants of fine
form afford. A better effect than any yet seen in an English

Bi
MUSA ENSETE, IN THE PARC MONCEAU, 1868.
(The artist is responsible for the liberties taken with the “ formalities” around.)

garden from tender plants may be obtained by planting hardy
ones only! There is the Pampas grass, which when well-grown
is unsurpassed by anything that requires protection. There are
the Yuccas, noble and graceful in outline, and hardy. There are
Arundo conspicua and Donax, and there are noble hardy herbaceous
plants like Crambe cordifolia, the giant Japanese Polygonums,
Rheum Emodi, Ferulas, and various graceful umbelliferous plants
that will furnish effects equal to any we can produce by using

28 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. II.

the tenderest exotics. Acanthuses too, when well-grown, are very
suitable for this use. Then we have a hardy Palm, that has pre-
served its health and greenness, in sheltered positions where its
leaves could not be torn to sbreds by storms, through many hard
winters.

And when we have obtained these, and many like subjects, we
may associate them with not a few things of much beauty among
trees and shrubs—with elegant young Pines; not of necessity
bringing the larger plants into close or awkward association with
the humbler and dwarfer subjects, but sufficiently so'to carry the
eye from the minute and pretty to the higher and more dignified
forms of vegetation. By ajudicious selection from the vast number
of hardy plants now obtainable in this country, and by associating
with them, where it is convenient, house plants that may be
placed out for the summer, we may arrange and enjoy charms
in the flower-garden to which we are as yet strangers, because
we have not utilised the vast amount of plant loveliness now in
our gatden-flora.

In dealing with the tenderer subjects, we must choose such as
will make a healthy growth in sheltered places. In all parts the
kinds with permanent foliage, such as the New Zealand Flax and
the hardier Draceenas, will be found as effective as around London
and Paris; and to such the northern gardener should turn his
attention. Even if it were possible to cultivate the softer-growing
kinds, like the Ferdinandas, to the same perfection in all parts as
in the south of England, it would by no means be everywhere
desirable, and especially where expense is a consideration, as these
kinds are not capable of being used indoors in winter. The many
fine permanent-leaved subjects that stand out in summer without
the least injury, and may be transferred to the conservatory
in autumn, there to produce as fine an effect all through the cold
months as they do in the flower-garden in summer, are the best
generally.

But of infinitely greater importance are the hardy plants; for
however few can indulge in the luxury of rich displays of tender
plants, or however rare the spots in which they may be ventured
out with confidence, all may enjoy those that are hardy, and that
too with infinitely less trouble than is required by the tender
ones. Those noble masses of fine foliage displayed to us by

Cuap. IL] THE PARC MONCEAU. 29

tender plants have done much towards correcting a false taste.
In whatever part of these islands one may live, one need not
despair of producing sufficient similar effect to vary the flower-

BEAUTY OF FORM FROM HARDY PLANTS.
All the plants shown are, with two exceptions, hardy. (Drawn by Alfred Dawson.)

garden or pleasure-ground beautifully by the use of hardy plants
alone. The noble lines of a well-grown Yucca recurva, or the
finely chiselled yet fern-like spray of a graceful young conifer,

30 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuap. II.

will aid him as much in this direction as anything that requires
either tropical or subtropical temperature.

The fault of this “subtropical gardening,” as hitherto seen,
is its lumpish monotony and the neglect of graceful combinations.
The subjects are not used to contrast with or relieve others of less
attractive port and brilliant colour, but are generally set down
in large masses. Here we meet a troop of Cannas, numbering
500, in one long formal bed; next there is a circle of Aralias,

By

Isolated Ferula, on Grass (Decaisne and Naudin).

or an oval of Ficus, in which hundreds of plants are so densely
packed that their tops form a dead level. Isolated from every-
thing else, as a rule these masses fail to throw any natural grace
into the garden, but, on the other hand, go a long way towards
spoiling the character of the subjects of which they are composed.
For it is manifest that we get a far superior effect from a group
of such a plant as the Gunnera, the Polymnia, or the Castor-oil
plant, properly associated with other subjects of entirely diverse

Cuar. II.] THE PARC MONCEAU. 31

character, than when the masses of such ag these become go large
that there is no relieving point within reach of the eye. A uale
specimen or small group of a fine Canna forms one of the most
graceful objects the eye can see. Plant a rood of it, and it soon
becomes as attractive as so much maize or wheat.

The fact is, we do not want purely “ subtropical gardens” or
“ leaf gardens ” or “colour gardens,” but such gardens as, by
happy combinations of the materials at our disposal, shall be
delightful, ever-changing museums of beautiful life. For it is

Rhus glabra laciniata. Hardy shrub, cut down annually to secure fine foliage.

quite a mistake to assume that because people, ignorant of the
inexhaustible stores of the vegetable kingdom, admire the showy
glares of colour now so often seen in our gardens, they would be
incapable of enjoying scenes displaying some traces of natural
beauty and variety if they could see them.

The fine-leaved plants have not yet been associated immediately
with the flowers: hence also a fault. Till they are so treated
we can hardly see the great value of such in ornamental garden-
ing. Avoid unmeaning masses, and associate more intimately the

32 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuar. I.

fine-leaved plants with the brilliant flowers. A quiet mass of
green might be desirable in some positions, but even that could
be varied most effectively as regards form. The combinations of
this kind that may be made are innumerable, and there is no
reason why flower-beds should not be as graceful as bouquets well
and simply made.

Fine effects may be secured, from the simplest and most
easily obtained materials, by using some of our hardy trees and

Aralia japonwa (Hort.). Hardy shrub with fine leaves.

shrubs in the picturesque garden. Our object generally is to
secure large and handsome types of leaves; and for this purpose
we usually place in the open air young plants of exotic trees,
taking them in again in autumn. As we usually see them in
a diminutive state, we often forget that, when branched into
a large head in their native countries, they are not a whit
more remarkable .in foliage than many of the trees of our
pleasure-grounds. Thus, if the well-known Paulownia im-

Cuapr. I1.] THE PARC MONCEAU. 33

perialis were too tender to stand our winters, and if we were
accustomed to see it only in a young and simple-stemmed
condition and with large leaves, we should doubtless plant it
out every summer as we do Ferdinanda. There is no occasion
whatever to resort to exotic subjects, while we can so easily
obtain fine hardy plants—which, moreover, may be grown
by everybody aud everywhere. By annually cutting down

AILANTUS AND CANNAS.

Suggesting the effects to be obtained from certain young trees cut down annually,

young plants of various hardy trees and shrubs, and letting
them make a simple-stemmed growth every year, we shall, as
a rule, obtain finer effects than can be got from tender ones.
The Ailantus, for example, treated in this way, gives us as
fine a type of pinnate leaf as can be desired. Nor need we
place Astrapeea Wallichii in the open air, so long as a simple-
stemmed young plant of the Paulownia makes a column of
superb leaves. The delicately cut leaves of the Gleditschias,

D .

34 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuar, IT.

borne on strong young stems, would be as pretty as those of
any Fern; and so in the case of various other hardy trees and
shrubs. Persons in the least favourable parts of the country
need not doubt of being able to obtain as fine types of foliage
as they can desire,- by selecting a dozen kinds of hardy trees
and treating them in this way.

Pretty are the results obtained in this Park by carpeting the
ground beneath masses of tender subtropical plants with quick-
growing ornamental annuals and bedding plants, which will
bloom before the larger subjects have put forth their strength
and beauty of leaf. If all interested in flower-gardening had
an opportunity of seeing the charming effects produced by
judiciously intermingling fine-leaved plants with brilliant flowers,
there would be an immediate improvement in our flower-gardening,
and verdant grace and beauty of form would be introduced, while
all the brilliancy of colour that could be desired might be seen at
the same time. Here is a bed of Erythrinas not yet in flower :
but there is a brilliant mass of colour beneath them. It is a
mixture of Lobelia speciosa with variously coloured Portulacas.
The beautiful surfacings that may thus be made with annual,
biennial, or ordinary bedding plants, from Mignonette to Petunias
and Nierembergias, are almost innumerable.

The bare earth is covered quickly with the free-growing
dwarfs; there is an immediate and a charming contrast between
the dwarf-flowering and the fine-foliaged plants; and should the
former at any time put their heads too high for the more valuable
things above them, they can be cut in for a second bloom. In
the case of using foliage-plants that are eventually to cover the
bed completely, annuals may be sown, and they in many cases
will pass out of bloom and may be cleared away just as the large
leaves begin to cover the ground. Where this is not the case,
and the larger plants are placed thin enough to allow of the
lower ones always being seen, two or even more kinds of dwarf
plants may be employed, so that one may succeed the other, and
that there may be a mingling of bloom. It may be thought that
this kind of mixture would interfere with what is called the unity
of effect that we attempt to attain in our flower-gardens. This
need not be so by any means ; the system could be used effectively
in the most formal of gardens.

Cuar. IL] THE PARC MONCEAU. 35

One of the most useful and natural ways of diversifying a
garden, and one that we rarely or never take advantage of,
consists in placing really distinct and handsome plants alone and
in groups upon the grass, to break the monotony of clump margins.
To follow this plan is necessary wherever great variety and the
highest beauty are desired in the ornamental garden. Plants
may be placed singly or in open groups near the margins of
a bold clump of shrubs or in the open grass: the system is
applicable to all kinds of hardy ornamental subjects, from trees
downwards, though in our case the want is for the fine-leaved
plants and the more distinct hardy subjects. Nothing, for instance,
can look better than a well-developed tuft of the broad-leaved
Acanthus latifolius, springing from the turf not far from the
margin of a walk or shrubbery; and the same is true of the
Yuccas, Tritomas, and other things of like
character and hardiness. We may make
attractive groups of one family, as the
hardiest Yuccas; or varied groups of
one species, like the Pampas grass—not
by any means repeating the individual,
for there are about twenty varieties of ehdesnad aietitapbutne bt
this plant known on the Continent, and = plants isolated on the grass.
from these half a dozen really distinct
and charming kinds might be selected to form a group. The same
applies to the Tritomas, which we usually manage to drill into
straight lines: in an isolated group in a verdant glade they are
for the first time seen to best advantage. And what might not be
done with these and the like by making mixed groups, or letting
each plant stand distinct upon the grass, perfectly isolated in its
beauty !

Let us again try to illustrate the idea simply. Take an import-
ant spot in a pleasure-ground—a sweep of grass in face of a
shrubbery—and see what can be done with it by means of these
isolated plants. If, instead of leaving it in the bald state in which
it is often found, we place distinct things isolated here and there
upon the grass, the margin of shrubbery may be made as free as
the fringe of a copse on the side of a mountain. If one who
knew many plants were to arrange them in this way, he might
produce numberless fine effects. In the case of the site plants,

D

36 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. IL

such as the Yucca and variegated Arundo, groups of four or five
good plants should be used to form one. In addition to such
arrangements, two or three individuals of a species might be
placed here and there upon the grass with the best effect. For
example, there is at- present in our nurseries a great Japanese
Polygonum (P. Sieboldi), which has seldom yet been used with
much effect in the garden. If
anybody will select some open
grassy spot in a pleasure-garden,
or grassy glade near a wood—some
spot considered unworthy of atten-
tion as regards ornamenting it—
and plant a group of three plants
of this Polygonum, leaving fifteen
E feet or so between the stools, a dis-
8 met Miho as, rom tinct aspect of vegetation will be

latifolius, piers Donax variate, the result. It is needless to mul-

ten trrcenlariy lated on te grass. 416 examples ; the plan is capable
of endless variation, and on that account alone should be welcome
to all lovers of gardens.

But many will only see in it an interference with the mowing
machine or.the formal margin. The progress of improvement in
our gardens is much retarded by the habit of looking from
the housemaid’s point of view at any suggested innovation. Very
often the question is not, “Is the alteration a desirable one ?”
but “How will it interfere with the progress of the garden
dusters?” If one suggests the very obvious improvement that
might be wrought by breaking up and arranging in a perfectly
easy, varied, and broken manner the margin of a mass of choice
shrubs—formal even to ugliness—the reply will probably be, ‘“ How
could we get the mowing machine to work?” Need it be said that
gardens are not made for the mowing-machine, the broom, or the
edging-iron, but for the highest expression of the beauty of the
vegetable kingdom, and for the enjoyment and instruction of men
and women? ‘The gardener should be relieved of much of the
needless, fruitless drudgery that he now has to endure. The
whole course of his existence at present is a weary repetition of
the same endless routine. Notin one place out of twenty are the
gardener’s labours devoted to the formation of features which take

Cuar. II] THE PARC MONCEAU. 37

care of themselves after planting, and improve year by year. To
be told in the face of this, in an age when people go to the
trouble of scratching over and replanting the same flower-gardeng
year after year, that any attempt ata purer system of gardening
is likely to interfere with the progress of the mower or the straight
run of the edging-iron is really too much. Certainly it is a little
easier to mow and rake, if raking be permitted, a long, straight,
and, it may probably be, bare margin to a belt of plantation or
mass of choice shrubs, than it is to give the necessary attention

2

ARE as Pye’

Nook in Parc Monceau.

to a border fringed as some of the shrub borders in Battersea
Park have been recently. But the difference in aspect is so
great that the small additional care required in mowing, etc.,
should never be named against it, especially at a time when the
whole of the resources of most gardens go to produce costly displays
which endure but a few short months, leaving the ground ready
for fresh labours.

One kind of arrangement needs to be particularly guarded
against—the geometro-picturesque one seen in some places com-
bined with much showy gardening. The plants are often of the
finest kinds and in the most robust health, all the materials for

38 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuapr. Il.

the best results are abundant, and yet the scene fails to satisfy
the eye, from the needless formality of many of the beds, pro-
duced by the heaping together of a great number of species of one
kind in long, straight or twisting beds with high raised edges
frequently of hard-beaten soil. Too many such examples are
found. The formality of the true geometrical garden is charming
to many to whom this style is offensive; and there is not the
slightest reason why the most beautiful combinations of fine-
leaved and fine-flowered plants should not be made in any kind
of geometrical garden.

But in the purely picturesque garden it is as needless as it is
false in taste to follow the course here objected to. Hardy
plants may be isolated on the turf, and may be arranged in
beautiful irregular groups, with the turf or some graceful spray
of hardy trailing plants for a carpet. Flower-beds may be
readily placed so that no objectionable stage-like results will be
seen: tender plants may be grouped as freely as may be desired—
a formal edge avoided by the turf being allowed to play irregu-
larly under and along the margins, while the remaining bare-
ground beneath the tall plants may be quickly covered with some
fast-growing low plants. Choice tender specimens of Tree-ferns,
etc., placed in dark shady dells, may be plunged to the rims of
the pots in the turf or earth, and some graceful or bold trailing
herb placed round the cavity so as to conceal it; and in these
and various ways we may have every loveliness of the plant
world free from all geometry. The day will come when we shall
be as anxious to avoid all formal twirlings in our gardens as we
now are to have such twistings perpetrated by landscape-gardeners
of great repute for applying wall-paper or fire-shovel patterns to
the surface of the reluctant earth, and when we shall cease to
tolerate in our gardens such scenes as no landscape-artist would
endure in a sketch.

The old landscape-gardening dogma,* which tells us we cannot

* “In gardening, the materials of the scene are few, and those few unwieldy,
and the artist must often content himself with the reflection that he has given the
best disposition in his power to the scanty and intractable materials of nature.”
—Atuison. (This is only one of many statements, equally untrue, made by
persons who had no idea of the extent of the plant world.)

Cuap. II.] THE PARC MONCEAU. 39

have all the wild beauty of nature in our gardens, and may as
well resign ourselves to the compass and the level, the defined
daub of colour and pudding-like heaps of shrubs, had some faint
force when our materials for gardening were few ; but considering
our present rich and, to a great extent, unused stores from every
clime, and from almost every important section of the vegetable
kingdom, it is demonstrably false and foolish.

There is a graceful way of using hardy climbers here which,
improved and modified, deserves to be generally practised, The
numerous cultivated hardy climbers are rarely seen to advantage,
owing to their being stiffly trained against walls. The greater

3 PLE
Me gps NO B02)

Yapanese Honeysuckle on Stem of Birch-tree, Parc Monceau.

number of hardy climbers have gone out of cultivation, owing to
their being generally ill-placed and ill-treated. One of the
happiest of all ways of using them is that of training them in a
free manner against trees; by this means many beautiful effects
may be secured. The trees must not, as a rule, be those crowded
in shrubberies. They must stand free on the turf. Established
trees have usually somewhat exhausted the ground near their base,
which may, however, afford nutriment to a hardy climbing shrub.
In some low trees the graceful companion may garland their
heads ; in tall ones the stem only may at first be adorned. But
some vigorous climbers could in time ascend the tallest trees, and

40 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. II.

we can conceive nothing more beautiful than a veil of such a one
as Clematis montana suspended from the branch of a tall tree. A
whole host of lovely plants may be grown in this way, apart from
the well-known and popular climbing plants. There are, for
example, many species of Clematis which have never come into
cultivation, but which are quite as beautiful as climbers can be.
The same may be said of the Honeysuckles, wild Vines, and
various other families the names of which may be found in cata-
logues.. In consequence, however, of the fact that no system of
growing these plants to advantage has ever been carried out in
our gardens, nurseries are by no means so rich in them as could
be desired. Much of the northern tree and shrub world is gar-
landed with creepers, which may be grown in the way suggested
and in similar ones, as, for example, on banks and in hedgerows.
The naked stems of the trees in our pleasure-grounds, however,
have the first claim on our attention in planting garlands. There
would seldom be reason to fear injury to established trees.

The view showing the effect of Clematis on trees is drawn and
engraved from a photograph taken in May, showing an old and
vigorous plant of the handsome and hardy Clematis montana
allowed to have its own way to some extent. This climbing
shrub, of which the large-flowered variety called grandiflora is
grown here and there on walls, is most precious for those who
wish to garland trees and stumps and hedges with lovely flowers.
It is as hardy and free as the common English Clematis vitalba.
The sketch will also suggest to many various ways in which
hardy climbers may be used to produce similar beautiful effects.
Other -families of climbers might be named as equally useful,
but the Clematises are so numerous, so hardy, so beautiful in
flower, and so singularly varied in the colour and form of their
blossoms, that whole wild gardens of beauty may be formed of
them alone.

After the great central blemish of monotony in gardens, few of
the secondary ones call for censure more loudly than needless ugly
structures. No doubt the majority of these unfortunate erections
have some reason to be: they are simply in the wrong position. A
good, honest black saucepan in the middle of the dining-room table
would not be more incongruous than a tool-shed is in the middle
of Cavendish Square. In the Pare Monceau there are several

Crap. 11.) THE PARC MONCEAU. 41

villanously ugly and wholly needless buildings which are quite
out of place, and tend to confuse and limit the garden. There is
about the most absurd of bridges stuck over an unclean pool of
water, with a hard, black asphalte margin—proper enough in a

: 4

* a ee “ eh
MLEXANDRE alu BAX ¢ a

baa ania os
A SAGEM 7,

CLEMATIS ON TREES IN MAY, Pare Monceau.

tanyard no doubt, but not in a fair garden. Such puerile struc-
tures are figured with the most elaborate detail in illustrated
works, as if they were as worthy of admiration as a Roman arch.
A man who really knew their value and had power to treat them

42 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuar. IL.

accordingly would shovel them out of the way as rubbish-—more
offensive than the biggest weeds.

But the greatest drawback to the beauty of this garden is a
dirty and formal pool dignified by the name of a lake, and by the
side of which is one of the meanest of all shams—the sham ruin.
There are few greater mistakes made in gardens than placing
small sheets of artificial water in them. There is, however, one
virtue in artificial waters seen abroad—they are rarely deep or
large enough to drown the children, though ugly enough to
irritate sensitive adults. With us the artificial water generally
assumes the form of a duck-pond; in France it is much nearer to
a hand-basin. There, if the “lawn” be only as large as a table-
cloth, a tub in cement is sure to find a place on it. Happily in

Ugly and needless Structures in the Parc Moncean.

our small gardens water is less frequently seen. The effect of
still water is only pleasant where it sparkles in the sun in broad
masses, Nothing can be much more offensive than small pools of
stagnant water. Near a dwelling-house they are objectiouable for
many reasons ; besides, the space they occupy is precious for better
things. Good design in other ways will not in these cases com-
pensate for the error of forming artificial water where there is not
abundant room for it. It is enough to have half the little gardens
about Paris spoiled with cemented tubs without disfiguring this
small park with a “lake” of soup-like water. No doubt when the
gardens of Paris are delivered from the engineer and the architect
and placed in the hands of trained garden-artists we shall see
an end of these sham ruins, sham pools, sham pyramids, toy
bridges.

Cuap. II.] THE PARC MONCEAU. 43

This park might readily have been made an earthly paradise
of a town garden by not slashing it into four pieces by needless
roads. To form short cuts for
man or horse is not usually
reckoned among the objects for
which town gardens are formed.
Yet they are often spoiled in
the effort. A road round this
would have been the right thing,
if any were’ really required. Roads in the ast ii How to spoil
However, so long as we have
engineers for landscape-gardeners, so long shall we have stones and
cement where turf and flowers ought to be. Instead of making
such places too facile by roads, the designer might be pardoned
for following an opposite course and allowing nothing in the way
of needless roads to rob the garden of its most valuable spaces.

A hideous blotch, from an artistic point of view, is the prodigious
oval of the white-leaved Maple in the centre of the park. This
clump consists of hundreds of trees graduated from edge to
centre so as to form an enormous pudding-like mass. The value

and beauty of the trees se lg ehh te
sinsmaosleee are quite & Yes ‘Gag Sates
lost through their rar) a ap 2

being thus thickly —/ ij (be (aed
massed together, Im _-==~% af gala
addition to which the Es Woe . a

general effect of the
park is spoilt. The
true way to enhance the value of trees with variegated leaves is
to plant them in clumps of two or three, but when planted in
masses or lines their real worth is lost. Some people would pave
the streets with diamonds, and expect diamonds to become more
admired in consequence.

The Pare Monceau also contains some of the least agreeable
features of our modern flower-garden in the form of beds on the
top of small embankments. The fashion first came to us from
Paris. It was once employed to secure a greater degree of heat
to the more tender plants. But now beds of the freest-growing
flowers may be seen fortified with these ugly banks, though no

ar ead

C oched-up flower-bed in the Pare Monceau,

44 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PABIS. [Cuap. II.

more in want of their assistance than a nettle. In any garden
well laid out the shape of the beds must not be obtrusive. In
the gardening of the future, the plants, not the beds, will be
what meets the sight. Over the whole of this large garden the
impudent bed shown in the woodcut preceding stares at one,
not only when it is filled, be it observed, but when it is bare of plants.
The plan is as needless as it is offensive. Given a good warm soil
and good drainage, there is no need for this awkward elevation of
the bed! On the contrary, there is often decided advantage in
having the roots in a cool medium, not more exposed to evapora-
tion than need be. The gentle rise towards the centre of a bed
that is sometimes desirable is easily secured without raising the
edge above the turf, from which all flowers should spring.

( 45 )

CHAPTER IIL.

THE GARDEN OF PLANTS.

Tuis garden, the botanic garden of
Paris, and one of the most famous
in the world, is the type of all that
is stupid and harmful to horticul-
ture in the botanic gardens of
Europe. It is pedantry in the full
sun—mismanagement posing as
science. We must not seek here
for much of the beauty of the veget-
able kingdom: the systems adopted
steal that away. Clipped lines of
wretched trees; wide, needless
walks; wretched culture; over-
crowding of plants in the houses;
overcrowding of trees from the
endeavour to squeeze them into narrow beds to illustrate classifi-
cation; absence of all design calculated to allow the garden to
retain any beauty of grove or lawn or spring; in a word, every
depressing feature of the worst-managed botanic gardens is seen
here. It is the natural result of placing at the head of such an
establishment a person with no knowledge of or sympathy with
the art he is supposed to cultivate; while under him are placed
men whose efforts under the system are powerless for good.

Shall our public gardens be managed by men thoroughly con-
versant with the art of gardening, or by those who frequently
have no knowledge whatever of it, and whose work is in other fields ?
Horticulture is an art embodying so many branches that it is

5 Sh

46 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. III.

difficult to find any one person who possesses a good general
knowledge of the whole. Men spend their lives in studying
orchid culture or arboriculture, and yet these are but depart-
ments of the art. Difficult, however, as it is to secure a man
with a good general knowledge of horticulture, we happily have
in various countries examples of brilliant success in this way—
men who might be named as having as nearly perfect a know-

PLAN OF THE JARDIN DES PLANTES, How not to lay out a botanic garden

1) E

a. / 2. Amphitheatre. 3. Beasts of Prey. 4, 19. Fountain. 6. Library. 7, 8, 9,
TO, 18, 29. Mixed plantations and nurseries. 11, 12, 13, 14. Museums of Anatomy, Botany,
Mineralogy, and Zoology. 15. Parterre. 16. Cedar. 17. School of Botany. 20. Bears. 21 22,
23. Nurseries, &c. 24, 25. Labyrinths. 26. Cuvier's house. 27, 28, Birds. 30, 31, 32, aa 44.
Aquatic, Edible, Herbaceous, Officinal, and Tropical Plants. 35. Reptiles. 36, 37, ao ‘Animals.
38. Glass-h 40. t to Daubenton. A. B. C. ‘Offices. ae :

ledge of the art of gardening as it is possible to attain. Yet
by our present system, we paralyse the efforts of such men
by placing them under the control of a. person who is, as a rule
without knowledge of horticulture. :

What should we think of people who placed the designing and
building of important architectural works in the hands or under
the control of a geologist who had spent his life in gathering and

Cuap. III.) THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 47

examining stones and had never taken the least interest in the
building art? And yet such a plan is precisely analogous to that
followed in a good many public gardens. And what is the result
of this course? That all gardens not actually or virtually managed
by real gardeners are generally in a poor, sometimes in a wretched,
condition. The best collections of plants and the best grown
are in gardens where they are cultivated for their beauty,

ety TT

ci

ACT
COANE,
ACT

ili, ONC

UTA SE

OLD JUDAS TREE, Garden of Plants.

and not to illustrate their place in this or that system. Where
is what is called our “ scientific” horticulture, to adopt the weak
phrase of the day, or, in plain English, where is our best and
most advanced gardening? In the same hands. And who are
the pioneers — who are they who discover for us paths and
pleasures new in our always delightful gardens? Our gardeners
only, and in that term are included all who love the art.

48 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. IIL.

The best managers of botanic gardens are invariably such as
have had a thorough garden training—men who have lived all
their days among large collections of living plants in gardens.
It by no means follows that such men, because first of all excellent
gardeners, may not also be good botanists. Itis almost impossible
that they can be otherwise; but the botany comes to them through
life-long association with living garden plants. Such gardeners
may be compared to architects and builders who build nobly, but
whose practice and intelligence lead them to understand the
classification of the stones they use.

It may be objected that when a botanic garden is wholly under
the charge of a horticulturist, the general collections might suffer
from his partiality for a few common types. The answer is that
by far the most complete and rare collections and the best grown
are those in the possession of amateurs, gardeners, and nursery-
men. The real danger lies in the opposite direction—that is,
when a botanist has sole control. He may select a cultivator only,
instead of a really accomplished botanic gardener. Now we want
good cultivators in all our botanic gardens; but in a first-rate
curator that skill should be accompanied by a wide knowledge
of every type of vegetation as grown in gardens. Hence to select
a man merely because he happens to grow well some one or two
classes of plants is a mistake. It should never be forgotten that
the trees and plants which are of the highest value in a botanic
garden in any country are such as are quite hardy in the open
air in that country, and that one may quickly acquire a reputation
as a cultivator of indoor plants, without knowing or caring for
any hardy subjects. Hence the necessity of selecting a director
or curator possessing a general knowledge and love of every
family of the garden flora. It should also be borne in mind
that when a botanist holds the appointment of the curator of a
garden, he is, as a rule, not apt to select a first-rate man. Many
professional gardeners know living cultivated plants, that is to
say, know the flora of botanic gardens far better than botanists.
Obviously, except in the case of a noble nature, the botanist is
therefore not likely to select a man who knows more than he does
himself about the plants in the garden—the only things that
either the visitors, or supporters of such places care about.

It is not only want of knowledge of good gardening that

Cuap. IID] THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 49

causes this state of things, but certain botanists have got a fixed
idea that it is even wrong to arrange a scientific garden so that
it should be beautiful !—that is to say, that having rich and varied
collections of plants from many countries is necessarily antago-
nistic to disposing the garden in a picturesque and agreeable

NEW WEEPING HONEY LOCUST (Gleditschia Bajoti).—Garden of Plants.

manner. Probably some may remember to have heard this view

laid down as regards our most important gardens. ‘Nothing can

be more untrue, and nothing more harmful to every interest of

the garden. Anybody really acquainted with horticulture knows

that the best collections very often are found in the gardens most

beautifully disposed. For example, it is well known that by far
E

50 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. IL

the richest and best collection of alpine plants existing is to be
found in the garden which is also the most beautifully arranged
for their reception. So, again, some of the most lovely collections
of Ferns ever got together are arranged in a manner in which one
can enjoy to the fullest their beauty and variety. Many other
instances could be given.

The botanist should have no more to do with the cultivation or
arrangement of the living plants than the gardener has with the
herbarium. Progress is sure some day to break up this unnatural
subjection of the garden to the botanist, and the sooner the better.
The botanist has his collections, and the wide earth in which to
gather them. His is a beautiful and vast science, but it is wholly
apart from horticulture.

It is assumed by the ordinary type of the grammarian of
“science” that he is a “scientific man ”—the horticulturist or
agriculturist not even being thought worthy of the name.
Few will be inclined to dispute the usefulness of the classifiers,
or that they are in their degree men of science; but when, if
their position be named in the same breath with that of the
horticulturist, they bristle up with disdain, people are led to put
the question to themselves—Is the mere finder of names for
things a more important person than he who modifies, combines,
and improves those things so as to make them more useful and
more beautiful? In literature, for instance, is the higher place
to be given to grammarians, rhetoricians, and lexicon-makers ?
Even the adventurous explorer who brings us, at the risk of his
life, beautiful things from distant parts of the world is often
excluded from his hard-earned honour by narrow considerations
of this kind. But really high-minded and able men in any
branch of human knowledge are more liberal and just.

One of the first things done by our greatest thinkers, in
clearing the ground for the study of the highest philosophical
problems, is to prove the identity in kind of the ordinary and
the “scientific” methods of observation, and the oneness, so to
speak, of “theory” and “ practice.” It may be urged by the
botanist that his knowledge is capable of more accurate demon-
stration than the gardener’s; but this is not the case, except as
regards descriptions of plants. Such a book, for example, as
Lindley’s ‘Theory of Horticulture’ would be called a scientific

Cap. III.] THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 51

book, while one of Loudon’s might not be considered worthy of
that distinction. Yet it has been demonstrated that the ‘ Theory
of Horticulture’ embodies many erroneous propositions, and
more important errors than will probably ever find their way
into a gardening book.

ALGERIAN IVY.—Garden of Plants,

It should be clearly understood that all knowledge is the same
in kind; that there is no real difference between “science ” and
practice; and that what is sound in theory must be sound also in
practice, and vice versd. There is no real difference. The old
meaning of the word science is knowledge ; the modern meaning

E 2

52 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. III.

is the same. It has been shown over and over again by eminent
men that the methods of investigation applied to the most
difficult problems that have yet engaged the attention of man
differ in no essential respect from those used by the humblest
observant cultivator. What is true scientifically'must be true
also in practice. Such an expression as “It is right enough in
theory but wrong in practice” is nonsense. Nothing can be
“right in theory and wrong in practice.”

Who is to blame for this state of things? Chiefly the class of
botanists and “scientific” men who do not rise higher in the
study of the vegetable kingdom than the stage of mere techni-
ealities and their application. We might suppose that the
Royal Horticultural Society of London would not propagate
errors of this kind. But this is precisely what it does, and at
its meeting at Birmingham there were a “scientific” and a
“ practical” congress, Addresses were also given on separate
days on “recent progress in scientific” and “ recent progress in
practical” horticulture ; as if these terms did not mean one and
the same thing. Thus a society for the encouragement of
gardening says, in effect, to gardeners: Your labours and
observations have nothing to do with science (knowledge), and
we will take care that there is no mingling of such different
classes. Your “practical” notions are of some slight account ;
we will devote a day to them as soon as we have completed
our “scientific” labours. And thus a puerile distinction is
maintained by the very body whose true work it should be to
eounteract the effects of a use of language false in itself and
hurtful to horticulture.

Looking round on all the miserable ugliness and mismanage-
ment in this unfortunate Garden of Plants, I thought of the kind
of national botanic garden that would be worthy of France. The
objects of a national garden should be threefold—to show living
examples of the vegetation of the country in which it occurs; to
grow in the open air plants from other countries likely to be of
value for use or ornament in that country ; and also to display as
far as possible the vegetation of distant and very different
countries. We will leave this last question entirely out of sight,
and think only of France, its vegetation and its improvements, in
garden and in farm, in orchard and in forest, _

Cuap. TD] THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 53

First we think of the flora of France, beautiful exceedingly in
many parts, rich and varied beyond description or remembrance
We have the France of the blue warm sea, with its lavender-
and rosemary-clad hills, Anemones and Narcissi in its winter
fields, and woods fragrant with Myrtle and aromatic herbs.

CEDRELA SINENSIS (Vew Tree).—Garden of Plants.

Colder and later than the maritime Alps, we have those of Savoy,
with a glorious alpine flora; the Ardennes and the Vosges ; the
Alps of Dauphiny ; and the wide area of the Pyrenean slopes and
meadows and valleys. And we have the France of the lower hills
and plains, with their wild Roses aud Harebells, and the flora
of the western sea-shores, and of Brittany and of Normandy—

54 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. III.

in all a lovely and wonderful host which certainly deserve some
better illustration in a national garden than they have already
had at the hands of the classifier. But when we come to think of
the extent and the wants of this varied country, the taste of its
people for the more refined branches of cultivation, and the vast
improvement that has in many districts to be wrought before the
land can enjoy in all its parts a full expression of the wealth and
happiness it is capable of producing, then we may see more fully
the great aid which a really worthy national garden would afford
to France. Her now bare northern fields have to be made
beautiful and fertile ; her mountains have to be replanted. Here
is a reason, even if there were not twenty others as cogent, for a
worthy national arboretum. The gardens and orchards of France
have to be replenished ; the planting in her cities and towns made
more beautiful and varied; the pure and invigdrating pleasures
and material benefits of good gardening have to be brought to the
doors of every owner of a rood of-land; and in short there are
many objects of national importance which a Garden of Plants
worthy of Paris and of France could materially aid. But these
squares and these rows of clipped Limes, and narrow beds for trees
and shrubs, and railed-in compartments contrasted with bear-pits,
and the general aspect of barren formality, demean and ridicule
and blight the whole beautiful art of gardening and all that it
concerns. Let it not be supposed from the silence in France
on mismanagement of this kind that the evil effects noted are
only evil to the few who notice them. Those who see the errors
know how to avoid them. It is the public who visit places of
this kind, and naturally take them to be models of their kind,
who insensibly imbibe a harmful influence—harmful to an
incalculable extent.

Therefore, for many reasons there is no nobler work before the
municipality of Paris than the creation of a Garden of Plants
worthy of the name. The old one is a fitting site for museums,
for herbariums, for the skeletons of whales and the pits of bears,
or even for big glass sheds filled with sickly over-crowded plants,
but a fair garden it can never be made.

A Garden of Plants worthy of France should not be much less
than a thousand acres in extent. If much larger spaces are
devoted to mere parks with a small variety of vegetation, and for

Caap. III.] THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 35)

the sole object of their air and space and drives, why should not
an equally large one be devoted to this national purpose, con-
sidering that a botanical garden of the nobler type would have
more than the charms of the park, even in the objects for which
that is avowedly created. A Garden of Plants worthy of France

Aleraune ag,

THE JUJUBE TREE (Zizyphus jujuba).—Garden of Planis.

should be arranged in a natural manner, showing in its very
disposition that all known of the art of pure garden-design had
been considered. It should be roomy enough for the full and
natural development of every tree or shrub or flower, native or
hardy, in France. It should group the largest of these, not
merely as isolated specimens, but also in groves, so as to show

56 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. III.

the full expression of their beauty in the various ways in which
they might be used.

The principles on which vegetation is arranged to express the
highest amount of beauty and give the greatest charm having
been settled from the beginning of the world, no professor should
be allowed to plant it to illustrate his notion of classification.
The place for his work, it cannot be too clearly understood, is the
herbarium or the museum. Such a garden should illustrate the
flora of France nobly and naturally, as far as possible without
burying it under a nightmare of long names; it should have open
lawns, if only to let people see the beauty of the many treasures
of the garden at varying distances, though there are many other
reasons; it should have few glass houses, and these not in
prominent positions. Those who are really interested in tropical
vegetation can now see it in a few weeks, whereas a few generations
ago it was problematical if it could be seen at all. Even those who
imagine they can illustrate the vegetation of the tropics in a
glass shed will probably admit that we had better leave the
building of the glass sheds till we have done justice to the treasures
of the vegetable kingdom hardy in our climate, and which
we may arrange under the dome of the sky. It is hardly
necessary to add that it should not be a place for exhibiting
geometrical tracings on the ground, and various other and
more costly puerilities of which gardens are frequently made the
scene.

We have nothing in England like the Garden of Plants—half
zoological, half botanical, and nearly surrounded by museums
containing vast zoological, botanical, and mineralogical collec-
tions. The portion entirely devoted to botany is laid out in the
straight, regular style, while other parts have winding walks,
and some trifling diversity here and there. The place is really
an important school of botany, and as such it is useful,
though with nothing to charm. Here Buffon, Cuvier, Jussieu,
and other great men have worked; and here at the present
day, even in minor departments, are many men of well-known
ability.

Although the Garden of Plants is quite inferior in point of
beauty to any of our large British botanic gardens, it contains
some features which might be introduced into them with advan-

Cuap. III.] THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 57

tage. Its chief merits are that its plants are better named than
in any British garden; it possesses several arrangements which
enable the student to see conveniently all obtainable useful plants
better than in any British botanic garden. Its chief faults are
that it has a bad position in an out-of-the-way part of the town ;
the greater part of its surface is covered with plants systematically
disposed; the houses are poor and badly arranged compared to
those in our own good botanic gardens; and there is no green
turf to be seen in its open parts. It has, in addition, a very bad
atmosphere for evergreens, and a ridiculous maze.

There is one admirable feature which must not be forgotten,
and that is the fine
collection of fruit-
trees. This was
established by the
National Conven-
tion by a decree
dated June 1793:
“So as to estab-
lish the uniformity
of nomenclature
necessary for all
parts of the re-

ex yy '
public. The col- Clipped Trees in the Garden of Plants. (Hachette.) Compare with
lection dat es from illustrations on Dp. 3, 5, 22, 29, 37, and others in this book,

the year 1792, when the fruit-garden of the Chartreux of Paris
was broken up, and two trees of each variety transported to
the Garden of Plants. In 1793 it contained 185 varieties. In
1824, when Thouin died, there were in it 265 varieties of pears
alone; it has now more than 1400 varieties of this fruit. It
is interesting and important to know that the collection still
preserves the greater portion of the very types described a
century ago by Duhamel.

A large division is devoted to the culture of plants used as food,
and in commerce. It is at once successful, useful, and complete.
The chief varieties of all garden crops are to be seen; the various
species of Rhubarb, all important varieties of Lettuce—in a word,
everything that the learner could desire to see in this way. It is
not merely the plan of the thing, but the manner in which it is

58 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. III.

carried out, that is good. Such arrangements, well planned and
cut off by judicious planting from the general verdure and chief
area of any of our great public gardens, would be of the greatest
service.

Near the river end of the garden there is another very interest-
ing division. It is chiefly devoted to medicinal and useful plants
of all kinds, arranged in
adistinct way. First we
have the Sorghums,
Millets, Wheats, and
cereals generally — all
plants cultivated for
grain. Then come plants
cultivated for their stems,
from Polymnia edulis to
Ullucus tuberosus. Next
we have the chief species
and varieties of Onion;
such plants as Urtica
utilis, the Dalmatian
Pyrethrum rigidum, and
almost everything likely
to interest in this way,
from Lactuca perennis
to the esculent Hibiscus.
: Here again the plants
a a ie iy? are well named and kept

Effect of large umbelliferous Plant.—Garden of Plants. clear and distinct, each
having full room for

development, the general space devoted to the subject being
sufficiently large; and the practice of giving each plant a
portion of the whole breadth of each bed to itself is better
than the more crowded arrangements adopted in our British
botanic gardens.

The “school of botany ” is simply a department planted on the
natural system, remarkable for the correctness of the nomenclature
and the richness of its collection. Here again everything is well
taken care of and kept distinct; the aquatics are furnished with
cemented troughs, in which they grow luxuriantly, one of the

Cuap. III.] THE GARDEN OF PLANTS, 59

singular and handsome Sacred Beans (Nelumbium) growing in
the open air. The whole is most satisfactory, with one exception
—that the director places out the greenhouse and stove plants in
summer to complete the natural orders in the beds. These poor
plants are stored pell-mell in winter in a great orangery, from
which they are taken out in early summer literally more dead
than alive. They make a few leaves during the summer, and are
again put into their den to sicken or die.

Here among the herbaceous plants growing on a rough old
stake is a beautiful plant of Ivy, trained in a way suggestive of
what may be done with other Ivies in similar ways. Placed ina
narrow bed here in the botanical arrangement there was no
attempt whatever at making it
“ ornamental,” and yet the result, as
will be seen by the woodcut (p. 51),
is more beautiful than if planted
or trained on a wall. The noble
leaves clothed the stake, and the
shoots about the bottom began to
wander over the ground in the most
charming way, even here among
these stiff and narrow beds, which
seemed designed to destroy all beauty
and individuality in plants. On a
lawn it may be imagined how much
prettier it would be. This is probably
the best way of growing the finer kinds of Ivy. It would be
difficult to imagine anything more beautiful than a group of
pyramids, each of a different kind of Ivy, springing from the turf
in some quiet corner of the garden.

There is a Cedar of Lebanon, planted by Jussieu, to whom it
was given by the English botanist Collinson. It is the first
Cedar ever planted in France. Beyond this there is not much
tree-beauty in the garden, though there are several new or rare
hardy trees, some of which have been drawn and engraved for
this book; among them being Cedrela sinensis and Gleditschia
Bojoti, the last a lovely light-leaved weeping tree.

An interesting object is all that now remains of a somewhat
remarkable tree which has stood for nearly three hundred years

Sacred Bean in the open air. (V1 tlmorin.)

60 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caap. JIL

in the gardens of the Museum. The seed from which this tree
sprang was received amongst others from North America in the
year 1601, by Jean Robin, Professor of Botany at the Garden of
Plants, and, thirty-five years later, it was planted here by Ves-
pasien Robin, so that it is now probably two hundred and seventy-
six years old. The top of the tree, having gradually decayed, was
cut off many years since, and the stump which remains is about
nine feet high, and three feet three inches in diameter at the
pase. The branches, however, which still continue alive, exhibit
a considerable amount of vigour, which promises a prolongation
of existence for many years to come, though its beauty is gone.
This venerable tree is considered to be the parent of all the
varieties of Robinia which are now so extensively spread over
Europe.

M. Carriére, one of the heads of departments here, among other
services to horticulture, has long been an acute observer of those
sports or differences among plants which, when preserved and
increased, often prove of great value. Frequently it happens that
what may be called, from a botanical point of view, a mere
variety is of as great importance for our gardens as the most
distinct of species. In gardening the question of form is second
to no other, and frequently valuable deviations from ordinary
forms characterise what are called mere varieties. Thus such
varieties of hardy native trees as the weeping wych Elm and the
weeping Beech are more precious for the garden landscape than
most new species of hardy trees; this must be evident to all who
have seen these varieties in a mature state. We are, indeed,
only in the beginning of our due appreciation of the value of the
varieties as distinguished from the original forms of hardy trees.
All interested in trees would do well to observe accidental
deviations from the normal type in gardens under their care, as
they may find something of high importance to our gardens.
A stray shoot or sucker showing a habit different from the
type may, if separated and increased, perpetuate constantly
its peculiarity. He who observes and increases it may render
as great a service to the gardens of Europe as was rendered
by those who secured for us the upright Yew or the weeping
Ash.

In a collection of the genus Asparagus, one, A. Broussonetii, is

Cnap. IIT.) THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 61

remarkable for its great vigour and rapidity of growth—it quickly
runs up with dense vigour to a height of ten feet in spring, its
foliage is glossy and dense, and it might be used with success as
a covering for bowers or to make pyramids in a diversified garden
of hardy plants. Asparagus tenuifolius is as graceful and elegant
as the one before named is vigorous. It is probable that a variety
of forms of this family will be found to possess some merit for
our outdoor gardens,

Among the hardy plants here one is often struck during the
various seasons, particularly in
the spring and early summer,
with the beauty of the fine
Umbellifere, one of which
(Molopospermum) is illustrated
in this chapter. These plants
have hitherto been lett too
much in the botanic garden,
whereas they have rare merits
as decorative plants for the
choicest hardy collections.
There is a deep green and
fern-like beauty displayed by
them, which one does not meet
in any other plants. Some of
them, while very beautiful in
very early spring, like the
Ferulas, die down in early
summer; but the one here
illustrated lasts longer into the
‘season. The illustration is to
show the effect of this type ‘Climbing Hardy fy aeehen Garden of Plants.
of plant rather than the
botanical details. Not only are a great variety of umbelliferous
plants beautiful in themselves, but from their absolute distinct-
ness from any types common in gardens they impart wholly
new features to the garden. Of course they should be very
carefully placed, so that while their beauty may have full effect
on the garden landscape in winter and early in the year, when
their large and delicate plumes spring up—there may not when

62 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caap. III.

these die down be awkward blanks left. By placing them singly
or in groups on the grass this would not occur.

For the information of those taking a botanical interest in
curious plants, I may state that Cuscuta major is luxuriantly
grown here upon the Nettle, C. Epithymum upon Calliopsis
tinctoria, C. Engelmanii upon a Solidago, and Orobanche grows
upon Hemp. O. minor has been grown upon perennial Clovers,
and O. Hedere upon Ivy at the bottom of a wall; so that
there ought not to be the difficulty which botanic gardeners
find in growing these curious plants. Orobanche ramosa is
also grown here upon Calliopsis tinctoria. The best way with
the Orobanches is to scrape the soil away to near the root of
the plant on which it is intended to be parasitical, and then
sow the seed. A very old and fine pair of dwarf Fan-palms, given
to Louis XIV. by Charles William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach,
are usually placed in summer one at each side of the entrance of
the amphitheatre. They have straight clean stems, and are more
than twenty feet high. They escape the notice of many visitors,
but are well worth seeing by all plant-lovers, both on account of
their age and their exceptional height.

Should any visitor to the Garden of Plants wonder at the
poor external aspect of its glass-houses and various other
departments as compared with those at Kew, he would do
well to bear in mind that money has a good deal to do with
such things; and that the grant for museums, lecturers (the
lectures are free), the expensive collection of animals, and every-
thing else in the Garden of Plants, is miserably small. On the
other hand, the gardens and plants of the city are plentifully
provided with means, the municipality of Paris often spending
prodigious sums for the purchase of plants, and even for the
plant decoration of a single ball. One ball at the Hétel de Ville
during the festivities of 1867 cost considerably over £30,000,
while the Garden of Plants gets from the state not more than
one-third of that sum for a whole year for museums and all.

Although the Garden of Plants is the very opposite of a model
of what a garden ought to be, it may be noticed that the public
have free access to it at all hours of the day. This is a rule very
much to be desired in all such cases. There are one or two small
departments in this garden shut off from the public except atcertain

Cuap. III] THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 63

hours, though it is by no means wise or necessary to do so. But
even these partially closed departments are only surrounded by low
open railings, so that their contents can be viewed and enjoyed

OLD ACACIA TREE, Garden of Plants (Revue Horticole).

to a great extent from the parts always open. This suggests compa-
rison with the state of things at Kew, which is only open tothe public
in the afternoon. For some time past there has been a growing
desire that the Kew Gardens should be opened at an earlier hour.
The speakers of the various deputations to the First Commissioner

64 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar, IIL

of Public Works have expressed this desire with far too much
difidence. From official utterances and their repetition, some
persons have become impressed with an idea that “science” and
botanical research require the gardens to be closed for half the day,
and even some members of the deputations seem to have accepted
this nonsense in its entirety, and said they did not want the botanic
part of the gardens to be open atall, except at the hours at which
they are now open. But this is not fighting half the battle.
Setting aside local interest, from the point of view of horticul-
turists and botanists of England and throughout the world, it is
an injustice to keep the gardens shut up during the best hours
of the day. Even in the case of local residents, if they enter the
gardens the moment they are opened there is very little time in
the short winter days to see anything. Throughout the whole
of the winter and spring the most agreeable time to visit Kew
is the morning and noon; in summer, too, it would be, to
persons visiting London, far preferable to go out to Kew in
the early morning.

Numbers of persons come from our colonies and America to
London to whom one visit or frequent visits to Kew are important ;
and the time and arrangements of these people are very often
interfered with by the absurd rules that exist there. Then,
taking the case of anybody in London wanting to see a certain
plant in flower at Kew, or to look up any other question there,
is it not ridiculous that this cannot be done without encountering
difficulties as to hours? Of late years the plants put out in the
various parts of the London parks are even more choice and costly
than those at Kew, as, for example, in various parts of Hyde,
Battersea, and Victoria Parks. Yet there is no reason for keeping
the public out at any time. People may be seen there enjoying
the flowers in the morning sun. Surely if this be possible in
London itself, with its vast and varied population, it is no less
possible at Kew. To those who know anything of botanic gardens
and their management, the “ scientific purpose ” objection to their
being thrown open early would be amusing if it were not so
untrue and so puerile. On the contrary, this very purpose
is a reason for their being open throughout the day. How have
“scientific purposes” suffered in Edinburgh and Dublin and
Paris by the opening of scientific gardens at an earlier hour ?

Cuap. III.] THE GARDEN OF PLANTS. 65

There never was a more reasonable demand, and it must be
granted sooner or later. The question of expense is no sufficient
excuse. Surely the first and most legitimate object for expendi-
ture in such a garden is that it may be enjoyed by those who pay
for it. It is, however, very doubtful if early opening would
increase the expense in any material way; but assuming for a
moment that it would, the answer is—save the money needed, by
reducing expenditure on things less essential than the opening
of the Gardens. The hours in public gardens should be from
six o’clock until dusk throughout the summer, and in winter
from nine o’clock till dusk.

66 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. IV.

e CHAPTER IV.

THE PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT.

Tuts is, as regards garden-design, the most distinct and interest-
ing garden in Paris. After Versailles and the Garden of Plants
and the Champs Elysées, and even the varied beauty of the Pare
Monceau, no one is prepared for the striking difference shown by
this garden, There are beautiful open lawns with tasteful fringes
of shrubs and groups of trees ; and in many parts an airiness and
breadth which are admirable. It is the boldest attempt at what
is called the picturesque style that has been made in any Paris
or London gardens. It is hardly wise to attempt expensive and
extraordinary works in places of this sort, but in this instance an
unusual effort was to some extent invited by the peculiar
nature of the ground. The whole park may be described as a
diversified Primrose Hill with two or three “ peaks and valleys,”
and immense masses of rock.

Old quarries, enormous in size, and surrounded by acres of
rubbish, once occupied this spot. It was by cutting away the
ground around three sides of these, and leaving the highest
and most picturesque side intact, that the present results were
brought about. A very extensive and imposing cliff rises to a
height of over one hundred and sixty feet, half surrounded
by an artificial lake" Hard by, enormous stalactite caves,

Cuar. IV] THE PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT. 67

sixty feet in height from floor to ceiling, have been constructed.
These last are well formed and striking, though hardly the
kind of thing to be recommended for a public garden. It is
better to leave the eccentricities of the cave-makers out of the
question till we have provided for the population of great towns
green lawns, trees, and wide open streets and ways, with their
consequence, purer air.

Through the top of one of the great caves a stream dashes
in, and as its course, as it tumbles down the steep above the
aperture, is gracefully planted, the effect is very pretty.

Planting of Stream above Stalactite Cave.—Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

The streamlets in this park are arranged and planted in a
tasteful way, their beds being sometimes rocky; and by taking
advantage of their twinings and tiny cascades, positions have
been formed for a great variety of hardy plants which are grouped
along the sides. Among these the free-flowering Yuccas, Y. fila-
mentosa and Y. flaccida, occur in groups and masses, and are very
effective when in bloom. Such handsome evergreens are well
introduced in places which are generally left to common water-
weeds only. By the side of these streamlets alpine plants are
sometimes placed, to grow here and there in little beds along

their course, associated with lowland marsh-plants ; but alpine
F2

68 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. IV

plants can never be grown thus. With the supply of water that
‘these parks command, nothing could be easier than the creation
of healthfully covered rocky mounds with true alpine plants,
even if the great rocky cliffs did not invite this type of vege-
tation.

"One of the. most beautiful features ever seen in such a place
is afforded by enormous curtains of Ivy, which drape the great
rock walls with the most refreshing verdure at all seasons. Here
and there towards the base of these ivy-clad rocks spring flower-
ing shrubs, like the Japan Pear and the Forsythia, sparkling with
blossom. in early spring. The effect of these among the Ivy is
very suggestive, especially to those weary of the prim bareness
which flowering shrubs too often display in dug borders. Along
the crest of the cliffs in many places where the turf of the high
lawns meets the Ivy, a hardy flower, the common red Valerian,
comes in to play a very useful part. This bright old border
flower, which like the Wallflower adorns many ruins and bridges,
has established itself in groups among the upper part of the
Ivy, and its effect in summer growing above sheets of Ivy
forty or fifty feet high is very charming.

Here and there in this garden may be noticed unshorn fringes
of shrubs instead of the mutilated objects and frequently dug
borders too often seen. In nature, especially on mountains,
nothing is more delightful than the way the shrubs and low trees
nestle themselves in little colonies and groups on the grass. Our
gardens will never be worthy of intelligent beings so long as all
the flowering shrubs and like plants are primly placed on bare
dug borders, margined by a stiff formal line. The effect is all
the worse when a line of some showy flower forms a belt,
making the whole thing as glaring and changeless as_ possible.
What calls for this hideous and unnatural nakedness? It is only
the convenience of the mowing-machine that is consulted. It
is sad to think of the miles of shrubbery in London parks and
in gardens elsewhere so mutilated annually that either indi-
vidual beauty or good effect of the whole is impossible.

Unhappily the. great central cliff is so high that it cannot be
veiled like the minor ones with Ivy, and it is so formed that it
presents only an arid mass, on closely examining which one may
see ugly seams of plaster bulging out. There never was in a

‘LNONAVHO SHLLAG saa OVA NI SNMVT HDIH GNV SHOOW CV IO-ZAI

Cuar. IV.] THE PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT. 69

garden such a chance of having walls of rock-plants almost as
interesting as those one meets with on an Alpine pass, and yet
it is entirely lost. By leaving chinks here and there and filling
them with turf; by leaving the face of the high rock sloping in
places, so that they would be well exposed to the rain ; by having
little streamlets trickling over the face of the cliffs here and
there; by scattering a few packets of seeds over the surface in
spring, a rock vegetation of great beauty could soon be obtained.
The great silvery Saxifrages of the Pyrenees and the Alps might
have spread forth their rosettes here, while little Harebells,
Thymes, Rock-brooms, Stone-crops, Houseleeks of many kinds,

4 a
ORE A BAR

Unmutilated Shrubs on Turt.—Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

with hundreds of the prettiest plants of northern and temperate
climes, might also have been grown. Now all is daubed over and
plantless, save a bit of wiry grass in some few spots; and the
face of the high rocks is only suggestive of danger.

This results from leaving the face of the higher part of the
rocks almost vertical, so depriving vegetation of all chance of
foothold. But the system of plastering, instead of having broken
isolated clumps of rock, is still more to blame for the cerater-like
bareness of this enormous mass. With plastered rock, and a hole
left here and there in which a plant may dwindle or perish, there
ig no chance of any but a stone-yard effect—one-fourth the

70 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. IV.

quantity of natural blocks of stone, visible through a rising mass
of rock-shrubs, would have been far better. By this means one
could get the necessary elevation, concealing the basis of the
stones with evergreens and trailing plants, and not sealing up
with cement in any part. A mistake has been made in placing a
café on the edge of the rock, occupying one of the finest central
sites in the park. There are plenty of less prominent positions
in which such houses might be placed, if they were. thought
necessary, but in so small a park as this, surrounded as it is by
houses or sites accessible in a few moments, such buildings ought
not to be tolerated. Besides, they add very seriously to the cost
of public gardens. The restaurants here, and a few other build-
ings wholly needless in the garden, have cost not less than
£20,000, a sum that wisely laid out would suffice to form a large
public garden.

A marked defect in many French gardens is having too
many walks. The way these are wound about in symmetrical
twirlings is quite ridiculous. In these cases the garden is made
for the walks, not the walks for the garden. In gardens other-
wise charming, with plenty of turf and groups of handsome plants
in great variety, and a command of good views, one sometimes
sees five times as many walks as are necessary. In the plans of
the modern French landscape-gardeners, all of whom delight in
forming “English gardens,” a series of walks like so many
sections of eggs are crowded over the surface without reference
to the wants of the place or the formation of the ground, and
evidently without thought of the hideous effects they produce
in the garden landscape. It is hardly necessary to state that to
sécure a good and quiet effect in gardens not one inch of walk
should be made or exposed more than is needed for convenience.
One walk,-concealed.or half hidden in parts where the formation of
the ground or the planting permitted, might often well replace a
round dozen of the senseless intercrossing windings complained of.

One can scarcely carefully examine this park without being
struck by the power of garden-design to beautify unpromising
sites in town or country. A more unlikely position for a garden
could hardly be found, and yet there are now parts of it almost
as lovely as the little open lawns that here and there spread out
among the rocks and trees of the fairest mountain region.

Cuar. IV.] THE PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT. 71

It is sad to reflect that an art capable of so much should be,
left to the control of persons ignorant of it, often by men belong-
ing to other professions, whose education unfits them for such
work. Here; for example, the too-abundant walks and roads, the
absurdly stiff tank-like curve and margin to the water, the
unnecessary bridges, the restaurant impudently placed in one
of the best sites in the park, the badly formed artificial rock,
and the other disfigurements of this noble garden are mainly
owing to the influence of the engineer element in the direction.
The engineer, the architect, even the botanist naturally enough

Sry Perse "1" Lv
Alia Il | i | Vermeil Mil

Type of Modern French Garden Plan. (Ernouf, ‘L’art des jardins.’)

thinks mainly of his own profession, and regards the horticultural
portion of his duties as being an affair which may be deputed to
any sufficiently pliant creature. But we shall _never have
beautiful, and in all ways instructive and useful, national gardens
so long as we confide their direction to men to whom garden-
ing is quite a secondary matter. Unhappily there is too much of
the evil result of this seen, not only, here but in all countries.
In England we are at present without means to remedy this state
of things. While our Royal Horticultural Society had still some
vigour, it endowed a professorship of botany, but the creation of

72 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. IV.

a professorship of any of the important branches of horticulture
never entered into its scheme. In France it is somewhat
different. There the state and the municipal authorities teach
the useful arts betimes. And Paris would greatly help progress
in horticulture by founding a school of gardening, through which
she might eventually obtain garden-artists who would adorn and
not deface her gardens. With true art and good examples in the
national gardens, every private garden, even to the smallest, would
benefit greatly ; just as now nearly every blemish may be traced to
the expensive puerilities of Versailles, the ugliness of the Garden
of Plants, and the stony dreariness of many other national
gardens. Numbers of persons interested in horticulture, especially
those who have not travelled or gained experience, look to public
gardens as models of all that is worth imitation. It is most
unfortunate that with us this influence can rarely be anything
but injurious to all the true interests of garden-design. Most of
our public gardens and parks are planned in direct violation of
the very essentials of the art of laying out grounds; many of
them show precisely what to avoid, and though this merit is not
alluded to in their guide-books, it may, to one who rightly uses
it, be of greater importance than any other feature. Kew, for
example, in some respects superior to any botanic garden or
botanical establishment in the world, is in point of design no
higher than a chess-board. That breadth—+.e., an open spread
of lawn here and there—is the most essential principle in garden-
design one would think known to anybody arranging or planting
a public garden or park. Without this we cannot get anything
but a confused effect—we cannot see the beauty and dignity of
our now rich arboreal flora ; without this we may have a thousand
kinds of noble trees, and get little better effect than in an
unthinned plantation. It is, in fact, as impossible to make a
really beautiful garden or park without open turfy lawns as it
is to make a lake without water. At Kew, both in general
design ‘and in the arrangement of details, this principle is com-
pletely ignored, and the good old one adopted of putting in a
tree wherever there is room for it. The result is that the largest
botanic garden in the world is devoid of any picturesque beauty.
As to the Paris botanic garden it is infinitely worse; there not
only is there no breadth, but even the very turf has disappeared.

Cuap. IV.] THE PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT. 73

Take, again, the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at South
Kensington, and, leaving out of view entirely the question of
style, assume that the geometrical is the only one. This garden
was specially designed for flower-shows and for the reception, of
crowds. Now, if there has been any one thing taught by all
previous experience of large flower-shows and the gardens in
which they have been held, it has been that the happiest effect
is only obtained where there is a quiet open lawn for walking,

View from Central Cligf towards Stalactite Caves.—Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

and giving easy access to the various points of interest in the
garden. And what has been done to meet this want? The
design is the most complicated ever seen, even for a geometrical
garden. Every spot where the turf might have spread out to
form a foreground, or a setting for the different objects which a
garden should contain, is frittered away—here a maze (what an
idiotic adjunct to any public garden ranking above that of a tea-
house!); there a short avenue of Lombardy Poplars cutting off
the view, for no evident reason ; beyond, placed on a bank, lest its

74 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. IV.

lovely effect’ should be lost, a fire-shovel pattern wrought on the
earth, with all the beds filled with broken stone-rubbish of various
colours! In short, there is no room anywhere except on parched
and wearying gravel walks. At every step a sensitive person
who visits the garden in the hope of seeing trees or plants or
flowers is offended by a sickly low-clipped yew-hedge, a dead
wall, a flight of steps, or a ghastly corridor. Ifa prize had been
offered for the very worst’kind of garden in which to enjoy a
flower-show or plants or trees of any kind, a garden more fitted
to win it could scarcely have been designed. It is true that of
late improvements have been carried out by the simple removal of
some of the features alluded to. Every step in removing hedges
or mazes or gravelled panels is accompanied by an immediate
improvement in the general aspect of the garden. These are
some of the results we get by employing men to plan or direct
our national gardens who are not, in the true sense of the
word, landscape-gardeners.

There is nothing so dangerous to the beautiful but as yet
undeveloped art of landscape-gardening as its practice by
men into whose life the love and knowledge of it has not been
interwoven by long practice and devotion. Thus, if we have an
architect who does us the honour to add the term gardener to that
of his own profession, we are very likely to see stones where we
asked for grass and flowers and trees. His heart is in buildings,
and accordingly he is not always content to limit architecture to
its legitimate use, but brings it into the garden to the invariable
ruin of the latter. Hence a thousand things that men will cart
away as abominations, ugly, costly, and in all ways hateful, as
soon as they understand what pure landscape-gardening might
do towards the adornment of the willing earth ; hence the gardens
at Versailles, mouldering, slimy, dead as the state of things that
gave them birth—a garden tomb, in fact; hence the fountains
and geometrical desert at the Crystal Palace, acres of unclean
water-basins, horizons of dead walls, decay of stone, gigantic
water-spouting apparatus ; hence such unmeaning wastes as those
of Trafalgar Square and that at the Bayswater end of the Serpen-
tine: these constitute a little of what we get by having an
architect to carry out that which should be entrusted to an artist
gardener. To a painter we are actually indebted for the revival

Cuap. IV.] THE PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT. 75

of the absurd practice of using coloured gravels. It is needful
to bear in mind that our benefactors in the above way are not
wittingly unkind, but simply give us the best they know. If
they knew the many “ leaf-builders,” they would not build where
building is out of place, and then cut the lime-trees into shapes
to “harmonise” with the stony dreariness thereby created, as is
often the case in France, This brings us to the subject—what
the landscape-gardener of the future should know. He should be
in the most complete sense a gardener. He should know all
about gardening, whatever he did not know. He should know

Rock-shrubs and trailing evergreens,

the trees after their kind, from the stateliest forest trees to the
lowliest flowering trees—know as far as possible their aspect in
age as well as in youth—know the circumstances suited to each
as regards soil and position—know their value in the landscape,
singly or in groups or groves—know their character in all
seasons, whether of spring blossoms, summer green, or autumn
lory.
i Thon there is the important question of floral embellishment.
Is it to be artistic and natural, of materials which we can grow in
the open air? The mountains and hills and plains of northern
and temperate countries must ever be the main source of interest

76 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. IV.

in the gardens of such countries. These must be our storehouse
for material; these, in a sense, the spring of our right feeling as
regards arrangement. Therefore no man can be a true landscape-
gardener unless he has a fair knowledge of the flora of these
countries—the plant-inhabitants of wood and copse, of rock and
meadow. Not less needful for him is a certain amount of educa-
tional travel: as his highest duty and pleasure must ever be the
planting of beautiful trees so as to allow them to attain fullest
vigour and express their highest beauty, he must study them in
their own homes to do them justice in our gardens. The cha-
racter and associations of a tree are not easily understood by
those who have not seen it in its native country; therefore every
landscape-gardener should see the natural mountain woods of
Europe, as well as her forests; should see the rich and varied
treasures of the woods in Eastern America, the giant Pines on
the great western ranges, and take advantage of every oppor-
tunity to see the natural forest and copse vegetation of the
northern world. To travel southward would be a benefit, too,
but it is not essential. If only as the best way of noting beautiful
or suggestive scenes observed in his travels, the power of sketch-
ing faithfully and rapidly should be possessed by every landscape-
gardener. It is, however, otherwise essential in his profession.
Beyond sketching, his artistic ambition should not soar ; it is his
privilege to make ever-changing pictures out of Nature’s own
materials—sky and trees, and water and flowers and grass. If
he would not prefer this to painting in pigments, he has no
business to be a landscape-gardener. But most essential of all
for him is garden-travel. He ought to know fairly well what
others have done and are doing in landscape-gardening. Years
might be profitably employed in visiting gardens, not one of
them without some feature instructive for the garden-artist. Yet
bad design has been so much the rule that good models are most
rare. At present it is absolutely necessary to see hundreds of
gardens before one gets a clear all-round idea of what good
design actually is. Many places for years praised as models are
really examples of what to avoid. But we have to thank accident,
diversity of surface, peculiar individual taste, and sometimes what
is called neglect, for so neutralising the efforts of the geometrical
designer, for centuries, that it is yet possible for the independent

Cuap. IV,] THE PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT. 77

mind to distinguish the right from the wrong path. Every visit
paid to a garden should make the path of future effort clearer,
Artists and writers throw false glories round places famous for
size only, or for miles of clipped trees, or for mere extravagance
of expenditure—a personal visit may give the young observer a
wholesome antidote. A good engraving or picture may, by the
introduction of artistic touches and variety, give a pleasant im-
pression of a place really devoid of beauty of any kind, as a visit

GROUP OF ROCKS.—Pare des Buttes Chaumont.

to many Italian gardens would show. Surely the old French
styles, as witnessed at Sceaux, at the Grand Trianon, at St Cloud,
or what remains of it, and at Fontainebleau, only require to be
seen to be for ever laughed at as examples of garden-design.
But some modern gardens in France, such as parts of Vincennes,
the English garden in the Little Trianon, and many other gardens
on the Continent, deserve to be seen. Then again some of the
public gardens and cemeteries in America should be visited.

78 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. IV.

Nothing will. profit more. In each country also travel is needed
as a guide to judicious planting. Even in a small country like
Britain there is an immense amount of wasted energy, owing
to ignorance of the trees that will thrive in any given district.
No fairly instructed landscape-gardener would, for example, plant
trees where they are certain never to attain maturity—a common
error, however.

In teaching the art of garden-design all has yet to be done.
What we want is a body of trained garden-artists imbued with
sympathy with nature and love for the work. Such a training
as that above mentioned would give us men who would add to
our healthy pleasures, and to the beauty of country and town.
Gardening is now, even with the most civilised nations, in the
same state as that in which art is among the Pawnees, who
daub diagrams of a few horses and men on their blankets. We
leave all the pictures to those who make them in oil, when we
could make living pictures. Garden-artists will, it is to be hoped,
be a part of the working force of the coming time.

CHAPTER V.

THE GARDENS OF THE LOUVRE, THE TUILERIES, AND
al #
THE ELYSEE.
The Gardens of the Louvre.

Tue Place du Carrousel, stretching between the Palaces of the
Louvre and the Tuileries, a large open paved square, at its
eastern end merges into a narrower space, to which I wish more
particularly to direct attention. On one side the Place is per-
fectly bare and without ornament; but on the other the eye is
refreshed by two little gardens which embellish the smaller space
referred to, and form veritable oases in a desert of paving-stone.
There is perhaps no spot more capable of teaching a valuable
lesson in city-gardening.

Viewed externally from their immediate surroundings, the
gardens havea pretty effect, and show at once the utility of such
near buildings. On the one hand there is a space as devoid of
vegetation as the desert—on the other, by the creation of the
simplest type of garden, the sculptor’s work in stone and the
changeless lines of the great buildings are relieved by the living
grace of vegetation, so as to make a garden-picture of the most
charming kind, and all by merely encroaching a little on the
space that would otherwise be monopolised by paving-stones.
The view from inside the gardens, however, shows their good
effect. with still greater force. The gardens are very small and
most simple in plan, a circle of grass, a walk, and a belt of hardy
trees and shrubs around the whole, with an edging of Ivy. No
gaudy colouring of the ground—no expensive temporary decora-
tion with tender costly flowers, but all green and quiet.

It has been the rule amongst landscape-gardeners and others

80 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. V.

to accept as a law that when a garden is made very near to
any kind of ornamental building it is indispensable to make it
“associate” with the buildings—to carry the lines of stone as
much as possible into the garden, to make it as angular and,
it may be, as brick-dusty as possible, like some recent examples
with us. These gardens, among many others, prove the fallacy
of this. - There are numbers of men professing taste in designing
gardens who would never think of putting anything in this

Little Gardens within the Louvre, exterior view. (Hachette.)

position but expensive gewgaws in the shape of trees in tubs
squirting water, vases, coloured and broken gravels—things which
in their opinion would “harmonise” with the work of the
architect. But unaided by these, and at a tenth of the cost, from
the simplest natural materials, far better results are obtained.
It is well worth while walking round the little lawn in each of
these gardens to notice the various happy effects resulting from
the contrast of the buildings with the trees, one of which is
shown in the page illustration. The small patches of grass in

i

LITTLE GARDEN WITHIN THE LOUVRE.

View from the interior.

Wai

Cuar. V.] THE TUILERIES GARDENS. 83

these little gardens, like grass everywhere in Paris, are green and
fresh at all seasons. The secret of this is, repeated waterings
whenever the natural rainfall does not serve to keep it as fresh
as June leaves.

Passing through the great court of the Louvre, and out at the
eastern side, we see the garden of the Louvre, which is simply a
railed-in space, laid out with the usual well-kept grass, round-
headed bushes of Lilac, Ivy edgings, evergreen shrubs here and
there, and flowers, at all seasons. Much of this garden was once
covered with old buildings and streets—even the great square
just spoken of was once packed with alleys: improvements have,
however, swept all those things away, and on every side the
buildings stand free—very unlike some public edifices in London,
which are not easily to be found.

In the gardens of the Louvre, the system of planting shrubs
and flowers is the monotonous one of repeating the same thing
every where—Lilac-bushes, flowers and all—without any effort at

- variety. In short, it is a successful attempt at making living
things as interesting as the slates on a roof. It is as if all the
pictures in the Louvre consisted of copies.of a few popular works.
It would be easy to pursue a very different system ; to make the
plants and shrubs out of-doors as varied as the pictures indoors,
added +> which the plants would possess life and change. But
while men have learnt to use pigments to a good end in art, few
think as yet of using the living plants or shrubs in any but a
formal inartistic manner.

The Tuderies Gardens.

In this, one of the most famous of gardens, the stupidity of
the Le Notre or Versailles style of laying out grounds is more
apparent than in perhaps any other: Orange-trees in ugly tubs,
clipped trees, broad wastes of gravel, dying over-crowded trees,
gigantic water-basins, are some of the most evident vices of the
system pursued here.

There are many ways of wasting money in gardens, but few
worse than growing trees in tubs. Consider the enormous expense

incurred by those lines of old Orange-trees in the gardens of the
G2

84 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. V.

Tuileries, at Versailles, the Luxembourg, and in other gardens,
public and private! Every one of them has cost hundreds of
pounds to rear it to a condition that is presentable, and only to
produce a deep round tuft of not very healthy green leaves at the
end of some seven feet of black stem. Costly tubs that rot;
costly storing in large conservatories in winter; costly carriage
from house to open garden, and from open garden to house, and
all to no good purpose whatever. The foliage differs not at all,
or in but a trifling degree, from that of evergreens common in our
shrubberies ; the clipped head of green is far inferior to that
afforded by the hardy and elegant spineless Robinia: the flowers
are few or none. The whole thing is a relic of barbarism, and as
such should be excluded from any well-arranged garden. The

The Survival of the most Unfit: Trees in Tubs.

kind of effect they produce, if desirable, might be afforded in a far
higher degree by perfectly hardy subjects requiring no tubs.
They were all very well in an age when exotics were rare, and
glass-houses unknown ; but now, when we have exotics in pro-
fusion, and among them hardy evergreens handsomer than these,
and in days too when there are beautiful Orange and Lemon groves
in Southern France within twenty-four hours of Paris, such an
expensive and inartistic mode of garden-embellishment should
be among the things of the past.

It is considered “correct taste” to use trees in tubs in geo-
metrically-laid-out terrace gardens, but there are many terraces
where their absence is no blemish. A row of trees in tubs is no
more necessary to the good effect of the terrace garden than a row of

Cuar. V.] THE TUILERIES GARDENS. 85

balloons. The culture of Orange, Bay, and other trees in tubs is
a custom more justifiable in those parts of Northern Europe where
but few evergreens can be grown in the open air, than in France
or Britain. Although now we often see handsome specimens of
hardy evergreens grown in tubs, tender subjects alone were thus
kept when the system originated. It was found that the Oleander
and Orange trees could be grown very well by storing them in any
sort of half-lighted, frost-proof structure in winter, and placing
them in the open air in summer; and hence these plants became
very popular for that purpose. But the conditions are now wholly
altered in the garden, and growing trees in tubs is foolish work.

in the Inner Garden, Tuilertes.

Uglier still than the Orange-trees in tubs, which after all are
not altogether devoid of a sort of picturesque effect, are the wide
saharas of gravel and the enormous meaningless water-basins,
which interrupt the course of the great central spread of gravel
here and have no good effect or use. No doubt the providing of
space for the crowds that frequent such a garden must not be
neglected ; but that could be done without sacrificing the garden
to boulevards of gravel and stone-encircled ponds. The beauty
or the use of these ponds it is difficult to see. The walks
are far more capacious than they need be for ordinary use,

86 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. V-

while space for crowds could be provided to any extent upon
gravelled surfaces under groves of trees. The trees here are
for the most part in miserable health, and the new planting
exhibits examples of the most vicious work possible with trees,
young or old. Instead of clearing a portion of the ground and
thoroughly preparing and replanting it, young trees are planted
among old ones. They are planted in pits, the fresh soil of
which the old roots soon afterwards enter and exhaust, so
that neither in the air nor in the ground have the young trees
a chance. The result is that
there is scarcely a fine tree in
the place.

The general effect of the few
flower-borders in the gardens, seen
across the wide areas of gravel
before alluded to, and mixed up
with tubs, statues, chairs, railings,
and what-not, is from most points
of view deplorable. The whole
of the outer and larger portions
of the gardens show us, in fact,
the most lifeless and hopeless style
of gardening possible under stereo-
typed management that success-
fully conserves all the blemishes from generation to generation.
Much better is the portion near the Tuileries ruin, which used
to be known as the private gardens. Here, without close-crowd-
ing, are shrubs which are allowed to grow untortured; graceful
Ivy edgings garlanding the borders of flowers; some green grass,
and fine-leaved plants.

Stiff as this part near the site of the Palace is, in consequence
mainly of its wide straight walks, it owes none of this stiffness
to elaborate geometrical display of beds, or to coloured gravels
and the like. Vegetation, as _in_any Italian garden which pro-

Vicious mode of Tree-planting.

Cuap. V.] THE TUILERIES GARDENS. 87

Cannas, Roses, Honeysuckles, and herbaceous plants. In autumn
they are planted with flowers which bloom in early spring, and
blossom on till about the time of Lilac-bloom, when the summer
planis replace them. The practice of relieving the stony glare
from pedestals, statues, &., by rich bands of Ivy and graceful
‘mixed borders, produces somé happy effects. ~ But, notwithstand-
“ing the means taken to tone them down, there are too many
huge-vases, statues, &¢., in these gardens to permit of that repose
whichisa gardén’s greatest charm. = = t—i—‘—~—S
‘The stone seats in this and other gardens, among other advan-
tages which they have over wooden ones, are much easier to make
in simple and good forms, not so easily damaged, and do away
with the disagreeable need of painting.

Marble Seat, Tuileries Garden

88 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuap. V.

-

The Garden of the Elysée.

This, a state garden, is typical of a large class of Parisian
private gardens. The too-frequently accepted notion is that,
given a small garden in a city, it should be geometrical in
design. In the neighbourhood of this garden we have streets,
high walls, houses and-all the other impediments to good effect
in landscape-gardening, and yet a quiet, picturesque result is
produced. It is always easy, by judicious planting, to hide
objectionable surroundings, and, both in Paris and London, noble
deciduous trees attain almost as grand proportions as in their
native forests. Then in these French city private gardens they
cover objectionable wall-surfaces with a lovely mantle of Ivy, so
carefully pinched and tended that in winter or summer it forms
a level sheet of green. In this way trellises, high railings sur-
mounting walls, gates, &c., are not only rendered inoffensive to
the eye, but made to add to the beauty of the garden by the
extent of rich glossy verdure which they support. There are
cool shady walks here, too, quite as refreshing in their way as
many away from cities; there is grass kept green with abundance
of water ; and there is a pleasant and open lawn—though a small
one. Without the little open lawn as a foreground, so to speak,
the garden picture would be, to a great extent, lost. It is in-
structive to compare the sketch with one of the old Dutch or
other geometrical gardens frequently represented in old en-
gravings, or with some modern English geometrical gardens,
sometimes supposed to be “original” in design, but which are
simply reproductions from times when people had not half a
dozen kinds of evergreens—when simple conventional figures
were sufficiently appreciated to be thought worth delineating on
the ground.

In French gardens of this type it is unusual to have any
regular or formal set of beds, and this is a great improvement.
One half the miserable formalities existing in our gardens arise
from the presence of a series of formal “ figures,” or beds, which
have to be filled once or twice a year, in the hope of making them
look somewhat presentable—a result seldom obtained. Anything
artistic in effect can never be produced through or near them.

HI

i

it

r

Kt

ji

‘

(Mangin, Les Fardins.)

In the Garden of the Elysée..

90 _ THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. — [Cuap. V.

If one desires to place some favourite plant in one of these beds,
the chances are that it must not be done for fear of violating the
“ unity ” of character which the whole should, we are told, possess.
A beautiful garden may be made without a set of formal figures
of any kind, and by the adoption of one or more simple forms of
beds, such as circles and ovals, placed here and there either
singly or in groups in the spots we desire to embellish with flowers.
This is the way now common in many recent French gardens.
The very general mistake of forming small pools of water near a
house exists in French gardens as in our own; and usually the
margin is stiff in outline, and not by any means an addition to
the charms of the garden. The wise landscape-gardener will
not attempt that which he cannot do well. Ina small garden no
satisfactory effect can be produced from water, except in the form
of a clear rivulet.

{

( 91)

CHAPTER VI.

THE LUXEMBOURG GARDEN,

Tue garden here is under the sole control of an architect, in whose
education horticulture has, naturally, formed no part. There
have been able horticulturists at the Luxembourg, but their
powers for the improvement of the gardens may be estimated by the
fact that a dozen flower-pots could not be purchased by them with-
out first obtaining permission from the architect. No change
for good is possible under such a system. Horticulture is an art
which more than any other is concerned with living things in
infinite variety. Without long acquaintance with numbers of these
living things under various conditions, no man can intelligently
know their wants and arrange them so that we may enjoy them.
The profession of an architect has no one thing in common with
that of horticulturist. Being wholly concerned with inorganic
matter, it is impossible that he could, if really an architect, ever
give the study necessary to master even one phase of horticulture.
It must surely be obvious that, if our object is to have beautiful
gardens, no more serious error can be made than by committing
the charge of a garden wholly to the care of men who know, and
still worse care, nothing about the art. If we are content with
stones and walls where there is no need for them; with a posing
ground for the refuse of the studios ; with diseased and melan-
choly trees in formal lines; with flowers drilled into set forms,
with false curves and railway-like slopes, with a leprosy of vases and
broken gravel instead of flowers and grass, then let us hold to the
engineer, the architect, or anyone else who bars the way. This
system also secures for us a garden as changeful in aspect from
year to year, as a piece of oilcloth. The cause is not difficult to

92 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. VI.

seek. The director not knowing how to lead the way himself,
will not let anyone else move. Few men who love their work can
endure the dull rule resulting from so harmful a system.

The curiously bad system of planting young trees beneath the
old ones, mentioned and illustrated in connection with the
Tuileries gardens, may also be seen here, the general tree-mis-
management resulting in overcrowded trees, without natural
dignity or size.

ett bitin

Hn fa NU:

Flowers in Hollow Wall,

Among the more instructive features of the garden may be
mentioned the fountain of Jacques Debrosse and its surroundings.
Stretching from the foot of this fountain there is a long water-
basin, with a walk on each side bordered with Plane-trees, which,
meeting overhead, make a long, leafy arch, the effect of the
fountain-group at the end being good. It is, of course, heightened
by the leafy canopy of Planes, but very much more so by the use
made of Ivy and Virginian Creeper. Between the trees the Irish

Cuar. V1.] THE LUXEMBOURG GARDEN. 98

wreaths, so as to join the stems at about eight feet from the
ground. At about a foot or so above the Ivy, another and almost
straight wreath of Virginian, Creeper is placed, and the effect_of
these two simple wreaths from tree to tree is excellent. ‘They
seem to fall from the pillar-like stems of the Planes, the bottom
of the lower wreath resting on the earth. An adoption of such a
plan would add verdure and grace to many a formal grove, now
bare about the base of the trees. 7

A little pavilion here has a hollow wall with a space for plants
in it, reminding one of a
way of growing flowers
in various countries
which deserves more
attention than it has re-
ceived from us. It con-
sists in leaving hollow
the upper portion of
a terrace or other wall,
and using this for
flowers. The crest of
the wall is, in fact, a
flower-border from one
to two feet in breadth ;
but, though narrow, it
has a depth of from
two to three feet for
soil, thus giving ample
root-room for the pro-
duction of a vigorous
and graceful vegetation.
The architect or builder
can easily arrange for such wall-vases. One may often see very
charming effects produced in this way on the Continent, even in
poor houses where little evidence of other beauty is to be seen.
By adopting the principle of variety instead of repetition in such
cases, a beautiful garden of flowers might be grown on the crest
of many a barren wall near, or part of, a town house.

In one of the small side gardens here is a climbing Rose, .
allowed to grow free on the grass unstaked and untrimmed.

Bl atonk Goad ALK ~

Climbing Rose isolated on Grass,

94 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. VI.

There are remedies for some of our garden-troubles if people
will only try to find them out. There are few more unprofitable
and tedious labours than that of continually pruning and training
climbing plants. In many positions we can only partially avoid
this; in others we can avoid it altogether, and obtain a much
more beautiful result. For example, many vigorous trailers and
climbers are more beautiful planted out on banks of turf and let
alone than under the most careful training. Such effects are, of

WREATHS ON TREES,—Luxemiourg Gardens.

course, most suitable for the wilder and more picturesque spots,
but in some degree they may be carried out in any part of the
garden. That is to say, climbing Roses might be allowed to grow
naturally, and be at the same time so thinned out and otherwise
attended to that they would not become weak in flower or growth.

There are also here some edgings of pegged-down Roses which
form very beautiful margins to masses of flowering shrubs and the
like. It is one of the ways in which the Rose, so often grown on

FOUNTAIN IN THE GARDEN OF THE LUXEMBOURG.

96 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. VI.

the end of a stick, may be shown to best advantage, its foliage
springing from the turf.

Usually in geometrical gardens the portion nearest the building
is a terrace commanding the surroun dings—here, on the contrary,

“the part nearest the palace is a basin flanked by balustraded
terraces.- The grass banks tliat rise from the lower garden to the
alustrade are not left naked, but planted with two lines of dwarf
‘Rosé-bushes. There seems no reason why such spots should be left
pare, Continuous borders, not beds, run_round the plots of grass in
the flower-garden here, and from spring to the end of autumn these
‘are never flowerless. The system adopted—is _one_of “bedding S
plants and. herbaceous plants mixed, but -all are changed every
year. . A spring flower this week is replaced by a summer flower-
ing plant hext week, and s so on as the season requires. Stocks of
plants are e always. s kept on hand to carry this system out, and the
placing’ of the herbaceous ‘plants into fresh _ground every year
causes them to flower as freely as the tender bedding plants.

But thes these borders also contain permanent bushes—Lilacs, Roses,
&c., which give a line of verdure throughout th the centre, and
prevent it from being overdone with flowers. Among these
woody plants are ‘others very sweet for many weeks through the
better part of the season. These are low standard bushes of the

common oo ‘Alternating Heats a Rose and a Lilac, or

Homyonctie standards. eee also atted beds of Ferns in
ihe open air, isolated specimens of Tree-ferns and graceful Wood-

wardias elevated on moss-covered stands, which add a touch of
“novelty to the garden as compared with ‘others in Paris.
“Many large trees—Planes and Chestnuts—have been moved i in
full Test in this garden j in midsummer. They are taken up” up with
great “balls” of earth, by powerful machinery, and very success-
fully ; but though it may be very desirable in Paris to move
common trees of large size to complete and re-arrange straight
avenues here and there, the plan, generally, is not worth the expense.
Before the alterations that took place here some years ago there
was a good botanic garden, an irregular sort of English garden,
which the French call the “never-to-be-forgotten nursery,”
and many matters of interest now passed away. The garden used

Cuap. VI] THE LUXEMBOURG GARDENS. 97

to be famed for its Roses, and for perhaps the largest collection of
Vines ever brought together. The Vines were removed bodily to
the Jardin d’Acclimatation, in the Bois de Boulogne, and thus it
lost some of its most important treasures.

Those taking interest in fruit-gardens should see the little one
here. Although small, it is a model of its kind, and very in-
structive in much that relates to the training and culture of fruit-
trees. The glass-house department retains most of its former

English part of Luxembourg Gardens.

attractions, and to the horticultural visitor will present a good
deal of interest. It contains the best collection of Orchids in any
public garden about Paris, Camellia-houses in which the specimens
attain great size, and good miscellaneous collections.
Free lectures are delivered here, which are thoroughly practical,
and illustrated by the aid of living specimens and all the necessary
material. The lecturer usually addresses a large and attentive

class, consisting of several hundred persons, and elucidates the
H

98 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caap. VI.

subject in a way which cannot fail to benefit the numerous
amateurs who attend. As botanical professors lead their pupils on
occasional excursions over meadow and hill, so the lecturer takes
his classes to famous horticultural establishments from time to
time,—to Montreuil, famous for its Peaches; Thomery, for its
Vines, and so on. The custom of lecturing on pure gardening, as
distinguished from botany, is common in France, and in many
cases a source of much good. It has, in fact, been a main cause
of the knowledge of fruit-trees, grafting, &c., so widely spread in
France, the lecturers being always men knowing the subject
thoroughly. Here we leave all the garden-lecturing to the
botanists, who, of course, never discourse on horticulture. This
is a pity when we consider how few of the sciences commonly so
called are so important for the well-being of a country, and for its
beauty, as that of horticulture.

Visitors to the Continent in the summer months can hardly fail
to be struck with the growth in tubs or boxes of certain plants
of which we in this country make comparatively little use.
Some may remember the beautiful effect produced on a quay
fronting the Lake of Lucerne by a number of standards, includ-
ing Orange-trees, Portugal Laurels, Pomegranates, Pittosporums,
Yellow Jasmines, Evergreen Oaks, Euonymus, Aucubas, and Figs.
At Vienna a similar assortment may be seen in front of some of
the principal cafés, where one may sit in the open street under the
shadow of the Oleander and the Pomegranate. The Oleander is,
with the Myrtle and the Pomegranate, a great favourite of the
Parisians. The reasons for this are obvious—its elegant habit,
glossy foliage, profusion of bright rosy or white flowers, endowed,
moreover, with an agreeable almond-like perfume, offer recom-
mendations hardly to be exceeded by those of other plants. The
culture, moreover, is easy. Indifferent as to the treatment it
receives in winter, it may be kept in cellars or passages; hence
its frequency abroad in the windows of the artizan and at the
doors of the merchant’s office.

Much as one may dislike the culture of trees_in tubs, it is
impossible not to.admire the superb specimens of Oleanders in
Targe tubs which_may be seen in the Luxembourg Gardens in,
summer, often so profusely covered with flowers that the upper
part of each bush looks like a bed of flowers. They are treated

Cuap. VIL] THE LUXEMBOURG GARDENS. 99

somewhat like Orange-trees in tubs, carried like them into the
open air in summer, and stored in half-lighted buildings in winter.
Probably the complete winter’s rest that the plants get in an
orangery, and the making of all their growth out-of-doors in the
full light and free air, are more conducive to their well-being than
the culture they receive in glass-houses. The treatment given it
on the Continent insures the plant a perfect rest in winter: as it
cannot grow in the cellars, caves, and dark orangeries in which

The Gardens and Palace of the Luxembourg. (Hachette.)

it is then placed. Therefore, when put in the open air, the growth
of the plant pushes equably and immediately: the shoots, being
produced in the open air, are indifferent to any changes therein,
and the plants enjoy the full sun and uninterrupted light.
It may be noticed in two different conditions about Paris—in
the large specimen form in tubs of various sizes, and as small neat
plants in six-inch pots. These last are sold in great numbers in
the markets, and flower as abundantly as the best managed of the
H 2

100 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. VI.

large specimens. The finest examples of large specimens I have
ever seen are those in the garden.of the Luxembourg Palace.
Judging by the habit of the Oleander, as generally seen with us,
it might be supposed that it would not make an ornamental tree
for a terrace, but nothing can be finer than the immense specimens
seen in these gardens, the heads being round, dense, and some-
times as much as ten feet through, resembling when in flower
a bed of Roses. They are certainly far handsomer objects than
Orange-trees, grow equally well or better in tubs, and are more
worthy of culture in this way. The following account of their
culture was given to me by M. Riviere fils, late of the Luxem-
bourg Gardens.

“This beautiful shrub is a native of North Africa and the south of Europe. In
a state of nature, it prefers damp and fresh soil; it is consequently found in
abundance on the banks of rivers and the edges of marshes. In the wild state it
rarely reaches the height of more than from three to five feet, but under cultiva-
tion it may grow even to nine or ten feet. Its flowers are of a delicate rose
colour, and from seed horticulturists have succeeded in obtaining yellow, white,
and double-flowering varieties, which form some of the most beautiful ornaments
of our gardens. The sap is very poisonous, and it is therefore advisable never to
put any of the flowers in the mouth, and to take care that no children should be
allowed near the plants, The hotter the district in which the plant is grown,
the more poisonous is the sap.

“The Oleander puts forth its flowering branches a year before blooming and
then blossoms for two consecutive years, so it is well not to cut them down in
the autumn after the first time of flowering. The beautiful specimens so much
admired in the Gardens of the Luxembourg are from sixty to one hundred years
old. They are grown in tubs three or four feet square, and in a compost of peat
and loam well enriched. The operation of re-potting should be performed every
five years, about the month of May. The sides of the tubs being movable, the
earth is taken away from the roots of the tree, which is itself lifted 1 up about three
inches, so as to remove the soil ail round it; it is then lowered into its former
place and potted up with the compost just described.

“The Oleander is generally placed out of doors about the 10th of May, and as
it grows naturally under a burning sky, it is advisable to give it as much sun as
possible. A few days after it is put out, the surface of the soil in the tubs should
be mulched with manure, and during the whole of the summer season they should
be copiously watered at least three times a week. As soon as October comes, the
waterings are diminished, and the top portions of the mulvhing being taken away,
the surface is stirred up with a pointed stick to render it more permeable. The
Oleander being extremely sensitive to cold, the plants should be taken under
cover once more about the 15th of October, where they must remain until the 10th
of May, being watered in the meantime not more than three or four times every

Cuap. VI.] THE LUXEMBOURG GARDENS. 101

month. In France the Oleander-tree is attacked by a parasite called the Chermes
Nerii, which does it a great deal of injury. While in the greenhouse no pains should
be spared to deliver it from its enemy by means of a stiff dry brush. The mis-
chief caused by this insect will often kill the tree ; prompt means must therefore
be taken as soon as it makes its appearance. If, in spite of all care, the Chermes
still keeps up its depredations, all the old wood that is attacked mast be pruned
out, By this means the evil may be entirely remedied, a new set of ‘shoots
appearing and bearing flowers the fellowing year.”

The groves of stunted and crowded trees, the great expanse of
gravel, and the stiff borders are somewhat relieved in the Luxem-
bourg garden by a considerable extent of ground di disposed in a
na which, as usual, is called. the

“e 17

foliage plants, masses of Roses, with, a ‘rest alt, that in this s part ‘the
effect 13 much better than in “the ‘older ‘quarters. The Papyrus of
the ancients, Papyrus antiquorum, has here been for years a
striking object, planted: ent in summer in masses. ~~

Border of Roses.—Luxembourg Gardens,

102 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. VII.

Streamlet issuing rom luvy-clad Rock.

CHAPTER VII.
THE BolIs DE VINCENNES.

Tur Bois de Vincennes may be briefly described as a vast training
ground, but it is also, in parts, a beautiful public garden. It is
much broader in effect than the Bois de Boulogne, and has really
fine open airy spaces such as all large public parks should have ;
but this we mainly owe to the drill-master. Here, as in the Bois
de Boulogne, the plantations are far too dense, and the trees
starved for want of space. Still there are pleasant openings and
graceful evergreen trees and sparkling water, and altogether it
would be difficult to find a nobler advance on the old dismal
French garden with its shorn trees and hideous formalism. A
glance along some parts of the lakes here is more instructive and
satisfying than a study of all the geometrical gardening in France.

Across the little Lake 8. Mandé is a good view of the old Donjon
of Vincennes. On the islet in the lake there is a large interesting
group of trees showing weeping and columnar trees in juxta-
position. The effect of these—Lombardy and other Poplars, and
the weeping Willow—is shown in the illustration of the small lake.
The state in which water becomes a vital element in garden
scenery is seen here in the large lake that sparkles in the sun and
gives pleasant distance to the plantations. A temple on a knoll
over the water has a certain beauty in the landscape; but such
structures are mere affectations in modern gardens. If we must

Crap. VIL] THE BOIS DE VINCENNES. 103

have buildings, let them be such as have relation to modern wants.
In the neighbourhood of this temple there is some pretty planting
with glossy evergreens by the rocks near the water, tufts of thé
Giant Arundo and rock-trailers.

The most instructive and beautiful thing in the park is this
larger lake near the entrance from the Avenue Daumesnil. This
is right in various ways—in size, variety of meadow and wood on
the shores, islands, rocky islets, judicious planting and not

; = Fs
as ELE LED eal wis

Small Lake with Chateau in distance; weeping and erect Trees on Islet.

offensive rock-gardens. The bridge connecting two of the islands
is a doubtful feature ; if it be necessary at all, it is certainly
placed in too conspicuous a position. a
One of the charms of the park is the commanding view it gives
on one elevated spot of a sweep of country outside the park and
beyond the fortifications, the district of the confluence of the
Seine and Marne. The Marne is at our feet; a glimpse of the
Seine may be seen in the distance, and the wide and beautiful

104 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caar. VIL.

view of the country well illustrates the importance of arranging
public gardens in relation to their surroundings. There are too
many examples of the neglect of this in private as well as public
gardens. In towns we are frequently obliged to plant to hide
ugly things. In the country plantations often conceal beautiful
scenes. The whole system of dead walls, useless fences, and the
like, deserves to be reconsidered ; and as regards such treasures
of park or garden landscape as are enclosed by our own hedges
and ditches, whether we are justified in always shutting them out

View across larger Lake.

from the rest of the world is a point that may well be weighed in
the future by many. At present there is too much of the art of
fortification in planting.

In Vincennes, as elsewhere in the public gardens of Paris,
false curves and steep abrupt slopes abound; and, as usual, some
of the prettiest parts are marred by the walks and roads. It is
indeed difficult to find a bit of green margin to the water
unspoilt by needlessly offensive walks.

In contrast with these hard margins round the Lac des
Minimes are some little rocky streamlets which are, on the

Cuap. VII.] THE BOIS DE VINCENNES. 105

other hand, naturally and gracefully disposed. The grass meets
the margin of the water as gently as it often does in natural
streams. Little rocks stand in the bed, sometimes clad with
plants, while Yuccas, trailing shrubs and marsh plants crowd
along the banks. One of these streamlets issues from an Ivy-clad
rock, of which an illustration is given. Where the streamlets
cross the walks they are conveniently bridged by stepping-stones
and rocks, round which the water-plants cluster. The sketch of
the rocky streamlet in this wood shows a successful attempt
to ornament the mouth of a rivulet as it joins a piece of water.
Near where a streamlet enters the larger lake, there is a group
of little islets dotting the water, as shown in the engraving of the

Rocky Streamlet with Yuccas and trailing Shrubs.

view across the lake. Islets of this kind artistically formed are a
pleasing feature in good water, and they have a use of which some
of their designers never thought, in the culture and preservation
of a variety of hardy flowers, quite at home in such places. It
is often possible in such situations to establish little colonies
of bog, or marsh, or rock plants, which could not so easily be
grown elsewhere. The safety from encroachment by coarser
plants, the complete exposure with at the same time abundant
moisture, and the power of isolating a species or a family where
that seems desirable, make it clear that such spots might be made

106 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. VII.

much better use of than leaving them to briars and weeds, though
even with these they are charming. The margin of the larger
lake near these little rocks, and indeed in many other parts,
compares favourably with the more abrupt and stiff lines of the
Lac des Minimes.

A restaurant near the Lac des Minimes well shows how such
conveniences may be introduced into public parks without render-
ing them objectionable. It commands good views of the park and
water from the groups of trees by which it is partially hidden.
It would be well if like care were always taken to veil such
structures. In this park are the City Nursery for herbaceous
plants, and the Fruit Garden of the City, descriptions of which
are given in another chapter. The first is an excellent establish-
ment for the supply of a large city.

The system of planting the same subjects in the same pro-
portions, that now obtains in nearly all gardens public and private
throughout Europe, makes them nearly all alike in details; and
this park, instead of offering an absolute change in details
from others, simply repeats the same things. Under this system,
public parks do not represent a tithe of the beauty and interest
of the vegetable kingdom of which they are capable, taking into
consideration their extent, their variety in soil and surface, and
the large sums spent upon them. Everywhere in them we see
vast surfaces almost totally neglected, or only garnished with a
few commonplace trees: everywhere evidence that no thought is
given to the production of noble and permanent features. Some-
times, indeed, one or two spots are embellished at great expense
during the summer months with tender plants, while the re-
mainder of the surface is usually wholly uncared for. This is like
decorating a man clad in fluttering rags with a costly button-
hole bouquet. But the radical fault, everywhere strikingly
apparent, is monotony in the materials used. A tree or a shrub
becomes popular, and is planted everywhere in about the same
proportion. Thus we invariably find similar types of vegetation
everywhere, while the capabilities of city parks as instructive
national gardens are quite undeveloped.

The system best calculated to give us the noblest series of
public gardens the world has ever seen, is to treat them asa whole,
and to establish in each a distinct type of vegetation. For example,

Cuar. VII] THE BOIS DE VINCENNES. 107

we might devote one city park chiefly to large deciduous trees;
another, say a suburban one, as Richmond, mainly to evergreen
forest trees; a third to the almost countless flowering deciduous
trees and shrubs that are the glory of the grove and copse in all
northern and temperate countries; and so on. Or we might
treat the subject geographically, and have one small park of
French or British trees, shrubs, and plants; another of European,
a third of American, a fourth of Siberian, and so on. This plan

Streamlet entering Lake.

does not involve the rejection of other types of vegetation. On
the contrary, their presence would often be necessary to contrast
with those to which a park or garden might be chiefly devoted.
But even if it were determined to devote a park exclusively to the
vegetation of one country, no one need doubt that the highest
effects could be produced by it alone who remembers what we find
in our lanes and woodlands from the association of a few kinds of
native plants. We could, by the adoption of this system, define

108 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([CHap. VI.

for each manager of a public garden, in what direction his efforts
should chiefly tend; give each a distinct aim, and thereby free
him from puerile rivalry with his fellows in the matter of “ bedding
plants.” He could then take up a Family, Order, or Flora, and
develop its beauty and variety to the completest extent. In the
vast expanse of our public gardens, there is not one interesting
and important
branch of arboricul-
ture or horticulture
which could not be
developed in a way
hitherto quite unex-
ampled. On our
botanic gardens al-
ready in existence—
of which many of
the older ones are
not large enough
for the proper
grouping and ar-
rangement of one
single family of trees
—the system would
have the best results.
It would relieve the
botanic gardens of
the necessity of

Margin of Lake near Temple, with tuft of Giant Arudo, CTaMmMIng every

available plant or

tree into a small space, and permit their managers to devote

most of their attention to the many tribes of plants which require
special and continual care or renewal.

Generally our national gardens give no more idea of the beauty
of vegetation, than the fountain-basin does of the sea. No botanic
garden in existence gives any worthy expression of the vegetation
of even the cold and temperate climes of Europe alone! What do
we see of the beauty and character of any one large family of trees
by planting them all at regular intervals over a plot, or in the
various ways they are at present arranged in botanic gardens ?

Cuap. VII.] ‘THE BOIS DE VINCENNES. 109

This plan might be continued, if we have no higher object than to
procure specimens to illustrate the scientific names that men have
given plants. But if our aim be to show the inexhaustible beauty
and dignity of the vegetable kingdom, we must disentangle our-
selves from such limitations. And, clearly, the way to do this
is to treat each city’s series of gardens (both botanic gardens and
parks) as a whole, developing in each some distinguishing feature
—from the smallest square with a complete collection of Ivies or
Hawthorns, to the noblest park adorned with the trees of a
hundred hills.

Finally, though the subject suggests other points of interest,
let it be considered what a noble school of instruction the parks
of Paris or London, New York, or any other great city, might in
this way become. The whole would thus be made a great
experimental garden, in which every question in connection with
arboriculture might be thoroughly tested. In every direction
distinct types of vegetation would be met with, instead of the
“universal mixture” now everywhere seen, and which so soon and
so thoroughly trains the eye to take no more notice of trees or
plants than of the railing-spikes round a square. The contents of
no botanic garden now in existence would be worthy of mention
compared with the good results we could obtain in this way. It
is not, like many of the changes we long for in towns, impossible
to carry out from want of means. The adoption of it would at once
tend to make the expenditure of every shilling in our public
gardens go toward definite and precious results, and by it we
should soon have national gardens worthier of the name than any
hitherto in existence.

Near Lac des Minimes, showing bad effect of Road and Walk parallel with Margin.

110 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. VIII.

Fhvneannes.

In the Square des Batignolles.

CHAPTER VIII.
SQUARES,

Ir would perhaps be difficult to find a greater contrast than that
presented by the London and the Paris squares, both as regards
their arrangement and management. Most people are familiar
enough with the aspects of squares in London, their ill-keeping,
melancholy and deserted air, well though the scraggy hedges
of miserable Privet conceal their interior. Indeed they are
so carefully hedged in and locked up that of them might well
be written the motto, “Thieves without, and nothing to steal
within.”

If we glance at the state of a few of the best-known squares in
Paris before entering on the general question of the management
of city squares, we shall be able to get a general idea of the very
different system pursued in that city, and of its value as a guide

Cusp. VIL] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 111

to us in dealing with such important open spaces in large towns,
The Square and Tour St. Jacques well illustrate judicious city
improvements. This tower, originally part of an old church, and
hidden from view by tall, narrow, dirty streets which crowded
around it, is now one of the most striking objects in Paris; while
the garden is a source of much pleasure and benefit to the people
in this central neighbourhood.

The first thing that strikes the visitor in this square is its
freshness, perfect keeping, and the numbers of people in it, reading,
working, or playing. “The same reason,” it is said in ‘ Guesses
at Truth,’ “ which calls for the restoration of our village greens,
calls no less imperatively in London for the throwing open of the
gardens in all the squares. What bright refreshing spots would
these be in the midst of our huge brick and stone labyrinths, if we
saw them crowded on summer evenings with the tradespeople and
mechanics from the neighbouring streets, and if the poor children
who now grow up amid the filth and impurities of the alleys and
courts, were allowed to run about these playgrounds, so much
healthier both for the body and the mind! We have them all
ready, a word may open them. At present the gardens in our
squares are painful mementoes of exclusiveness. They who need
them the least, monopolize them. All the fences and walls by
which this exclusiveness bars itself out from aes
the sympathies of common humanity must
be cast down.” The aspect of this square
with its wide walks thronged by people,
would have well realized that writer’s ideal
of what a square should be. No gardens
contain more beautiful or diverse objects :
than are here for all who will enjoy them. Portion of Margin of a Paris
It is almost as attractive to the passer-by as Site ab hanged tn:
to those inside, for instead of a clump of shrubs of commonplace
character cutting it off from view, there is a belt of grass of
varying width, kept perfectly fresh and green, and on it here and
there large beds and groups usually distinct from each other.
Now it is a fine bed of the dwarf Fan-palm, as easily seen from
the street as in the square; now a group of shade-giving hardy
trees, furnished beneath with evergreens, and finished off with
flowers; next, a mixed bed of Dahlias and other tall autumn

112 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. VIII.

flowers, and so on. On the carpets of fresh grass between these
various clumps there are isolated trees to give the necessary shade
and dignity, and to flower in their season. In nearly every case
the stems of these are clothed with climbers, generally Ivy,
occasionally Aristolochia and Clematis. But the grassy carpet is
also ornamented by smaller, though not less beautiful things than
the large trees just mentioned. Itis sparsely dotted with plants
having fine leaves, or distinct character, as Acanthuses, large
grasses, and Yuccas.

Between the walk and the tower there is a little lawn, and in
one bay of its green carpet, sheltered on three sides, but coming
boldly into view from the greater part of the square, is a specimen
of the noblest of fine-leaved plants, the great Abyssinian Musa.
It is about twelve feet high; the base appears quite two feet in
diameter; the young leaves made during the season are intact,
each of them eight feet long, with a great red tapering midrib,
like a huge billiard cue, running from base to point. Relieved
by the foliage of the trees of our own latitude, it forms a fine
object. In the immediate foreground there is a mass of a scarcely
less striking plant, the edible Caladium, which springs from a
groundwork of Mignonette. In like manner are scattered over
the green (the central parts being kept clear to secure a little
breadth and repose) striking specimens or groups of specimens,
some of which it would repay the city to grow, if only to give
art students living specimens of the finest leaf-forms,

Amidst the whole stands the famous old tower, its beauty
greatly enhanced by being set in a pleasant garden. At every
step the square presents a new charm. About this Tour St.
Jacques were tried for the first time the Wigandias, now the
admiration of so many in both French and English gardens, the
Cannas, the Musas, Palms, Ficuses, and others of the better
kinds of what may be termed the flora of Parisian gardens.
What a change from the filth and consequent unwholesomeness
of its old state! How different from the small squares around
our churches and monuments !

Although our island is in good repute for its natural verdure,
there are few of us who would not be persuaded of the necessity
of more efficient watering in our public gardens if they had seen
the Square Montrouge during the last days of August. To say

Cuap. VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 118

it was green would be to give the faintest idea of the glistening
verdure displayed by everything in it, from the trees to the grass..
It is a very small place, but quite a gem in its way. It is laid
out with belts of low trees and shrubs; the centre of the little
lawn left unadorned, while all around its edges really distinct
plants are dotted about. A handsome specimen of Bambusa
aurea, planted alone on the grass, helps to show what may be
expected of these tall, shrub-like grasses in the time to come:

In the Square Montrouge, evening—(a wretched statue is ontitted ).

they will impart to our gardens an entirely new aspect, and that
of the most desirable sort. The one we suppose to be the hardiest
of all is tenderer than several other species grown in Parisian
gardens. This little Square Montrouge has lately been marred of
much of its beauty by an attempt to adorn it with statuary, one
wretched thing in the centre indeed taking away almost all its
grace. The remarks on statuary in the chapter on Versailles
apply with greater force to statuary in small squares.

114 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. VIII.

The Square des Batignolles is one of the largest in Paris.
Entering from its lower side, the general scheme is seen to be
that of a little vale, down
which meanders a streamlet,
ending in a small round piece
of water. The rich grassy
sides of the streamlet slope up
till they end in dense planta-
tions, so well planted and
watered that they look as fresh

Re | Se as if growing far from a large

Showing widening of Walk for Playground, with city. The walk round the

i easaii a grass expands from a breadth

of ten or a dozen feet to forty, in the first corner of the square,

so that the children find little playgrounds without going on the

grass. The Plane-trees have Honeysuckles trained up their stems
here—a pretty mode of training them.

Here is a profuse variety of the very best shrubs, flowering
and otherwise; all these groups of shrubs being edged with
flowers. Indeed, it is these margins that afford the floral
display ; and the absence of all attempt to make a garden of the
coloured-cotton-handkerchief pattern makes it almost as free
from gaudiness as a ferny dell in a forest. The keeping is
perfect, and there is no fence between the public and the flowers
but an edging of rustic iron, which rises about five inches above
the gravel, and is placed about two inches outside the grass.

The streamlet is tastefully margined with tufts of water-plants,
but a novel feature is added. At some distance from the margin
—from four to ten feet—are planted here and there single
specimens of plants which, while not absolutely aquatic, associate
well with such plants; for instance, hardy Bamboos, Yuccas,
Erianthus, and other large grasses, some fine Acanthus latifolius,
the Pampas grass, and Tamarix.

The square or garden around the Hétel Cluny and Palais des
Thermes is quite distinct from all its fellows, and rightly so.
Inclosing ruins and a museum of antiquities, the character of
both has been imparted to it by arranging some of the rougher
and more enduring objects in it; and being green and shady,
the effect of the whole is quiet and good, though situated

Caap. VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 115

alongside the busy Boulevard St. Michel. As in many cities there
are old ruins and buildings bearing some resemblance to those in
this garden, it may not be amiss to say that they are always
greatly enhanced by being surrounded with the simplest kind of
garden. Ivy, grass, and a few hardy trees and shrubs are
sufficient to change their aspect from grimness, hardness, and

Streamlet in Paris Square with Yuccas and Water-side Plants.

decay to great beauty. A few seeds of Alpine plants shaken in

the tufts of moss or cracks of mortar would give rise to a dwarf

vegetation interesting in itself, and also as illustrating the cease-

less spring of life even in the most unlikely places. For the

embellishment of gardens round old buildings, abbeys, &c., there
1 2

116 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. VHL

are usually disjecta membra, not of importance enough to be pre-
served indoors, in sufficient abundance, and if arranged somewhat
as they are here, the result will prove satisfactory. The grounds
of the museum at York afford an admirable example of good taste
in this kind of garden.

Although so far in advance of our own squares in every way, it
may be noted that the idea was first taken from London ; but
while we Londoners still persist in keeping the squares exclusively
for the few overlooking residents, and usually without a trace of
any but the poorest plant ornament, the French make them as
open as our parks, and decorate them with a charming variety of
trees and plants.

“Tt has been often remarked,” says M. Robert Mitchell of
Paris, “and with great reason, that the English have carried
their material civilization further than we have. Comparisons
have frequently been made between Paris and London that were
not at all to our advantage, and we are obliged to allow that the
sort of accusation brought against us was not wanting in justice.
It is not many years since the boundaries of Paris inclosed an old
city that was a disgrace to our civilization; streets, or rather
fissures, without ventilation, and unhealthy districts where an
entire population of poor people were languishing and dying.
Now, however—thanks to the useful and important works that
have been lately carried out—the sun shines everywhere ; streets
have been enlarged, and every one has sufficient air to breathe.
Paris contains but few unhealthy alleys, whilst in London the
existence of such localities as Bermondsey, Soho, St. Giles’s,
Spitalfields, Whitechapel, &c., &c., is still to be deplored.

“We are far from forgetting the immense development of
material civilization in England. We simply mean to say that
our neighbours frequently invent for the sake of privilege, and
that when their ideas are good we take advantage of them and
popularize them. We will take a single example: every one
knows how justly the English pride themselves on their gardens
called squares, which are the admiration of every foreigner. Our
unfortunate public places that the pedestrian cannot cross in
summer without being grilled by the sun or blinded by the dust,
only serve as examples of our inferiority in this respect. The
square, that is to say, a garden surrounded by a railing, ig at

Cuap. VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 117

once the representation of a question of health, a question of
morality, and perhaps even of national self-respect. We certainly
could boast of the Place Royale, which, however, much more
closely resembled an unsuccessful attempt than the first step in
a happy direction. At present, however, Paris need envy London
for nothing. The Squares of St. Jacques, La Boucherie, St.
Clothilde, the Temple, Louvois, des Arts et Métiers, and the Pare
Monceau are worthy of our city. These masses of vegetation
widely distributed amongst the most populous neighbourhoods,
cleanse the air by absorbing the miasmatic exhalations, thus
enabling everyone to breathe freely.

“ Before the establishment of the Paris squares, the existence
of a great number of children was passed in confined and
unwholesome districts. The fresh air for them was only the
threshold of a vitiated atmosphere. They were obliged to walk
far before they could find a patch of verdure or a bit of country.
The children went out but little; it was thought useless to
dress them or make them clean, because they never went out
of their own neighbourhood, and in this way their early
years passed away. How many times have we not noticed with
painful emotion these little, ragged, pale creatures, who never
apparently thought of the filth in which they were obliged to
live!

“ Now, thank God, this dark picture has become bright. Within
a couple of steps of the poor man’s house there are trees, flowers,
and gravel-walks where his children can run about, and seats
where their parents may sit together and talk. Family ties are
strengthened, and the workman soon understands that there are
calmer and more moral pleasures than those in the wine-shop.
Again, the different degrees of the members of the working-classes
meet together on common ground, and parental feeling is developed
by emulation. A child must not be allowed to be ragged for fear
of its being remarked, and we will answer for it that a woman in
whose breast maternal instinct has not been entirely smothered
will never take her child into a public place without first paying
attention to the cleanliness which is the ornament of the poor.
Some time ago, while walking through the Square du Temple,
where hundreds of children were running and jumping and filling
their lungs with the country air that has thus been brought into

118 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. VIII.

Paris, we could not help saying to ourselves that, strengthened
and developed by continual exercise, these youngsters would one
day form a true race of men, which would give the State excellent
soldiers, good labourers for our farms, and strong artisans for our
factories.

“Tt has already been stated that the English originate privileges,
and that we popularize and perfect their ideas. We shall prove
what we advance by comparison. The Parisian /Mdiles have
made squares wherever a too-crowded population threatened to
contaminate the atmosphere, and in all the parts of the city
farthest from the Tuileries, the Luxembourg, or the Bois de
Boulogne, so that those living in the neighbourhood might be
able to get to them easily. In London, on the contrary, with but
few exceptions, there are no squares worthy of the name, except
in rich and open neighbourhoods. The largest and most beautiful
gardens are found at the West-end in Belgravia, or at Brompton,
that is to say, at the very gates of Hyde Park. With us trees are
planted for sanitary reasons, and the squares have been established
more especially in those neighbourhoods where the atmosphere
most required to be constantly purified, and to. this end trees of a
particular sort were chosen for their power of absorption.

“Tn London they appear to have been above everything anxious
about the health of the trees; a healthy and warm climate was
chosen for them in open neighbourhoods close to the parks, so
that they should not suffer too much from home sickness. We do
not mean to say that the city, for instance, or the other parts of
the town are completely provided with squares, but simply that
they are so small and mean that they give one the idea of
having been blown into their position by the wind. But the
headquarters of misery that we spoke of a short time ago—those
masses of crumbling houses-—those networks of dark alleys—in a
word, all that most need pure air and daylight—have been forgotten,
or rather neglected, while the richer parts have been improved.
In Paris the squares are open to everyone: in England they are
locked up, surrounded by a railing surmounted with Spikes, and
planted with bushes so as to impede the view of all that is going
on inside. By the payment of a small sum, generally a pound a
year, each inhabitant of the houses forming the four sides of the
square has the right to a key of the gate. So that for a poor

Cuar. VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 119

man to walk with his family in any of these gardens, he must first
live in a square and pay a high rent for the privilege, and then
contribute a pound a year towards the expense of maintaining it.
Practically these squares are useless, and nearly always deserted.
In London the squares are private property with which the State
cannot meddle. With us, on the contrary, it is the Government
that takes the initiative in these municipal improvements. It is
to the city of Paris that we owe their construction; they have
cost a great deal, and the idea has to be yet further carried out.

Acanthus on Turf in Paris Square.

“It is only necessary to walk in the neighbourhood of any of
the squares of Paris towards the middle of the day to see with
what pleasing readiness they are frequented by the working-classes.
To give only an example, the Square des Arts et Métiers is so
crowded with people after four o’clock that it is impossible to pass
through it. It was at one time said that the establishment of a
public garden was an idea that was perfectly practical in London,
but not in Paris, where the inhabitants were so turbulent and
revolutionary that they would soon pull down the trees, pluck the
flowers, and pull up the plants by the roots. Experience, how-

120 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. VIL

ever, has shown how utterly this opinion was devoid of founda-
tion. At the inauguration of the Pare Monceau all the gates
were thrown open to the crowd. No surveillance was exercised
over the fifty thousand persons who crowded the walks. At the
end of the day the total amount of damage done only amounted to
some thirty-five shillings for a few turf borders that had been
trampled upon. The fact is perfectly conclusive. Besides, the
squares have now been opened for a long time, and the numberless
frequenters of them have conducted themselves with admirable
order and decency. The people evidently understand that they
are at home; that itis for their especial behoof that the gardens
have been constructed; they know that in pulling up a flower it
is their own property they are destroying ; and, moreover, they
evince a respectful gratitude for the hands that have given them
these pleasant places of resort. The establishment of public
squares in Paris is an eminently social idea. We repeat it tends
to regenerate the human race by the development of the physical
forces; by exercise in the open air it improves the morals of the
people, by allowing the working-man to change the dirty wine-
shop for a pleasant walk and an agreeable resting-place; and,
lastly, it proves our readiness to adopt in our own country what-
ever appears good and useful to our neighbours.”

It is to be hoped that we in our turn shall show an equal
_ readiness to profit by the excellent example shown us in city
squares. There are many private squares in London which
merely occupy space that otherwise would be devoted to the
gardens of the houses around; but, on the other hand, there are
not a few which seem to invite a trial of the system found to work
so well in Paris.

Whatever the condition of the squares of London now, we should
be thankful that we have them. The haunts of disease are
weakened by these islets in our desert of slate, brick, and mud.
In them the sun shines—dimly, no doubt, from our smoke-plague
—the air seems to attain a little more freedom, and trees persist
in growing, no matter how badly they are treated. We have
many squares in London, but assuredly not half so many as its
colossal expanse requires. In the suburbs, unhappily, they do
not seem fashionable with the cheap builders nowadays. If
matters were arranged as in Paris, the square and the wide airy

Cuar. VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 121

road would be laid down long before the builder came to arrange
the ground as'seemed best to him. There they say to him: Here
you may build, but do not encroach on the space necessary for
public convenience; and thus avoid the tortuous, close, and often
dirty suburban roads which tend to make many districts round
London unvisited by and unknown to all but their immediate
inhabitants. A broad and pleasant tree-planted road through
such a district would, by opening it up and making it attractive
to the inhabitants of London generally, prove as beneficial from a
commercial as from a sanitary and an esthetic point of view.
And if such roads as convenience and
good taste demand existed in a city the
size of London, squares would be of less
importance. Our Thames Embankment,
for example, is better than a score of
squares.

It can hardly be necessary to point out
the benefits that a square confers on the
district immediately around it. All, or
nearly all, our present expenditure for
public gardening is on the vast parks of

which London is happily the possessor. « 7iceves without and nothing to

steal within.”

As, however, many of the parks are yee r ondon Square, with
separated by miles from each other, the proves ee
squares or any open space is of the highest
importance. Parks for play and exercise, and beautiful garden
scenery, let us have by all means; but our great want is the
smaller open spaces called squares, and wide roads planted with
trees. We have in London squares of various degrees of mag-
nitude and keeping, from the West Central squares, with their
fine old trees, to the new ones at Brompton; from the wide
West-end square to the small dark grimy ones in Soho or the
City ; but even the best of them are badly kept, and unworthy of
London. No clear idea of what a square should be seems to have
been possessed by those who designed them. The chief feature
they have in common is a dirty and ugly crowded bank of Lilac
and other common shrubs just within the margin, to prevent a
view into them.

There is nothing in any of our parks, there is no feature in

122 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. VIII.

any of our public gardens, more beautiful and effective than even
our small squares could be made; but little can be done so long
as the absurd system of cutting off the scene from public view,
and from the view of the persons who inhabit the square, prevails.
There are squares in London in which views, almost Arcadian in
their beauty, could be made; yet, except from the windows of
the houses that surround them, one can see nothing but a struggle
between Privet and Lilac. Two of the finest weeping Ash-trees
in London are near the margin of Brunswick Square, but they
are so surrounded by the usual mean scrub that they are rarely
recognized by the passer-by. Cleared around and surrounded by
well-kept turf, they would prove ornaments to the whole district.
But it may be urged that the squares are private property, and
that their owners have a perfect right to keep them shut out
from public view, if so disposed. Even so, it is quite possible
to do this without making the margin inviting as a receptacle for
miscellaneous rubbish, and without concealing the finest objects
the squares contain.

By allowing the grass to venture near the railing here and
there, and dotting it with flowers and isolated shrubs, so as to
permit of pleasant peeps into the interior, quite a new aspect
would be given to our now gloomy squares, and the change would
not by any means destroy privacy. No conceivable harm could
come of making these little gardens attractive to the public, and
in doing so, to those having “vested rights” also. There can be
little doubt that if we could drop the Square Montrouge into our
West Central district, there would soon be a general desire on
the part of the owners of our squares that they should be disposed
in like manner. In that small, much-frequented square, may be
seen plants in masses in the open air as valuable as those exposed
in our great public gardens here, and that without the least
danger, though crowds frequent the place from morning till after
dusk.

Another important feature of the arrangement of our squares,
and one which, like the filthy and crowded marginal shrubbery,
is common to nearly all of them, is the disposition of the central
portion. The ground is usually so small that it is desirable to
make the most of it. The best way to make it look mean and
contracted is to build a structure varying in appearance from

Cuar, VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 123

a wooden fowl-house to a bathing-machine. Yet this is what is
done in the majority of the “best” London squares. The eye
is thus fixed on the contemptible objects in the centre, an agree-
able spread of turf is made impossible, and the beauty of the trees
or shrubs cannot be felt. It is unwise to desire uniformity in
any art, but one principle deserves being engraved on the mind
of every person who has the care of squares, which is that the
best way to obtain an excellent effect is by keeping the centre
open and grassy, untortured by walks, hedges, or beds.

The gardening in our squares is of a peculiarly lugubrious
description, and of a style quite apart. Hardy subjects are not
made a study of, and the bedding plants with which the country
is ablaze in many parts are rarely seen. Year after year the
same tone of slimy melancholy
is assiduously preserved. The
trees crowd upon each other,
and even those that tower above
all, and assert their dignity in
spite of neglect, are not seen to
advantage. Any flowers planted
usually soon perish in the dismal
shade.

The walks, generally designed
so as to cut through and destroy the prettiest spots in the square,
appear to receive most attention, but it is sometimes shared by
the ugly, high, and elaborate seats piled round the bases of the
beautiful trees so as to cut short the effect of their stems as seen
across the lawn. All the necessary seats, as well as tool-houses
and arbours, should be placed near or towards the sides, where
they would be useful without being obtrusive. It is quite easy
to so place such objectionable features that while convenient for
shade and comfort, they shall not be objectionable from any
point of view.

The best feature of the London squares is their trees. In the
West-Central districts are frequently seen Planes which would
command admiration in their native forests. Huddled together,
at first, with a number of miscellaneous trees, they, thanks to
their constitutions and stature, now tower above the masses of
overcrowded shrubs around them, and spread forth their boughs

Structure in centre of a London Square.

124 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. VIII.

so freely that each tree seems as if it tried to fill up the square.
When the multitudinous fires are active around them in winter,
these trees give us in the dreary wastes of London a glimpse of
the beauty of the wild woods. And let it not be thought that
the Plane is the only tree that would thrive perfectly in our
squares, even in the most smoky and crowded parts. It would
take a long list to enumerate all the beautiful deciduous trees
and shrubs that grow in the temperate and colder regions of
the world, and the great majority of which would do perfectly
well in our London squares, if properly planted and attended to.
It would be perfectly easy, even with our present knowledge,
‘to select as many beautiful trees that would thrive in the squares
of London, as would represent in them the brake and forest
beauty of every important cold region in America, Europe or
Asia. To select such trees and shrubs, and plant them so as to
secure to each a due amount of light and air for its develop-
ment, should be the aim of those responsible for the squares of
London.

One way of encouraging desirable variety would be the devoting
of one square to the trees and shrubs of a particular country ;
one, for example, might have British trees and shrubs alone,
another American trees, another Chinese and Japanese trees and
shrubs, and so on. It would be permanent, too; and permanence
in these matters simply means saving of constant trouble and
expense. But there is no reason whatever why the squares
should be devoted to hardy trees and shrubs alone. On the
contrary, the best way would be to allow much latitude, so as to
secure variety. When people begin to understand the management
of city gardens, one of the first principles they will discover is
that each square and small garden should differ as much as
possible from its neighbours. Some of the suburban squares
might be devoted to that evergreen vegetation which cannot be
grown in the central parts; some in all parts might be gaily
decorated with flowers and fine-foliaged plants; others chiefly
with hardy flowers and shrubs, and so on. But little of this
kind could be well done unless all or most of the squares were
under one responsible head, who could determine what was best
to do in each case and prevent imitation and paltry rivalry.

Private interests and public prejudice ‘may be against the

Cnap. VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 125

opening of most of our squares to the public now, and may long
continue so, but in the interest of all it is the true plan, and
will yet, it is to be hoped, be the rule in all parts of London.
The advantages enjoyed by those who “ possess keys” are surely
not such as need prevent their offering the boon in question to
the poorer inhabitants, many of whom, perhaps, seldom have an
opportunity of seeing more of nature than is visible in the streets
of London. Once devoted to public use, and under intelligent
supervision, a modest allowance from the public purse would
suffice to convert the squares into beautiful gardens. They
would save some from the attractions of the public-house, and
keep the world of London children from the gutter.

{

|

A Town Square opened up.

An important subject in‘ connection with squares and city
gardens is that of playgrounds. These small spaces, provided for
play and rest, form a commendable feature in the Paris squares.
They are usually formed by widening the outer walk of the
square at each corner, where trees are generally planted so as to
afford shade. Here the children play and their nurses work. It
is one of the pleasantest sights in Paris to see these playing-
places with crowds of happy children on fine days. No system
of city-gardening can be good which does not meet this want. It
is not enough to have open spaces or beautiful little gardens; we
should keep the children from the filth and dangers of the
crowded streets. The best way, in the case of all large cities, is

126 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. VIIL

to have, as far as possible, squares or open spaces arranged as
playgrounds alone. These should be planted with large trees,
which, while affording ample shade, would not suffer from the
crowds beneath. The smaller class of square would do best as play-
grounds, and there are not unfrequently in large cities open spaces
which, at a trifling expense, might be made into useful recreation-
grounds of this kind. The only requirements are hardy trees,
gravelled spaces, and seats. In these cases the whole surface
should be gravelled over after thorough preparation has been
made for the trees, The reason of the superiority of trees alone
for such places is that the whole of the space beneath them is
free as a playground, while overhead their leaves and flowers and
forms may do as much to adorn the neighbourhood as an elaborate
garden. In several of the small spaces and squares opened of
late in London, an opposite plan has been adopted—that of flower-
beds and elaborate gardening; hence their use as playgrounds is
interfered with. Of course garden-squares are needed as well as
playing-squares; but in most districts the playground is the
greater want.

The recent improvements in Leicester Square invite a word
here. A garden of any kind, in lieu of the nuisance of Leicester
Square, with its decaying and not inodorous rubbish of various
kinds, is a boon to the district, and the most notorious eyesore in
London is now to be seen no more. But we have scores of
squares needing like changes; and the manner in which this
transformation has been done being likely to influence future
work in the same direction, it is desirable that the points in
which the design of Leicester Square is deficient should be made
known to all interested in such improvements. The first and
chief defect in the plan is that it is too much “cut up.” There
is a broad walk immediately encircling the fountain, and another
walk all round, between that and the enclosure, and then there
are four other walks, one from each of the four entrances,
intersecting the external walk, and leading directly to the one
round the fountain. This needless prevalence of gravel instead
of turf, is a radical mistake: it is a repetition of the tones of the
surrounding houses ; it wearies the eye, and destroys all repose.
The fountain is too big for the space, while the lesser pieces of
sculpture dotted about would be. better away. There is far too

FOOOULNOW FUVAOS FHL NI AVId YO AANUOO

Cuar. VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 127

much of the architect and sculptor, and too little of the gardener.
This is a very common defect in. the embellishment of town-
gardens. In the centre, where there ought to be repose, there is
nothing but stone, chairs, gravel—and confusion. As for the
planting, much is wrong, both as to the kind of trees selected, and

The Square and Fountain des Innocents.

their disposal as to position. It is curious that in spite of all the
experience of the constant failure of evergreens in the London
squares, few deciduous trees have been employed in the planting
of Leicester Square ; Rhododendrons and Portugal Laurels are the
plants chiefly made use of, though a moment’s thought, with all

128 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. VIII.

the experience that our town-plantations furnish, would have
shown that trees which do not shed their leaves annually, become
so encrusted with soot after a single winter in the midst of
London smoke, that they soon dwindle into miserable dying
objects.

As the freshness and texture of the lawns in Paris gardens is a frequent subject
of remark, we have thought it well to translate the following account of how they
are formed. Nothing can surpass the beauty and texture of our own garden-
carpets; but the Paris system may be worth trying in countries drier than ours.
In any case, the information conveyed by M. Rafarin to the ‘ Revue Horticole’
is worth repeating. In order to obtain the best results in forming a lawn, three
points must not be lost sight of :—1st. Preparation of the Soil; 2nd. Choice of
Grass-seed ; 38rd. Maintenance.

1. Preparation of the Soil.—In the first place, it must be well drained, that
is, if it be too damp,"swampy, or if it rests upon an impenetrable sub-soil.
Secondly, light dry soils must be enriched by means of manure, as must also
clayey, damp, or cold soils. Thirdly, the soil should be mellowed by repeated
ploughings and harrowings, taking care, during each operation, to break the clods,
and to extract the stones and roots of weeds. Fourthly, it must be made even
by levelling a fortnight after it has been ploughed ; then roll it, break the clods
afresh, and finally sow the seed.

2. Choice of Seeds.—It is indispensable that the seeds used be of the best
quality. Having chosen the seeds, mix together those that resemble each other
in size, form, and weight, taking care that they are suitable for the nature of the
soil on which they are to be sown. The following are four mixtures that are
very commonly used in France; they should, however, only be considered as
examples, and may be modified according to circumstances.

FIRST MIXTURE—FOR A FRESH SOIL, IMPROVED AND PREPARED AS JUST DIRECTED.

lbs. Ibs.
Agrostis stolonifera . . . 22 Poa trivialis 2. 2... . Il
Bromus pratensis . . . . Il » pratensis . . . . . 22
Cynosurus cristatus . . . 19% | Loliumperenne . . 66
Festuca tenuifolia. . . . 22 Trifolium repens . . 2h
» ‘rubra. . . . 383
Anthoxanthum odoratum . i 220

The amount will suffice for an area of rather more than two acres. Forsmaller
pieces of land and for borders a larger proportion must be used.

SECOND MIXTURE.

Ibs. Ibs.
Agrostis vulgaris . . . . «11 Cynosurus cristatus . . | 8%
Avena flavescens . . . . 11 Festuca tenuifolia . . 2. 2 Ll

Bromus pratensis . . . 11 » heterophylla . . . il

Cnap. VIII] SQUARES, PLACES, ETC. 129

Ibs, Ibs.
Festuca ovina . 2 - a 22 Poanemoralis . . . . . 11
we YObra ow. « « «2 « FW Lolium perenne . . . . 77
Anthoxanthum odoratum. . 11 Trifolium repens . . . . Q?
Poatrivialigs 2. 2. . . . Ul —
» pratensis . . . . . Il 220

Ibs. Tbs,
Airaclatior. . . » se 22 Poatrivialis 2. . 2 1. 88
» flexuosa . . . . . 22 » pratensis . . x » JE
Festuca elatior. . . . . 22 » Memoralis . . . . . 1
» tenuifolia . . . . 2 Lolium perenne . . . . 44
» heterophylla . . . 22 Trifolium repens . . . . 23
> rubra « @ » & @ 22
Anthoxanthum odoratum. . 11 220
Hloleus Janatus. . . i

For small patches, an increase of 20 to 50 per cent. is required.

FOURTH MIXTURE—FOR CALCAREOUS SOILS.

Tbs. Ibs.

Agrostis stolonifera . VW Anthoxanthum odoratum . . 192

» vulgaris . . . . 11 Poatrivialis. 2. 2. 2. . 2 1

Bromus pratensis - . 88 Lolium perenne. . . . . 88

Cynosurus cristatus 3 - il Trifolium repens. a ~ 2F
Festuca ovina. 2 @ » AI

» Tubra. a ot a IBZ 920

For borders and small plots, from 20 to 50 per cent. more should be used.
Sowing should take place in the spring in the case of stiff, damp, or cold soils,
and in autumn in soils that are light, dry, or scorched, and, as far as possible,
when the weather is calm, and the earth cool without being damp. Each variety
of seed, of which the mixture is composed, should be sown separately, commen-
cing with that of which there is the largest quantity, and which requires to be
buried at a greater depth in the soil than the others; and finishing with that of
which there is the smallest proportion. After each sowing, harrow with an im-
plement of a power proportionate to the depth which each kind of seed should
reach. Then beat down the earth (especially if it be light), and scatter a
layer of mould to the depth of an inch or so. Finally, water when the soil has
become dry to hasten germination, which will take place in from eight to forty-
five days according to the variety.

8. Maintenance.—The old popular saying—“ Water makes the Grass,” proves
the importance of frequent waterings for maintaining turf in perfect order. It is
necessary to water after each cutting and whenever the ground becomes too dry.
Each year in autumn and during cool but not damp weather in spring, after
having given the turf a vigorous harrowing, and, above all, those parts which are
covered with Moss, first remove the Moss and noxious weeds—an operation which

K

130 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cap. VIII.

is indispensable, though too often neglected, and which it is necessary to
repeat during the course of the year, whenever they make their appearance ;
secondly, sow the seed over all parts which are bare; thirdly, scatter upon the
surface a layer of good soil, using guano if the ground requires enriching ; fourthly,
roll with a roller, the weight of which is adapted to the nature of the soil.
Lawns should be mown with the scythe once or twice a month in spring,
three times a month during the summer, ceasing towards the end of October,
so that the Grass may grow again before the winter frosts set in.

Within the past few years there have been signs of slight
change for the better in some squares in London. Some of the
ugliest structures in the centre, and the most puerile features
have in various cases been removed ; but much remains yet to be
done. The best recent work in London is in Bedford Square,
which has been very much improved by Mr. Meston for the Duke
of Bedford. The dwindling, mean, undershrub vegetation has
been swept away, root and branch, from beneath the fine old
Planes, which now stand out grandly over the smaller trees.
Unsuitable and decaying trees have been cut down, and the soil
renewed on the surface, so that since then the trees that remain
have grown well, and there has been fresh green turf throughout
the summer. The effect from the streets, but more particularly
from the windows of the surrounding houses, is greatly improved.
It is to be hoped that this step of the Duke of Bedford’s may
happily inaugurate a general adoption of such improvements.
The capabilities, so to speak, of many of the older London
Squares are so remarkable, that a little good taste and good
gardening are all that are required to make them beautiful
gardens and a credit to the nation.

Tuft of large grass (Sorghum) in Paris square.

( 131»)

CHAPTER IX.
AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS.

Parks and gardens are excellent in their way, but they effect
only a partial good if vast areas of densely-packed streets are
unrelieved by green or open spots where the air may obtain a
vantage ground in its work of removing impurities. The slight
good effected by fine parks placed here and there in or towards
the outskirts of a city is as nothing compared with what may be
carried out by so planning and planting streets and roads that
the air might be comparatively pure and free, and the eye
refreshed with green at almost every point. What would the
new boulevards of white stone be without the softening and
refreshing aid of those long lines of trees that everywhere rise
around the buildings, helping them somewhat as the grass does
the buttercups? The makers of new Paris—who deserve the
thanks of the inhabitants of all the filthy cities of the world
for setting such an example—answer these questions for us by
pulling down close and noisome quarters, where the influence of
fresh air and trees was not felt; by piercing the city with long
wide streets, flanked with rows of trees; and by relieving in
every possible direction man’s work in stone with the changeful
beauty of tree-life. It is pleasant to add that these improvements
of Paris were not part of the scheme of one government only.
Since the Empire the good work has gone on more vigorously,
and certainly more economically than before. Only lately, two
of the most striking improvements ever effected in Paris—the
avenue from the Opera to the Rue de Rivoli, and the Boulevard
St. Germain, have been completed.

Paris shows the most praiseworthy attempts yet seen to render
an originally close and dirty city healthy and pleasant ; -— this

K

132 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. IX.

has been chiefly effected by her vast system of wide streets and
roads bordered with trees, and with footways as wide as many of
the old streets. These streets do not merely pass through the city in
a few important lines, but pierce it in every direction, and are
designed upon a far-seeing and systematic plan. Many visitors
who walk along the crowded boulevards of central Paris, who see
those extending in all directions from the Arc de Triomphe and
offering bold approaches to every important position, may yet
have but a meagre idea of their vast extent in the outward and
less-known regions of the city. The elm-bordered Boulevards
Sébastopol and St. Michel cut through Paris from north to south
in a straight line, and on their way effectually open up the old
Latin quarter and many others as bad; while beyond their outer
extremities and between the fortifications and the central districts
still larger boulevards sweep round, wide enough to be planted
with groves of trees, and to prevent overcrowding for all time.
Immediately within the fortifications there is a wide boulevard
running round the city under various names for many miles,
while from every circular open space—like the Place du Tréne,
Place du Trocadéro, Place d’Italie, or Place de ’Etoile—broad
tree-planted streets radiate. .In fact the whole of the space
within the fortifications is nétted over by them, and the outer
and less-frequented boulevards are often much wider than the
central ones. In many instances these outer boulevards pass
through parts but thinly or not at all populated, so that the
buildings of the future cannot encroach upon the space necessary
for free circulation, air, and trees.

How backward we are in England, those can tell who know
what has been done of late years. in such cities as Rouen, Lyons,
and Paris, and are also acquainted with our own sooty, packed,
and cheerless cities. Are our cities and towns to remain a mere
agglomeration of ruts which form such an excellent contrivance
for preventing foul vapours to escape from the town? At first
sight there does not seem any reason why the places where men
most congregate should be those from which all who can afford it,
escape as often as possible; though, doubtless, in a country
where the laws of supply and demand regulate everything and
everybody in such a satisfactory way, one would not have far to
travel for reasons why things are right as they are. Nevertheless,

Cuap. IX.] AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. 133

it cannot be denied that the disposition of our cities is a disgrace
to any civilized race. Why, without touching at all upon the
most crowded and filthy parts of London, one may see in a walk
from the Strand to the Regent’s Park such a reeking mass of
mismanagement as may be found in no other European capital ;
and yet London is the “ richest city in the world!”

It is a city of commerce, and we cannot afford space or money
to remodel it, say some; but apart altogether from questions of
salubrity and appearance, it is worth considering how much
material loss occurs from mere want of room even in our leading
thoroughfares. In many cases they are almost impassable except
to those compelled to force their way through them. All real
improvements would result in a clear gain to the business of the
city! But the space? “Land is too dear!” This is really not
a great difficulty in London. There is no city which could be
pierced with free, open roads and boulevards more cheaply and
readily. In its very centre there are acres covered by shallow brick
buildings, which have not cost nearly so much as closely-packed,
tall, stone houses in interior parts of Paris, that are cut through
every day almost as freely as if they were made of pasteboard.
Whole regions of London, most important and well situated for
business purposes, are covered by the veriest shanties. In such places
houses to accommodate thrice the number of persons might be
built, while the streets might be as wide again, and therefore have
purer air and more light. Wide tree-planted avenues might lead
from the embankment out towards the suburbs, and would act as
veins of salubrity to the regions they traversed. The increase in
the value of property along such main arteries would repay for
the outlay. If land be so valuable, why occupy it with such
trifling and unprofitable buildings? The fact is, the objection as
to space, which is usually urged as the greatest, is a groundless
one. Half occupied and sometimes waste ground without the
margin of the city, and square miles almost worse than waste
within, attest this.

A change for the better would probably involve the adoption of
the “flat” system, which, some say, our people have a great
objection to. In houses constructed well in this way, and
with many modern improvements never to be found in the
miserable and fragile structures now everywhere to be seen, the

134 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caap. IX.

additional warmth and dryness could hardly fail to have a bene-
ficial effect on the health of the inmates, besides other manifest
advantages which such buildings possess. Our narrow streets, and
flimsy houses, and the want of anything like a generally recognised
plan, are worthy only of a period when men first herded together
within walls for security, not of the Victorian era. No sprinkling
about of disinfecting agents when danger becomes imminent, or
pulling down of a few shops thgt have protruded themselves so
far into the narrow street that they have become intolerable even
to those accustomed to dodge through the streets of London, will
touch more than the surface-roots of the evil. We want a plan
with the Thames Embankment for its backbone. There is nothing
to prevent us having the embellishments seen in Continental
cities, minus their trees in tubs and paltrier features. But to
have them it is indispensable that we first have breadth and room,
that the street-traflic may circulate freely. Footways and roads,
wide and open, are the first and greatest necessaries, and they ought
to be planted with trees, which thrive better in London than in
Paris. No fancy-gardening, no stone work, vases, griffins, expensive
fountains, and fountain-basins—nothing whatever of that type
—should be tolerated until free air be enabled to penetrate
into the heart of the town, through open verdure-bordered roads ;
which indeed would induce it to ignore the boundary line that
now so widely marks the difference between town and country.
Pure air and light are naturally the property of all; but
civilized man repels them by his stupid arrangement of our cities.
To make them once more, even in cities, the property of all should
be the aim of all.

The conditions complained of do not simply occur in central
parts of London where land is very dear: far beyond the radius
of the parks, the arrangements of streets are frequently quite as
bad as in the more central districts, and capital preparations are
being made to secure a dozen years hence a suburban cordon of
districts like St. Giles’s. To experience the truth of this the
reader has merely to go from Kensington Gardens to Kew—not
the most unpleasant stroll that could be selected in suburban
London. In the course of his journey he will find in the least-
populated parts pleasant open roads, in some cases wider than a
boulevard, and with useless spaces railed off, and gravelled spaces,

Cuap. IX.] AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. 185

wide as an avenue, before some public-house ; but the moment he
arrives at a densely-populated part, the dead rabbits, sheep, &c.,
thrust out from the shops into the few feet of crowded footway,
oblige him to dodge so often among the manure-carts and
omnibuses of the narrow crowded street that, if he has ever
seen anything like a decently-arranged city, he will be forced to
admit that suburbs of London, miles in extent, have received less
attention as to design than a cottager bestows upon his little
garden, or a designer of wall-paper on his rudest patterns. From
a like, or even a worse, condition our neighbours have by spirited
improvements been delivered, and in a very short time.

The boulevards of Paris are, generally speaking, so very much
alike that to describe them in detail is needless. From house to
house they are usually, in the most-frequented parts, over 100
feet wide, occasionally reaching between 130 and 140 feet, and
even much wider than this in the outer boulevards, which are
sometimes large enough for half a dozen lines of trees, in addition
to very wide footways, and perhaps two minor side roads, besides a
broad central one, as in the Avenue de la Grande Armée. The
footways of the most-frequented boulevards are about twenty-six
feet wide on each side, and sometimes more. But, notwith-
standing their general similarity, there are a few distinctive
enough for special mention, and among these none more so than
the Boulevard Richard Lenoir, which runs from the Place de la
Bastille to the Rue du Faubourg du Temple. This often escapes
observation from visitors, as the Boulevard Beaumarchais drains
most of the traffic from the Bastille to the fashionable boulevards ;
but it is one of the most remarkable in Paris,and more than
usually ornamental. It is nearly 2000 yards long, and is in
great part built over a canal. It was thought desirable to cover
a large portion of the canal, and to make a wide boulevard over
this huge bridge, in order to facilitate the traffic and improve the
appearance of the district. It became necessary to have venti-
lating and lighting shafts for the canal, and eighteen pairs of these
openings occur in the course of its length. These have been
ingeniously and tastefully hidden by eighteen little railed-in
parterres. In these the openings, which are wired over, are
surrounded by a thick low hedge of Euonymus or some close
evergreen, so that no opening of any kind is exposed to the

136 THE.PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. IX.

passing observer. In the centre of each garden there is a long
basin and a fountain, the whole being connected and surrounded
by flowers and grass. Then on each side of these parterres there
is avery wide avenue footway, shaded by two lines of Plane-trees—
a road being on each side of the parterres and tree-avenues. For
a considerable distance from the Chateau d’Eau, the flower-market
that has its head-quarters held there extends down amongst the
little railed-in parterres, and the effect is altogether unique.

Of avenues, the largest and most picturesque is the Avenue du
Bois de Boulogne, leading from the Are de Triomphe to the Bois
de Boulogne. The beauty of which avenue-gardening is capable,
even in cities, is fairly shown in the engraving of this avenue.
The effect is from various points of view very free and graceful,
there being considerable variety in the vegetation and ample room
in the well-formed footways and roads. There is also considerable
breadth—a notable fact in days when large gardens have none;
indeed, the most pleasing feature to anyone caring about garden-
design is the ample turf that forms a carpet for the groups and
masses of shrubs. Most large cities have opportunities for the
formation of avenue-gardens which have hitherto seldom been
taken advantage of.

This handsome avenue was formed in order to put the centre of
Paris in communication with the Bois de Boulogne by means of a
wide direct road. Half the expense was borne by the State, under
the conditions that an iron railing of uniform design was to be
constructed along the whole length of the road, that a strip of
eleven yards in breadth be left for a garden between this railing
and the houses on each side, and further, that no kind of trade or
manufacture should be carried on in the houses adjoining. The
avenue was made entirely. through. private lands which were
required for the purpose. . Its total length is 1300 yards; the
width 130 yards. It consists of a central drive, seventeen yards
wide, of two large side walks, each measuring thirteen yards wide,
and of two long pieces of grass with shrubs and flowers.

The Champs Elysées, the great central avenue of Paris,
happily combines the grand avenue and the public garden; the
wide belts of varied shrubs are encircled with the choicest flowers ;
the grass spreads out widely here and there; great clumps of
Rhododendrons and trees shroud buildings, not completely to hide

3] f I)
i i)
es

! | i

————————————————————

ih i - Si MOST
i Nae
( Ue
; ;
| , |

| a

——

Bois de Boulogne, looking toward Paris.

A CITY AVENUE GARDEN: Side View in the Avenue du

Cuap. 1X.] AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. 137

them, but to prevent them from staring forth nakedly in the
midst of the quiet of the garden. These buildings are chiefly for
concerts, cafés, etc., and are wholly out of place in such a position ;
this noble avenue is in fact blighted by a crowd of petty theatres,
etc., which should have no place therein. Were the avenue at
some distance from the streets, there might be some reason to
give place in it to a number of insignificant buildings, but as
matters are there is none whatever. This system of introducing
paltry structures, statues, fountain-basins and water-spouting
apparatus in the public gardens and parks ought to be jealously
watched by those who care more for the garden than for stones
or slates. It would be easy to point out places already much
defaced in this way.

It was only in 1860 that the garden of the Champs Elysées
was laid out, and yet it looks long-established, has many good
specimens of Conifers, Magnolias, etc., numerous large and well-
made banks and beds of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Hollies, and the
best shrubs and trees generally, with abundant room for planting
summer-flowers, chiefly, however, as margins to the clumps of
shrubs. The gardens finish at the Rond Point, a circular open
space, in which there are large beds for flowers, fountains, etc.,
disfigured, however, by the undulations which some poor little
bits of grass are made to assume. Useless and unnatural
diversification of the ground in some small spaces, and the
grouping together of too many things in one mass, are weak
points in the gardening of Paris.

The Place de l’Etoile, with its surroundings, is precisely the
reverse of our own efforts in like positions—its breadth, dignity,
and airiness contrasting strikingly with the narrowness, mean-
ness, and closeness of the arrangements in our so very much
larger and busier London.

In contrast to this remarkable city-avenue garden that in the
Regent’s Park deserves notice, the site being even better than
that in Paris. No such opportunity for noble improvement of
this kind exists in any city of Europe as in London. And there
is not even any such expense required as would be the case if
the space were covered with houses. Portland Place is broad
enough to allow of planting a line of trees on either side of the
roadway, which would give it almost the aspect of a Parisian

138 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. IX.

boulevard. The carriage-way might, at its northern end, turn
to the right and left, as at present; but in a line with its straight
portion a broad footway of equal width to the straight carriage-
way should be opened through the Park-Crescent gardens into
the Regent’s Park. Such an improvement, if worthily carried
out, would be the grandest that could be effected in the park-
ways of London. It would, in some respects, surpass even the
Champs Elysées themselves. Why the direct opening from Port-
land Place to the Regent’s Park should not have been effected
long ago is difficult to understand. Another fine opportunity for
an avenue occurs in Westbourne Terrace. From the Bishop’s
Road to Hyde Park, in a direct line, a noble avenue of trees,
springing from a strip of turf, might be established, which would
produce a fine effect—unlike anything else in the metropolis. To
effect this, it would only be necessary to sweep away the paltry
lines of balustrades and the (so-called) shrubberies of mutilated
Lilacs and Privet bushes, and of irregularly-planted trees stunted
by reckless lopping, and establish in their place a stretch of
simple turf, in which detached trees and groups should be
planted. This treatment of the important thoroughfare in ques-
tion would so greatly add to its apparent spaciousness, and to
its beauty, that the value of the property would be at once greatly
increased,

Naturally the features of the boulevards which command most
attention in this book are the trees that adorn them so well.
The planting in all the London parks is as nothing compared
to the avenue and boulevard planting in and around Paris.
Trained and pruned so as to form a symmetrical straight-ascend-
ing head, with a clean stem, every tree is protected by a slight
cast-iron or stick basket, and is staked when young, and when
old if necessary ; nearly every tree being also provided with a
cast-iron grating six feet wide or so, which effectually prevents
the ground from becoming hard about the trees in the most-
frequented thoroughfares, permits of any attention they may
require when young, and of abundance of water being quickly
given in summer. The expense for these strong and wide
gratings must be great, but the result that will be presented by
the trees a few years hence will more than repay for all the out-
lay by the grateful shade and beauty they will afford. As soon

Cuar. IX.] AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. 139

as a new road or boulevard is made in Paris, it is planted with
trees; and every one of the millions is as carefully trained and
protected as a pet tree in an English park.

To plant trees so closely as those on the boulevards helps to
provide the streets with some shade almost directly; and as the
trees are usually trained specially for boulevard-planting, some
little effect is obtained at once; but there can be no doubt that
it is too close a system of planting, as the trees cannot grow
sufficiently when so much crowded. A better way would be to
place them further apart, and to plant alternately with the per-
manent trees some kind that grows very rapidly when young.
This would help to furnish the avenue until the trees intended to
permanently adorn it have been established afew years. As soon
as those of the free-growing, nursing kind become large enough to
deprive their neighbours of light, they might be cut in vigorously,
and finally removed altogether. Sometimes double ranks of trees
are planted, but this is only wise where the boulevards are very
wide. It is occasionally practised in avenues—like some of those
that radiate from the Are de Triomphe; but usually it has the
effect of darkening the houses too much. They should however
be planted wherever, as is often the case in the outer boulevards,
there is abundant room for a double or even treble line of trees to
develop without disagreeably shading the houses, The trees are
usually placed within three and a half or four feet of the edge of
the footway, but there can be little doubt that it would be a better
plan to keep them a few feet further from the road, and this
would admit of giving them a larger body of soil, of which
generally they receive too little in Paris.

With the boulevards one naturally associates the quays, planted
in every available spot with trees, and in Paris the public swim-
ming-baths are all on the silent boulevard. However, the Seine
at Paris is not a noble river, and the ugliest things to be seen
from its banks in summer are the floating baths, which in some
places half cover its surface. But public bathing is a matter of
the highest importance, and it is perhaps better to have floating
baths on the river than tolerate the exhibition which may be
witnessed on the Serpentine on any fine summer evening.
Whatever may be thought upon this point, it is certain that
there is no question connected with the healthful exercise of

140 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. IX.

the people that has been’more neglected than that of public
bathing. ;

There is no city in which a series of convenient open-air
swimming-baths could be so economically made as in London.
Abundance of wide-spreading park and garden ground belonging
to the public is at hand in which capital sites occur. Our parks
are not like those of Paris, outside the town, but for the most
part quite surrounded by it, so that swimming-places in them
would be most convenient for the inhabitants of the surrounding
districts. Consider, for example, what a boon one or more small
swimming-lakes in Regent’s Park would prove to the districts
around it. The land in the possession of the public, the excava-
tion and proper shielding of such lake-baths by belts of varied
plantation would be quite easy and inexpensive. Something like
a model for an open-air swimming-bath already exists in Victoria
Park. Such baths once formed, the expense of maintaining them
would be little or no more than would be bestowed on the same
piece of ground if kept as a park or garden. Shrouded’ by
shrubbery, they could be used for fourteen hours of the summer
day, while, if their disposition were entrusted to a good land-
scape-gardener, they and their surroundings could be made
charming embellishments of our parks, now in many parts bare
and unattractive. It is needless to point out how beneficial such
a series of baths would prove to the population of London, by
placing within reach of all the means of practising in the open
air, and in the pleasantest manner, the doubly-useful exercise of
swimming. By the Serpentine, the army of the great unwashed
is so densely packed that none but those with the least-developed
sensibilities could enter the water ; indeed, it is not quite agreeable
to go near the margin when the crowd is away, for the authorities
make no sanitary provision whatever for the crowds, and the
place is filthy to a degree not pleasant to see illustrated within
a few hundred feet of the most fashionable lounge in Europe. A
good suggestion has been made as to bathing-places in the centre
of islands in such a piece of water as the Serpentine. More con-
venient would be little bays opening from the main sheet of water
and surrounded by dense plantations.

It would be an excellent plan if roomy bathing-sheds were
also erected near the water’s edge, near those bathing-places, but

Cuap. IX.] AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. 141

slightly thrown back and concealed by vegetation. These might
be well utilised in the winter as a working-place for the park-
men or other labourers. In all places where a number of work-
men are employed in winter, there is generally a difficulty in
providing them with work unless there are large sheds to shelter
them. They might also be advantageously used as winter store-
houses for seats, boats, and the like. But their chief use would
be in making it possible for people to bathe at all times. How
many summer, spring, and autumn days are there on which
bathing would be pleasant, but when showers of rain prevent it in
the open air! Those sheds would afford a place where clothes
could be kept dry, and then rain, light or heavy, would not
make any difference—a swim being as enjoyable in the heaviest
of rains as at any other time. Partial bathing, such ag that
practised in the Serpentine during the mornings and evenings,
goes a very short way towards meeting the public wants. There-
fore it is in the public interest to be desired that some of the
means go liberally granted to the parks should be devoted to the
formation of proper bathing-places, judiciously veiled with trees
and open throughout the day.

Street Pavements.

The subject of street-pavements is one of such vital importance
for health as well as convenience, that municipal authorities
ought to be extremely careful in deciding questions as to the
material to be adopted.

The number of streets recently laid down with wood-pavement in
London, make it desirable to state, as an opinion carefully derived
from observation, that wood is the very worst material for such.

The requirements of a city or town thoroughfare are, that the
surface shall be (1) firm ; (2) noiseless, clean, and dry ; (3) smooth;
(4) permanent, yet easily removed; (5) durable, producing a
minimum amount of wear and tear; (6) cheap; and (7) non-
combustible. In the very first of these requirements wood is
found to fail, the vibration experienced in passing over a. wood-
pavement in a vehicle being to many persons more unpleasant
than the rougher jarring of the stones.

142 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. IX.

Vegetable substances, containing within themselves elements of
decay and putrefaction, should be rejected from sanitary con-’
siderations alone; but in addition to this, their combustibility,
softness of fibre, permeability, and cost are serious obstacles, and
experiences on both continents, under varied conditions, have
proved wood-pavements failures as to durability.

Wood-pavements have been laid down in New York for thirty
years, and are now altogether condemned, the surveyors describing
them as “worse than worthless.” Thirty years ago it was laid
down in Oxford Street, and was generally condemned by the shop-
keepers as an offensive nuisance, and it was soon discarded. It
is the dirtiest of all pavements, the most expensive, and the most
unhealthy. The easy removal of mud, slush, and other accumula-
tions from the surface of the asphalte, is not by any means so
attainable on the wood-paving. Owing to the porous character
of the material, a large proportion of the refuse soaks in, and in
hot weather or during stress of traffic the smell and the offensive
particles are given off to add to the impurities of the atmosphere.
On the contrary, where the road and footways are properly
asphalted, the whole may be so washed with a hose that not even
a particle of dust shall be left on a summer’s day.

As a matter of health and comfort, then, the wood-pavements
are clearly inferior. But besides being by far the most offensive
of all forms of street-paving, it is also the most troublesome to put
down properly. It also requires more frequent renewals than
any other form. Wood was laid in King William Street four
years ago. It hag since then been entirely relaid, and is more-
over in constant repair, no part of it lasting three years at the
outside, and some scarcely two years.

Although much improvement may have been introduced in the
manner of laying it down, yet its inherent defects will always
prevent its forming a perfect roadway. In a state of decay it is
both offensive and unhealthy. It is also most costly to repair.
The New York surveyor states that the yearly repair for stone
in 1874 was £87 per mile, for wood £392 per mile. Are rate-
payers prepared to pay a rate for paving four times in excess of
that now paid, and that for a bad pavement ?

In times of slight frost the wood-paving is exceedingly dangerous,
owing to the continual moisture of the surface of the wood which

Cuap. IX.] AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. 148

is quickly iced over, while in similar weather the smooth surface
of the asphalte dries immediately and the frost takes no effect.
The combustibility of the wood, heightened as it is by the
pitch-dressing, is also a strong objection to it. It is frequently
supposed that the buildings in Chicago and Boston burnt by the
great fires of the past few years, were built of more combustible
materials than ours, but to a very large extent this was not the
case. They were often of stone, and as massive as any in London;
fires of much less intensity would quickly extend to the road-
ways, and add new horrors to such calamities.

For park, boulevard and suburban roads, macadam is em-
ployed in Paris, frequently adding two side-ways of paving-
stone for heavy traffic. These macadamized roads are well
formed by the aid of heavy rollers, and are usually excellent.
Asphalte has, in addition to macadam, long been used in Paris,
and for two reasons: first, shortness in the supply of good paving-
stone similar in quality to our York stone, the few quarries which
yield it being also some distance from the capital; and secondly,
the cheapness and abundance of the peculiar bituminous stone
from which the asphalte-pavement is made. Asphalte has proved
its superiority over all pavements yet known, especially for a wet
climate. Nothing else is so clean, smooth, dry and agreeable in
all weathers.

Bad attempts at laying asphalte produce such very disagreeable
results that the very name has rendered it dreadful to some
people ; but in a sloppy climate the advantage of having in
all weathers dry, smooth and permanent roads and footways,
insteady of cloggy, saturated gravel, wood, or mud, is so great
that some account of the best system of laying this material
may be useful. Some years ago asphalte produced quite an
industrial fever, and pavements were made in all directions
in Paris and London, of any material at all resembling it. Gas
tar, wood tar, pitch, and all sorts of abominations were ground
up with stone, and laid down without proper preparation, the
consequence being a large number of failures and (at least in
this country) the tabooing of asphalte by many. But asphalte,
properly so called, and properly laid down, is, notwithstanding, so
far as our present knowledge goes, the very best material for a
pavement in a crowded street.

144 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. IX.

Bituminous limestone occurs naturally in many parts of the
world, notably at Val de Travers, in the Canton of Neufchatel,
Switzerland, and at Pyrimont, near Seyssel, a small town in the
department of Ain, on the right bank of the Rhone. Theasphalte-
rock near Pyrimont consists of pure limestone impregnated with
about ten per cent. of fossil or natural bitumen. It may be asked
how it is that ordinary tar or pitch of good quality mixed with
pounded limestone does not answer the purpose of this natural
combination ; but it is found by experiment that, although natural
bitumen differs but slightly in chemical composition from pitch
and tar, it is much more elastic and durable. If made with tar, |
the resulting asphalte is sticky and soft in hot weather ; if with
pitch, it is too brittle, and soon cracks and splits.

In the natural asphaltic rock the bitumen is so intimately
combined with the calcareous matter, that it not only resists the
action of the air and water for a considerable time, but even that
of some of the strong mineral acids. The ancients were in the
constant habit of using natural bitumen instead of mortar. The
principal ingredients used in forming the mastic for the pavement
is the dark brown bituminous limestone from Pyrimont, just
described. The stone is first reduced to fine powder, and then
mixed with a certain proportion of mineral bitumen, extracted
previously from another portion of it.

When it is intended to be used for covering roofs, lining tanks,
etc., no other addition is necessary ; but if it is to be used for
paving, a certain quantity of sea-grit is added. One specimen
analysed by an English chemist yielded 29 of bitumen, 52 of
limestone, and 19 of siliceous sand. The ingredients are exposed
for some hours to a strong heat in large cauldrons, and kept
constantly stirred by machinery. The mastic. thus formed is
made into blocks, measuring eighteen inches square by six inches
deep, and weighing from 112lb. to 130Ib. each. In this state
they are sold ready for use and are remelted on the spot where
the asphalte has to be applied; for which purpose small portable
furnaces fitted with cauldrons are employed. A pound weight of
mineral bitumen is first put into the cauldron, and when melted
561b. of the mastic is added, the whole being repeatedly stirred.
When fully mixed, another 56lb. of mastic is stirred in, and so
on until the cauldron is full. When thoroughly melted—which

Cuap. IX.] AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. 145

may be known by the mastic dropping freely off the stirrer, and
by jets of light smoke darting out of the mixture—it is conveyed
quickly to the spot where it is to be used, in heated iron buckets
or ladles. The cauldron ought to be as close to the work as
possible, and in covering brick arches it should be hoisted to the
top of the building. It must be clearly understood that the only
kind of bitumen to be used is that impregnating the limestone
itself.

In forming foot or carriage ways it is most important to secure
a good foundation by removing or ramming the soft earth, and
laying a course of concrete, care being taken to allow the whole
to dry before putting down the asphalte. If this precaution is
not attended to, the heat will convert the moisture in the concrete
into steam, and fill the asphalte full of airholes and bubbles. The
thickness of the layer of asphalte may be regulated by slips of
wood arranged across the pavement at a distance of 30 inches
from each other—a width quite sufficient for one man to work at
a time. If two men are employed, double the width may be
taken, as it is always better to have as few joints as possible.
The work is levelled with a long curved wooden spatula, assisted
by a long straight ruler, which stretches across the layer of
asphalte, over which it is moved backwards and forwards, the
wooden gauges supporting itsends. If the surface is intended to
be smooth, a mixture of equal parts of silver-sand and slate-dust
or plaster of Paris is sifted over it before it has quite set, and
rubbed down with a flat tool of wood. If it is required to be
rough, sharp grit is to be beaten in with a heavy wooden block.
One portion of the pavement being complete, it is best to proceed
to lay the next but one, leaving the intermediate space to be
filled up afterwards, when the first layer is firm and cold, so as
to insure a good joint.

The thickness of asphalte for footways varies from half an inch
to an inch and a quarter, the former being sufficient for common
floors and courtyards, the latter for carriage-pavements. A
thickness of from half an inch to five-eighths is sufficient for
roofs and the coverings of arches, and for lining tanks and ponds,
and about half an inch for the ground line of brickwork to
prevent the damp from rising. An asphalted surface admits of
easy repair. By placing hot mastic on the places requiring it,

L

146 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. IX.

the faulty part may be cut away and the edges cut square, when
the hot material will be found to adhere to them if they are
perfectly free from damp or moisture.

The great secret, then, in obtaining a perfect layer of asphalte
paving, dry, hard, elastic, warm, and durable, is first to employ
only the natural material, such as that from Pyrimont-Seyssel ;
and secondly, to provide a firm, dry substratum of concrete for it
to rest upon. For pavements, terraces, etc., nothing can be better.
It is always warm and elastic to the tread; there are no joints to
encourage the accumulation of filth or the growth of weeds; and
in case of rain it dries in a few minutes. As laid down by the
Seyssel Asphalte Company, its durability is immense. The whole
of the quadrangle in Trafalgar Square has been laid with asphalte
since 1863, and yet there is no sign of wear upon it, in spite of
the traffic.

After rain, asphalte (more especially if there isany mud about)
becomes disagreeably slippery both for horses and foot-pas-
sengers. Therefore it is necessary to keep it thoroughly clean.
For laying between the courses of brickwork to prevent the damp
from rising, it is unequalled, a layer, even only one quarter of an
inch thick, keeping all damp down most effectually. It is especially
fitted for this purpose in the case of boat-houses built by the sides
of rivers or lakes. For ornamental ponds and banks it is also
excellent, but it should be roughened for, say, a foot in depth, so
as to hold sufficient soil or mud to grow water-plants and weeds,
and so entirely conceal its existence.

During the last few years the preparation of the agphalte in
Paris has been much improved. Some years ago, when a pavement
was to be made with bitumen, a great nuisance was experienced
by the public during the operation. The mastic was liquefied on
the spot, and produced a nasty smell and smoke, disagreeable and
injurious ; but now some of these inconveniences have been done
away with by a new system, and asphalte is laid down in the
most expeditious manner. It is prepared first in out-of-the-way
places devoted to the purpose, and the material, ready for use and
liquefied, may be transported from these places to any parts of the
town without the least inconvenience in a semi-cylindrical boiler,
closed by iron: doors, and moved about on iron wheels as freely as
a common cart. Under the boiler is a fireplace, and the blaze,

Cuap. IX.] AVENUES AND BOULEVARDS. 147

after having heated the two sides of the boiler, passes out by a
chimney placed at the back of the machine. Means to keep the
mastic in motion, and prevent its burning by adhering to the
sides of the boiler, are secured by a simple mechanism easily
worked by the hand. These carriage boilers, full of liquid
asphalte, are driven from place to place with the greatest facility.
The boiler is emptied by the means of a pipe fixed to its bottom,
and the mastic is collected in a pail, and spread on the surface to
the thickness of three-quarters of an inch.

If the surface is not perfectly dry, the drying must be ac-
celerated with hot ashes, which are to be taken away afterwards,
or with a little spreading of quicklime in powder. These opera-
tions are indispensable, as if the mastic were laid on before the
surface is dry, the heat of it would dispel in steam the water
underneath, and that steam would produce blisters in the asphalte
which would crack under the pressure of the feet, and. endanger
the success of the operation. The workmen place on the platform
two iron bars of the same thickness as the asphalte is to be,
at equal distance from each other; it is then laid down in a very
warm state, and thick enough to require some slight exertion of
the operator to make it level. This done, a small quantity of fine
gravel must be spread over the asphalte while hot, and slightly
beaten down to penetrate into it. This gives a greater hardness
and solidity to the footway, and insures its lasting for a very
long time.

The roads before spoken of are made of the powdered and not
liquid asphalte. The surface of the roadway must be beaten down
very hard, and covered with a thickness of about three inches of
concrete, well beaten down and dry. If the dryness is very
necessary in the making of a pavement, this condition is of a
greater importance for the road, as, if the powder were spread on
a wet surface, the steam caused by the heat would produce a great
number of little fissures, the elasticity would be destroyed, and
the road would be useless after a few months’ use. The concrete
well dried, the powder (hot) must be spread about three inches
thick; and then well levelled and beaten. The sides must be
done first, and pressed down with a rectangular iron pestle eight
or nine inches in length and two or two and a half inches in
width. When the sides are done, the middle is proceeded with

L 2

148 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caar. IX.

The pestles used in pressing it are of cast-iron, circular, and about
eight inches in diameter. The pestles of either form are heated
and used quite hot, so as to compress the asphalte into a hard
smooth mass.

When the crust of asphalte is brought to the thickness required,
and is sufficiently smoothed and beaten hard, a little quantity of
very fine powder is spread with a sieve to fill all the unevenness,
and the whole is again smoothed with a flat piece of hot iron.
The compression is completed by the employment of two cast-iron
rollers, one of 4000Ib. weight and the other of 30001b. Sometimes
three of these rollers are employed, the intermediate one being
about 15001b. or 16001b. in weight. This rolling is not always
necessary, in many cases the beating down with pestles being
sufficient. The roads thus made, completely noiseless and lasting
a long time, have been adopted with the greatest success by the
city of Paris, and are supplanting the paving-stones, macadamized
and other pavements in many narrow streets.

( 149 )

“The city swims in verdure, beautiful
As Venice on the waters, the sea-swan.
What bosky gardens dropped in close-walled courts
Like plums in ladies’ laps, who start and laugh !
What miles of streets that run on after trees!”
Aurora Lricn.

CHAPTER X.

TREES FOR CITIES.

Ir is a popular but erroneous notion that trees will not thrive in
London. People often see in France streets bordered with rows
of handsome young trees, and they naturally compare these
verdant avenues with our own streets, where trees are rarely
planted, and come to the conclusion that there is “something in
the air” which prevents trees thriving in London. The following
letter to the ‘Pall Mall Gazette’ is an example of the ideas often
held on the subject. ‘When people propose to decorate London,
the first consideration should be what will suit the climate. It
cannot be too often repeated that our city atmosphere is fatally
inimical to delicacy of architecture, and quite equally so to
delicacy of vegetation. Our skies will rain soot continually, and
moisture therewithal to make the -soot adhere; the soot will
insinuate itself amidst fairy tracery of stone, and clog the pores of
beautiful trees and shrubs; and it is an utter waste of art and
money to disregard these inevitable conditions of the question. It
is very childish to tickle our fancy by providing for a momentary
admiration of things which a short time will make hideous, and
then, when the inevitable has taken place, contenting ourselves
with a shrug of the shoulders and ‘what a pity!’ Few young
trees will really flourish in the climate of our modern London;
the case was perhaps different some years ago. But from any
general planting of trees in London, especially in leading
thoroughfares, I cannot expect agreeable results—MisopEnpRos.”

150 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. X.

These opinions are as erroneous as they are emphatic; the
splendid Planes in Berkeley Square, and other places in London,
should rid us of the erroneous notion that trees cannot be grown
well in London. It is the custom in Paris and other Continental
cities to plant trees with care, to provide them with good soil,
to spend a great deal of money in attending to them and
watering them, and yet neither in all Paris, nor in any Conti-
nental city, can such noble examples as these be found. But
some may say, An open square at the West-end of town may do
that which the smoky, densely-packed city will not. If these
persons, who are evidently not yet acquainted with Stationers’
Hall Court, will inquire for that narrow enclosure the next time
they are passing near St. Paul’s, they will find in it a great Plane-
tree looking as happy as if it were in its native forest. Much,
however, depends upon the kind of tree selected for the purpose ;
for even our landscape-gardeners make mistakes, by persisting in
planting evergreens, which as a class are totally unfit for town-
cultivation. Even when moderately healthy, these trees are
generally so coated with smut that they entirely lack that
refreshing verdure which is so characteristic of evergreens grown
in fresh and pure air. ;
Will nobody deliver us from the perils of smoke? Every year
our cities grow vaster, and the great pall of “blacks” is ever
widening! ‘To hope to arouse public attention to the magnitude
of the evil, by pointing to the thousands of plants that are
always perishing from it, would be vain considering that its
pernicious effects on our own lives do not seem to be taken the
least notice of. London and all our large cities are always under
its ban; but its most detestable aspects are most apparent on
those still, frosty, autumnal and winter days, which in the
country are so clear and sunny. On these, there being no
breeze to brush away the outpourings of the innumerable
chimneys, the whole settles down in the streets, leaving the sun
powerless to shoot a ray through its density. Not the least
curious thing about this great but avoidable plague, is that both
foreigners and natives often put it down to the climate. M.
Taine speaks of the woefully-depressing influences of the climate
of London. Doubtless there are many better ; but certainly the
climate of London is quite as agreeable as that of Paris or

Cuar. X.] TREES FOR CITIES. 151

Northern France. The clouds of smoke make the difference. In
consequence of being contented to live in a sea of refuse of our
fires, we possess the privilege of having our fairest still, winter
days turned into foulest nights, in which one is stifled with
vapours that would adda new terror to the lower regions. If
anybody doubts the true cause of the horrible “climate” of our
large cities, let him walk forth at three or four o’clock in the
morning into the heart of one of them, in November and
December, when the fogs are at their worst. If he has any
memories of the fog of the previous evening, he may be surprised
to see the street quite free of fog, the buildings not only visible,
but perfectly clear in outline; and the air pure! Let him sally
forth again at from half-past seven to half-past eight, and he will
find a change; the street is filling with a bluish foulness, the
buildings losing shape. An hour later, and the smoke, which we
fancy would vanish, after passing up the chimney, has fallen down
into the street, dimming the sight, and stinging us as we breathe
it. It is not the climate that we should blame, but our own
complacent stupidity in resting content under an evil which, as
half the population of these islands is now gathered in cities, has
a hurtful effect on the national health.

It is a difficult problem to solve, but surely there are no pains
or expense to which we could be put in the defeat of this smoke-
monster, for which we should not be abundantly repaid by its
destruction. Lengthened days, or at least some of heaven’s light
in those we have, and undefiled air, are surely blessings to secure
which we might well submit to some inconvenience. If questions
were brought forward in the degree of their importance, the
smoke-plague of our cities would be one of the first before
Parliament.

Notwithstanding this foul state of the atmosphere, the slaughter
of the evergreens, through being planted in it, goes on without
ceasing. What a pity it is we do not contrive some less-expensive
and more-attractive way of destroying the thousands of evergreens
planted about London every year, than that of planting them and
allowing them to blacken and perish before our eyes from the
effects of our smoke-laden air! There perish annually as many
beautiful young evergreen shrubs and trees in and near London
from smoke, as would suffice to plant a whole county. There are

152 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. X.

surely few greater evidences of obtusity of mind than is shown by
this persistent wasting of precious time and precious energy, and
thoughtless destruction of trees and shrubs, which so soon perish
in the smoke of London.

It is not so with the deciduous tree or shrub; nor with those
beautiful rosaceous bushes and trees which are the glory of the
grove in all temperate climes. After their summer-life they
enjoy a long winter-rest leafless, and when spring returns and
the flues cease vomiting “ blacks ” they again put forth their leaves
in the purer air. The consequence is, they grow nearly as well
in London as in the country. No charm of tropical or other
climes surpasses the freshness of an English spring, during the
period of the leafing and blossoming of these winter-sleeping
northern trees. Why, then, should we not take advantage of the
fact, by developing chiefly those plants which flourish as well in
towns as out of them? It may be noticed that Peaches, Almonds,
the double Cherries, and the numerous flowering trees and shrubs
allied to them, flourish as well in cities as they do in the country,
while beside them valuable evergreens are but the ghosts of what
evergreens should be. Supposing for a moment that evergreen
trees and shrubs throve as well within city influences as deciduous
ones do, it would even then be a questionable practice to use them
extensively, because they do not gladden us with that floral and
changing beauty which deciduous trees are wont to put on. They
do not keep time with our suns and seasons; and they are not
so beautiful, because not so changeful, as the deciduous kinds.

Notwithstanding the obvious advantages offered by the many
deciduous trees, planting in most of our parks is much neglected
—at least, in all its nobler aspects, while great expense and skill
are lavished on myriads of plants that live for the summer
only. The remedy wanted is the annual planting of a certain
portion of ground in each great park. That portion should
be thoroughly cleared, prepared, and planted. We should thus
secure perpetual growth and vigour, as well as stately beauty
in our park-trees. Stealing out a dying tree here and there, and
stealing in a young one—often done in Paris and London—is a
mistake. Frequently there are open bare spaces left unplanted
for years, as, for example, Primrose Hill, which is as bare as a
great inverted basin,

Cuap. X.] TREES FOR CITIES. 153

The evils that affect the trees in Kensington Gardens—old age,
injury from overcrowding or from exhaustion of the ground, or
from the trees being in unsuitable positions—are such as would
work like results everywhere else. Old trees die at last, and if
we fail to raise an annual crop, decay soon begins to be disagreeably
conspicuous. The difficulties of planting even in the very heart
of London are exaggerated. In Printing-house Square, under the
very windows of the ‘Times’ office, are trees of the American
shrubby Trefoil (Ptelea trifoliata) as healthy and as large as we
have ever seen them in any collection in this country. Look at
the beautiful weeping Ash trees in Brunswick Square and else-
where in west-central London, and the excellent Catalpas seen
here and there (in the Marylebone Road, for instance), that are
covered with handsome blossoms and large shade-giving leaves.
Look, also, at the Hawthorns and other trees of the Rosaceous
order in the Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park, where the soil is
very cold, at the Sumach, Pyruses, Medlars, snowy Mespilus,
Bird Cherry, Tulip-tree, Sir Charles Wager’s Maple, flowering
Ash, and many other trees, which anyone who cares about trees
may see thriving in London. Let one-fifth of the means and skill
now devoted to the building of glass-houses and the culture of
tender plants in London parks be diverted to the systematic and
judicious planting of hardy trees; and, in due time, the parks of
London will become the finest Arboretum of deciduous trees in
the world, for there is no city where they thrive better, no city
with anything like the same grand opportunities for planting.

Tt is a curious fact that there are no big trees in the streets or
avenues of Paris! And not only no big trees, but scarcely a
medium-sized one! It is not the fault of the poor trees, or the
soil, or the air. It is caused by a system of management
apparently based on the notion that trees, like soldiers, are best
arranged in close order, or like the poor fellows who find a last
rest in the Fosse Commune without any earth between the boxes.
There is no evidence whatever that any one responsible for the
street-trees of Paris has the least idea of the beauty of hardy trees
when well developed. At best they are only seen a little better
grown than in the nursery-garden. They are everywhere with
heads crowded together—starving for want of space above and
below. Two or three Planes usually stand where one fairly-

154 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. X.

developed tree would be sufficient. Often the Planes may be
seen running up before the tall houses in the finer streets with a
stem before every window. The Plane-trees in our squares are
far finer than any in Paris, owing to the fact that they had room
to grow and were let alone. Pruning, to throw the strength
of a tree or shrub into fruit or flower, or into some shape
desired by the cultivator, is a rational process, but nothing of
the kind can be said of the pruning of any grown forest or
ornamental tree, to prune which is in fact to destroy its beauty,
individuality, and dignity. In Paris, pruning into a miserable
uniformity is carried out to a deplorable extent. These remarks
apply to trees in open spaces as well as in the street, which are,
however, often wide enough to admit of fair development. If this
system is to go on, it will be wise of the educational powers now
doing so much for young France to plant a few acres with native
and hardy trees to be allowed to assume their full size and natural
development. One does now and, then see in the etchings in the
shop-windows a portrait of a fine tree, but it is desirable to have
living examples. It has been said to the writer that fine trees
cannot be grown in Paris; but that this is not the case is proved
by the existence of occasional good specimens in courts and small
gardens, which the municipal pruners did not visit. Here and there,
when “demolitions” are in active progress, a fine old tree may
sometimes be seen as the houses are taken down around it. In
such positions the conditions are by no means so favourable to
tree-growth as in the many open streets and wide avenues. Along
the quays, too, where the trees might throw their arms over the
water on one side, and over a wide road on the other, they are
just as prim and as unlike fine trees as they are anywhere else;
no doubt, in some narrow streets very wide- -spreading trees are
not desirable, but in such cases the right way is to select species
and varieties which will suit the position without needless
mutilation.

Some Trees for Cities.

The best of all trees for European cities is the Western Plane
(Platanus occidentalis). It may be seen in many places in towns,
from the heart of the city of London to the shores of the lakes of

Cuar. X.] TREES FOR CITIES. 155

Northern Italy; in the towns of cold Central France, in the fine
old cities in La Belle Touraine, and in Anjou, where the Camellia
and Azalea grow luxuriantly in the open air; in the numerous new
boulevards of Paris; under a scorching sun in Naples ; and in many
other places, thousands of miles from its native home in North
America; and everywhere it is by far the noblest city-tree. Inno
place are there finer individual specimens of it than in London,
although receiving no such attention as they do elsewhere.

48) AN

Planes on Paris Quays.

Fairly and roundly developed specimens of the Plane have in
summer almost the grace of a weeping-tree. In winter the
branches retain this character, but also present a rugged Gothic
picturesqueness, while the pendulous seed-vessels and striking
column-like bole add to their beauty in the winter season, when
the trees are at rest and safe from smoke.

It is only a few years since the possibility of growing Planes
on the Thames Embankment was doubted by many ; now we have

156 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnar. X.

them not only growing, but thriving as well as anywhere. There
is, indeed, good reason to think that they will soon overtake their
older Paris relations, and as we (unlike our neighbours) are
fortunately not often obliged to boil the soldier’s pot or warm the
famished citizen with our trees, we may expect them to live long;
how long they may live we cannot say, but there is some proof
that the Plane is a very long-lived tree even with us. Other
trees we have in all stages of decay, but where are the crippled
Planes? The oldest and biggest trees in London seem infants
as regards freedom from decay. There being such good promise
of fine trees, more than ordinary care should be taken to guard
against impeding their growth from over-planting or want of
timely thinning. The Planes on the Paris quays are not un-
frequently too close together ; such, we hope, will not be the case
here. When timely thinning is not carried out, it is not only that
the trees are not allowed to assume their full beauty overhead,
but the exhaustion of the soil by the trees to be eventually cut
away ig an important consideration; therefore we should never
wait till the trees crowd each other, but remove them as soon as
they come in contact.

Next to the Plane, the Horse-chestnut seems to offer the
greatest advantages. It has not indeed the stature and beauty
of the Plane, nor does it attain as large a size and as perfect
health in cities, but it possesses great claims from its fine foliage,
large sweet silvery spikes of bloom, and proved capacity of growing
well as a town-tree. While selecting trees for towns that are not
liable to suffer from disease or insect-pests, we should encourage
variety as much as possible. The Horse-chestnut would be worth
growing for the sake of its foliage alone, but when the additional
charm of its blossoms is taken into account, there can be no hesita-
tion in placing it among the town-trees.

The common Robinia or Locust-tree has been so long and
extensively tried that we need have no more doubt about it. It
will never justify the reputation that Cobbett gave it, but no tree
maintains such a depth of sweet verdure even in the dustiest
roads. No drought seems to affect it; no heat renders it rusty-
looking or fatigued. It is worthy of being much more extensively
used as a park and square tree; it is also good for street-use, not
growing too large, and is the best of all trees for planting in the

Cuar. X.] TREES FOR CITIES. 157

front of a suburban house or villa, or in any position where a
pleasant object is required to refresh the eye at all times.

At first sight there seems little reason why the somewhat
despised and roughly-treated Acacia, should come in after such
stately and noble trees as the Plane and the Chestnut ; but, taking
the varieties as well as the original tree into consideration, it is
worthy of this rank, being equally well adapted for the smallest
town-garden as for the largest public park.

To many rows of suburban houses a thin line of trees is an
improvement, and forms the only species of garden-embellishment
of which they are capable. The qualities necessary in such trees
are hardiness, healthy constitution, and size and habits suited to
the positions for which they are destined. No tree combines these
better than the spineless round-headed variety of the Robinia
(R. inermis).

Perhaps the most beautiful and appropriate city-trees in Europe
are those formed by the round-headed Robinias in some of the
cities of Northern Italy; their grace, dense and grateful shade,
and deep verdure being perfect. I measured several nearly thirty
feet in diameter of head, and with a bole a foot or more through,
the heads being picturesque and somewhat irregular from age,
while preserving their compactness and valuable shading-pro-
perties. It would be impossible to find a greater improvement
upon the hideous lines of clipped Limes so common in France
than is presented by these trees at Novara. But as we have no
proof that as good a result could be obtained in our English
streets, we must turn to those trees that we have already tested
thoroughly.

The bad and not the good qualities of the Lime place it so high
in the list; for, while planted more abundantly than any other
city-tree, it is by far the worst, and the extensive use of it in our
streets is a great mistake. The tall lines of Lime-trees in the
Garden of Plants at Paris fall into the sere and yellow leaf before
one has time to admire their soft green. In London, at the
end of July, the Limes are often the most miserable-looking trees
anywhere to be seen. And all this in the midst of the summer.
The withered, burnt, insect-covered leaves rustle lifeless upon the
trees, hoarsely whispering the coming death of the year in our
ears before we have half enjoyed the summer.

158 THE\PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. X.

It is very unwise topersist ih planting such a tree so largely
as we do when Aekea aerni a eciduous trees that will do all
that a Lime does at the best of times, and that have none of its
drawbacks. Our winter, eens \when our deciduous trees
must be devoid of leaves, is lowg enough without making it
i et with the Lime. In the parks
this tree may sométimes be-planted, but never in streets, quays,
or boulevards. a its presenting a diseased appearance
for more than half the t#me that it ought to be full of green life,
the Lime grows much/too large for the little front gardens where
it is so abundan ployed, and will soon deprive of a large share
of light and sun the house it is planted to adorn.

The Elm is a tree much used in the London parks, and some-
times seen of fine dimensions, but occasionally it is much diseased
when used as an avenue-tree—for example, in the Mall, in St.
James’s Park, where the effect of the avenue-planting is as bad as
it can be. A few Plane-trees near the Buckingham Palace end of
the Mall almost save it from looking absolutely hideous from that
point of view. The effect of the Elms in Rotten Row, though
much better, is not nearly so good as may be produced in like
positions by using other trees. The variety chosen has a good
deal to do with it—the long Boulevard St. Michel, in Paris, planted
with the large-leaved Elm, is a success.

Paulownia imperialis is a very noble subject for town-gardens,
especially so for those on a dry soil like Paris, and where a good
shading-medium is wanted. It might well replace some of the
miles of poor clipped Elms and Limes about Paris and around
numbers of French country-houses, The stems of the trees are
straight, and just about the right elevation for a shade-giving
tree, and the heads spread out flat, so as to give complete shade
without betraying an awkward tendency to rise too high and
require clipping to prevent them from keeping the light from the
windows. The large leaves are quite fresh in autumn. The
Paulownia, the Ailantus, and the Plane seem to preserve freshness
and vigour no matter how great the heat or abundant the dust,
The forest-trees of our own latitudes do not do this, but become
withered while their companions from Japan and America are in
the greenest health. It is not easy to imagine a greater improve-
ment than that which would be effected by planting this tree

Cuap. X.] TREES FOR CITIES. 159

where a low and yet good shade is required. It is also worthy of
attention as a town-garden tree, and for similar reasons.

The Ailantus glandulosa is a town-tree of great excellence.
When young it is graceful from its long pinnate leaves—when old
and well grown it becomes a noble forest-tree. But the qualities
that will above all others recommend it to the town-planter are
its health and freshness, under all circumstances, in towns.
Dust, foul air, or drought seem to have no effect upon it. For
parks and avenues it is valuable, as it perfectly retains its foliage
long after our own deciduous trees have been scorched by drought
and dust. It seems to do equally well on all soils, having a
constitution which seems perfectly indifferent to any vicissitude of
climate of these latitudes.

Everywhere in cities the Lombardy Poplar retains its health,
proving its claims to be far more abundantly used than it is at
present. Avenues of this tree would tell as well in some positions
in cities as single specimens and groups of it do in the landscape.
The drip of trees is sometimes objected to: this erect and close-
growing kind would seem to offer itself for rather narrow streets
and positions, where a spreading habit or a drip might be an in-
convenience at any time. Of other tapering, columnar, or fastigiate
trees, the pyramidal variety of the Oak and the tapering variety
of the Robinia do particularly well in the parks; and the last is
deserving of recommendation for the town-garden.

Of weeping-trees, in addition to the long-proved and indispen-
sable Weeping Willow, we have the Weeping Birch, Ash, Beech,
and Elm, in all cases in perfect health in the parks. There is one
tree of those above-mentioned which ought to be much more
grown—the weeping variety of the large-leaved Elm (Ulmus
montana pendula). This is a tree of much beauty and character,
and it does not seem in the least to suffer from the atmosphere of
London. It is a weeping-tree of the first order: its foliage is
massive, shade dense, and outline most picturesque when thickly
clothed in summer—the backbone, so to speak, of each wide-
spreading branch being seen just glistening above the dense mass
of leaves. It is a hardier tree than the weeping Willow, and
never grows too high for a London or any other town-gaiden ; in
all courtyards or open gravelled spaces, in little squares wherever
a shady tree is desired, it is invaluable.

160 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuap. X.

The numerous free-growing trees of the Rose order, from the
Chinese Pear and the Almonds that illuminate our groves with
masses of light rosy flowers in earliest spring, to the dwarf
double Prunus, all grow healthfully in our parks; and though
unfit for street-planting as streets are at present, are worthy of the
highest attention both for small gardens in towns, and for squares,
public gardens, and parks.

The group near the museum in the Botanic Gardens in the
Regent’s Park proves that the Hawthorn family will succeed
perfectly on the worst kind of soil—the deep bed of clay on the
north side of the city. The Hawthorn family furnish a greater
number of hardy ornamental dwarf trees than any other known to
us. They are not only pretty and fragrant in flower, but the
aspect of the fruit in autumn—borne in showers of bright red,
yellow, black, and scarlet—is of itself a recommendation which
should entitle them to general cultivation, even if the bloom and
fragrance were of that obscure type which never attracts the
attention of any one but a botanist.

Of tribes that may be associated with the Hawthorns there are
the Cotoneasters—the freely flowering and fruiting deciduous
species ; the Almonds and Peaches, double and single ; the various
double Cherries and Plums; Amelanchiers (Snowy Mespilus) ; the
Bird Cherry and the Weeping Cherry; the Judas-tree; the
Quinces and Medlars (particularly Mespilus Smithii) ; the varieties
of the Scotch and common Laburnums ; the Daphnes, the Deutzias,
the various kinds of Lilac, and numerous other rather dwarf
shrubs for the embellishment of the margins of groups, etc.; the
various kinds of Pyrus from the great P. vestita to the handsome
Chinese Pear and Japan Quince.

The common Stag’s-horn Sumach succeeds so well in the small
town-garden that it deserves a word of praise. It does not grow
so gross as to require clipping, and retains its verdure without
taint long after the Lime; but it is apt to produce suckers too
abundantly. Amongst deciduous flowering shrubs, the Althea
would seem to be the best. With attention it should form
a telling object in all parts where the bottom is dry. By
“attention,” is meant planting it so as to develop it into a speci-
men, and not thrusting it promiscuously amongst rough and
mixed shrubs, which may obscure it from the sun or tend to rob it
of nutriment at the root.

Cuap. X.] TREES FOR CITIES. 161

Liriodendron tulipifera, the Tulip-tree, seems perfectly at home
in city parks or gardens, and, being a handsome and distinct tree,
in every way deserves to be planted largely in such places.
Sophora japonica forms on dry soils a grand tree in the neigh-
bourhood of London, and has the valuable property of never
seeming to suffer from drought, no matter how dry the soil,
retaining its verdure to the end of the season. It therefore merits
an important place in all our parks and squares, especially those
with a light soil.

The various species of Ash offer many valuable trees for the
town planter, of which good evidence may be seen in Kensington
Gardens. To enumerate fully all the other deciduous trees that
would thrive in cities, would simply mean a catalogue of all the
more vigorous species that flourish in the northern world.

Transpuantinc Large Trers.— Not the least remarkable
feature of the public gardening of Paris is the excellent system of
transplanting trees there practised. For the following article on
this subject I am indebted to my friend M. Edouard André, of
Paris :—

“ The city of Paris, prior to having formed the large parks and public gardens
which she now possesses, had no regular system of transplanting large trees, with
the exception of the old-fashioned carts which had been used at Versailles and
the other royal parks, and at M. de Rothschild’s chateaux at Boulogne and
Ferriéres, principally for the purpose of removing large Orange-trees in tubs, and
occasionally for transplanting old and valuable trees. These carts were designed
and constructed in the time of Louis XIV., and it may well be imagined that
they were extremely cumbersome and inconvenient. In recent days, however,
when the chief gardeners and the city architects were often called upon to extem-
porize shady avenues in a few days, it became absolutely necessary for them to
put their heads together to invent some new machine which would work more
easily and with less damage to the lives of the trees. The first apparatus built
consisted of a frame bearing two movable wooden rollers, one on the fore-carriage
and the other at the back, each provided with holes in which to place the ends of
the levers when hoisting up the tree. A round case made of sheet-iron was
hung in the centre suspended from the rollers by chains, which, when the tree
was raised up by the levers, held the earth-ball and roots.

“ We do not intend reviewing all the improved means successively employed
before the models now in use were adopted ; we have only to state the way in
which the removal of large trees is now managed in Paris.

“We take, for example, a specimen tree, thirty years old, thirty feet in height,
the trunk of which has a circumference of three feet at a height of three feet from
the ground, its total weight with the earth-ball being nearly two tons, The

M

162 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Car. X.

operation is commenced by staking out, round the stem, the circumference of the
earth-ball, which will be on an average about four feet in diameter for most
species, and larger according to the size of the trees to be removed. A second
concentric circle is then made about two feet outside the first, the space between
which will be the place for the trench to be dug for preparing the tree. The soil
is then removed from this trench to the depth of three feet, and the small and
delicate roots are drawn out of the earth, left hanging, and carefully preserved.
The earth-ball is then undermined to prevent the roots from adhering to the
subsoil ; two thick planks, a foot wide, and a little longer than the ball, are
placed underneath parallel with the width of the cart, so that they sustain the
weight of the earth when the tree is lifted. Privet-branches are now placed
upright, close together, all round the earth-ball, tied round securely with ropes,
so as to prevent the earth from crumbling away, and also to protect the small
roots from the influences of the weather. :

“The removal of the tree is then commenced in the following manner :—
Two stout thick planks, strong enough to support the cart with the tree slung in
it, and a little longer than the entire excavation, and having iron guard-plates
about two inches higher than the surface bolted on each side so as to prevent the
wheels from slipping off, are placed parallel to each other across the excavation
of the exact width existing between the wheels. ‘lhe movable bars at the back
of the cart are then removed, and the cart is backed into the ways until the trunk
of the tree is exactly in the centre of the frame. The movable bars are then put
in their place again so as to strengthen the back of the wheels, which do not run
on an axletree, but are fitted in wrought-iron frames hanging from the upper part
of the cart. The chains attached to the rollers on each side of the cart are now
lowered and passed under the planks before described, which are placed under
the earth-ball. When all is fast, four workmen begin simultaneously to turn the
handles attached to the cast-iron cog-wheels, by which great power is obtained on
the rollers. The tree is raised slowly and steadily until it just swings clear of the
ground, and then nothing is left to be done but to steady the tree before it is
hoisted up to its proper height. For this purpose there is at each corner of the
cart a strong wrought-iron hook, to which is attached a block, through which runs
a strong rope fixed at the other end to a leather collar. These four ropes are
then raised up together and the collar firmly fastened on the stem of the tree
about seven or eight feet from the top of the earth-ball. The tree can now be
easily removed without fear of its falling over.

“The horses are then attached to the cart, which is drawn slowly off the ways,
and the tree can be removed with safety to its future resting-place. If the tree
be vigorous and healthy, a hole a little wider than the one from which it has been
removed should be dug beforehand, the earth being placed carefully on one side
if it should be of a kind to suit the tree about to be planted, and if not, it should
be replaced by suitable soil. The average dimensions for the hole, for an earth-
ball of four feet in diameter, should be about seven feet, so that eighteen inches
are preserved all round the tree to be filled up with good vegetable soil. The
depth should be equal to the height of the earth-ball, or a little more, if the tree
be of a species with tap-roots. ‘The bottom of the excavation should be filled in

Cuap. X.] TREES FOR CITIES. 163

with a little good soil, which will allow the top of the earth-ball to be a little
higher than the surrounding ground, in accordance with an instinctive notion,
which almost invariably induces us to place trees used as isolated specimens in
lawns on small hillocks.

“ When this is done the planks or ways are placed in position as before described,
and the cart is very carefully drawn on them until the earth-ball is exactly in
the centre of the hole. The tree is then slowly lowered, and when it touches the
ground the guy-ropes from the corners of the cart are pulled tight, so as to have
the tree perfectly upright and steady; the chains are unfastened and hoisted
up round rollers; the two planks beneath the earth-ball are undermined and
removed, and the privet-shoots taken off. They then proceed to fill up the hole,
particular attention being paid to the small roots, which are each separately
covered in. When this is finished and the tree is considered sufficiently steady,
the ropes are removed; the bars are taken out of the back of the cart, which
is drawn away, and the bars having been refixed all is ready for another
removal.

“ An abundant watering, if the removal has been made in the growing-season,
will be the end of the operation. ‘The tree must now be protected against the
wind, being as yet merely dependent upon its own gravity, as the roots take time
to get hold of the ground. This result is obtained by placing at about half-way
up the stem of the tree a padding of straw, round which three cr four long pieces
of wire-rope are attached ; these are carried out on all sides of the tree and firmly
fastened to strong stakes driven in the ground. We may then bid defiance to the
strongest winds that blow.

“Tf drought is to be feared, the stem and main branches of the tree can be
surrounded with plaited straw watered from time to time, or by a coating of clay
mixed with cow-dung and covered with rough canvas, which is much about the
same colour as the bark. Sometimes in the boulevards of Paris they water trees
surrounded in this manner by pouring water through a funnel from the top,
between the clay and the trunk of the tree. These auxiliary means for keeping
the tree alive may be supplemented by many others, such as covering it entirely
on the south side with canvas, to preserve it from the sun and drought if it is
of a rare kind; by watering the ground well if it is dry, or by draining the hole
with rubbish or drain-pipes if the soil be too damp, etc.

“ The ordinary season for transplanting large deciduous trees is from October
to April, and from March or April to August for evergreens. But with sufficient
care it is quite possible to transplant trees all the year round, provided the
weather be suitable, the roots uninjured, the soil good, and that they be kept

well sheltered and watered. ; :
“In choosing the tree to be transplanted, its age and species must be duly
it is useless to remove a tree that is sixty or eighty

considered. For instance : ree 1
years of age, as it will never produce as fine foliage as it did before its removal,
nor will it make any remarkable progress in size. It is better only to remove
those not more than fifteen years old ‘and under without any earth-ball at all,

taking especial care to preserve all the roots intact. The best age for trans-
planting larger trees is from twenty to thirty years. The number of species
oD

mu 2

164 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [CHap. X.

ordinarily removed is limited, as only the more common kinds of trees are
subjected to the process, no one caring to run the risk of losing a rare and
valuable tree. In Paris, experiments made on various species have given the
following results :—

“ Success nearly always certain: Elms, Planes, white and red Horse-chestnuts,
Limes, Ailantus, Catalpa, Paulownia, Celtis, Planera, Sophora, and Willows.

“ Success uncertain, but sometimes satisfactory: Poplars, Sycamores, Maples,
Alders, Mulberries, Beech, Ash, Magnolias, American Walnuts, Cercis, Diospyros.

“ Success very rare: Robinias, Crategus, Hawthorns, and nearly all the Rosacez,
Birch, Laburnum, and many Leguminose, Oaks (European and American), Pavias,
Elms, and Gleditschias.”

With respect to the value of this machine as compared with
any in use in England, there can be no doubt that the Paris
machine is the best. Trees are there removed daily without the
least difficulty or fuss, that, if removed in this country, would
probably be honoured with a notice in the local papers. The best
of our English machines must be taken to pieces for the removal
of every tree: the beams have to be taken off in order to bring
the wheels in position, then they have to be replaced in position,
as well as the lifting apparatus. Besides, the machines are un-
wieldy and awkward. The advantage of the French machine is,
that by removing the iron rod which connects the hind wheels
and the hind cross-beam, the machine is put to the tree without
trouble or awkwardness. The lifting power is by means of racks,
pinions, and levers. Lately whole boulevards of trees have been
moved when half-grown by the aid of these machines. A few
years ago only comparatively young trees were tried as a rule.
The new Boulevard Henri IV. was planted recently with Planes
almost as large as any long-established trees in Paris.

( 165)

CHAPTER XI.

THE JARDIN FLEURISTE AND OTHER PUBLIC
NURSERIES OF THE CITY OF PARIS,

In its public nurseries Paris possesses a very useful aid which we
have not in England. With us each park or garden produces or
purchases its own supplies; in Paris all the public gardens of
the city are furnished from the city-nurseries. There are two
sets of public gardens—those of the city comprising the boulevards,
squares, parks, and church-gardens, and those of the State, the
gardens of the Luxembourg, Tuileries, Louvre, and others. All
are equally open to the public—all arranged with a view to its
pleasure and convenience; but in the case of the State-gardens
each supplies its own stock. What we have to deal with now is
the manufactory, so to speak, for the great number of gardens
and open spaces made during recent years. At one time the old
State-gardens were by far the most important in Paris; now they
are surpassed by those created specially for the city and its
people. In commencing to improve the public gardens of the
city, it was a wise step to begin with central nurseries, from
whence all those gardens could be supplied.

The advantage of having public nurseries of this kind to
supply the parks, gardens, and squares of a great city is so great,
that it is surprising they have not been already adopted by us.
Not only could the necessary trees, shrubs, and flowers be
procured much more cheaply, but a greater selection of choice
subjects would be at the disposal of the planters. By selecting
ground favourable to each class of plants, shrubs, or trees, each
could be grown to perfection, and at a chéaper rate than they
could be bought; and the necessity of inquiry, selecting and

166 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuapr. XI.

bargaining, would be done away with, the planter having merely to
indicate the subjects required. They could be quickly despatched
to any given point in vans constructed for the purpose. In
addition to these advantages, a small portion of each nursery
might be set apart as an experimental ground to test newly-
introduced or imperfectly-known plants; and in this respect each
would be of valuable aid, not only to the State, but also to the
general public. With our parks and crown lands in which to
select positions, the establishment of such gardens would not be
expensive, and would in a very few years save the first cost of
their formation. Our large nurserymen would feel a pleasure
in contributing their novelties and rarities, as they now do to our
botanic gardens, and a system of exchange might be arranged
between them to the advantage of both public, private, and
commercial establishments. The adoption of such a system does
not do away with the commerce with nurserymen for new or rare
plants, but simply secures ample supplies of those in general
request. ,

The present system is too expensive and imperfect to last.
We have, in and around London and our other great cities,
numerous public parks and gardens, and it is to be hoped their
number will go on increasing from year to year. Let us suppose
that the superintendent or designer of a new public park or
garden wants many thousand trees and shrubs for its embellish-
ment. He has to obtain them wherever he can, and as our
nurseries are arranged chiefly or solely for private supply, most
probably there will be great difficulty in getting some things
even at high prices. For example,a very important item in
town-gardening consists of trees for park and avenue planting.
If at the present moment we wished to plant an avenue of Plane-
trees, of suitable size and properly prepared for the purpose, we
should have to send to the Continent for them, as in our own
nurseries they are not prepared for street-planting ; in which
case they would cost much more than if bought in this country,
and be in far worse condition for the purpose than if they had
been grown at home. The Planes on the Thames Embankment
were imported from the Continent, and of course there would not
have been the slightest occasion for this if we possessed the kind
of establishments described, and of which the necessity must be

Cuap. XI] JARDIN FLEURISTE AND NURSERIES. 167

obvious. In Paris there is a great central establishment at Passy
where all the tender plants are raised and reared, and there are
nurseries devoted to the production of city-trees and shrubs, in
which the most suitable kinds are grown, and grown to the size
in which they are best suited for being placed in the streets,
parks, or gardens. The cost of each plant or tree is in this case
a mere trifle; with us the plantation of even a very small park,
or one boulevard, would amount to a very considerable sum. It
would, therefore, be,wise to establish a large nursery for all
hardy subjects, from trees downwards, for the supply of the
public parks of London.

{
ae

Glass-covered Corridor between the Plant-houses in the Yardin Fleuriste.

The Jardin Fleuriste of the city of Paris is situated in the
Avenue d’Eylau, close to the Porte de la Muette, leading to the
principal promenade of the Bois de Boulogne. It is the depot for
all the tender plants used in the decoration of the parks, gardens,
and squares of the city. Entering from the Avenue d’Eylau, the
first objects of interest that are seen are collections of hardy
plants growing in the open air on a small lawn amidst the glass
houses with which the place is nearly covered. The most in-
teresting and valuable group planted on this lawn is a number of
hardy Bamboos, proving clearly that in our latitudes we may
enjoy the peculiar grace and verdure of these giant grasses, and,

168 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XI.

by planting them, highly improve the appearance of our gardens
and pleasure-grounds, especially in places under the mild influences
of the sea and in the west and south of England and Ireland.

The interior arrangements made in the glass houses here for
the convenience of the workmen and for the preservation of the
plants in winter are admirable, and should be adopted in similar
instances. We build more hot-houses than any other people,
construct them better, and furnish them better; and therefore it
is desirable that in disposing them in relation to each other, we
should employ the most economical and convenient plan. They
are frequently scattered about without any connection with each
other, and there is consequent additional expense and trouble.
But, even where the errors of the scattering-system are guarded
against, there is seldom an effective means of communication from
one to the other without going into the open air. All know how
disagreeable it is to pass from a hot stove to frosty or damp air ;
it is dangerous to tender plants; nor can it be otherwise than
injurious to the health of those employed in such structures. All
these inconveniences are got rid of by the very simple plan
adopted in the case of thé group of houses, the arrangement of
which the woodcut may serve to explain. The plant-houses are
ranged on each side of a glass-covered passage, and there is no
necessity for taking the plants into the open air in winter, or for
the men who work in the houses to undergo any change of
temperature for hours at a time. The houses are placed so close
together, that heating them becomes much less difficult than when
they are separated. The advantages of the plan are so great, that
nobody building houses for growing or storing plants should
neglect to adopt it. For Graperies with the borders outside, it
would not be so suitable; but where good borders are made
inside,-it would answer well; or the Vineries or Peach-houses
might form the outer four houses of each block, leaving the plant-
houses and forcing-houses inside.

Plants may be placed in the passage, when narrow, in half-
oval groups between each door. In large places where the houses
on each side would be filled with ornamental specimen plants, it
would be a good plan to make the glass-covered passage as wide
as one of the houses. Beds might be placed between the doors,
and climbers run up the roof, thus converting the passage into an

Cuar. XI] JARDIN FLEURISTE AND NURSERIES. 169

agreeable winter-garden. With the better kinds of climbers
depending from the roof; a few beds of Oranges and Camellias,
and some Palms and fine-leaved plants here and there, to lend
grace and character to the scene, one can fancy few things more
agreeable in the way of winter-garden or conservatory, particularly
as the varied contents of the houses on each side could be seen
through the glass from the corridor or promenade.

The Cannas and like plants, of which such graceful use is made
in Paris gardens, are preserved in a most efficient way in caves in
this garden. When the stone is quarried for building purposes,
a rough propping column is left here and there, and thus dark

HOUSE FOR YOUNG PLANTS | |

RECENTLY ROOTED. PROPAGATING HOUSE.

PELARGONIUM HOUSE. PELARGONIUM HOUSE,

SOLANTM HOUSE. CALADIUM AND ARUM HOUSE.

TdIM “Ldg ‘AOVSSVd ATAAAON-SSV'19

BEGONIA HOUSE. 2 MISCELLANEOUS HOUSE.

||

Diagram showing the arrangement of a group of Glass Houses in the Fardin Fleuriste.

and spacious caves of equable temperature are left underground.
They are in this case about seven feet high, and are uséd for
storing plants that may be well preserved without light in the
winter. Here too in masses against the cave walls are arrayed
quantities of the Chinese Rice-paper plant, which is so much
grown in the gardens. It seems in a perfectly firm and safe
condition, growing in the gas-lighted atmosphere, and sending
out long blanched leaves of a delicate lemon-colour, which when
the plants are placed in the open air in the summer, soon acquire
a healthy green.

The nursery for trees for the boulevards is situated at Petit
Bry, near Nogent-sur-Marne. It consists of nearly forty-five

170 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XI.

acres, entirely devoted to the raising of the commoner and more
useful kinds of trees for avenue and boulevard planting. On
entering, the first thing that strikes the visitor is, that the whole of
the surface of the ground is thrown into ridges nearly six feet
in width, on the apex of which the trees are planted. This
arrangement is adopted in consequence of the ground being
occasionally flooded by the river Marne, which is close by, to prevent
the trees being injured by the water freezing above the base of their
stems. The kinds mostly raised are the Western Plane, the Horse-
chestnut, the large-leaved Elm, Ailantus glandulosa, Planeras,
and Lombardy Poplars—the last, however, are not used for
avenue or street planting. Other kinds used on a smaller scale
than these—the Paulownia, for example, are grown at Longchamps.
These trees, the names of which are here mentioned in the order
of their importance, are all trained with straight stems, and sent
from hence to the boulevards for planting as far as possible of
equal size., The rule is to send them out with a straight stem of
nearly ten feet long, and about eight inches in circumference. The
portion above the ten feet of clear stem is not of so much
consequence and may vary, but if the trees when taken up for
planting do not present the length of “clean” stem considered
necessary, the lower branches are cut away till it is attained. Of
course the trees are so pruned when young that straightness of
stem is obtained. To arrive at the size and fitness for street-
planting, the Plane requires about five years, the Horse-chestnut
ten, the Ailantus four, the Elm and Planera about five years each.
The Elm and Planera are the only trees that require support in
training them into the necessary form, for which purpose stakes
from fifteen to eighteen feet high are used.

The nursery for shrubs is very pleasantly situated near the
racecourse of Longchamps in the Bois de Boulogne, and is some-
what more than twelve acres inextent. Itisin excellent keeping,
and contains a good stock of both well-known and rarely-used
subjects. Roses and all kinds of shrubs and hardy climbers are
grown here for the city-gardens, as well as nearly every kind of
' low tree.

The nursery for hardy flowers is situated in the Bois de
Vincennes, and consists of nearly twenty acres of sandy ground
just outside the fortifications, near the Porte Picpus and Lac

Caar. XI] JARDIN FLEURISTE AND NURSERIES. 171

Daumesnil. The stock of spring flowers is not a varied one, and
leaves much to be desired. Where there is so much ground
devoted to a speciality, it ought to be well done; and it is a
matter of regret that with so much improvement in other ways a
large stock of all the really ornamental hardy flowers is not
formed. It would be conferring a general benefit if, instead of
depending so much on plants requiring expensive stoves and
ceaseless trouble for their preservation, the chief gardeners of the
city showed what may be done with the hardy plants belonging
to our own and similar climates. At present their collections of

Caves under the Fardin Fleuriste, used for Storing Tender Plants in W: inter.

herbaceous plants and spring flowers consist of quantities of
ordinary kinds. A dozen years ago there was a greater number
of hardy plants grown in Paris gardens than in London. But
since then a great impetus has been given to the culture of hardy
flowers in England, and now our collections are far richer than
any to be found in France.
The nursery for the Pines and Rhododendrons is also in the Bois
de Boulogne, near Auteuil, and is about the same size as the
hardy-flower nursery. The climate of Paris is not so favourable

to the growth of coniferous trees as that of England, and con-
sequently to the English visitor the Auteuil nursery does not look

172 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XI.

so attractive as that at Longchamps, but it is well stocked, and
serves its purpose admirably. The American plants are mostly
grown in the slight shade afforded by thin hedges of Arbor vite.
The Ivy used for making the edgings, which are so much admired
in the public gardens of Paris, and for every other purpose for
which the plant is employed, is grown here.

UHH

TITEL

UTI TETTT

d

g
UIT

a
—

ine”

LATTE LTT

,
q

met |

G

LTT ETT

oe

a

LTT

Propagating House in the Fardin Fleuriste,

End view of Range of Small-Plant Houses in the Jardin Fleuriste.

+14
\_ im UT

‘SATII

( 173 )

CHAPTER XII.

THE CEMETERIES OF PARIS.

To anyone accustomed to associate cemeteries with gardens more or
less beautiful, the cemeteries of Paris are far from being agreeable.
In these human love does not fail in its testimony ; but such are
the evils of overcrowding, of still following plans less evidently
wrong when the city was much smaller, and of a horrible system
of using the same ground for interments many times over—that
the best aspects of these cemeteries are painful to anyone who
knows what is possible or what has already been accomplished in
the formation of decent burial-grounds near large cities. Nothing
more agreeable is to be seen than crowded stones and whole acres
covered with decaying blackened “immortelles ”—the sight being
most depressing to anyone accustomed to green churchyards. In
the portions devoted to the graves of the rich, or of such as passed
on their way to the grave by the paths of fame or glory, a little
chapel or a ponderous tomb often prevents, for a time, the dust
of individuals from mingling with the common clay of their
neighbours, and the earth is not used merely as a deodorising
medium, as in other parts of the same cemetery.

Where the poorer people bury their dead in this part of the
graveyard may be seen a most revolting mode of sepulture. A
very wide trench, or fosse, is cut, broad enough to hold two rows
of coffins placed across it, and one hundred yards or so in length.
Here they are rapidly stowed in one after another, close together,
no earth between the coffins, and wherever the coffins, which are
very fragile, happen to be short so that a little space is left
between the two rows, those of children are placed in lengthwise
between them to economise space; the whole being done much as
a workman would pack bricks together. This is the fosse commune,

174 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuapr. XII.

or grave of the humble class of people, who cannot afford to pay
for the ground. The remains of these people thus dishonoured
are not even allowed to rest in the grave, such as it is, but after
the lapse of a short time their bones are dug up and the ground
prepared for another crop. There is thus a very wide difference
between “sickle and crown” in Pére-la-chaise, A cutting thirteen
or fourteen feet wide, with the earth thrown up in high banks
on either side, a priest standing at one part near a slope formed
by the slight covering thrown over the buried of that day, and,
frequently, a little crowd of mourners and friends, bearing a
coffin. They hand it to the man in the bottom of the trench, who
packs it beside the
others without
placing a particle
of earth between ;
the priest says a
few words, and
sprinkles a few
drops of water on
the coffin and clay;
someof the mourn-
ers weep, but are
soon moved out by
another little
crowd, with its
dead, and so on
till the long and
wide trench is full. They do not even take the trouble to throw a
little earth against the coffins last put in, but simply place a rough
board against them for the night. Those places not paid for in
perpetuity are completely cleared out, dug up, and used again
after a few years. The wooden crosses, little headstones, and
countless ornaments are carted away or are thrown together
in great heaps, the crosses and consumable parts being generally
sent to the hospitals as fuel. The headstones from such a clear-
ance (when not claimed in good time by their owners) go to make
the drainage of a drive, or for some similar end. And yet these
people, who cannot afford to pay for the ground in perpetuity,
go on erecting inscribed headstones, and bringing often their

In a Paris Cemetery in the Nineteenth Century.

Cuar. XII] THE CEMETERIES OF PARIS. 175

little tokens of love, knowing well that a few years will sweep
away these, and that afterwards they cannot even tell where is
the dust of those that have been taken from them. One day,
when in the Cemetery of Mont Parnasse, I saw the workmen
making a new road, the bottom of which was formed of broken

View in an American Garden-cemetery, 1876.

headstones, many of them bearing a date four years before.
These had been placed on ground that had not been paid for in
perpetuity, and were consequently grubbed up at the end of a
few years when the ground was required again for another series
of these disgusting interments, which are needless too so long as

176 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuapr. XII.

there is plenty of cheap land in the environs of Paris. Let us
hope that whatever else may be “taken from the French,” we
may never imitate them in their cemetery-management.

The Americans are the only people who bury their dead
decently and beautifully, that is, so far as the present mode
of sepulture will allow them. For beauty, extent, careful
planting, picturesque views and keeping the garden-cemeteries
formed within the past generation or so near all the principal
American cities are a great advance upon anything of the kind in
Europe. They are in some cases as large as national parks, and
as full of trees and flowers as a choice garden. Many of the
larger cities have several of these beautiful large garden-like
cemeteries. There are half-a-dozen or more within driving
distance of New York. Not the least interesting or admirable
feature of these American cemeteries is the room allotted to each
family and to each grave. Each family possesses a “ lot ”—quite
a little garden—in which the graves are dotted about, and which
is usually neatly kept and well planted. Thus the repulsive
overcrowding of the European city-cemeteries does not exist in
America.

The gentleman who first originated these noble American
cemeteries, Mr. J. Jay Smith of Germantown, Philadelphia, is yet
alive, and only a year or two ago visited London with the view
of founding a similar kind of cemetery here, with all recent im-
provements. When in America a few years ago, I had the
pleasure of seeing with him some of the larger cemeteries of
Philadelphia, and was pleasantly surprised at their riches in trees
and shrubs, their vast extent, and the beautiful position occupied
by the West Laurel Hill Cemetery, on the slopes on both sides
of the noble river. This quiet, impressive resting-place for
the dead, which looks more like a great national garden than a
cemetery, is situated at such a distance from the city as to pre-
clude any danger of the requirement of the ground for building
purposes. Moreover, it is bounded on the east by the valley and
river of the Schuylkill, and on its northern and southern sides by
ravines so deep and precipitous as to insure that no engineering
skill will ever pierce them with roads or streets. It consists of a
delightfully-undulating plateau, situated on a bluff projecting into
the Schuylkill, thus constituting it a promontory bounded on three

Cuar. XII] THE CEMETERIES OF PARIS. 177

sides by the deep valleys already mentioned. In America even
small country-towns have followed the example of the cities, and
instead of the old city graveyard, we see imitations of Greenwood,
Laurel Hill, or Mount Auburn, with their drives, walks, and
avenues. In many respects the change is a beneficial one,
especially in the matter of healthfulness. When nearly forty
years ago, the idea of such cemeteries was first broached, it en-
countered great opposition. Since then no good fashion ever
spread so rapidly. Iam indebted to Mr. T. L. Olmstead of New
York, for the photographs from which the engravings:of American
cemeteries were made, and also for the following notes upon the
Spring Grove cemetery, said to be, in some respects, the best
ordered in America, and which may be taken as a typical specimen
of its kind. I take pleasure in illustrating these beautiful ceme-
teries for the sake of comparing them with the ghoul-yards of
Paris and other European cities. In Spring Grove an important
improvement is effected by a rule which prevents the erection of
more than one monument on each family burial-lot. This is
placed in the centre, and on a solid foundation not less than six
feet deep, the usual depth of graves, so that burials can be made
around the monument, and the respective inscriptions be placed
on it, thus saving the expense of head and foot stones, which
always, more or less, convey the idea of a potter’s field, particularly
in the case of single interments ; and where people, to all appear-
ance, vie with each other in procuring the tallest headstones and
the largest amount of ornament, thus increasing the difficulty of
keeping such places in proper order. Wherever grave-marks are
necessary, they should project but little above the surface of the
ground, and be not much larger than ordinary landmarks to lots,
but the base deep enough to be below the action of frost. In some
instances lot-holders have planted a tree until a suitable monu-
ment can be procured, or sometimes even to remain permanently,
which latter course is very desirable on sections where there is
already a great abundance of tomb-stones.

To the arboriculturist, in particular, Spring Grove ought to be
a place of great interest, as indeed will be many like places. It
was the desire of the directorate from the first to introduce a
variety of suitable representatives of the vegetable kingdom into

the grounds. In this they were considerably assisted by the
N

178 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XII.

owners of the lots, the most prominent of them being members of
the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, in which Society originated
the idea of establishing a rural cemetery in this spot. The greater
part of the grounds, when purchased, was densely covered with
native forest-trees. In the lower or southern portion, the Elm,
Sycamore and Ash predominate; the central part is chiefly
covered with Tulip-trees, Sugar-maples, Sassafras, etc., while the
western division is almost exclusively occupied by Beech, Sour-
gum, Red-bud, and Dog-wood. The northern part is adorned with
some of the finest groves of various kinds of Oak, of Nature’s own

A Contrast: the Cemetery of Pire la Chaise. (After Hachette.)

planting centuries ago. The effect produced by the brilliant
colours which most of these trees and shrubs assume in autumn,
is magnificent. The introduction of varieties of evergreens, whose
perennial verdure is particularly appropriate for ornamenting
places of sepulture, has contributed much to mitigate the bleak
desolation of winter and to render the prospect agreeable at all
‘times. The area of Spring Grove is considerably over 300 acres
of undulating surface, mostly of sandy subsoil, and abundantly
supplied with water and forest-scenery.

Although we do not allow the remains of our poor to be treated
with the same disrespect as the French, there is no place where

ey

iT

ay) |

‘

p

A CONTRAST: View in an American Garden Cemetery.

Caap. XID] THE CEMETERIES OF PARIS. 179

our backwardness in all that is best and most essential in garden-
ing is more apparent than in the churchyard. All the advantages
that could be desired for a charming garden are sometimes at
hand in these places, yet the rule is to see them as bare as a
housetop, and much less interesting as regards vegetation than
the very ditches by which they are surrounded. This is true,
not so much of churchyards in towns, as in the fairest parts of
our fairest counties. Indeed, in cities and towns trees and shrubs
often embellish the space around the church, whereas in some
beautiful parts of Kent, or Surrey, or Warwickshire, it is common
to see a church without a particle of graceful vegetation on either
the walls of the church, the ground, or the low walls that some-
times surround the whole, although no spots are more easily
converted into lovely gardens. In these days of costly church-
decorations one may surely not-in-vain call attention to the
wants of the church-garden. Thousands spent on the most
elaborate artistic decorations indoors will never produce such a
beautiful and all-satisfying result as a few pounds judiciously
spent in converting the churchyard into a church-garden. There
are several reasons why churchyards are more than usually
favourable spots for the formation of gardens of the best kind.
The site and situation, in the country at least, are frequently
favourable and picturesque, the soil is generally suitable, the
tree-planter has usually the assurance that what he does will
remain for ages, the associations of the spot are such as to awaken
the mind to the influences of great natural beauty, the walls of
the church usually offer excellent opportunities for the display
of the larger hardy climbers, the walls of the churchyard
advantages for the development of those of more humble growth,
the ground is generally admirably adapted for trees, and the
very turf may easily be converted into a garden of spring-flowers.

Of suitable trees the Yew is even more enduring than archi-
tecture itself; and it should never be forgotten that gardeners
have observed and propagated varieties of this tree which differ
greatly from the ordinary type, and are no less beautiful—the
Irish Yew, for example, one of the most precious trees in existence,
because it is as hardy as it is distinct from all’other trees in
beauty. It would be easy to adorn many a churchyard with
varieties of the common Yew alone, and of these “we should

nN 2

180 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuapr. XII.

certainly give preference to the green as against the variegated
kinds. Although we shall never get any finer trees than our
native Yew and its varieties, it must yet be remembered that our
gardens now contain many evergreen trees from various countries,
and from these a selection may be made; but in that selection
there should never be a tender tree. It has long been fashion-
able to plant quantities of evergreen trees not hardy enough for
many districts of the country, and even where they seem so far
to be hardy, anybody who knows anything of the quick growth
of the trees in their own and in more favourable climes, knows
also that they will never attain their natural dignity or beauty
in this country. There are, for example, many places where the
Deodar, the Wellingtonia, or the Araucaria should not be planted.
The church-garden being usually limited in space, for this reason
alone only trees certain to be long-lived in the situation should
be planted. Evergreens have been mentioned first. Summer-
leafing trees should, however, not be neglected, as among these
are our most beautiful flowering-trees, and many of them give
also refreshing shade and pleasant green foliage long into the
autumn, as, for instance, the Locust-tree. Where the space is
limited and it is desirable, as it nearly always is, to leave some
room between the trees for views, etc., the various pyramidal or
tapering trees will be useful. In planting it is essential not to
hide the building itself from important points of view. To
enhance and not to conceal beauty should be the planter’s object,
and he can scarcely pay too much attention to points for view
both of and from his site.

All who know how readily and simply the walls of churches
may be made into charming gardens of evergreen or flowering
plants, must regret that so many of them are bare of even Ivy or
Virginian Creeper. Many of the finest flowering Roses and
climbers could be grown in such positions. Fresh foliage or
roseate blooms are never seen to greater advantage than against
the worn grey or brown stones of our churches. The several
sides of the church may each have its appropriate plants, choice
Roses and the least-hardy subjects having the warmer and more
sheltered walls. Where Ivy is used it should not be allowed to
wholly exclude other and rarer subjects. The low walls often
placed round graveyards offer also a desirable position for wall-

Cuap. XILJ THE CEMETERIES OF PARIS. 181

plants, such as the various Ivies, Clematis, Cotoneaster, etc. Some-
times tombs may offer opportunities here and there for the growth
of a plant of similar character ; but thore should be no disturb-
ance of any monuments or graves for planting of any kind.
Intelligence will be best employed in beautifying, not concealing
or obliterating such objects.

Flower-beds of the common type are quite out of place in a
churchyard. A group of Yuccas or of Lilies may be planted, but
they do not need formal beds; the tasteful gardener may make
at least one beautiful large bed—the whole of the turf. In this
one of the ideas of the “ wild garden ”-—dotting bulbous flowers
through the grass—may be most effectively carried out. It is
scarcely necessary to state here that many of our fairest spring-
flowers are easily naturalised in grass. The surface of the
churchyard is often suitable for this, because the grass in it is
not mown so early or so primly as that in gardens. There are
usually in churchyards little variations in surface or soil which
favour the development of a variety of spring-flower life, and the
flowers are very welcome among the budding grass in spring.
The Scillas and Snowdrops do exceedingly well in turf, and so
does the Apennine Anemone. It may be urged that the occasional
needful disturbance of the ground would interfere with these
plants, but once well established, they would not mind this in the
least. Groups of Daffodils of various kinds would look exceedingly
well in the turf; perhaps they would require watching, but they
would repay it by their noble blossoms, which seem quite regard-
less of harsh weather in spring.

In connection with this subject the state of our old London
cemeteries invites some notice. They could for the most part be
readily converted into oases of trees, and surely they ought to be
preserved for ever inviolate—if not as graveyards, yet as gardens.
In some places they have commenced rooting up the grave-
yards, not merely where the tunnelling power of a railway
company is brought to bear, but where the thing is done for mere
love of “improvement.” Tombs and headstones are being cleared
out of the way and all obstructions removed, so that a level
surface may be obtained on which to set a few hundred ever-
greens, which have little more chance of flourishing in London
with its present atmosphere than if planted in the Salt Lake. To

182 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XII.

have the memorials of one’s friends disturbed for the ill-digested
schemes of a jobbing gardener is bad enough; but when it is
considered that this sacrilege is performed to plant subjects that
have no chance of thriving, then the wisdom of the change is fully
seen. It is true the sculpture of these stones in our cemeteries is
anything but Greek, but the rudest tell of love and death “ where
human harvests grow,” and to all but vulgar minds must be
sacred. What, then, must. be the feelings of those who have had
the memorials they cherish disturbed for such a purpose? Anditis
the more inexcusable when we reflect that there is not the least
occasion for any iutilation of the kind, and that the most
suitable trees for such places are those that would not require
any alteration of the ground, and would flourish freely in a town-
atmosphere. The weeping Willow, Birch, Ash, weeping Elm,
and a considerable variety of drooping and other deciduous trees,
are especially suited for this purpose, and might be planted
without interfering with the stones in any way. Would the
latter look any the worse for being shaded by a: beautiful
pendulous tree here and there? The fact is, town-cemeteries
may be made as beautiful as it is possible to make them with
vegetation, by the use of deciduous trees and shrubs and a few
well-tried evergreens. Instead of any clearance or levelling being
required for the judicious placing of these, they will look all the

“better for being picturesquely grouped among the tombstones and
other irregularities of the surface. When new gardens are made
in connection with a new church, it matters not of course how the
ground is moved, but it would. be a great advantage if the
churchwarden-mind could get rid of the idea that before making
a garden in a graveyard it is necessary to level the space and
make it like any commonplace bit of ground. Instead of pursuing
such a course they should procure advice from some intelligent
landscape-gardener, and say to him, “ Embellish the spot without
destroying its memorials or associations.” If it: must be levelled,
mutilated, and planted with a few formal beds and shrubberies,
confide its execution to a navvy. In such graveyard-gardens much
short-lived flower-gardening should be avoided in consequence
of the ceaseless care it requires, and the attention should be
confined to the hardy and permanent ornaments suitable for such
a spot.

Cuap. XILJ THE CEMETERIES OF PARIS. 183

There is no place in which a fresh little garden can be made in
better taste than round a city-church ; and in Paris, where the
difficulty would be to find an open spot that is not planted, the
spaces around churches are of course not neglected. The view of
the Square and Church of St. Clothilde, engraved from a photo-
graph, will serve to show how much the beauty of similar
buildings may be enhanced by a little judicious planting.

St. Clothilde,

184 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuap. XIII.

toy in Wreaths and Sheets on Railings of Sulursan Gardens (Auteuil),

CHAPTER XIIL

Ivy IN PARIS.

Anyonr who traverses the streets of the newer parts of Paris may
see many evidences of the graceful way in which Ivy is used to
embellish the court-yards, railings, walls, and the public and private
gardens of that city. It would be difficult to give any adequate
idea of the charms it imparts to many surfaces that would otherwise
be hard and bare. In any city or town, where the air is not much
polluted by smoke, the same effects may be easily produced. In cold
districts, where evergreens are liable to suffer, it is all the more de-
sirable to make judicious use of the most valuable of all evergreen
climbers for northern countries. To rob the monotonous garden-
railings of their nakedness and openness, the French use it most
extensively, so that even in the dead of winter it is refreshing to
walk along by them. And if it does so much for the street, how
much more for the garden? Instead of the inmates of the house
gazing from the windows into the street swarming with dust, or
splashing with mud, a wall of verdure encloses the garden ;

Cuap. XUI.] IVY IN PARIS. 185

privacy is secured; the effect of any flowers contained in the
garden is heightened ; and lastly, the heavier clouds of dust are
kept out in summer, for so well are the railings covered by
planting the Ivy rather thickly, and giving it some rich light

Tuy on Trees in Champs Elysées,

soil to grow in, that a dense screen is soon formed. Ivy-edgings
also make excellent margins to beds on grass-lawns. In this
case one would have thought the verdant carpet of turf sufficient,
and so it is, if the subjects fill the bed properly and come flush

186 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnap. XIII.

to the margin; but, with the bare earth more conspicuous than
the bedding-plants, as is so often the case early in the summer,
the belt of fresh Ivy, rising as it does several inches above the
level of the earth, effects great improvement. Near at hand this
is not so evident, but when a little way off, the nakedness of the
earth is hidden by the Ivy, and the flowers peep above it. The
best kind for this purpose is the Irish Ivy, but where many
edgings are made, it would be very desirable to produce some
variety by using other healthy green-leaved kinds; and the
variegated ones, too, should be attractive, though no charm of
theirs can ever equal the unmatched verdure of the green Ivies
in early summer. It should be observed that an Ivy-band of the
width of an ordinary edging is not at all so desirable as when
its sheet of green is allowed to spread out to a breadth of more
than a foot. In nearly every courtyard in Paris the Ivy is
tastefully used. Scarlet Pelargoniums are seen to great advantage
when grown in boxes placed against a wall densely covered with
Ivy, and with it also planted along their front edges so as to
hang down and cover the face of the boxes. One of the floating
baths on the Seine has its entrance embowered with Ivy, which
looks as much at home as if no river were gurgling beneath. It
is secured by placing deep boxes filled with very rich light soil here
and there on the bare space; then planting the Ivy at the ends of
each box, devoting the remainder of the space to flowers. The soil
is kept well watered, and the shoots of the Ivy are trained to a light
trellis overhead. In the garden of the Paris Exhibition of 1867,
a pretty circular bower was shown perfectly covered with Ivy,
the whole springing from a large tub. Imagine an immense
green umbrella, with the handle inserted in a tub of good soil,
with boards placed over it, so as to form a circular seat, and the
whole arrangement will be understood ina moment. Such a bower
could readily be made on a roof, or on a wide balcony.

An illustration here given of “rocky caves covered with Ivy,”
shows a successful attempt to hide with graceful vegetation
some caves for storing tools, and also serving as a shelter to passers-
by in showers. These caves are almost completely covered with a
mantle of Irish Ivy, which also spreads into the bushes and grass
around. Where the rocky masses forming the grottoes are seen,
the effect is good, owing to the rock being well formed. The

Cuar. XIII] IVY IN PARIS. 187

caves are made in a sloping bank backed with trees. It will be
seen from this example that where structures are really required
in gardens it is easy to make them ornaments and not eyesores
in the garden-landscape.

Where there are tall bare walls near a house, they are quickly
covered with a close tapestry of Ivy. If the margin of the grass
around some clump of shrubs or flower-beds looks bare, some

Rocky Caves covered with Ivy.

young plants of Ivy will soon make a wide and graceful edging
which will look well throughout the year with slight attention.
When Ivy is planted thickly and kept neatly to a breadth of
from twelve to twenty inches, it forms a dense carpet of leaves on
the ground. ‘The effect of Ivy-bands outside masses of gay
flowers is excellent, forming, as they do, a graceful setting for
the flower-borders. In some geometrical gardens panels are
edged with stone. These Ivy-edgings associate well with such
stone borderings, while they may be used with advantage in any

188 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap, XIII.

style of garden. A garden pleases in direct proportion to the
variety and life that are in it; and all bands and circles of stone,
all unchangeable geometrical patterns, are as much improved by
being fringed here and there with Ivy and the like, as are the
rocks on a river’s bank,

In the Square St. Jacques there is an example of the way in
which the small-leaved Ivy
may be used for covering the
trunks of trees; the effect
being more lace-like than
that of the ordinary kinds.
It would be well to plant a
variety of the green-leaved
kinds at the foot of trees.
It is not, however, advisable
to cover very young trees in
this way, as it is apt to in-
terfere with their proper
development. With regard
to growing Ivy on trees,
Mr.George Berry of Longleat
makes the following judicious
remarks :—

“In almost every park,
however small, there are
some few trees—old trees
that are of no value, and
that have matured their
growth—that may be given
up to Ivy by those who wish
to grow it in this manner:
It may also be allowed
freedom on any inferior un-
dergrowing trees that have
been overtopped by better, ones, of which there are generally too
many on nearly every property, particularly where judicious
thinning has been neglected until too late to be of any benefit.
In natural copses, when not grown for profit, Ivy forms an
ornamental feature, especially on the Birch, to whose white bark

Small-leaved Tuy on Tree in Paris Square:

Cuap. XIIT.] IVY IN PARIS. 189

and brown airy twigs the green of the Ivy offers an agreeable
contrast. Ornamental Fir-clumps, too, with the stems of two or
three of the most inferior trees clad in Ivy, become thereby much
improved in appearance; but the Ivy rarely creeps among the
branches of the Fir; when it has reached the foliage the dense
shade repels its further advance, and then it seems to retrace its
steps and forms pendent festoons. Lovers of creeper-clad trees
should, however, take care not to allow young growing trees
or any fine healthy ornamental timber to be taken possession
of by Ivy. It is an indisputable fact that when Ivy is permitted
to cling to and cover growing
young trees, it prevents de-
velopment of the stem ; while
its tightly-laced and inter-
woven mass of dense plaits
also excludes light, air, and
moisture. The production
of foliage, too, gradually
diminishes, and when Ivy has
established itself on young
trees, the result is often slow
but premature death.”

The Ivy may be readily
grown and tastefully used in
a dwelling-house, especially
in making living screens for
rooms. This is usually done
by planting it in narrow
boxes and training it up
wirework trellises. The boxes being portable, a screen may be
formed in a few minutes in any part of a room. Sometimes,
however, it is permanently planted, and it is not unfrequently
used to embellish glass partitions between large apartments. To
make the Ivy-edgings which are so abundantly and well employed
in and around Paris, plants are easily procured in pots at the
markets, on the quays, or of the nurserymen at Fontenay-aux-
Roses, who every year grow it in large quantities.

When used as a screen, Ivy may often be combined with other
creepers so as to produce a variety of pretty effects. A happy

Tuy on High Window.

190 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XII.

combination of Wistaria above and Ivy below in the same railing
often occurs, and the contrast of colour between the delicate Lilac-
blossoms and light green leaves of the Wistaria and the deep
glossy green of the Ivy is so charming, that one could wish it
were far more extensively employed in such companionship.
Ivy also forms an admirable frame for windows, in situations
where little else will grow. The window framed in Ivy, as shown
in the sketch of “Ivy on high window,” was a very high one (four
stories) and the effect was very good. A deep box, filled with
rich light soil, suits these Ivies best.

In some cases a green screen may be desirable far above the
ground-line. It can easily be formed of Irish Ivy, planted in deep
boxes of rich light earth or in a trough formed of stone or cement;
in such positions the effect of the Ivy is all the more telling
from its contrast. with
the . large: expanse. of
stone. The high screen
represented in our illus-
tration was formed
about twenty feet above
the ground, and jin a
position where it could
‘not be: planted in the
earth on the ground
level. In preparing Ivy
for growing against the railings and trellis-work in the various
parks and gardens, it is trained carefully during the first one or
two years, so that it may cover spaces equably. At the end of
the second year the railings are completely covered, and it is
then only necessary to keep it properly trimmed.

The Ivy used by the City of Paris for ornamenting the flower-
beds in the squares, the trunks of trees, etc., is grown at the
nurseries in the Bois de Boulogne. Towards the end of the
summer the propagation of the Ivy by means of cuttings is carried
on. Three or four leaves are left on each cutting, and they are
planted very thickly in lines in a half-shady position, When
they have taken root sufficiently, which generally takes place in
the following spring, they are transplanted into pots of four or
five inches in diameter. Afterwards stakes are fixed along the

Loy over high wall,

Cuap. XIII.) IVY IN PARIS. 191

rows of pots, and from these are stretched lines of thin galvanized
wire ; to this slender but firm trellis of from three to five feet
high, the plants are trained during the growing-season. At the
end of the second or third year they are strong enough to be
employed to cover railings, and for many similar purposes. The
nurserymen in the suburbs of Paris generally propagate them by
layers, which are often rooted in pots. If a wide belt of Ivy is

Screen of Irish Iuy—Boundary to Garden on Banks of Seine at Courbevoie.

desired, the young plants may be arranged in two or three rows,
as the French do when making the excellent Ivy-edgings which
are here described. In any case, after the plants are inserted the
shoots must be neatly pegged down all in one direction.

The reason why Ivy-edgings when seen in England look so poor
as compared with those in Paris, is that we allow them to grow
uncontrolled, and they get overgrown, wild, and entangled, whereas
the French keep them down to the desired size by pinching or

192 -THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XIII.

cutting the little shoots well in, two or even three times every
summer, after the edging has once attained size and health. The
abundant supply of established plants in small pots obtainable in
the markets, enables them to lay down these edgings so as to
look well almost from the first day.

( 193 )

CHAPTER XIV.

THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES.

Tus being one of the most celebrated gardens in the world, it
may profit us to examine it somewhat in detail—were we, how-
ever, to treat of it in proportion to its real merits as a garden, a
very small amount of space would suffice. Let us pass through the
vast stone courtyard and look from the garden-front of the palace.
Standing near the palace walls, one first sees a vast expanse of
gravel, some marble margins of great water-basins, sundry protu-
berances from the level of the water, and away in the distance an
effect like that afforded by a suburban canal in a highly-practical
and unlovely country. A few Lombardy Poplars help the remote
vista, but the effect of the whole is from this point of our view
lamentable. ‘To the right of the palace is a parterre-garden, with
high Box-edgings, clipped conical Yews and other trees, and
numerous statues prominent against dense woods of Horse-chestnut
trees. To the left is one of those spreads.of gravel and grass,
diversified by stone steps, walls, and a few stumpy clipped Yews,
forming what are termed eometrical gardens, Horse-chestnut
groves starting up be Sal aad fom well the whole.
Gena os pas the lower terrace and its surroundings
come into view, the faces of the terrace walls are hedged with
green ; above the terrace-walls Yew-trees planted and clipped very
regularly ; in the centre there is s an elaborate fountain, and the
dense groves of trees n near by again spring up and only just save
the scene from bald formality, not to say ugliness. Versailles is
a vast garden, much of its interest hidden behind these kindly
groves of trees, but it is about this spot that we obtain the

broadest effects of this far-famed place, and may judge how far
)

194 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIV.

they are worthy of the praise bestowed on them and of our admira-
tion or imitation.

Versailles is often extolled as the queen of geometrical gardens,
“and it is certainly a vast illustration of the formal style’ of
gardening. There are in books many dissertations on the several
styles of laying-out gardens ; indeed some have taken us to China
and Japan, others to Mexico for illustration ; but when all is read
and examined, what is the result to anybody who looks from words
to things? ‘That there are really two styles:—one straitlaced,
SL yearn cee
much also of such geomeny 9 as the designer of r wall Papers excels
water, : and with trees in habe ag an acooupmmet and sony te
griffins and endless ; plaster-work and | sculpture of of the poorer sort:
the other, with right desire, though often awkwardly, accepting
nature as a guide, and endeavouring, to illustrate in our gardens,
so far as convenience and knowledge will permit, her many

treasures of the world of trees and flowers.

We read that “we are forced, for the sake of accumulating our
power and knowledge, to live in cities: but such advantage as we
have in association with each other is in great part counter-
balanced by our loss of fellowship with nature. We cannot all
have our gardens now, nor our pleasant fields to meditate in at
eventide. Then the function of our architecture is, as far as may
be, to replace these; to tell us about nature; to possess us with
memories of her quietness; to be solemn and full of tenderness
like her, and rich in portraitures of her; full of delicate imagery
of the flowers we can no more gather, and of the living creatures
now fat away from us in their own solitude.” What, then, are
we to think of those who carry the dead lines and changeless
triumphs of the building and the studio into the garden, which,
above any other artificial creation, should give us the sweetest
and most wholesome “ fellowship with nature ?” Simply that their
doings result from ignorance of what a true garden ought to be.
The worst thing that can be done with it is to introduce any feature
which, unlike the materials of our world-designer, never changes.
Away, then, with the affectation of pretending to enjoy, with the
ignorance which believes that there is some occult beauty in, or
excuse for, such gardens as this!

VERSAILLES

AT

GROUPS OF STATUARY IN ROCK-GARDEN

Cuar. XIV.) THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 195

It is perfectly true that there are some positions where an
intrusion of architecture and embankments into the garden is
justifiable, now and then even necessary. The misfortune is that
they are often said to be so when such is not the case. The best
terrace-gardens in Europe are those built where the nature of the
ground calls for them, usually where the ground is steep and
rugged; it is in positions like these that they are most wanted in
this country. There is no code of taste resting on any solid
foundation which proves that garden or park should have any
extensive stonework or geometrical arrangement. Many instances
could be given to prove that the natural or nearly natural
disposition of the most monotonous ground is preferable -to the
great majority of expensive geometrical gardens. Let us then
use as few oil-cloth or carpet_patternsand_as little stonework as
possible in our gardens, and arrange them so that when our sunny
‘season does come | they may be full of life and change, and of such
beauty as is nowhere to be found in the deadly formalism of
Versailles and gardens like it.

In considering this kind of gardening we have a capital
example in the case of the Crystal Palace, in the region of the
great fountain-basins, where a more dismal impression is received
than in any part of Versailles, though the upper terrace at the
Palace illustrates some of the best features of the formal system.
But at both the Palace and Versailles the vast expense for a poor
theatrical effect is not the most regrettable matter ; that, perhaps,
ig the mass of formal, dirty water-basins, with their spouting
pipes and crumbling margins; for the purse that creates such
delights frequently fails, or at any rate gets tired of the constant
expenditure needed, to keep the stone-cutter’s work and geometry
in good order. There is nothing more melancholy than the walls,
fountain-basins, clipped trees, and long canals, of places like
these, not only because they utterly fail to satisfy in them-
selves, but as constantly suggesting wasted effort and riches
worse than lost. There are, from Versailles to Caserta, a great
many ugly gardens in Europe, but at Sydenham is to be found
the greatest modern example of the waste of enormous means in
making hideous a fine piece of ground. It has been called a work
of genius, but it was only the realisation of a misguided ambition

to outdo another sad monument of great means prostituted to a
0 2

196 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XIV.

-base use— Versailles. But Versailles is a relic of past ages, and
was the expression of such knowledge as men possessed of the
gardening art at the date of its creation. Backward as we are
now, our means for garden-embellishment have increased a
hundredfold since Versailles was designed. Therefore this modern
illustration of a barbarous style has none of the excuses which
might be urged for Versailles. Instead of a desire to express all
that we at present know of pure garden-design, and of the wealth
‘of beauty now within our reach, the major idea was to out-
Versailles Versailles. There being many mouldering water-basins
there, it was thought well to make some vastly bigger. Versailles
having numerous tall water-spouts, the best way to glorify our-
selves at Sydenham was to make some unmistakably taller! Instead
of confining the purely geometrical gardening to the upper
terrace, by far the greater portion of the ground was devoted to
the more antiquated and baser features of a changeless and stony
style of garden-design, and nearly in the centre were placed those
vast fountain-basins, with their unclean water and appalling
display of pipes. Surely these water-basins are more hideous as
-garden-sights than the crater of a voleano. The extensive con-
trivances to enable the water to go downstairs (prettier than the
spouting upwards, it must be admitted), the temples impudently
prominent, the statues, the dead walls, all help to add to the dis-
tracting elements of the central region. The special gardens, too,
such as the Rose-garden, so much better if veiled from the great
open central scene, are made as prominent as possible.
Redeeming features were here and there charming bits of °

good gardening and good planting, but the vast geometrical
system overshadows the whole, and only towards the outer
margin could one feel free from this incubus. Here was one of
the finest marginal plantations ever made. Those who knew it,
‘and enjoyed the many fine shrubs and trees it contained, must
regret its recent destruction to provide sites for a number of villas
which now stare point-blank into the remains of what a few years
ago was the most beautiful scene in the grounds. The one thing
for which those with feeling for the beautiful in landscape-garden-
ing always felt grateful to Paxton, was the belt of beautiful
plantation that so gracefully cut off the grounds from the
chimney-pots around, This plantation was formed at a cost of

Versailles.—Fountain of the Bosquet de ? Arc de Triomphe. (Mangin, Les Yardins.)

198 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIV.

many thousands of pounds, and contained specimens of nearly all
that was beautiful in the trees and shrubs of northern and
temperate regions. Wearied with the crater-like dreariness of
the great stony region, one could lift the eye to this varied
and interesting belt of vegetation, and therein find rest. This
plantation has been almost entirely cut down, and long
lines of red villas stare into the garden in its place. The con-
sequence is that beauty or repose in the garden-landscape is made
impossible. And to what end? For the gain of about £1,200 a
year (the ground-rent of these villas) the gardens have sustained
a loss which nothing can repair. Unhappily many instances are
to be seen of poor design in public gardens, and of precious
surfaces of garden-ground frittered away, but of blind destructive-
ness it would be difficult to find an example to equal this.

In connection with the Crystal Palace one thinks of ruined
shareholders; and with Versailles, of the enormous sums wrung
from an oppressed people, and put to such a miserable use. And
this was the kind of good effected with the money extorted from a
starving population! It was merely burying wealth—indeed, it
might have been better to have buried it literally, for many would
prefer the naked earth to such extravagances in stone, which
must be kept in repair at great cost or soon become intolerable
even to their builders and designers. When a private individual
indulges in expensive fancies, he has little influence to injure any
one but himself; but in the case of a public garden which is set
up as an example of all that is admirable, we then have, in
addition to the first wasteful expenditure, an object hurtful to
the public taste, sowing the seed of its ugliness all over the
country.

It may be said that our taste in England is sufficiently assured
against this; but it is not so. Many whose lawns were, or might
readily be made, the most beautiful of gardens, have ruined them,
for the mere sake of having a terraced garden, There is a modern
castle in Scotland where the embankments are piled one above
another, till the whole looks as if Uncle Toby and a whole army of
Corporals had been carrying out his grandest scheme in forti-
fications. Were such an erection a matter of trifling cost, or one
which could be easily removed or even avoided, it would not be
worthy our attention; but being so expensive that it may curtail

Cuap. XIV.] THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 199

for years the legitimate outlay for a garden, and prevent ex-
penditure in living objects of the highest value, rather than in
slow crumbling monotony, too much cannot be urged against it.
The style is in doubtful taste in climates and positions more suited
to it than those of northern France and England; but he who
would adopt it in the present age, and in the presence of the in-
exhaustible and magnificent collections of trees and plants now
within our reach is an enemy to every true interest of the garden.

Versailles is one of the places in which the terraced garden
is least appropriate. At Rome, where the immediate environs,
unlike those of Naples, Genoa, and many other cities, are not
hilly, the fashionable resorts, such as Tivoli and Frascati, were of
a character to necessitate the terrace ; the rude stone wall of the
husbandman supporting a narrow slip of soil for his Olive-trees
or Vines became, in the ornamental garden of the wealthy Roman,
an architectural feature, varied by vases, statues, ete. It is
essential to bear in mind that the beauty of an Italian or
geometrical garden of any kind will depend on the predominance
of vegetation over the merely artificial. This may be said to be
true of all gardens, and so it is, no doubt; but it applies to the
terraced style more than to any other, inasmuch as it is in that
style that artificial features are most predominant. Terraced
gardens, allowing of an endless variety of architectural work,
apart from that of the house, have naturally been much in favour
with architects and artists who have taken up the profession of
landscape-gardener. The landscape-gardener proper, so to say,
impressed by “orthodox” custom, and not attempting to think
for himself, chimes in with the popular notion that every house,
in no matter what position, should be fortified by terraces.
Accordingly he busies himself in forming terrace-gardens, usually
on level ground, which is unsuitable for them. Hence it comes
that vast sums, ostensibly devoted to the garden, are spent on
waterworks, fountains, vases, statues, balustrades, walls, and
stucco-work. By the extensive use of such materials many a noble
lawn is cut up; and, sometimes, as at Witley Court, the archi-
tectural gardening is pushed so far into the park.as absolutely
to curtail and injure the prospect—that is, if the prospect of a
noble, well-wooded park or arboretum is better than that of a
posing-ground for the objects above enumerated. Many of the

200 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XIV.

houses before which we see these formidable arrays would them-
selves seem to require much further embellishment from the hand
of the artist-architect. Indeed, if the cost of the stone and stucco
ornament lavished on the garden, in many cases, were spent on
its legitimate object—the house, it could not fail to be a change
for the better, for architecture as well as gardening. The fact
is, the style is only worthy of serious adoption with us when the
ground favours it, as, to name an English example, at Shrubland.
There it is used, with a very pleasing effect, to lead from the house
down a steep bank to the pleasure-grounds below.

Nothing can be more pernicious for gardens than the too-
popular notion that the right plan is to place a terraced garden
on the best front of the house, no matter what the nature of the

of ial | aan {As f___\ ee
an aii weal _ ri ij Sanh i i
le Dood oN wel | SEA ace

E he |

Cl Dadntyd £7, we (3, Ry ad
aan re -

Terra-cotta Mania in Garden, Fortification Style: a Sketch in Suburbs of York.
Example of modern landscape-work, (From the ‘ Field.’)

ground ; the fact being that, where the ground is level, a finer
effect results from allowing the turf to sweep up to the walk in
front of the house than from an elaborate terrace, as may be seen
on the north side of Holland House, and at Cambridge House,
and in such gardens as Oak Lodge, where there is a very narrow
terrace. There is, in many cases, need for a formal walk, raised
or otherwise, and, it may be, for a small terrace—points which
will be governed in each case by the position, and sometimes by
the house itself; but, where the ground, as in most English
gardens, is level, there is no occasion for more than a grassy
foreground, which leaves us free to adopt everywhere a purely
artistic and natural style of gardening. In level town-gardens,
where the excuse of formal surroundings is used to justify

Cuap. XIV.] THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 201

stony style, it is also a mistake. The highest effect is to be
obtained, not by carrying architectural features into the usually
small town or city garden, but, by securing an absolute contrast
between the garden-vegetation and its unavoidable formal sur-
roundings. This contrast should be secured in such cases, not
by aiming at the sham picturesque with rocks, cascades, and
undulations of the ground, which would be too obviously artificial
in such a case, but mainly by the simple majesty of trees and the
charm of level turf. Thus it has been affirmed that none but an
Italian garden would have suited South Kensington. Well, we
had an elaborate garden designed there, and skilfully designed in
its way. The plan was carried out with the greatest care; the
planting, ete., was done by experienced men, yet the result, as
everybody knows, was unsatisfactory in the highest degree.
There are many private gardens in European cities, of a more
limited extent and with more formal surroundings, which are
beautiful in the highest sense, and as devoid of the aspects that
offend many in such a garden as that of South Kensington, as if
they were in some happy valley far away from the city.

Garden Statuary at Versailles.

One feature of the Versailles gardens deserving special comment
is the statuary. Notwithstanding the wealth of art thus
bestowed, it is rare, indeed, that a good effect is seen. On the
contrary, the result is often spotty and objectionable, as in the
Pincio, at Rome, where there is quite a regiment of new busts;
and at Caserta, where the clipped masses of shrubs have statues
laid against them at regular intervals. In the distance, that is
to say, in the landscape, such dotting about of statues and busts
is exceedingly offensive, because it prevents the vegetation from
expressing itself, so to speak. At a distance of a few hundred
yards or feet, the varied forms and hues of a variety of trees and
shrubs may be full of beauty, but a line of statues or busts and
pedestals ranged along its face, neutralises all good effect. Then,
again, in a real garden, there are, or there ought to be, many
living objects to invite the attention which a number of statues
or other artificial objects may distract. In the very multitude of

202 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIV.

statues and busts here there is weariness. One or two fine works,
isolated near or in a grove of evergreens, might be introduced
happily—the more so if the statue had any associations con-
necting it with the place; but it would be better to have such
works under cover. No one who witnesses the disfigurement
and decay of statues in the open air, here and elsewhere, can
doubt, that, for mere safety’s sake, all works of any value from an
artistic point of view should be under cover. If the works are of
no such merit, it is not wise so to place them that they continually

Statue on Terrace.—Vase from the Basin of Neptune.—Vase Borghese. (Hachette.)

interfere with the pleasant impressions one receives in a fair
garden. And if these things be true of the green tree, what shall
we say of the dry? How is it when Venus is leprous with lichen,
when Mars is armless, and when the lion has lost his tail? In
Italy, in the open air, in a drier climate than that of Versailles,
statuary is distinguished mainly by mouldiness. It is not only
the moist climates of the north and west that favour the small
spreading growths which so disfigure the forms wrought in marble.
Everywhere in Italy, from Genoa to Caserta, the statues that

Cuap. XIV.] THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 203

have been more than a year or two in the open air are half-covered
with a dirty blackish mould-like lichen, which adheres to them
as closely as if it were part of the marble itself. The result is
grotesque in nearly every garden where statues or busts are
seen ; the expression is distorted, or the form defaced, from half
its surface being obscured by an offensive blackish lichen. If
this would only grow equally over the whole surface, the statues
might be mistaken for those of a dusky race, but it persists in
growing in great flakes, now throwing black patches over Apollo,
and now bestowing on Psyche a discoloured nose. These facts
being considered, it will probably be admitted that marble
statues are best under cover; and that, in any case, a garden is
not the place for them. Another error worth noting is that of
placing large groups of sculpture in central positions. In this
case, all objections urged against statues hold good; but here
they are more offensive, inasmuch as they occupy the best positions,
and frequently destroy the precious quality known as “ repose”
in landscape-gardening.

Vases of fine design seem as profuse at Versailles as if the gold
and marble had been dug up on the spot, but, good in conception
and execution as many of them are, they are open to the same
objections as the statues; though, generally, when well designed
and properly placed they have a more legitimate use in the
garden. But if such vases as these do not, when too numerous
and unrelieved, fail to weary us, what chance can the wretched
vases, now so profusely scattered over our gardens, have of
satisfying ? In the group illustrated the artist has graced the
statuary with a few garlands of Ivy, and other shrubs—a liberty
which is never permitted in this garden. All who wish to
preserve a little quiet grace in their gardens, would do well to be
on their guard against the mistaken use of vases now made in
country-seats by certain “fashionable” landscape-gardeners.
Vases of terra-cotta and artificial stone, often of poor design, are
dotted about so thickly in situations unfitted for them as to
destroy all repose and good effect. There are many beautiful
gardens in which not one vase is seen, and many extensive ones
in which half-a-dozen would suffice. Where the nature of the
ground necessitates a terrace or a wall, the lines of these are better

a oa

for being broken by the graceful forms of vases. It is even then

204 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XIV.

well to be sparing in their use; but, where the nature of the
ground does not furnish opportunities for using them, to scatter
vases about profusely is one of the worst of blunders in landscape-
gardening. The effect reminds one of the Euston Road displays
of statuary-ware ; only in making the comparison, it is fair to

The Cok de at Versaill (Hachette.) One of the least offensive of the Stone-wor! Gardens
though, like the rest, rapidly decaying.

remember that the owners of these displays have a reason for
showing them which the country-gentleman cannot plead. In
the variety of advice that is offered, it is often difficult to decide
what is best, but one thing proprietors may be assured of, namely,
that an extensive display of terra-cotta and similar rubbish has
nothing to do with either good gardening or good art.

Cuar. XIV.) THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 205

The Orangery here, in a sunk garden to the south of the Palace
and the Parterre du Midi, is probably the most extensive known.
It is massively built in the face of a terrace, and is more than
thirteen hundred feet long by thirty-six wide. It is an
immense archway lighted at one side. The collection of Orange-
trees here is very large; but as we have already discussed this
unhappy phase of horticulture in the Tuileries gardens, little need
be said here. The trees are usually placed in the open air about
the 15th of May, and are taken under cover not later than the 15th
of October, so that they only enjoy the free air and sun for five
months out of the twelve. In addition to the Orange-trees, a few
other exotics are kept in this structure in winter, and submitted
to the same treatment as the Orange-trees at other seasons.
These are Justicia Adhatoda, Olea angustifolia, Jasminum
azoricum, and Edwardsia grandiflora. They seem to do re-
markably well under the treatment usually given to Orange-trees
on the Continent, and the Justicia and Jasminum, and perhaps
the others, are more worthy of being thus grown than the Orange,
since they display their fine flowers in the open air in summer,
and are less costly than when grown in stoves or conservatories.
The specimens of the Madeira Jasmine are very fine: the rich
green shoots drooping gracefully and bearing abundance of
flowers. The Justicia and others are said to flower abundantly
in their seasons. Considering the success which attends the
culture of the Oleander and the sweet-scented Pittosporum under
like circumstances, and even when preserved in cellars during the
winter, this would seem to point to the desirability of adopting this
system, or a modification of it. With us the nearest thing to it is
the practice of putting handsome evergreens in tubs for placing in
terrace-gardens, etc. But surely it is scarcely worth while doing
this with things that we see in every shrubbery! If we do go to
the expense of growing plants in boxes in the open air, it is
best to select those that will not bear the cold of our winters, but
which grow well out of doors in summer.

Few spots at Versailles will please more than the garden or
Bosquet du Roi, near the Orangery; and simply because the
artificial look, the stonework, and want of repose characterising
the greater part of Versailles, are here absent. It is a sweep of
grass, surrounded by handsome trees, with a few flower-beds and

206 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIV.

fine-leaved plants here and there. It is but one of many types
of garden-landscape which simple taste and a knowledge of hardy
trees and plants may produce. It well shows the unsatisfactory
character of the various far more costly gardens in the immediate
neighbourhood.

Another interesting spot is the Bosquet des Bains d’Apollon.
This is a large picturesque surface of rock, backed by trees and
having a pillared grotto or recess about its centre, containing a

Water-spout Gardening at Versailles, Fountains of the Basin of Neptune. (Hachette.)

large group in marble. The rocky banks in front are wildly
clothed with trailing shrubs, the Polypody densely mantles the
rocks, and the vegetation around is well arranged to suit the
-scene. It is not for its statuary we are interested in it, but for
the rich garlands of vegetation over its rocks. Sculpture has,
even in gardens, a very few noble uses, but not many will admire
these costly groups—at least, as part of any garden-scheme ;
though the Ivy and Polypody, trailing shrubs, rock and hardy
flowers, that fringe the grottoes, cover many blemishes,

Cuar. XIV.] THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 207

On the fountains and waterworks of Versailles as much or more
labour and wealth were lavished by their creators as were perhaps
ever before bestowed on such confectionery “ art.” The Bassin
de Neptune is the most important of these creations. As the
waters only play on special occasions, and cost about 400/. every
time they do play, one is justified in considering the basins in
their usual dormant aspect. Nothing can look more wretched
than any garden exhibiting large fountain-basins. The formality
of the surroundings, the mouldering faded margins, the in-
describable ugliness of the scenes near the great fountains here,
seem only worthy of some lifeless world of geometrical craters
and pools.

In landscape-gardening, and even in semi-architectural gar-
dening (if that combination may be called gardening at all),
nothing is more difficult and requires more care and artistic
judgment than the introduction of fountains, which, far more
often than otherwise, serve to spoil the combinations which they
are intended to embellish.

The Little Trianon at Versailles.

This is the true garden of Versailles. To enter the gardens of
pre Little Trianon, leaving the tortured trees and many inanities
of the large gardens at Versailles, is like escaping from a desert
into a flowery land. The trees are no longer paralysed, mutilated,
or starved, but healthy giants; they inspire one with awe and
admiration, while those we have just left give rise to pity and’

annoyance. The Pines of Europe attain here size and Sanity,

the tender leaflets are swarming out into the warm air, and many
trees are tasselled with catkins. The grass is long, green, and

leasant, and, bappily, walking on it is not_ “forbidden,” like

so many things in France. Housemaid-gardening has not yet

208 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIV.

deprived it of Cowslips and Ladies’-smocks, which abound in the
grass. When shall we cease to mow and mutilate the sweet flowers
that love to grow in the grass? It is sad to think of the eternal
shaving of lawns and slopes with the mowing-machine ; many of
these might be bright with lovely flowers in early spring. Many
flowers, natives of our own and other countries, would be happy in
the turf, which might be cut once or twice a year without injuring
their foliage. It is to be hoped we shall some day see a wisely-
modified use of the mowing-machine and the scythe. There are

Cottage in the Little Trianon.

many primly-shaven acres in pleasure-grounds from which flowers
might be gathered and grasses cut that are now shaved close every
fortnight. A carpet is pleasant to the feet, but we do not want
carpets everywhere. Pictures, for example, are better still, and
these in gardens may be on the grass.

It is a common belief with French people that the climate and
soil of Paris are unfavourable to trees. They speak of England
as the land of “fine trees.” No wonder this is so, considering
the mutilation and overcrowding of trees around Paris. Five
minutes in the Little Trianon prove that trees grow as well there
as in any country. Here, in this “English garden,” the trees

Cuap. XIV.] THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 209

were not ruined by being crowded together in close lines or
tortured by clipping. They are too thickly planted in parts, but
this did not prevent them becoming tall and noble trees. Indeed,
of many rare trees finer examples could not be found. Those who
plant with a hope that the trees may survive themselves in

Streantiet in the Little Trianon (Spring).

time, or may excel in beauty or dignity, should plant so that
overcrowding can never injure them. It does injure nine out of
ten of every kind of tree now planted for ornament.
There is one feature in the gardens of the Little Trianon—a
P

210 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIV.

little building overgrown with Ivy and deeply embosomed among
noble trees—which is so picturesque that it matters little
whether it be a reality or a sham, for it is undoubtedly a charming
object; so muchso, that few will care to be told that it was originally
built as a real dairy. One cannot wonder that Charles X., when
driven from his throne by the revolution of a single day, lingered
a few hours in the gardens of the Little Trianon, recalling sweet
and bitter memories, before hastening to the frontier and quitting
France for ever.

The young trees planted by Marie Antoinette, and those
previously established during the reign of Louis XV., are now

The Gardener's House in the Little Trianon.

venerable with age, and, during the summer and autumn, throw
the greater part of this pleasure-garden into a soft and pleasing
half-light, which greatly adds to its charm. Jussieu has left his
landmarks in the garden of the Little Trianon, in the rare and
beautiful trees that still flourish there, most of them (planted in
1764) being now in their prime, and some of them the finest
specimens known of their kind. The Weymouth Pine, for
instance, and a great variety of American Oaks are very
remarkable, while a Willow-leaved Oak (Quercus salicifolia) has
attained a height of above ninety feet. There is also a superb
Planera, besides many other fine trees.

Cuap. XIV.] THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 211

Those who have spent any time in the extensive solitudes of
geometry at Versailles, and have been happy enough afterwards
to cool their eyes among the rare trees and choice variety of plants
of what is called the “Fleuriste,” will probably preserve an
agreeable souvenir of the spot. It is a little garden cut off from
the rest of the Little Trianon grounds, and, like all charming
gardens, remarkable by not being “laid out,” in the usual sense
of the word. Grass, trees, choice plants, a house and walls

Orangery in the Little Trianon, wreathed with Wistaria in flower.

clad with climbing plants form the elements; the resulting
charm is indescribable. It is only a gardener’s garden, but if
kings were born to wisdom they would prefer it to the stony
solitudes generally spread around their homes by thoughtless
“Jandscape-architects.” For botanists and all lovers of horticulture
this garden has much interest, the collection of Rhododendrons
and Azaleas being rich, as well as that of other American shrubs.
There are also some remarkable trees in this part of the grounds,

among them a grand Pyramidal Oak, a Montezuma Pine, and a
p 2

212 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIV.

Pinus Lambertiana, which last is so vigorous that it promises
rapidly to attain its native growth of one hundred feet or upwards.
Fine effects are seen in this garden in spring, afforded by a
number of fine old specimens of the early Magnolias in blossom.
They stand up boldly out of low clumps of American and like
shrubs. The contrast between two such dissimilar types of
vegetation tells well; the flowering-trees are seen to advantage,
and the masses of low evergreens relieved. In summer there are

French-garden Side of the Little Trianon.

groups of Arundo and Pampas-grass, Tamarix, masses of Cannas,
New Zealand Flax, and many other handsome tender plants
placed out of doors. These are usually gracefully arranged, and
there is plenty of turf as well as flowers. At one end there is the
gardener’s house, at the other the Wistaria-wreathed Orangery,
both here shown. The side walls connecting these two are
covered with many beautiful shrubs that benefit by their shelter.

A series of villanous clipped trees and hedges, mutilated and

Cuar. XIV.) THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 213

suffering from repression and overcrowding, is seen on one side of
the palace here. This monstrosity arose from the childish desire
to represent various kinds of gardens, a desire which still prevails
among us to some extent. Instead of using our knowledge to
express all the beauty possible in gardens, and in many ways,
some have offered us in the name of landscape-gardening a patch-
work composed of a variety of barbarisms. Having exhausted

Se ZN
EN.
+2 BASEN

View on the English-garden Side of the Little Trianon.

the watery fancies (or misfortunes) of the Dutch, dug up scroll-
gardens of gravel from old books, shaved the branches of trees
into dismal uniformity, they have gone even as far as China for
models. There is po example of a garden where this patchwork-
system has any but a harmful effect. Let us leave such gardening
in books. There it always looks better than in fact. Artists are
generous in touches that make ugly things graceful. We do not
make the garden more varied by such practices. They simply

214 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XIV.

spoil ground that might be used in a beautiful manner. Given
the largest and most varied garden in Europe, it would be easy
to suggest a hundred beautiful aspects of vegetation not illustrated
in it. Therefore it is a mistake in all ways to illustrate in our
own day the gardening of the past, even on a small scale. .

The aspect of the French-garden side of the Little Trianon
Palace may to our advantage be compared with what is called
the English-garden side. This side of the Little Trianon well
shows the superiority of simplicity and a carpet of grass, as com-
pared with the very different materials often seen before houses.
There are some noble trees among those on the little lawn,

notably a very fine spreading Sophora. The open glade of grass
allows the forms of the trees to be seen and enjoyed, and the
effect is very good. The grass is somewhat rougher and more
tossed in appearance than it is in fact, but that must be laid to
the charge of the artist—artists not liking shaven surfaces.
There is very little artificial rock in the Little Trianon, and
that little is constructed so as to be useless for plants. There are
however several small rocky bridges, with shrubs trained over
them. Such might be made with advantage in gardens with
running water. They could readily be formed so that water-side
and Alpine plants and rock-shrubs might be well grown on and near

An Avenue of old Lombardy Poplars at Versailles (near the Little Trianon).

216 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIV.

them. The water is the worst feature here. A wide ditch trails
through the grounds near the house, and prevents it from being
seen to advantage from one side. By the same means the lawn
is cut up and destroyed. Needless bridges are of course an
accompaniment to needless water. The pond in front of the
cottages, etc., would have been enough here, and one brooklet
trickling through the grass. The scene however is scarcely wide
enough for the successful use of water, except in the form of a
streamlet. From any point of view the pond approaches too
near the cottage. In many parts the effect of the water is
spoiled by rounded margins. This is most
noticeable where the water is dragged about in
a ditch-like manner near the palace.

The gardens of the Grand Trianon near these
are part of the series of gardens at Versailles,
and very instructive from the point of view of
garden-design. They are, perhaps, the most
repulsive of all the gardens of the same school
yet made. Many other gardens have something
to distract attention from the puerile or barba-
rous nature of their plan, but here the geometry
stares at us naked as a prison-wall. They are
in a position not demanding a geometrical garden

: at all, being an adjunct to a pretty little palace,

A Shorn Tree “ideal” gityate on level ground. The illustration on p.

LP padlation he 24 gives a feeble idea of one of the dismal pro-

hdouy “""* spects which meet the eye of the visitor wan-

dering through the grounds in search of objects

of interest or beauty. According to the books, this is a legitimate

phase of garden-design—* very well in its place.” But the art

to which it belongs is that of destroying all beauty, or possibility
of beauty, in a spot specially intended by man for his delight.

In speaking of Versailles, it is impossible not to consider the
way trees in the streets of that town are mutilated. A huge’
ladder, reminding one of the shrouds of a ship, is moved along on
wheels, and from the top of this a man, armed with a very
long-handled bill-hook, slashes away at the trees. It would be
difficult to find a more striking example of labour worse than
thrown away than that bestowed on clipping trees in France.

= Ber Binee*

Among the Trees, Little Trianon (Spring).

Cuap. XIV.] THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 219

Not only are the trees themselves robbed of all individual beauty
or character, but many places are spoiled by their presence.
Frequently the trees become hideous from disease consequent
upon mutilation; and what they are in “ perfection” may be
seen by the accompanying “ model” tree figured (see p. 216) in
one of the best French books on arboriculture.

No necessity for this clipping exists. When trees are planted
in close lines to form a shady avenue, their natural tendency is
to form a beautiful and, though formal, picturesque arch, so that
clipping them to obtain this is a futile barbarism. Do we want
to prevent them spreading forth and filling the streets with their
great wide heads? If so, we may select trees almost pillar-like
in their habit, as the Lombardy Poplar, the fastigiate Acacia, and
various trees of similar habit. Do we require them flat-headed
and low, so that while shading the hot street they may not
darken all the windows? If so, we have the Paulownia, of great
shading power, and fine as a street-tree on dry soil, without a
disposition to mount much higher than the mutilated Limes so
commonly seen. There are also the excellent Catalpa and the
common and round-headed Acacias, which do not rise higher
naturally than the tortured trees. No lover of trees or gardens
will regret that this miserable practice is now nearly discontinued
with us. We have our walls and pillars, and pyramids of verdure,
but happily the branchlets that form them know not the shears.
We may, indeed, yet see for ourselves, in the few places where
clipping and shearing are still carried on, how wretched is the effect.
In the case of a very old garden, where this system was in fashion
many years ago, it is permissible perhaps to continue the old idea
in our own time, but it is surely absurd to permit a trace of it in
modern gardens. Apart from the question of taste, or rather of
our right to deform beautiful natural objects, there is to be con-
sidered the great amount of not unskilled labour necessary to
carry out this absurd practice.

As if to contrast with all these decrepit avenues and monstrous
achievements of the bill-hook, there is a grand avenue of old
and very tall Lombardy Poplars near the gardens of the Little
Trianon, an illustration of which, here given, shows how we may
have, at least, noble walls of verdure without clipping or
mutilating one leaf or shoot. It will also serve to show how

4

o _

y
Ih

In the Little Trianon (Summer).

Cuap. XIV.) THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES. 221

desirable it is, in order to concentrate the effect and to obtain
character, that at certain places in the landscape and certain
streets in the town, one particular tree should predominate.
How pleasantly our imagination is stirred by the mention of the
Horse-chestnuts at Bushey Park, the Linden-trees of Berlin, and
the Elms of Windsor! Iam quoting the words of a correspondent
who has paid much attention to trees from an ssthetic point of
view :—‘ Great beauty is obtained by the disposition of trees in
an avenue, the essential character of which is that it should be
composed of single species. In no way are trees displayed to
better advantage; they gain character by their fellowship, and
the attention is at once arrested by the uniformity, which, if it
were not confined to certain limited parts of the ground, would
become intolerable. The well-ordered ranks of stately Poplars,
composing the avenue depicted in the woodcut, give a striking
and unique effect to a flat and otherwise featureless piece of
ground. Their grandeur and formality impose upon the imagi-
nation in a way which would be quite absent if the road
were bordered by ordinary masses of mixed planting, or by
isolated groups ; but the effect to be produced by an avenue such
as this should be strictly localised. The contrast should be
sharply defined between the formal lines of stately trees and the
open park or gloomy, tangled wood. Another principle not to
be lost sight of is that there should be an object—not necessarily
visible—at either end of the avenue. Let it not be purposeless,
or half the sentiment is lost. In a town, let the avenue lead to
the river, the cathedral, or the central square,—then the object of
the formality will be obvious.”

222 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cnap. XV.

CHAPTER XV.

WINTER GARDENS.

Turre are few things more worthy of the attention of those
interested in indoor-gardening in this country than the mode of
embellishing conservatories and winter-gardens which is some-
times seen in France, Belgium, and Russia. Winter-gardens in
these countries are usually verdant at all times, being filled
with handsome exotic evergreens, planted and arranged so as to
present the appearance of a small garden of luxuriant vegetation,
and not that of the glass shed filled with red pots and prim plants.
We build more glass houses than any other nation, but have as yet
nearly everything to learn as to the arrangement of the most
important of them, or what is usually called the conservatory.
This in some form is an adjunct to a large class of country and
suburban houses; sometimes it is well placed and an ornament to
the house, but more frequently a thing which would seem better
placed among the out-offices. As regards the form and style of
building little need be said, as the improvement required seems
so obvious. When conservatories are built near the house they
should always present a somewhat permanent and architectural
character. This is desirable for several reasons, chiefly the
propriety of having a presentable and lasting structure in such an
important position, and the fact that plants in bloom show to
greater advantage in a subdued light than in that of the ordinary
greenhouse. Those who remember the effect of the flowers under
the thick canvas of the great flower-show tent in the Regent’s Park,
as compared with the aspect of the same plants in a well-lighted
conservatory, will at once appreciate the truth of this. It should
also be borne in mind that plants worthy of culture for their leaf-

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 223

beauty alone always associate well with substantial surroundings.
But the most important improvement to be effected is in the con-
tents of conservatories. They will never be truly enjoyable until
we display in them beauty of form. The aspect of most con-
servatories throughout the country is paltry in the extreme, except
perhaps when the flush of flower in early summer diverts at-
tention from the faults of a structure so little conservative of the
elegant forms which make the vegetable world so attractive. As
in many instances these structures stare point-blank at the
living-rooms of the house, it is clearly desirable to make them
presentable. Small subjects, from the Cineraria to the Azalea, may
please the enthusiastic amateur, but plants are capable of inter-
esting everybody and not the specialist only. So much however
cannot be hoped for the conservatory until a nobler type of
vegetation is not only represented but predominates. Flowers of
a similar type to the popular ones mentioned abound in our
gardens during summer; there is therefore no necessity for
giving them prominence indoors: while on the other hand, those
tropical and semitropical aspects of vegetation which we can never
see in the open air in this country, may be obtained under glass
without difficulty. The temperature of conservatories generally is
sufficient to develop as rich a type of vegetation as the hottest
stove, and without its heat and moisture. The grandest of all the
Banana tribe (Musa Ensete) thrives in a cool house, and so do the
Palmetto Palm of the Southern States of America, the Fan Palm
of Europe, Chamerops excelsa, the graceful Seaforthia elegans,
and many other Palms. Nothing even among Palms can surpass
the effective grace of many Dracenas, and they all grow well in the
cool temperature of the winter-garden. Numerous Ferns, from
those great Dicksonias which at the Antipodes rival or surpass
the Palms in grace, to the Woodwardias, which spread forth
such great fronds, grow under such conditions without trouble
compared to that required by commoner and smaller plants. It
is not only the Palms, Cycads, Tree-ferns, Draczenas, and fine-
leaved plants generally which thrive throughout the year in a
cool temperature, that we may enjoy therein ; nearly all similar
plants that flourish in stoves would well bear introduction to the
cool conservatory or winter-garden after their spring and early
summer growth has been matured. Left there during the

224 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XV.

hottest months, they would be more appreciated than if in a hot
stove, and they could be taken back to their winter-quarters in
early autumn.

But perhaps the best plea in favour of the fine-leaved plants
that can be urged is that they enhance the beauty of the ordinary
flowering-subjects in a remarkable degree. By their aid a few
flowers will suffice to produce a more beautiful effect than
was ever obtained by the abundant use of the blooming plants
alone. This ig important, and particularly in winter, when
flowers are scarce. In winter, too, the aspect of houses arranged
on the system advocated is quite as good as in summer, and more
grateful from its contrast with the surrounding dreariness. A
correspondent of the ‘ Field’ writes as follows to that journal :—
“This subject has long been engaging my attention. Every
suburban villa boasts nowadays of its so-called conservatory ;
but whether such adjuncts are ornaments is most questionable.
In nine cases out of ten, I affirm, they are far from ornamental,
whether viewed from the inside or the outside, and it is a wonder
to me that people consent to have these ill-shapen, ill-adapted
greenhouses stuck on to their residences. Anyone visiting the
villas built within twelve or fifteen miles of London must have
noticed the conservatories, so named, attached to the houses. I
ask, are they even sightly ?

“But there is a point I wish to insist upon much more than
upon the external; it is the arrangement of the plants inside.
What do we find as a general rule? Long lines of white stages
with sickly, leggy plants in pots all round the house! If people
could all hire efficient gardeners, the thing would be different ;
the conservatory might then be filled with well-grown plants and
specimen shrubs. It is needless to say that the gardener could
do but little with only one house; what I want to point out is
the advantage to be derived from a totally different arrangement
of the house. For goodness’ sake get rid of all those weakly,
insect-infected Cinerarias, Primulas, Geraniums, and others, and
plant in borders round the house plants and shrubs alike easy of
cultivation and beautiful.

“ What I am aiming at is a graceful and novel kind of ‘shrubbery ’
adjoining the house, rather than a house full of pots. Why not
make round the house rich borders of the same width usually

WINTER GARDEN ARRANGED IN PICTURESQUE MANNER.

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 225

devoted to these unartistic stages, and plant Camellias, Ficus,
and other such things ?

“The aspect of these houses is equally beautiful in summer and
in winter. This is the most thorough praise that can be given to
the system. In St. Petersburg, where the climate is intensely
rigorous, conservatories are even more appreciated than here at
home. When people cannot afford these, you will find their
rooms crowded with plants of the Palm tribe and numerous
creepers, which thrive well all the winter; and it must be
remembered that the windows are not opened from October till
April. In the conservatories of the wealthy what do we see? A
shrubbery—a maze of luxuriant foliage. It matters not whether
there be 50 degrees or 60 degrees of frost: the promenade round
the greenhouse—truly a greenhouse—is always agreeable, always
charming. No words of mine could give you a true idea of the
beauty of these places, nor of their utility to those deprived of
plants and trees for six months in the year. One requires to see
these plant-houses thoroughly to appreciate them.

“Some may object that they are more suited to Russia than to
our country. Notso. Is it not a melancholy exhibition to see
our conservatories naked, nearly destitute of bloom, during
December and January, and equally disheartening to see them
full of flowers only when the gardens are becoming gay? Depend
upon it, what we want, and what will some day be the cry, is an
agreeable promenade attached to the house—not a swarm of little
plants in pots, which none but the gardener can name or appreciate.
Then, again, look at the simplicity of the cultivation of the
plants whose cause I advocate. Plant them fairly in the border,
and they will always thrive. Azaleas, Geraniums, etc., are con
stantly requiring to be smoked or otherwise attended to. Are you
to take them outside, or into another house, each time they require
such attention ? If not, and the conservatory adjoins the drawing-
room, there will not unfrequently be a decidedly unpleasant
aroma there. I could go on to show other advantages connected
with the system I am endeavouring to put forward; I could
attempt a description of the plant-house of the banker, Outchine,
at St. Petersburg; but I feel I have already said enough. To
my thinking, it is, however, an important topic, and I hope to
live to see more interest taken in the beauty of the conservatory,

Q

226 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cnap. XV.

of its tout.ensemble, and less of the rarity of the plants and
flowers.”

To any person with a knowledge of what the beauty of vegetation
really is, there can be no doubt of the correctness of these views.
The rule therefore in the conservatory or winter-garden should be
to use plants of fine foliage or stately habit. Plant them in beds or
borders ; grow them in pots or boxes; the means, size, and require-
ments of the place must determine on what scale the thing may
be carried out. In some degree the effect desired may be produced
in the smallest greenhouse. In planting out, select things that
continue graceful during the whole course of their lives. Do not
plant subjects which, like Acacias, run up to the roof rapidly and
only bloom for a week or two in spring, presenting no attraction
for the rest of the year. A great many greenhouse plants grow
like these, but if we plant out a Palm like one of the hardier
Fan-palms, or a plant like the New Zealand Flax or the superb
Musa Ensete, they are in perfection at all seasons. Every
conservatory should possess, in proportion to its size, a certain
number of green and~ graceful plants, or those distinguished by
some peculiar beauty of habit, which are ready at all times for
fresh combinations, and look as well in mid-winter as in June.
Without these we cannot succeed in the successful arrangement
of a conservatory at all seasons without great expense, or even
with it. What are flowers unless set in the graceful green
among which we find them nestling in a wild state? By the
selection of a great number of things which flower profusely—
so profusely as to hide the leaves in many instances, the cultivator
has often contrived to conceal leaf-beauty. Nature is bountiful in
the production of leaves, and in the widest spread of Heath over a
mountain, in the densest mass of Bluebells in a wood, or in any
natural display of bloom whatever, we find the mass toned down
by pointed leaves, and in the case of the spreading Heather by
a fringe of Polypody, or even the cushion of mountain-moss.
Everywhere Nature sets her flowers in clouds of refreshing
verdure, and they err who merely cultivate dense flowering
subjects, and do not take care to relieve them with others
possessed of grace, and beauty of form. The continental plan
of divesting the interior of the conservatory of all formality is
well worthy of imitation by us. Usually an attempt to create

Cuar. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 927

a picturesque scene in some small spot with formal surroundings
has a ridiculous ending; but in consequence of the luxuriant
growth of many plants that flourish in the temperate greenhouse,
it is possible effectually to hide almost every trace of the
building in a few years. With little lawns made of Lycopodium
denticulatum, tiny winding streamlets bordered with New Zealand
Flax and graceful Grasses, Ferns, and the like; groups of Tree-
ferns, Camellias, and Palms, and a plant of the great Musa
Ensete, some winter-gardens are made really worthy of the name,
and quite as charming as small wild gardens in those sub-tropical
climes most favourable to vegetation. Whether the natural
system of arrangement be adopted or not, every attempt should
be made to soften the lines of the building and to shroud the
spot with foliage.

For the following article on the arrangement of a winter-garden
in the natural style, Iam indebted to M. E. André of Paris, who
has had much experience in these matters. “In England, where
amateur gardening is so highly developed, and where more
attention is concentrated upon the beauty of individual plants
than upon general effect, next to nothing has been done towards a
‘picturesque style in conservatories. Even the largest establish-
ments leave much to be desired in this respect. Of course, in a
mercantile or a small private establishment where the plants are
either frequently removed or where they are awaiting sale, they
will be arranged for convenience, like the bottles in a chemist’s
shop. But it is surprising that in planting the glass palaces of
the rich, such as we find at Sion House, or spacious Palm-houses,
like that of Kew, so little regard has been paid to general effect.
The cause is simply this, that cultivation has alone been
considered in England and in most European countries, and
that the knowledge of plants has hitherto been limited to
experimental culture. Gardeners have ignored the teachings
of plant-distribution. Information on this subject can usually
only be gained by studying the narratives of travellers, and
these, unfortunately, are often incomplete and uninstructive on
this point.

To supply in some measure this defect, we shall attempt to
show how a winter-garden in the picturesque style should be
treated. Before doing so, however, we should mention that there

Q 2

228 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XV.

are some notable exceptions to the monotonous repetitions which
we deplore. In Mr. Llewellyn’s garden at Penllergare, in
Wales, might have been seen a few years ago an orchid-house
aquarium where lovely denizens of the tropics were planted in the
admirable disorder which they present in their native forests.
True, it was only on a small scale, but the effect produced was
most pleasing. Again, at Paris, in the Garden of Acclimatisation
in the Bois de Boulogne, is a large house, which is planted in an
attractive manner, representing a tropical scene, with rockwork,
a cascade falling into a pool, and a rivulet meandering through
a~valley of Selaginellas. There would be little difficulty in
beautifying in like manner the Palm-house at Kew, the large
pavilion of the Museum at Paris, the Horticultural Society’s fine
conservatory at South Kensington, a portion of the Crystal
Palace at Sydenham, the large houses at Sion and Chatsworth, etc.

When in Belgium last year I visited the seat of M. Varocqué,
at Mariemont, where a new winter-garden, between fifty and sixty
feet high, had been erected on the site of an old Orangery, in
which a Belgian landscape-architect of some note (M. Fuchs) had
essayed to introduce the style I advocate. Magnificent Palms,
Tree-ferns, Cycads, etc., form the principal features in this large
building, with an undulating carpet of Selaginellas beneath them.
Immediately facing the grand entrance door was an artistic group
of rockwork flanked by a miniature basin, and planted with
evident care. But, in our opinion, the result was not commen-
surate with the pains bestowed. The walks are too winding, the
surface too uneven, the rockery too imposing to appear natural,
and the plantations confused, the sides being naked, and the
centre excessively dense. The artist aimed at the picturesque,
but he has failed to produce it in consequence of too great pro-
fusion, to the detriment of the general effect and the loss of
harmony in the details. We cite thisexample to show that it
is easy to err in carrying out the best.of ideas, and that exaggera-
tion in the intended natural style is more to be deprecated than
crowding in the unmitigated uniformity of houses with stages and
benches. Even in winter-gardens where the aim has been to
produce picturesque effect, there is always something in the
structure to remind us of the artificial surroundings. Thus,
walks are indispensable, and they should be of sufficient breadth

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 229

to admit of free and agreeable promenading. ‘To try to imitate
the forests of Brazil by compelling the spectator to scramble over
the rotten remains of trunks of fallen trees, rough stones, and
withered Fern-fronds, would be the height of absurdity. And those
interminable tortuous walks are equally opposed to good taste,
with the rectangular paths which remind us of the system and
order of a purely botanic garden. There is a happy medium to
be studied.

An outer circular or slightly devious walk near the well-
clothed side-walls or tights should surround the central area,
where the eye rests upon choice specimens standing out distinctly
upon a carpeting of Selaginella denticulata, trailing Commelynacer,
Lippia repens, Tradescantia, and other plants which readily form
a close and compact verdure. The space between the walks and
the walls should be filled with dense masses of foliage effectually
concealing the stems of the plants, and rising gradually from the
walk outwards; and the centre should show isolated trees and
little groups upon an open lawn of creeping-plants. The detached
specimens must not be planted indiscriminately in the central
area, which is surrounded and intersected by the walks. They
should be grouped in combinations or planted singly, according
to size and foliage, aid in such a way that the view between their
trunks is uninterrupted; and at the same time their heads should
harmonise together in colouring and outline.

A ground-plan of our ideal winter-garden is given in this
chapter with numbers indicating the positions for the plants
enumerated as suitable,

Instead of undulating the surface in an infinity of insignificant
hillocks, as in M. Varocqué’s winter-garden, we recommend
limiting it to two intercepting dells. A longitudinal one from
the rockery, terminated by a bower, under which are placed a
table and seats, and ending, at the side-entrance, in a single
hollow, of which the pool or basin is the lowest point. From this
pool to the flower-bed No. 94, the ground rises slightly, and the
cross walk curves towards the middle in agreement with the
lower ground. The boundary walk is of the same level throughout,
except towards the rockery, where it rises and terminates in four
or five rustic stone steps leading to the alcove. The beds Nos. 94,
123, and 167, should be elevated about two feet above the

230 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XV.

walk; and each of the isolated trees should be planted on a very
gently rising mound of earth, with the exception of the groups
on either side of the rockwork, which are on an abrupt slope,
and the large clump on each side of the bed No. 94, which
should be raised about nine inches above the walk and gradually
sloped off.

_Let us now proceed to enter into the planting, which is cer-
tainly the most important part of winter-gardening. This may
be considered from several points of view, according to the class
of house, whether cold, temperate, or hot, or for orchids or an
aquarium. For the present we will content ourselves with
treating of a warm temperate winter-garden with a mean
temperature of from 65° to 68° Fahr., in which we could place
Palms and similar house-plants that would thrive all the better
for the increased warmth. Previous to planting, due care must
be given to the drainage and the composition and preparation of
the soil. As bottom-heat is the main thing to produce luxuriant
vegetation in plants, it is important that .the hot-water pipes
should be properly arranged and covered with flag-stones to
prevent the plants on the walls from being scorched, instead of
being around the outside, and exposed, as usually is the case. If
uncovered pipes are considered absolutely essential along the base
of the walls, a brick or other partition of some sort should be
placed between them and the plants, to prevent too great an
accession of direct heat from the pipes. Buta still better method
is to conduct the heat through underground brick channels to
points with open gratings in the walks to allow the heat to rise.
The soil, well drained at the bottom, and crossed here and there
by the pipes we have mentioned, will be warmer and will encourage
the luxuriant growth desired around the walls of the house. A
good drainage of broken bricks and mortar rubbish will suffice for
the subsoil, leaving a depth of about three feet for the mould in-
tended for the plants. Two drains should run below this through
the house, with an outlet to carry off the surplus water. The
composition of the soil may be varied according to the class of
plants it is intended for. But, as a general rule, for strong
growing plants and large Palms it will be found advantageous to
prepare the mass in the following manner :—Upon the layer of
broken bricks and mortar rubbish should be placed a layer of

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 231

reversed turves about eighteen inches thick, and upon that a
second formed of—

Stiff loam - - - - - - 3 parts,

Ordinary garden soil - - - = 8 4

River, or white sand - - Di ox

Coarse pieces of earth and brickbats - Sa Geers

Leaf-mould - - - ~ - 1 yg
10

Mix this well together and apply it about a foot thick. Then for
the surface add a layer of about five or six inches thick of peat, loam,
and leaf-mould from hedgerows, or rotten Willow, Oak, or Chestnut
trunks, if attainable, with a tenth part of sand. The peat should
be but slightly broken up and the roots left in it. Prepared in
this way, it will be ready to receive the Selaginella, which will
thrive admirably in it and speedily clothe it with verdure.

It will be understood that these three layers, forming a total
thickness of three feet, will not be of uniform thickness all through
the house, because the surface will be undulated. The measure-
ment of one yard is merely given as a basis or unit, for the total
depth of subsoil in different parts of the house will vary, having,
for instance, a depth of only eighteen inches near the basin in the
centre of the little lawn, and from four to five feet for the clumps
abutting on the flower-bed No. 94. But the top-dressing will be
equal all over. The majority of large tropical plants can be
grown in such a compost. Those which may require special
treatment may be potted in suitable soil and plunged deep enough
to conceal them, and allow the Selaginella to spread over their
surface. Liquid manure, if used with moderation and judgment,
will accelerate the growth of most plants, including Ferns. So
much for the preparations for planting. But the key of the
question, the secret of success, depends above all upon the choosing
and grouping of the plants. This selection may vary to infinity,
such are the riches of exotic flowers at our command. It is
difficult to lay down rules on the mode of arranging plants
according to the colour and character of their foliage. We may,
however, remark that in houses, no matter how splendidly con-
structed, the effects of uniformity are bad, and that masses of one

-gpecies or of one genus of plants should be avoided. The harmony

232 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XV.

and grandeur of unity in composition, attained with difficulty
even in large parks, is here impossible. The object to be sought,
then, is contrast in the foliage and habit of the plants employed.
Two species of massive foliage, for example, should not stand side
by side, such as a Musa and a Ravenala, or a Coccoloba pubescens
and a Theophrasta. But a large tuft of a Strelitzia beneath the
shade of a Cocos plumosa is very effective, and a fine contrast is
presented to the eye by backing up the grand foliage and yellow
spikes of Hedychium Gardnerianum with clumps of Ferns,
Bamboos, or feathery Conifers. The rigid foliage of Rhododendrons
and Camellias should be excluded, these beautiful plants being re-
served for a separate house, where they will better display their
charms in a collection.

In dense masses of foliage, like those adjoining the rockery in
our plan, the arrangement should be in gradual rising ranks,
thick, heavy foliage forming the basis, surmounted by lighter and
more graceful forms of Palms and Tree-ferns, whose slender-plumed
columns break through the sombre undergrowth. The use of
ordinary flowering-plants should be limited to the borders and
special beds for them, with the exception of here and there one on
the rockwork. We mean such plants as are grown in pots in
special houses and taken to the winter-garden for temporary
decoration, as—Primulas, Cyclamens, Tulips, Hyacinths, Heaths,
Crocuses, etc.

The side-walls, or sashes, should be provided with wire trellis-
work or wooden lattice-work against a dead wall, to support
climbing-plants all round the house. For covering the surface of
the soil nothing is better than Selaginella denticulata; and this
should be planted or re-planted in autumn, or in spring, as the
dry heat of summer is unfavourable to it. Small fragments, about
three inches long, planted four or five inches apart, will soon
cover the ground. Above all a good system of shading must be
ensured to protect the plants from the direct rays of the sun in
summer. The paths may be formed of gravel, and they are best
edged with half-plunged portions of rugged stone. The con-
struction of the rockery should be of the simplest kind, composed
of a few stones naturally disposed and projecting slightly from the
earth so as to be discovered rather than seen. Monumental rock-
work should be avoided, and, above all, reject the so-called pretty

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 233

stones. Geological or mineralogical toys may be all very well in
the cabinets of the learned, but they are altogether out of place in
a garden where the object is to show us plants in their native
beauty. If a small pond be added to the rockwork, it should
neither be absolutely round nor sinuous.

In order to secure a warm, humid atmosphere, so essential to
the well-being of plants, we recommend having the pipe that
feeds the cascade and replenishes the basins made so as to pass
through the boiler, which will sufficiently heat the water in its
transit to cause it to give off a portion by evaporation when dis-
charged. In this way the atmosphere will be charged with

Section of a Conservatory arranged in the Natural Style.

moisture, to the improvement of the health of the plants. As
regards choice of plants, as has already been observed, it may be
varied indefinitely. These arrangements are, of course, applicable to
a far larger structure than the one under consideration. In fact
the design is open to modification or expansion almost unlimited.

Distribution of the Plants.

Perennial climbing-plants for placing alongside walls, or for
covering supporting columns, may consist of,—
(1) Aristolochia cordifolia, which is very vigorous, and has

234. THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XV.

large leaves and enormous flowers; (3) Thunbergia Harrisi,
moderately vigorous, flowers numerous ; (7) Ipomea Horsfalliz ;
(9) Tecoma stans, which has pinnate leaves and pretty flowers ;
(12 and 18) Plumbago capensis ; (17) Hoya carnosa; (19) Smilax
marmorea, leaves marbled with white; (21) 8. macrophylla
maculata; (23 and 25) S. marmorea; (27) Hoya imperialis, a
vigorous kind, bearing corymbs of rich brown flowers ; (28) Stepha-
notis floribunda; (30) Passiflora Decaisneana, a species with
large foliage, and large rose and violet flowers; (31) Quisqualis
indica; (83) Tacsonia Van Volxemii ; (86) Aristolochia leuconeura;
(37) Hexacentris mysorensis; (41) Centrostemma multiflorum ;
(44) Passiflora carmesina; (45) Aristolochia clypeata; (49) Tac-
sonia mollissima; (53) Quisqualis pubescens; (54) Passiflora
trifasciata; (58) Meyenia erecta; (60) Thunbergia laurifolia ;
(62) Passiflora Buchanani, and (63) P. marmorea, two pretty,
vigorous species; (65) Bougainvillea lateritia; (68) Aristolochia
gigas; (71) Bignonia incarnata; (72) Tropeolum Lobbianum ;
(74) Allamanda nobilis ; (77) Clerodendron Thomsone ; (80) Cissus
discolor.

Entering the principal doorway of the house and bearing to
the left, near No. 1, we shall come to the outer border of which we
have spoken, which should mainly be filled with strong-growing
fine-foliaged plants. Nothing will prevent these from being in-
creased and renewed as often as we please. These plants being
grouped according to size, the larger ones behind may consist of
the following species, viz :—

Amomum grana-paradisi, Andropogon squarrosum, Panicum
plicatum, Fuchsias, Aspidistra, Dracenas, Begonias, Cyperus,
Eugenia, various free-growing tufted Ferns, Ficus elastica, Aralia
and Oreopanax, Hedychium coronarium, and H. gardnerianum,
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Heterocentrum, Hematoxylon campe-
chianum, Imantophyllum Aitoni, Laurus Camphora, Plumbago
coccinea, Poinsettia pulcherrima, Rogieras, Sparmannia africana,
Xylophylla latifolia, Abutilons, Allamanda neriifolia, Pipers and
Macropipers, Begonias, Centradenia grandifolia, Francisceas,
Gardenias, Hebeclinium ianthinum, Siphocampylus (bicolor and
fulgens), Iresine Herbsti, Amorphophallus, Hibiscus liliiflorus,
and Marantas, ete.

Above this groundwork of foliage and flowers the following
species, with taller stems and stronger habits, may rise :—

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 235
2. Musa paradisiaca 35. Cyathea medullaris 59. Ficus Chauvieri
4. Oreopanax dactylifo- 37. Chamerops excelsa 61. Oreopanax platanifo-
lium 39. Artocarpus incisa lium

6. Alsophila australis 40. Musa violacea 64. Sciadophyllum pul-

10. Stadmannia australis 42. Hedychium coccineum cehrum

15. Anthurium acaule 43, Carludovica palmata 66. Astrapsxsa Wallichii

16, Rhopala organensis 46. Cibotium regale 67. Anthurium regale

. Cereus mexicanus
Theophrasta imperialis

. Cyathea dealbata

. Cocos flexuosa

78. Ficus macrophylla

79. Areca lutescens

. Castilloa elastica

. Anthurium cordatum

. Dracena fragrans

. Maranta Lindeni

. Musa paradisiaca

. Chamerops — staura-
cantha

. Saurauja sarapigensis

. Dracena arborea

. Rhopala Jonghei

. Theophrasta regalis

. Musa sapientum

. Hedychium gardneri-
anum

The bed No. 94 will be decorated with dwarf, bright-coloured
flowers, to be renewed as often as required.

The two groups encircling the portion of green near this bed
will be composed as follows :—

Plants with tall stems, but varying in height.

82.

110.
112.
115.
114.
116.

. Balantium antarcticum
. Areca sapida
. Coccoloba pubescens

. Pteris argyrea
2. Medinilla magnifica

. Clivia miniata
. Authurium leuconeurum

. Cyathea beyrichiana
. Oreodoxa regia
. Phoenix reclinata

. Amorphophallus

niyosus
Draczna australis

Syagrus botryophora
Pandanus ornatus
Latania rubra
Rhapis flabelliformis
Areca sapida

97.

105.

109.
Of medium size.

103. Asplenium macro- 105.
pbyllum 108.
Of medium size.
98
96
99
With tall stems.
87.
90
92

Of medium size.

s9. Croton undulatum 88.
91. Colocasia macrorhiza 93
variegata 86.
On Lawn.

111. Anthurium magni-
ficum 119.
110. Blechnum brasiliense 120,
113. Alpinia nutans 121.

117. Medinilla magnifica

Caryota sobolifera
Ficus elastica
Laurus Camphora

Cyeas circinalis
Dracena terminalis

. Attaccia cristata
. Crinum amabile
. Acalypha tricolor

. Theophrasta macio-

phylla

. Rhopala corcovadensis
. Seaforthia elegans

. Asplenium nidus-avis
. Dracena cannzefolia
. Anthurium hybridum

118, Cordyline indivisa

Cibotium princeps
Pteris argyrea
Agave Verschaffelti

Flower-beds Nos. 123 and 167 refilled from time to time with
flowering-plants, bulbs, &c.

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 237

122. Bambusa Thouarsi 137. Vriesia gigantea. 151. Theoph i i-
124, Philodendron pinnati- 132. Thalia ae alls” patente
fidum 147. Philodendron pertu- 149. Musa sinensis

128. Phajus Wallichii sum 148. Cocos coronata

129. Phoenicophorium 127. Pontederia cordata 146. Pteris argyrma
Seychellarum 126. Nymphea gigantea 145. Platycerium grande

130. Phormium tenax 125 ps Ortgiesiana 166. Verschaffeltia splen-
foliis variegatum rubra dida

121. Pandanus elegantis- 163. *9 ceerulea 165. Bambusa Fortunei
simus 162. Philodendron Lindeni 164. Colocasia nymphefolia

135. Durio usibethinus 161. Vallisneria spiralis 168. Cypripedium barba-

134. Lomaria gibba 160. Nymphea dentata tum superbum

133. Carludovica atrovirens 156. Musa Ensete 167. Attalea excelsa

144, Hoya bella 157. Crescentia regalis 170. Dion edule

141. Acanthus latifolius 159. Disteganthus basi 171. Cyanophyllum mag-

142. Clivia miniata lateralis nificum

140. Clusia rosea 158. Cycas revoluta 172. Dracena Guilfoylei

186. Ficus Cooperi 154. Carludovica plicata 173. Sciadocalyx digi-

139. Musa paradisiaca 155. Balantium Culcita taliflora

143. Pteris cretica albo 153. Lomaria gibba 174. Cordyline indivisa
lineata 152. Billbergia zebrina 175. Croton maximum.

138. Platyloma falcata

Such are the prominent distinctive features of this mode of
grouping the principal furniture in this palace of flowers. As we
have already observed, these combinations are capable of endless
variations, and numerous small species may be inserted in empty
spaces between the larger plants; while baskets of Ferns, Brome-
liacese, Orchids, etc., may be suspended from the rafters on slender
wire. These may either be planted in the baskets, or the pots
placed in them, the interspaces being filled with growing moss.
The rockery will be adorned with all sorts of plants that will
flourish in the interstices between the stones, including a complete
collection of Selaginellas creeping amongst innumerable Ferns.

Lastly, dead trunks of trees, fixed in the ground by means of
iron stakes to prevent them from falling as decomposition goes
on, should be placed at the spots Nos. 8, 14, 18, 29, 52, 57, 69,
and covered with tropical creepers and Epiphytes, and a whole
collection of Bromeliaces, especially Tillandsia usneoides and
Orchids. A short time will suffice for these to assume all the
picturesque appearance they present in the tropics. Here ends
our rough sketch of a warm winter-garden as it might and should

be made.

238 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XY.

A Cool Winter-garden.

We have given consideration to the laying-out of a winter-
garden or conservatory for plants belonging to the warmer regions
of the world, and have grouped together such representatives of
tropical vegetation as can exist in the same atmosphere. Some
greenhouse kinds which acquire larger dimensions under the in-
fluence of a more intense heat than they would in a cooler atmos-
phere, such as certain Palms, Aralias, etc., have been omitted.
For instance, the Rice-paper plant, which grows in the open air
in the south of France, acquires gigantic dimensions in a hothouse.
A specimen of it, thus treated, measured thirteen feet two inches
high, and threw out superb leaves, exceeding six feet six inches in
length, including their stalks.

In most cases, nevertheless, the plants named for a greenhouse
suffer under too high a temperature. Besides, the cool winter-
garden is still more valuable than that just described, for, while it
is as rich in ornamental specimens, it is more within the reach of
moderate means. Very little artificial heat is enough to keep the
temperature in winter at a minimum -of three degrees above the
freezing-point, which is quite sufficient for the period of repose
required for many of the plants from Australia, China, Japan,
New Zealand, and mountainous tropical regions. One can hardly
believe with what numbers of plants, often supposed to belong to
tropical climates, a cool conservatory can be furnished. Numbers
of our beautiful Palms would flourish under cool treatment; and
hundreds of Ferns require no better situation than the shelter of
glass. The Dracenas, Agaves, Acacias, Dasylirions, Ficus,
Aralias, Banksias, tender Conifers like the Norfolk Island Pine,
Yuccas, Grevilleas, Rhopalas, and the Cactuses, would certainly
submit to the same treatment, without mentioning the smaller
kinds, which only thrive under a low winter-temperature.

The treatment carried out in reference to some tropical species
has often no relation to the altitude at which the plants naturally
grow. Should a plant arrive from Mexico, it would naturally be
placed in a warm conservatory. But as regards the Ferns of that
country, they are found between 3,600 and 6,000 feet above the
sea-level, that is to say, at the limit where begin the Pines and

Cap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 239

Heaths of the sub-alpine region; and it is at this height that the
magnificent Alsophilas spring up. :

More than thirty kinds of Palm now flourish in our cool houses.
A great number grow in the cold regions of tropical mountains,
such as the Ceroxylon andicola, which is found at 10,000 feet and
upwards. Oreodoxa frigida, and several kinds of Chamedorea,
reach as high as the Pine region; Areca humilis reaches to 8,000
feet in Java; Chamerops Martiana to 7,800 feet in Nepal ;
Phenix humilis to 6,000 feet; without reckoning Chamerops
excelsa of China, Rhapis flabelliformis of Japan, Corypha
australis, and others.

Let us now proceed to plant a cool house on the plan already
used in the case of a winter-garden. By the aid of the same series
of numbers on the plan, we can at once show the different types of
vegetation that may be used in each case. We will first give a list
of climbing-plants, without which no such structure can be
properly adorned :—

1. Rhynchospermum jas- 25. Mandevilla suaveolens 53,54,58. Aristolochia ciliosa

minoides 27, 28, 30, 31. Senecio 60. Kennedya Maryatte
4, Plumbago scandens mikanioides 62. Tropzeolum speciosum
7. Passiflora cerulea 33. Tropeolum Spitfire 63. Tropeolum pentaphyl-
9. Mikania scandens 86. Passiflora edulis lum
12,13. Solanum jasmin- 38. Akebia quinata 65. Bignonia Cherere
oides 41. Aristolochia semper- 68, 71, 72. Tacsonia Van
17. Cobza scandens varie- virens Volxemii
gata 44, Clianthus puniceus 74, Lapageria alba
21. Thunbergia laurifolia 46. Fuchsia coccinea 77. Hoya carnosa
23. Kennedya violacea 49. Lapageria rosea 80. Clianthus Dampieri.

Té must here be observed that, for a conservatory of the size
named, the number of plants given would be too extensive, and
would darken the house too much during winter. We only give
the list entire for the use of a conservatory large enough to
contain them ; for example, from 100 to 150 feet in length, with
a proportionate width and height.

The following is a list of plants with noble leaves, and of stately
port, that thrive well in a cool house :—

67. Chamzrops staura- 105. Phoenix reclinata 168. Cocos Romanzoffii
cantha 95. Rhapis flabelliformis 159. Areca sapida

15. Chamerops excelsa 93. Livistona sinensis 166. Glaziova elegantis-

32. Corypha australis 84. Seaforthia robusta sima :

56. Jubsa spectabilis 90. Oreodoxa frigida 154. Ceroxylon andicola

102. Sabal palmetto 173. Phoenix tenuis 156, Calyptrogyne elata

240 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cxuarp. XV.

149. Seaforthia elegans 137. Chamerops Martiana 95. Phoenix farinifera
134, Brahea dulcis 119. Phoenix sylvestris 105. Chamzrops humilis
136. Seaforthia gracilis | 105. Cocos australis 102. Brahea nitida.

142. Chamedorea glaucifolia

Here, then, are twenty-six kinds of Palms, of varied stature,
and perfectly suited to form a background of foliage of supreme
elegance. We speak of such only as have been proved to succeed ;
and if the altitudes at which they grow spontaneously are com-
pared, it will be seen that a conservatory with a minimum of
38° Fahr. is all that they require. It is known that for every six
hundred feet of altitude above the sea, the mean temperature
decreases one degree. But if we take, as is generally done, the
mean temperature of the tropics as 80° at the sea-level, at 6,000
feet it would be only 65°, and at 10,000 feet, 50°, which is equal to
the mean temperature of Southern England. It is not, therefore,
very extraordinary that the Palms of these high regions, the
Chamerops excelsa, for instance, can live out-of-doors in those
climates where they have nothing to fear but exceptional winters.
Tf we have not certain data as to this mode of culture, it is
because Palm-trees have hitherto been too costly to risk their
sacrifice in the open air. The Cycads, although generally less
hardy than the Palms above named, are still available for the
conservatory, where a low temperature for a short time would
not be prejudicial, though they would suffer by prolongation of
that temperature. Thus we would advise the following specimens
to be planted :-—

85. Bowenia spectabilis 169. Encephalartos Alten- 134, Dion edule
96. Cycas revoluta steini 120. Zamia australis.

Among the Tree-ferns, the following are suitable for the cool
winter-garden :—
124. Alsophila australis 116. Alsophila ornata 170. Cyathea dealbata
82. Blechnum brasiliense 140, Balantium antarcti- 151. Todea australis
cum

With plenty of space one might add :—

Alsophila excelsa C. spectabile Lomaria cycadifolia
Balantium Culcita Cyathea medullaris L. gibba

B. Sellowianum C. Smithii L. discolor
Blechnum rio-grandense _Dicksonia fibrosa L. magellanica,

Cibotium regale D. squarrosa

WAL |
rb
hi

ts

COOL CONSERVATORY WITH VEGETATION PLANTED OUT

R

242

THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS.

[Cuar. XV.

The following plants, though not so important, deserve a place
by the side of these, such as :—

106. Cordyline indivisa 104.
97. Aspidistra elatior 109.
98. Podocarpus Totara 108
99. Clivia cyrtanthiflora 107.

100. Correa cardinalis 86.

101. Farfugium grande

Eucalyptus viminalis 92.
Eleagnus undulata 91.
Clivia nobilis 87.

anger

Edwardsia grandiflora
Sparmannia africana
Ligularia Kempferi

. Camellia japonica, var. 83. Brugmansia sanguinea
. Erythrina Marie Bell- 81. Daphne delphini

To make intervening spaces a little ornamental, any number of
less important plants could be added. We next come to plants

for decorating the beds of the central portion.

plot may be taken :—

174.

Pancratium mexica- 121. Rhododendron Jen- 144.
num kinsii 145.
. Aspidistra elatior va- 122. Araucaria excelsa 146.
riegata 128. Lomaria gibba 148.
. Agave Verschaffelti 130. Beaucarnea tubercu- 150.
. Phormium Colensoi lata
. Philesia buxifolia 137. Crowea saligna 153.
. Macleayia cordata 143. Aspidium Bellangeri 152.
. Linum trigynum 139. Stadmannia australis 155.
. Eucalyptus giganteus 142. Mimosa cultiformis 158.
. Aralia Sieboldii 141. Sparmannia africana 157.
. Skimmia oblata 135. Eucalyptus giganteus 165.
. Rubus roseflorus 134. Thea viridis 164.
. Thuiopsis dolabrata

For the grass-

Platycerium grande
Senecio platanifolia™
Nephrolepis exaltata
Dracena Rumphii
Pteris cretica albo-
lineata
Agnostus sinuatus
Cyrtomium falcatum
Acacia dealbata
Pimelea elegans
Littza gracilis
Senecio Ghiesbreghtii
Musa Ensete

Plants between the borders and the glass may consist of :—

2. Wigandia urens 24.
5. Yuccs aloifolia tricolor 29.
5. Woodwardia radicans 3+.
6. Viburnum suspensum 35.
8. Xanthorrhea hastilis or 37.

Phormium tenax 39.

10. Veronica Andersoni va-
riegata 40

. Senecio Ghiesbreghtii
. Nicotiana wigandioides 52.
. Bambusa Fortunii va- 57.

_11. Acacia lineata 42
14. Abutilon striatum 43.
16. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 47.
18. Aralia pubescens 48,

51.

riegata 55.

Viburnum Arrafuski 59.
Magnolia fuscata

Aralia dactylifolia 61.
Ficus macrophylla 64,
Templetonia retusa 66.

Siphocampylus Hum- 69.
boldtianus
. Solanum Warszewiczii 70.

. Montagnea heraclifolia 73.

Clivia miniata 75.
Rogeria gratissima 76.
Rhododendron Gibsoni

Rhopala australis 78.

Rhododendron Nuttalli
Pleroma elegans
Podocarpus zamisefolia

79.

Phylocactus Aker-
Manni

Fuchsia var.

Aralia nerifolia

Osmanthus ilicifolius

Oreopanax platani-
folium

Bocconia frutescens

Helianthus major

Aralia papyrifera

Hebeclinium macro-
phyllum

Hedychium gardneri-
anum

Desfontainea spinosa

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 243

The Palms for a winter-garden ought to be kept in pots up to
the period when their leaves divide and show their character, and
their stems become at their base as thick as a man’s arm. They
must not be put in the ground before this, nor until they have
been frequently repotted and kept as much as possible in a warm
greenhouse where the pots have been plunged in tan. They
should be repotted twice a year, in spring and summer, when their
growth is rapid, without cutting the roots, and in deep narrow
pots. A warm atmosphere, somewhat shady, but without stagnant
moisture, is best suited to Palms when young.

A great number of the plants will remain uninjured in the cool
winter-garden if frost is kept out; but it is better, as has been
already said, to keep up the winter temperature a little over the
freezing-point ; and even when the sun strikes upon the glass
raising the temperature, it will not be necessary to open the
house at all during the winter. After February, however, when
vegetation is getting active, it will be necessary to give air
gradually, and in the evening, to give water. In March we must
begin to shade with some light material up to the time that we
can uncover the greater part of the conservatory, and perhaps
place some of the plants in pots or boxes in the open air. As to
the great Palms and Tree-ferns, Dracenas, Aralias, etc., they
will be better slightly shaded throughout the year, taking care to
give plenty of air. Where it could be done easily, it would be
desirable to remove the roof and allow the contents to be refreshed
by the summer rains. Plants easily moved, and of fine habit,
may be removed to the open garden, where they will be more
enjoyable during the hot months than in any house; many of
them are all the better for making their principal growth in
the open air. Thus managed, with plenty of water and a
proper amount of shade, it is very possible to develop beautiful
tropical vegetation in such a structure.

As for Orchids, hothouse Ferns, and other stove-plants, which
do not bear the temperature of the conservatory without injury,
an arrangement might be readily made by which they also could
be enjoyed in this structure. A conservatory heated to stove-
temperature would be unpleasant to many, while the heat of the
temperate house is agreeable to our senses. The best way to

secure means for displaying tender Orchids and other plants in
R 2

244 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caap. XV.

the conservatory, is by making a closely-glazed case therein fitted
up with rustic shelves. In this might be placed any Orchids,
choice Ferns, or not over-large stove-plants that come in flower
in winter, spring, and autumn, and by interspersing them with
the choicer dwarf fine-leaved plants so common of late in our
stoves, a welcome feature would be added to the conservatory. As
the plants would only remain in this case during their period of
flowering, and fine foliaged plants perhaps a few weeks longer,
the position of the case as to light matters little. Against the
back or some other wall of the house is of course the best position ;
and if there be an arched recess, it might be taken advantage of.
To heat a little boiler sufficiently to keep any desired temperature
in the case would be easy, and to do it with gas would be con-
venient to many. To make the wall and the shelves in this case
of a rustic character is a good and tasteful plan; they should be
studded with Moss, which if kept moist will give off the vapour
so congenial to stove-plants, and the windows or folding-doors
should be fitted with single sheets of glass, kept clear at all
times. It would be easy to induce the common Lycopodium,
seedling Ferns, and miniature stove Mosses to crowd over the
back wall and indeed on every rocky surface in the case, or even
to grow on turves placed along the front shelves.

The Plant Decoration of Apartments.

The graceful custom of growing plants in dwelling-rooms is
very much more prevalent on the Continent than in England. It
is true that we often see a display of flowering-plants in rooms,
though rarely subjects distinguished by beauty of form, or adapted
for culture indoors. But the day is approaching when the value
of graceful plants as house-ornaments will be recognised. That
the substitution of life and changeful interest for much that is
without these qualities, will prove a gain, few will doubt. Apart
altogether from their effect as ornaments, what can more
agreeably introduce us to the study of plant life? Rooms are
often overcrowded with ornaments, many of them representa-
tions of natural objects; but in the case of the plants we may,
without inconvenience, enjoy the natural objects themselves.

\

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 245

Those we employ for this purpose now are mostly such as cannot
be preserved in health for any length of time in living-rooms. If
in addition to the best of these we select handsome-leaved plants
of a leathery texture, accustomed to withstand the temperature
of hot countries, we shall find that the dry and dusty air of a
living-room is not at all injurious to them, and that it is quite
easy to keep them in health for months and even for years in the
same apartment, The variety of form and grace of outline which
many of these plants possess, is very great. Many of them are
exotics, rarely seen in England out of stoves, while about Paris
they are sold in abundance for the decoration of apartments. The
widely-spread taste for plants in rooms explains the prevalence of
these graceful plants in Paris gardens and flowershops. The
number of Dracenas cultivated in and around Paris is enormous,
one Versailles nurseryman annually raising from 5000 to 6000
plants of the bright-leaved Dracena terminalis alone, by far the
greater part being for room-decoration. Among the newer species
of Dracenas—not alluding to the coloured-leaved kinds—are
some that combine grace with stateliness as few other plants do.
They are useful for the centres of massive groups of plants in
their larger forms, while the smaller species may be advantageously
associated with the Maidenhair Fern and small flowering-plants.
They are of the greatest utility in these decorations, and are
largely used in all parts. Young Palms are also cultivated toa
surprising extent about Paris, and so are all graceful-leaved plants
from the Cycads to the common trailing Ivy,—used a good deal
to make living screens of.

The following few notes on the principal plants which serve
for window and room decoration in Paris are by M. A. Chantin,
a cultivator of plants for these purposes on a large scale, and the
possessor of a very rich collection of Palms and other exotics.
Of these the Palms are without doubt the most important, and
are most generally used, because of their hardy character and
moderate price. Among the very best are the Fan-palms—
Chamerops humilis and excelsa. Corypha australis, although
now but little known as a house-plant, is destined in a short time
to occupy a foremost place in the decoration of apartments. Tt
is conspicuous for its peculiar beauty, and the number of its
leaves, and is, I believe, the most hardy and enduring of all the

246 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XV.

Palms for indoor-culture. Cocos coronata and flexuosa are very
elegant, and produce a charming effect. Latania borbonica is
certainly one of the most valuable plants of this family, as much
for the deep yet fresh green of its leaves as for its hardiness and
elegant appearance. Phoenix dactylifera, leonensis, and reclinata
are very much sought after, and are highly esteemed, as are also
Areca alba, lutescens, and rubra.

The following Palms could be used with great advantage in the
decoration of apartments; but their high price and great rarity
cause them to be not much known, although they accommodate
themselves to the atmosphere of rooms as well as any of those
previously mentioned. Areca sapida, most of the species of the
genus Caryota, Chamedorea amazonica and elatior, Chamerops
Palmetto, Elis guineensis, Euterpe edulis, with its finely-serrated
and very graceful foliage ; Oreodoxa regia, young plants of which
are very frequently used ; Phoenix pumila, Phoenix tenuis, Thrinax
argentea and elegans, Rhapis flabelliformis, and Leopoldina
pulchra.

Next in importance to the Palms we must place the Dracenas.
Those which are the most frequently noticed are Dracena
australis, cannefolia, congesta, indivisa, indivisa lineata, rubra,
stricta, terminalis, and umbraculifera. Those most easily managed,
and therefore the most popular for window-ornaments, are Dracena
congesta, rubra, and terminalis. Pandanus utilis, amaryllifolius
Vandermeerschi, and javanicus variegatus; Cycas revoluta, and
varieties of Aspidistra, occupy also a very important place in the
decoration of apartments.

The plants composing the following list, although suitable and
distinct in appearance, require somewhat more care and attention
than the preceding. Several species of Aralia, more especially
Aralia Sieboldii; Bambusa japonica variegata and B. fortunei
variegata ; the different varieties of Begonia ; most of the Brome-
lias, Billbergias, and allied families are very useful, including the
variegated Pine-apple, which forms a splendid object for placing
in large warm rooms on special occasions. Caladium odorum, for
winter decoration, and the species with the beautifully-spotted
and mottled leaves, for the summer; Carludovica palmata and
plicata ; Croton in variety, Curculigo recurvata, and several species
of the genus Dieffenbachia. Ficus elastica is a capital plant for

Cuar. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 247

window-ornament, and some years ago was very much employed
for that purpose; but since it has become somewhat common,
Ficus Chauvieri has been substituted for it in many places.
There are many other Ficuses which are suitable for this purpose,
and will be found most useful when they become plentiful enough.
Maranta zebrina is the only species of Maranta suitable for
cultivation in apartments, as all the other species should be grown
and kept in the houses, and only carried indoors when extra
attractions are desired for special occasions. Several species of
Musa are favourites, but principally M. discolor and M. rosea;
' Musa Ensete is particularly suitable for room-culture. Monstera
deliciosa was much sought after during recent winters, and has in
most places thriven so well that it has given general satisfaction.
Several varieties of Beaucarnea are suitable for rooms, and
produce a very beautiful and graceful effect when grown in
suspended vases or baskets. Rhopala corcovadense is a plant that
exhales a somewhat disagreeable odour, but it is nevertheless much
in favour on account of its very elegant and graceful appear-
ance during the development of its young leaves. Hecktia
pitcairnifolia is excellent for suspending in baskets. Tradescantia
discolor, Phormium tenax, Rhododendrons, Camellias, Grevillea
robusta, Euonymus, Aucubas, Bonapartea, Agaves, variegated
Yuccas, etc., are also frequent. In addition to the common
Saxifraga sarmentosa, which is frequently seen with its slender
runners pendent from window-baskets in England, several other
allied species would prove equally useful in the same way—
Saxifraga Fortunei variegata, and 8. cuscutzformis, for example.

The family of Ferns, although classed among plants with
delicate tissues, and having a great dislike to dry hot atmo-
spheres, nevertheless furnishes numerous examples which, with
careful management, add very much to the beauty of apartments.
Thus I have very frequently remarked several species of Adiantum,
which wherever they can be preserved in good health, produce a
most pleasing effect. Pteris argyrea, P. cretica albo lineata, and
P. serrulata variegata likewise produce a good effect with their
prettily-marked fronds. Alsophila australis and Dicksonia an-
tarctica are also sometimes employed for decorative purposes in
rooms of large dimensions, where their magnificent appearance
never fails to produce a pleasing impression. Nephrolepis

248 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XV.

exaltata is universally useful, and withstands the air of rooms
without the slightest injury.

Experience has shown me that Orchids may be introduced into
a drawing-room with perfect success, the plants not having
suffered in the least by the change of atmosphere. The most
suitable are the various species of Cattleya, Vanda, Aerides, and
Cypripedium. Doubtless the time is not far distant when we
may venture to try many more kinds than we can now afford to
do; but even from what we have already done in that way, I
entertain no doubt that the Orchid family will eventually furnish
the most valuable of all plants for room-decoration. True, they
may not live throughout the year in rooms as Ficuses and such
plants do, but that is not desirable—their appearance, as a rule,
not being prepossessing when out of flower. The quality that they
do possess, and that which makes them so valuable, is the thick
succulent texture of the flowers generally. This enables them to
continue a long time in bloom in a room, and a like kind of
texture enables the leaves to stand during the blooming-time
without injury.

We ourselves are foremost so far as flowering-plants are con-
cerned, ours being as a rule better grown. One plant, however,
cultivated in great abundance around Paris for winter-blooming,
is well worthy of increased attention—Epiphyllum truncatum.
There are several varieties, and they certainly form most beautiful
objects on dull December days. The employment of simple
materials is also to be commended. Thus the variegated form of
the common Roast-beef plant—Iris foetidissima—may be seen
occasionally used with good effect. We mostly use hot-country
plants if we want those that live long in our dwelling-rooms, but
this is a true hardy native which well deserves culture indoors.
It forms a very pretty plant for room-decoration, requires none
but the most ordinary attention, and is easily obtained. In
France the plant is rather commonly used as an edging. The
Acanthuses too, and particularly A. lusitanicus, used so effectively
out-of-doors, are also grown abundantly in rooms, where they do
very well.

A sketch here given shows Acanthus latifolius, as grown in a
window, but no drawing could represent its superb health and
the deep untiring gloss of its fine leaves as they are seen from

Cuap. XV.] WINTER GARDENS. 249

the street. The specimen figured was sketched from before the
window of a restaurant in the Champs Elysées, where it has not
only grown for years but flowered vigorously. It is quite a hardy
plant, but no tropical one is more beautiful in form or colour of
foliage. It is the most valuable of large-leaved room-plants, and
far more so than the long popular Ficus elastica, because it is
hardy and the easiest of culture in a cool room. It will be found
perfectly at home in cool rooms and halls where no artificial heat
is applied. The plant figured grows in a wooden box in the
window. Everything proved to do well indoors without the

protection of a case is a gain to those who wish to grow plants in
rooms.

Acanthus latifolius in Window in Paris.

250 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XVL

CHAPTER XVI.

A FEW NOTES ON PRIVATE GARDENS,

, THe contrast between

ny

A
oT French and English
a country life is strongly
marked, and nowhere
more so than in the
garden. The effect of
the love of gardens and
trees in England is to
make the country the
most beautiful on earth
—parts blighted by
smoke and cinders not
included. The expla-
nation of the unri-
valled charms of rural
England is found in the
groves that make the
mat landscape lovely with
Wreath of Wistaria above loy—(by Roadside, Vincennes their clouds of verdure
CaO and varied forms. The
best-cultivated parts of Belgium and France are devoid of such
charms from the absence of trees. The streets of many fine
continental towns are as arid as a barrack-yard from the same
cause. Gardening abroad, as with us, has received a great impetus
within the past score of years; in France this is mainly seen in the
gardens of the middle-class. In the homes of the old families in
France we see no such evidence of love for the art as we have at

Cuar. XVI.] A FEW NOTES ON PRIVATE GARDENS. 251

home ; and richly-stored or otherwise remarkable gardens are not
so commonas withus. Frequently the chateau-garden is a dismal
exhibition of the absurdities of the old school of landscape-
gardeners. Lime and other trees shorn into the form of walls;
dreary expanses of gravelled surface; endless straight avenues
instead of open spaces where the breezes might play with the
grass ; crumbling fountain-basins suggestive of mouldering tombs ;
often an Orangery reminding one of the time when the Orange
was our only greenhouse-plant; and statues that one wishes
buried with those who carved them. There are exceptions, and
many, but even in the best there is a great deal more of the
zoological element that one cares to have in an English garden.
The aviary, too, is often disagreeably conspicuous, and the water-
fowl plentiful enough to destroy the beauty of the water. The
buildings--hoary with time, and frequently interesting as regards
architecture —are seldom surrounded by noble trees. The absence
of these is frequently accounted for by the destruction through
wars, especially round Paris, though the stupid practice of lopping
has much to answer for. A revolution in this respect is as much
wanted in many gardens in France, as ever it was politically in
that country. The admirable culture that one notices in the
market-gardens round Paris and some other cities, is rarely
seen in the ordinary chateau-garden, which seldom looks so well
cultivated as an average English kitchen-garden. A few well-
trained trees, however, are always to be seen. The art of training
and grafting fruit-trees with ease, seems now to be as deeply
engrained into the French as the art of making soup.

It is in the gardens of the middle-class that we may best judge
of French gardening. The merit of these is that they are not
wholly sacrificed to the demon of bedding-out, but often contain
a variety of plant-form and flowers; they are frequently fresh
and pretty in winter, and laid out without the horrid pattern-
beds which make the sight of so many gardens far from soothing.
In large gardens at home, wise people sometimes get a little
freedom from the tormenting beds that have been the worthless
stock-in-trade of the landscape-gardener for centuries; small
gardens are nearly always ruined by these. A bed, in the sense
of a body of well-prepared soil, is essential in gardens; but it is
not necessary that beds should take ugly forms. The best pre-

252 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cnap. XVI.

paration needed for shrubs or flowers may be hidden beneath the
green turf. When men come to see the meaning of real garden-
ing, they will laugh at the endless weary strainings after patterns
in beds. They will not admire a garden that is laid out as men
used to design wall-paper; now better things are expected of
wall-paper designers. Here is an engraving of a little garden on
the banks of the Seine near Courbevoie, and in it there are no
beds at all in the central parts. With its varied trees and shrubs,

A Paris Garden not spoiled by Beds.

and masses of Rhododendrons against the house, and deep green
fence of Irish Ivy, it is quite charming even through the winter.
In such a garden one may have as much variety of flowers as may
be desired, and one of the ways of best attaining this end is by
having groups of beds, simple in outline, a little way from the
central scene. All the really fine hardy plants, from Tritomas to
Grasses and Yuccas, may be planted to best effect in good ground,
but not in formal beds. Where a geometrical series of beds is

Cuap. XVI] A FEW NOTES ON PRIVATE GARDENS. 253

desired, they certainly will also be best on one side in a quiet
nook, and not in the centre of, and dominating, all.

Borders of Ivy, sometimes with great roguish-looking Pansies
inside them; well-developed isolated plants, like Yuccas or
Acanthus ; Ivy bowers; lawns, open and fresh, if small; Pome-
granates with coral blossoms; Wistaria wreathed in many ways ;
lovely straggling of Vines about the walls; Roses often on
their own roots, and too often on broom-sticks; noble standard
Evergreen Magnolias; groups of tree and herbaceous Peonies on
the grass; and graceful tufts of hardy Bamboo, also add to the
charms of these little gardens, which are often very quiet and
lovely, and which though small have a dignified air, and contain
a variety of beautiful life. The walls are nearly all garlanded
with creepers, often with a half-wild look through luxuriant

Trellis for Vines on Top of Dead Wall (Vincennes).

growth. So long as we have dead walls, some means of modifying
their severity is desirable. In landscape-gardening the dead wall
is a serious obstacle to deal with, and so it is in the small garden.
In these, however, there is sometimes a necessity for the dead
wall as a dividing-line or a screen, whereas in large country-places
they are often made where they are needless and objectionable.
In small gardens the dead walls, usually bare along the top, may
be gracefully wreathed with either climbing-shrubs or fruit-trees,
as shown in the accompanying cut. Single stems are easily
taken up the wall and trailed along two or three firmly-fixed but
slender galvanised wires. In this way much of the harsh aspect
of the upper part of the wall is removed. The sketch given was
made on the road from Vincennes to Montreuil, a country in
which good Grapes are gathered on the trellis; ornamental

254 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XVI.

subjects for such places are numerous enough from Wistaria to
Clematis montana.

In Paris there are, besides the suburban gardens, numerous
pretty gardens in the city itself, of one of which, thanks to the
courtesy of its owner, Madame Haine, an illustration is here given.
Enclosed by high walls and buildings, with large trees, a lawn of
freshest grass, Acanthuses and Yuccas on the turf, bold Pansies in
masses, carpets of the ever welcome Ivy and the Periwinkle beneath
the trees, and numerous Wallflowers, it had, on the April day when
sketched, many charms not usually associated with crowded cities.
In Paris one frequently finds an oasis of trees and flowers and grass
hidden by high buildings from the noisy street. In such nooks,
finer trees are often found than grow in the public squares.
Paris is far richer than London in these pleasant city-gardens.
Some town-gardens in London, such as that of Montagu House,
may be named as examples of what a town-garden may be made
even in London, but they are too rare. The main blemish ‘in the
small French gardens is the water, which never ought to be
present at all in such places in a so-called ornamental state. It
is another instance of the futility of forming artificial water in
any form in the small garden, and it is wonderful that people can
tolerate cemented tubs of unclean water in spots that might be
wholly beautiful with flowers and grass. Cement-margined
puddles of this sort, and larger, abound, sometimes associated
with very droll rock-work. Sometimes, on the other hand, a
little rock-garden is fairly well constructed, but contrasted with
the vilest margin of black asphalte to the water-basin.

A disagreeable feature of the Paris garden is the mirror-globe,
which is a burnished nuisance in so many otherwise pleasant
gardens. I once hoped that this object would never be introduced
to English gardens, but lately a very large one was seen in one of
our new provincial parks. Lately also a misguided gentleman in
the north-western district of London, not content with one or two
of these mirror-globes, made himself an avenue of them of various
colours. Each huge globe rests on a terra-cotta vase, and the
avenue on each side, from the gate to the house, is bordered by
vases with mirror-globes. The effect is as good as could be
desired for a Shoreditch theatre. Such an object may perhaps
amuse children, but surely one is merely expressing the sentiments

Cuar. XVI] A FEW NOTES ON PRIVATE GARDENS. 255

of all lovers of English gardens, in saying that a globe-mirror is
one of the most offensive objects that can be placed in a garden.
The picturesque style of gardening as seen round Paris is
mainly distinguished by its tempestuous undulations. Even in
the Champs Elysées every patch of turf is waved up and down in
the most violent manner, and very often it is so in the little
gardens. The adjacent level lines of roadway, footway, or

A Town-garden in Paris.

buildings, contrasting abruptly as they do with all this, show its
artificial character at once. When valleys are traced through
bits of turf not much larger than a dining-room floor, and
surrounded by wide level walks, we get the puerile instead of the
picturesque. One might as well attempt to diversify the surface
of a dinner-table. In addition, the undulations are stiffly and
badly carried out—scarcely an easy, natural gradation is seen.
Sir Richard Wallace’s garden at Bagatelle, in the Bois de

256 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVI.

Boulogne, offers, in this respect, a pleasing contrast to the many
places in which the above-named blemish is conspicuous. Here
we have broad easy glades, so gently, though artificially, hollowed,
that they rarely suggest the artificial or the incongruous. Here,
too, may be seen successful attempts to open-up charming views,
both in the garden, and from it into the surrounding country.
Happiest of the features, however, is the way these glades and
vistas are planted. Instead of the usual plum-pudding-like
mixture everywhere, we have small groves of distinct trees, with
turf spreading beneath them, and natural-looking groups of dif-
ferent kinds, and sometimes a cluster of one kind only. There is not
a trace of the dot-a-tree-everywhere system, by which so many
garden-landscapes are spoiled. Open breezy turf-carpets abound,
and afford a foreground from which the various beauties of trees or

shrubs or landscape may be seen to advantage from the different
points of view. Groups of Yuccas are effective here; also groups
in threes of various Tree-peonies and other vigorous hardy plants.
‘Many of the older trees, with high stems, are clad with a mantle of
Ivy, which, however, is confined to the bole only. Where a
number of tall trees thus covered occur, one may sometimes fancy
(seeing only Ivy-clad boles) that it is an evergreen-grove, the heads
of the deciduous trees being high overhead. Two large groups of
artificial rock here are more successful than they generally are
in France; both are gracefully embellished with suitable plants,
and so well supported with masses of trees and shrubs that they
have a picturesque effect in the grounds. Here, however, as
in other places, no attempt is made to grow the true Alpine
plants in or near these inviting positions; that is work for the
future. Where there isso much to praise, one may venture to point

Cuap. XVI] A FEW NOTES ON PRIVATE GARDENS. 257

out that the artificial water here, as in too many gardens, is
rather too much after the duck-pond pattern—too abrupt in its
margins, and too near the house. With a graceful bend of the
Seine glistening through one of the vistas, it would have been
wiser to dispense with artificial water. Such contrasts remind
us of the full moon and stars calmly shining down on a Bond-
street illumination.

Tt has long been a fashion with continental lovers of gardening
to employ Englishmen to form their gardens; and, among those
so formed, there is none more remarkable than Paxton’s work at
Ferriéres, the seat of Baron Rothschild, which is an oasis amid
the dreary fields of this part of France. The house, as well as
the grounds and almost everything about the place, was the work
of Englishmen, and the gardens show an instructive mixture of
the best features of the horticulture of both countries. The house
is, of course, fortified with a terrace-garden, but this is not too
extensive nor overdone with “ bedding-out.” On its steps, one
day, Jules Favre met Bismarck, when he went to plead in vain
the cause of prostrate France. ‘The king and Bismarck had their
quarters here when the Germans overran the plains around, and
gave orders that not a hand was to be laid on anything. Had it
been otherwise, the specimen Wellingtonias might have suffered
the ignoble fate of thousands of fine garden-trees around Paris
during the siege. Probably the finest Orangery in any private
garden in France is here, and the Orangery-system of cultivating
plants is here seen in its best aspect. Nothing can exceed the
health and beauty of the specimens grown in enormous but well-
designed tubs, and standing so close together that the dense heads
touch, and one seems in an Orange-grove. In addition to the many
Orange-trees, there are superb pyramidal Myrtles, nearly twenty
feet high, in tubs; numbers of tubs of the New Zealand Flax and
large specimens of the Australasian Araucarias, which do well
treated thus. The plan of planting-out Palms and many other
fine-foliaged plants in a large house, and with an eye to picturesque
effect, is here well carried out, and the effect very good at all
seasons. The fresh green Lycopodium denticulatum forms, as
usual, the turf of the small landscape in which the flowers look so
well. Among trees, good specimens of the weeping Sophora are

employed with fine. effect near the water at Ferriéres. ne

258 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVI.

its slow growth with us prevents it from being more frequently
seen in our gardens, The remarkable and well-managed fruit-
garden here is alluded to in another part of this book.

An unhappy feature is a formal margin of stones around the
water, somewhat similar to, but smaller than, that which now dis-
figures a part of the ornamental water in the Regent’s Park. The
individual who causes a neat little barricade of stone to be built
around a piece of ornamental water may have genius, but certainly
not for landscape-gardening. The very line of beauty, so to say,
where the turf might slope easily down to kiss the water, or the
wavelets play amongst a fringe of Forget-me-nots or Arrow-heads,
finished off like a manure-tank! Itis too bad. The line of kerb-
stones placed along the margin of the Serpentine, is another
“improvement ” of the same type. As a protection to the edge
from the action of the water, such things are never of any real
use, and, in the case of the Serpentine, the water is frequently
below the kerb-stones. The best margins for artificial water are
sand or turf, and, if these are disturbed by the action of the
wavelets, they will certainly be more appropriate in their worst
condition than cement, bricks, flints, or kerb-stones.

Baroness Rothschild’s garden at Boulogne is too extensive and
remarkable to be passed over. From a landscape-gardening point
of view the grounds at both sides of the house are more than
usually well disposed, there being plenty of open lawns and a
variety of good views, particularly on what is called the English
side, where there is a considerable space devoted to lawns, water,
and shady groves. On this English side there is a terrace-garden
against the house, which, though needless perhaps in its position,
has the merit of not being overdone or prolonged into the green
garden to its detriment. On this terrace, strange to say, there
are no flower-beds—simply grass and walks—what flowers. there
are being in jardiniéres or vases. From each end of this terrace
extends one of those formal shady groves so common in France.
The water is well formed and adorned in one part with little
rocky islets very naturally constructed, and over which scramble
briarg and other trailing and wild plants. A beautiful scene
is formed in one part of the gardens by the rich tropical vegetation
of the stoves grouped in picturesque masses under trees, the
plants comprising Tree-ferns, Giant Cacti, numerous handsome

Cuar. XVI] A FEW NOTES ON PRIVATE GARDENS. 259

Dracenas, the large-leaved Musa, New Zealand Flax, and many of
the very finest tropical and sub-tropical plants, arranged on high
sloping banks. '

From among them rise the stems of the native and garden
trees which shade and shelter the tenderer plants beneath.
These are arranged so that nothing but the beauty of the plants
and foliage is observed, the pots, tubs, etc. necessary in the case
of such tender subjects being concealed. These plants are placed
out-of-doors in early summer, when all danger of frost is over,
and are taken in about the end of September. Many of them
make free growth in the open air, all are cleansed and refreshed
by the summer-rains, and are thus in a better state for passing
the winter than if they had made their growth in the hothouses
insummer. This system merits considerable attention, inasmuch
as plants cannot be so much enjoyed in the hothouses in summer
and autumn as in the open air arranged as described. As carried
out here, this grouping of the rich collection of plants, and the
effect generally obtained, are the most picturesque and satisfactory
I have ever seen afforded by tropical plants in a northern country.
Here, cut off from the picturesque or English part of the gardens,
is a “ French garden” well formed, and perhaps the largest and
best of its kind. That style of garden means straight walks,
straight borders, and rigidity in general plan as well as in details.
It is effective but formal, and takes up much space which might
be disposed in a simpler and more artistic manner. Notable here
were huge plants or masses of New Zealand Flax in large vases.
This plant is invaluable for many purposes in ornamental gardening.
In the great court before the principal entrance is a little garden
in the centre, formed by gigantic Orange-trees in tubs, and other
evergreens.. This is a good idea, giving as it does a little privacy,
and forming a small oasis of verdure in what would otherwise be
a very bare and arid space. The most beautiful weeping-tree I
have ever seen is here, a large specimen of Gleditschia Bojoti, the
leaves divided like a delicate Fern, and the tree giving a shade as
light as the Cloud-grass. It does not weep formally and regularly
like some other trees, but in an irregular and picturesque manner,
while it is free in growth and large in stature. There is a
graceful way of training Climbing-roses over old stumps and old
trees, which here leads to some very pretty effects.

260 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVI.

The great gardens of the Rothschilds and like places, however,
must not be taken as representative of the chateau-gardens gene-
rally, in which not so much attention is bestowed on the gardens
as in England. Circumstances have placed gardening for pleasure
and planting in a more advanced condition in our country than in
any other. We have got further away from the ideas that led to
lopping trees into the forms of coffee-pots than any other people.
We have much to do and much to abolish yet. But our privilege
of leading the van in this way should incite us to greater exertion
still in the cause of progress; to make the garden more and more
a conservatory of beautiful natural objects ; to abolish unmeaning
line-gyrations and formality, so that our garden-galleries may be
fitted for the reception of the living, changing pictures we may
have in them,

A garden horror; the mirror-globe.

( 261 )

CHAPTER XVIL

THE SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE AT VERSAILLES.

THE once royal and imperial kitchen-garden at Versailles is
at last turned into a school of gardening. It is the most suitable
spot that could have been obtained about Paris for the purpose.
The scheme seems to have been carefully considered, and in all
ways deserves success. On visiting some of the suburbs round
Paris, places which only a few years ago, immediately after the
war, were scenes of what seemed irreparable desolation, we
strangers may well be surprised at the great change that has
taken place for the better; not only are traces of the destruction
wrought by the war unseen, but the gardens and fields look
better cultivated than they were before. This result is largely
owing to the skill in market-garden-culture and fruit-growing
common about Paris and taught in such places as this. It is
gratifying to see such minute attention bestowed on the new
school of gardening at Versailles, though the burdens of the
country prevent its being liberally endowed. This and similar
institutions cannot fail to further improve the horticulture and
add to the real wealth of the land.

The fruit- and forcing-gardens at Versailles form a large
establishment, not so costly nor nearly so fine as those at Frog-
more, but containing much that is instructive to the visitor.
Generally the crops do not display the high cultivation nor the
surface the rapid rotation to be seen in the market- -gardens round
Paris, but in the culture of hardy fruits there is something to
learn. It is a forcing, culinary, and fruit-garden mainly.

The hardy fruit-growing department is undergoing a gradual
and complete alteration, especially as regards the choicer Pears

©

262 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XVII.

trained as espaliers. So satisfactory is the system adopted, that
if English cultivators generally could get an idea of its excellence
it would lead to a revolution in our fruit-culture, and a great
improvement in the appearance of our gardens.

There is no way whereby we may so highly improve the garden-

{ ee nee
ae

culture of the Pear as by
paying more attention to it as
an espalier-tree. It is well
known that some Pears suf-
fer in quality by being grown
against walls. It is equally
certain that a fuller degree
of sun and exposure than the
shoots and fruit get on a
pyramidal tree is very de-
sirable in many parts of
this country, especially for
particular kinds. Many sorts
grow beautifully as pyra-
mids; others, to be had in
perfection, must be grown
upon walls; but by means
of the improved espalier
system. the majority of the
finer kinds may be grown to
the highest degree of excel-
lence. The French can cer-
tainly give us a lesson we
may well profit by, as to
the improved appearance,
cheapness, and utility of
the espalier mode of grow-

nm

: ho
ai

planted. Nothing can be uglier or
more inefficient than the usual mode of training espaliers in
our gardens. It is generally so costly and disagreeable to the
eye that in many gardens it has been done away with for
these reasons alone. In many instances the espalier-supports are

Cuap. XVIL] THE SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE AT VERSAILLES, 263

the most unworkmanlike things to be seen, consisting as they
do of rough uprights of wood, which soon rot and wabble out of
position; thick and costly bolt-like wire, making the whole a
cumbrous and expensive construction. The form of tree used, too,

ass

Bee aa’

Fee
meas

Sips

<9
Te etd

(ae

= Wai as
Kees rai

S Wass:

ste Gee rv

an

Saas ee nee”
are ey eee

Se ee ee, " hy
eevee Ae ; if
eae era YY
ae ge ee ree . Yi
eerie ee eae YH]
Pa EO SOTA: yy WY
eae: = 7 /;

iS SESS ae
er RR ee tN
SSeS =

se ee ang
aay Ee

ee

<a ae

ca

aa
a

PROFIT AND ORNAMENT ON SURFACES USUALLY BARE.

Outhouse covered with Plum-trees at Versailles. Photographed by Fules Lemercier in
April 1877; drawn and engraved exactly after the photograph.

ig such that the lower branches become impoverished, and often

nearly useless.
To support his espalier fruit-trees M. Hardy, the head of the

School of Horticulture, has largely adopted a system which is at
t 2

264 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVII-

once cheap, neat, and almost everlasting. Instead of employing
ugly and perishable wooden supports he erects uprights of T-iron,
and connects these with slender galvanised wire. These are
tightened with raédissewrs, without difficulty. He erects this
trellising nine feet high for less than a shilling a yard run;
but it could not be done so cheaply in small quantities. Then,
instead of adopting the common form of espalier-tree, with

Al

TRELLIS FOR PEAR-TREES: TEN FEET HIGH.

Uprights and stays of T-iron; horizontal lines, slender galuanised wire ; ver-
tical lines, pine-wood rods half an inch square and painted green: to these
the ascending branches are trained.

horizontal branches, he more frequently plants trees of which the
branches ascend directly towards the top of the trellis. The
accompanying figures will give a better idea of both trellis and
tree than any description. There is no more important matter
connected with our fruit-culture than this. Those who give their
attention to this system will be led to adopt it, and will much
improve their fruit-culture. The finest stores of Pears to be seen
anywhere are to be found in those French gardens in which a good

Cuar. XVII] THE SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE AT VERSAILLES. 265

length of tree has been trained in this manner. In few places in
France is the espalier system so extensively and so well carried
out as here. The form here represented is much better than the
cordon or single-branched Pear-tree, because a more free and
natural development is allowed to the tree: at the same time the

View of portion of square devoted to double espaliers of Pear-trees at Versailles.

trellis is covered quickly, and a considerable variety of fruit may
be obtained from a small space. It is very extensively adopted
by M. Hardy, upon walls as well as on the neat trellis, of which
he has constructed so much. Of course the Palmette Verrier, the
fan, or any other form may be trained on these trellises, but
decidedly the best of them are such as combine the advantages of

266 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVII.

quickness of growth and early productiveness claimed for the
cordon, with the fuller development and natural appearance of the
larger forms. It should be borne in mind that planting erect
cordons close together, as they must be planted, involves an
amount of expense which is avoided by using trees which have
been allowed to attain a more natural growth. It takes a good

wed.

*
is te 7

™ ble) se FF

. —_
TE Pe Pb Spee
a a -

mes

y

»
ca

Pid
=
SJEsaokd inkooe ee
£ Val
ER RISTS © po

bles,
Lz
=
v |e a 5;
= Foyle Fo ee is fp

Api yg |
a 7

1

ay" :
4 Et ADE

oy ait
S ae LW | | fe ab

A i df : al
7 . : ‘
See Ure oe ade, Cac oes lesa == =

oS bes vd = mans NO —_-

se
[a i on ee

DOUBLE TRELLIS FOR PEAR-TREES: TEN FEET HIGH,

Uprights and stays of T-iron; horizontal lines, slender gal ised wire; ver-
tical lines, pine-wood rods, half an inch square and painted green: to these
the ascending branches are trained.

many years to form the large style of tree usually adopted; the
general planting of these intermediate forms is therefore to be
preferred.

Nothing can be neater in the kitchen- and fruit-garden than
liney such as these trained on the trellis alluded to. There is no
shaking of rough irons or wooden beams, no falling down or

Cuar. XVIL] THE SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE AT VERSAILLES. 267

loosening of the wires; the fruit is firmly attached and safe from

SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE AT VERSAILLES.

WALL OF EASTER BEURRE PEARS IN THE

a ee
RR NES

gales, the wood is fully exposed, and the trellis when well covered
forms an elegant dividing line in a garden. The best way to

268 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XVII.

place them is at from three to six feet from the edge of the walk,
and if in the space between the espalier and the walk a line of the
cordons elsewhere recommended be established, the effect and
result will prove very good indeed. In some cases where large
quantities of fruit are required, it may be considered desirable to
place them across a square some fifteen or eighteen feet apart.
The principle is very simple, the proof of which is that the
trellises at Versailles were erected by the garden workmen.
M. Hardy, the superintendent at Versailles, is the son of the
celebrated writer on fruit-trees of that name, and has had much
experience in fruit-growing. “These trellises,” says he, “are the
cheapest as well as the most ornamental that we have yet succeeded
in making, and the trees which I plant against them are of the
form that I prefer to all others, for promptly furnishing walls and
trellises, and for yielding a great number of varieties in a com-
paratively restricted space.” The mode of employing the uprights
of pine-wood painted green and reaching from the top of the
trellis to within six inches of the ground is not a common
one, though very desirable where the erect method of train-
ing the shoots is practised. Of course any other forms may
be used with this system of trellising, with slight modifications
to suit different kinds or forms of trees. The double trellis
shown is simply a modification of the single one, and is not
only desirable where space is limited, but also for its economy,
for one set of uprights supports the two sets of wires by using
cross pieces of iron about eighteen inches long, and at the
desired distance apart. However, the engraving shows this
at a glance.

The Pear is found to succeed badly here as a low cordon, and
to plant it as an oblique cordon at fifteen or eighteen inches apart
is considered much too close. A white wall fourteen feet high
covered with Easter Beurré Pears shows an excellent example of
the best method of growing this Pear, The trees are mostly on
the Quince stock and a few on the Pear, but all bear equally well.
They are all trained in the five-branched form usually adopted
here, and almost cover the tall white wall. The growers here
insist on the necessity of having white walls for fruit-trees, and
state that dark ones injure both fruit and leaves, while white ones
benefit both. White walls, apparently well lime-washed every

Cuar. XVIL] THE SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE AT VERSAILLES. 269

year, are to be found in every good establishment, whether for
Peach, Grape, or other wall-fruit culture. The Easter Beurré may
be seen here double-worked on the Curé. The Curé is first grafted
on the Quince and allowed to form five vertical branches
before it is budded. The Easter Beurré is found to do of if
best when double-grafted, though the trees int ,
directly on the Quince and Pear seem to do

well, ‘Ihe bare parts of the stems of
iruit-trecs in this garden are in
many cases protected from
injury frcm a strong
sun by being
neatly co-

ale
sia

a

Engraved from a photograph taken in April 1877 by Sules Lemercter. Showing the trees when in
flower and before the young shoots begin to cover the surface between the erect branches. The trees
are protected from frost during the flowering season by straw mats temporarily fixed on the top
of the wall. These trees, having vertical shoots, are quickly and easily formed. The wall is
perfectly covered with the trees as shown in the engraving, in which no alteration Srom the
photograph whatever has been made.— These Peach-trees are trained in the USorm with vertical
branches, and are about seventeen years old. The sorts are the Grosse Mignonne, M. adeleine
Rouge de Courtoy, Belle Beausse. The wail is about thirteen feet high, and faces the west. 7 he
trees took only six years to cover the wall, Each tree produced from 150 to 200 Peaches when in
full bearing, but after this figure had been reached the yield was reduced to 150, or even 120, the
Sruit becoming better in quality as they becanie less numerous,

270 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVII.

with straight straw, tied with willow twigs. Neatly done,
it seems better than the commoner plan of placing slates
or boards before them. Brackets to support straw mats in
spring are placed on every wall at a little more than a yard
apart.

There are a great many old and worn-out trees in the garden
which have a bad effect on its appearance here and there, but
many promising improvements are being carried out as far as
the funds afforded to the school will allow. The Pear makes
as strong a growth here as in Britain, though some of our growers
say that a more fruitful kind of wood is formed in the fine climate
of France.

For some years past M. Hardy has carried out a novel system
of protecting espalier-trees. The plan is simply to strain lines
of galvanised wire above the top of the

ee : a», eSpalier, so as to form a low-span roof when
— = —s- covered with rough canvas. The sides

pet = are not covered, but the protection at the

vy top is sufficient to prevent radiation, and

Side view of protection to _ to throw off heavy rains when the trees are

double line of Espalers + Doom, If there is a wall running at
right angles with the lines of espaliers, wires are stretched from
it so as to form a light support over each espalier ; if not, a post
is driven in so as to support and stretch the wire in the firmest
way. The lower of these two lines ~~ may be supposed
to represent the top of the espalier, the upper.a line firmly
supported at a few inches above it. Wires are also stretched
at each side of this, at about twenty inches from it, so as to form
the outline of a very low-span roof. It is a matter of little
difficulty to stretch canvas over these wires, letting it be an
inch or two narrower than the breadth between the outer wires,
so that it may be strained tight. The outer margins must
of course be firmly threaded to the outer wires with twine or
any convenient tying or rough sewing material. Here they
simply use the stems of the glaucous or hard Rush (Juncus
glaucus), which grows wild all over Britain, and find it answer
admirably. A neat ridge is thus arranged over each line of
espaliers, which throws off the rain and prevents radiation,
thereby saving the bloom from frost and insuring a crop. The

Cuap. XVII.] THE SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE AT VERSAILLES. 271

protection is put up before the buds are liable to be injured,
and removed when the fruit is set and all danger has passed
away. Thus a very cheap and effective protection is secured.
The kinds of Pears mostly grown here are Easter Beurré, by
which several walls are covered; Duchesse d’Angouléme, of
which there is a square of trellising nearly 600 yards long in
all, and about nine feet high; Beurré Diel; and Louise Bonne
d’Avranches.

The Peach is well grown and trained in some parts of the garden,
a form with five main branches being adopted with success. It is
analogous to the form used for the Pear in the same garden, and is
very readily made. It would be difficult to see walls more beauti-
fully covered with trees than a considerable portion of the peach-
walls here. The tree is
here almost invariably
trained in a_ vertical
manner, and as usual pro-
tected in spring with deep
copings. I have to thank
Mr. Hardy for permis-
sion to have some of the
Peach and other trees
photographed, and for
other kindly help.

In addition to the
trellises above described,
the most remarkable fea-
ture of this garden is the presence of a vast number of horizontal
cordon Apple-trees, both in single and superimposed lines of two
or three stages, all on galvanised wire. The trees are on the
Paradise stock, and nearly always confined to a single stem. These
trees sometimes bear enormous crops, but the fine Apples are
often destroyed by the grub. One border devoted to cordons is
about one thousand feet long, and altogether there are over four
thousand yards of cordon-trained Apple-trees in the garden. As
the greater portion of this length is composed of two and three
lines of wires placed at distances of a foot one above the other,
there are really more than five miles of horizontal cordon Apple-
trees on the true Paradise stock, and it should be observed that

Border of superimposed Cordons at Versailles.

272 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XVII.

though the cordons are often grown in lines one above the other,
one plant does not furnish more than one line except at the ends.
There, however, it is necessary to take several branches from one
plant to furnish the two or three lines of wire starting from the
same post. Here, as in many other gardens superintended by
experienced fruit-growers, this mode of Apple-growing is preferred
to any other, but the enormous number planted best speaks of the
estimation in which it is held. The cordons, though generally
well managed, are not quite so good as may be seen elsewhere,
owing apparently to being too closely confined to the main stem.
They are best and most satisfactory when allowed to form a free
and regular bush of spurs along the stem. It is a soil as cold,
stiff, and disagreeable for fruit-culture as could well be devoted to
that purpose.

The programme of this school has been published, and reads as
follows :—

The School of Horticulture, established in the Royal Kitchen Garden of Versailles,
is placed under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. Only
out-pupils are admitted; the instruction given is entirely gratuitous; and the
course of study continues for three years.

Conditions of Admission.—The candidates must not be less than seventeen, or
more than twenty-seven, years old at the time of entrance. Applications for
admission, drawn up on stamped paper, should be addressed to the Minister of
Agriculture and Commerce, so that he may receive them by the 20th of September
at the latest. No notice will be taken of any application sent in after that date.
Each application must be accompanied by (1) a certificate of the candidate’s birth,
if a native of France; (2) a certificate of good character, signed by the local
authorities ; (3) a medical certificate, to the effect that the candidate is sufficiently
strong and healthy to undertake the occupation of a gardener. On receipt of these
documents, which should be legally drawn up, the Minister, if everything is
satisfactory, will authorise the candidate to present himself for an examination, of
which he will send him due notice.

Entrance HEaamination.—Every candidate must undergo an entrance ex-
amination in the following elementary subjects: (1) Reading; (2) writing and
spelling (from dictation) ; (3) numeration, and the first four rules of arithmetic,
Credit will be given to the candidates for any technical knowledge which they
may possess. This examination will be held in the school on the 1st of October,
which is the date fixed for the commencement of the academical year and the
entrance of pupils. Every candidate who shall pass this examination in a satis-
factory manner is at once placed on the list of pupils, and has thenceforth right
of entrance into the school.

Course of Instruction.—The main object of the course of instruction pursued
in the School of Horticulture at Versailles is to train up skilled and intelligent

Cuar. XVII.] THE SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE AT VERSAILLES. 273

gardeners, possessing all the theoretical and practical knowledge that is necessary
in horticultural operations. It embraces the following subjects: (1) The cultiva-
tion of fruit-trees in the open air and under glass; pomology ; (2) the cultivation
of forest and ornamental trees, comprising nursery work in general ; (3) the cultiva-
tion of vegetables in the open air, and by forcing ; (4) the cultivation of flowering
plants, in the open air and under glass; (5) elementary and descriptive botany ;
(6) the principles of landscape-gardening and garden architecture ; (7) elementary
instruction in physics, meteorology, chemistry, geology, and mineralogy, as applied
to horticulture ; (8) the elements of zoology and entomology, in their relation to
horticulture and arboriculture; (9) arithmetic and geometry, applied to gardening
purposes, such as the measuring of surfaces, finding cubic contents, laying down
plans to scale, etc.; (10) line drawing, and sketching plants aud implements ;
(11) lessons in the French language and book-keeping. The practical instruction
is supplied in a systematic course of manual labour, which embraces every opera-
tion of gardening. The time is so divided between these two branches of in-
struction that all the pupils will take part in the work of the garden every day,
and thereby acquire the knowledge and manual dexterity which are so indis-
pensable. In addition to the instruction imparted in the school, the pupils will
be taken from time to time to visit the principal horticultural establishments, in
order to familiarise them with the best examples of practical horticulture and
arboriculture.

Examinations at the end of the year and on leaving the School_—At the end of
every academical year a general examination will take place for the purpose of
classifying the pupils. Those who fail to pass through this examination into a
higher division, will cease to be members of the School, Those pupils who pass
a satisfactory examination on leaving the school will receive, on the recommenda-
tion of the examiners, a certificate of merit from the Minister of Agriculture and
Commerce. Moreover, those pupils who distinguish themselves most at the final
examination may (if their acquirements and fitness in other respects point them
out as deserving of the favour) receive an appointment, for one year’s practice, in
one of the leading French or foreign horticultural establishments. An allowance
of 1200 francs (£48) is attached to each of these appointments, the number of
which is not to exceed three every year. It must be understood, however, that
these appointments cannot be claimed as a right by those pupils who come out
among the first at the final examination. A nomination to one of them will
depend on whether the examiners have formed a judgment of the pupil, in the
course of the examination, as to whether he is a person likely to make a good use
of this complementary means of improvement; preference being given to those
pupils who manifest a desire for further knowledge, and an earnest devotion to
their profession.

Bursaries.—Bursaries, six in number, and each of the value of 600 francs (£24),
will be annually given to those pupils whose names stand first on the entrance-
list, to help to defray their expenses while they remain at Versailles. Holders of
these bursaries will receive them in monthly payments of 50 francs (£2). The
institution will also receive pupils sent from the departments, towns, and
agricultural or horticultural associations, whose expenses are defrayed by the

274 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caap. XVII.

department, town, or association to which they belong. All the pupils, whether
holders of bursaries or not, go through the same course of study, practical work,
and examinations, and are amenable to the same internal regulations. In the
school, all the pupils stand on the same footing, and are subject to the same
rules,

Discipline.—Special rules are framed for regulating the hours of attendance in
the school, the employment of time, the course of out-door operations, and the
maintenance of order in the establishment. To each rule is appended the penalty
incurred by its infringement. Every year the course of theoretical instruction
is suspended for two months (from August 1 to October 1). During this time,
leave of absence may be granted to those pupils who ask for it; but the director
has the power of limiting the periods of absence, or refusing them altogether, in
order to enable him to have always a sufficient number of hands to keep the
gardens in order, or to carry out any works of importance or urgency. Any pupil
who does not return at the expiration of his leave of absence is looked upon as
having left the school; his name is erased from the roll, and cannot be replaced
without the sanction of the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce.

The School of Fruit-culture of the City of Paris in the Bois de

Vincennes.

Before the war it was determined to found a school of fruit-
culture for Paris, and in the spring of 1868 the first trees were
planted. In arrangement it is almost identical with the plan
given in this chapter and recommended by M. Du Breuil
for the north of France. It is situated near the Avenue
Daumesnil entrance to the Bois de Vincennes. The first thing
remarkable about the new garden is its walls; they are of felt,
supported on a rough wooden framework. The felt is first nailed
on frames of wood about six feet long by four feet wide, which
are dropped into a groove made in the uprights, the stronger
framework resting upon a few inches of masonry: the felt is
whitened over, and the whole surmounted by a little ridge-like
coping. This peculiar form of wall was erected in consequence of
the objection of the authorities to have any walls of solid materials
in the neighbourhood, which is near the fort: but it has helped to
prove that in cold northern countries we may hope to grow good
fruit by means of something less expensive than brick walls,
These walls are about nine feet high, except at the north end
where they are more than twelve feet.

The garden is in two divisions, one to illustrate the practical

Cuar. XVIL] THE PARIS SCHOOL OF FRUIT-CULTURE. 275

8
£.
£

We

YX

mS

Fi
& ics
= z
h=3
4

Sopth,
Plan of a Fruit-garden for the north of France (Du Breuil).

B, cistern. C, double espalier for Apricots. D, west side of walls planted with oblique
cordon Pear-trees, 16 inches apart. E, Gooseberries. F, east side of wall, planted with Peach-
trees as siniple cordons 16 inches apart. G, Cherries as oblique cordons, 16 inches apart. H,
Plum-trees, trained in like manner. I, hedge. ¥, summer Pears, as vertical cordons on
espalier. K, Raspberries, cultivated at the foot of the wall. M, wall of Vines. The borders
are surrounded by a cordon of Apples, planted 7 feet apart, and 12 inches within the margin of

the border. The black lines show the walls, and N and O wires stretched Srom the walls to

support the espalier.

276 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap, XVII.

and profitable culture of fruit for market, the other all the
important modes of fruit-culture, the various curious and useful
forms of wall and standard trees, and most things necessary to
know concerning the subject. The part devoted to the modes of
culture best calculated to afford a quick and certain return is
planted almost entirely with the finest of all winter Pears, the
Easter Beurré, and that well-known Apple the Calville Blanc. The
Pears are all cordons, either planted against walls or espaliers,
and the Apples are all the low horizontal cordon. Only the best
fruits are cultivated. Most of the cordons against the walls are
oblique(thus, / / / / ), except on the highest wall, where they
are vertical. The Professor’s reason for adopting these forms is
that the walls are more readily covered by it, and a much quicker
return obtained; and he thinks these advantages. outweigh the
expense of planting so closely, or any other objection that may be
urged against the system. Between three and four thousand
trees of Easter Beurré, and the same number of Calville Blanc,
are planted in this small garden.

One thing cannot fail to strike any visitor taking an interest
in fruit-growing—the precautions taken to protect the trees from
wet and frost. All round the walls iron brackets project from
immediately beneath the permanent wooden coping, to receive
wide copings made of felt nailed on a high wooden framework, in
lengths of about six feet and two feet wide. These are slipped in
under the short permanent coping, and rest on the bracket, the
hooked point of which holds them in position. The protection for
the espaliers is supported by iron rods projecting from the top of
the pine posts that are used to support the double espaliers. On
these are fixed thin frames of straw, each at least a yard wide.
They are firmly fixed down to the wires, so that in spring the
trees are placed under what may be called a neatly thatched shed.
No doubt some other material would look better than the straw,
but when nailed firmly between laths it does not look untidy ; and,
moreover, it is the object of the school to show the cheapest as
well as the best way of applying the protections most commonly
in use. The use of neat straw mats for protecting walls is very
common in France. Posts of pine-wood five or six inches in
diameter are employed to support the espaliers, because they are
easy to procure; and, to secure their durability, they are

Cuap. XVII] THE PARIS SCHOOL OF FRUIT-CULTURE. 277

thoroughly saturated with blue vitriol before being used. This is
a cumbrous and bad plan, the kind of fruit-trellises employed at
Versailles being neater, more durable, and in every way superior.

Double Espalier with a row of Cordons on each side, showing mode of protecting the whole in sprin 1g
(Du Breuil\. A, wooden support. B, B, supports for protection. : F, F, wide temporary copings
of neat straw mats, held by iron brackets. H, H, galvanised wires fixed at E, E, descending
at intervals and fixed in the iron posts, L, L, and to stones in the ground, (G, one of the liues
running across the espaliers from the walls of the garden.

In the garden devoted to teaching purposes only, all the lines
which the branches of the wall trees are to occupy when fully
formed are indicated by small rattan canes—accurately placed, so

U

278 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVII.

that as the tree grows the trainer has merely to attach it to the
rods. Useless as well as desirable forms of training are shown;
for instance, trees formed like a goblet, with the branches crossed

FRUIT-TREE IN THE VASE FORM.

One of many forms more curious than useful. A, stake. B, B, crossed sticks to sustain hoop in
Position. To form: ahandsome tree of this hind, eighteen or twenty branches are required,

or ascending vertically. These are all useless for practical pur-
poses, though they may serve to amuse an amateur ; who, however,
would do better to amuse himself with forms more simple and
productive. The way of making a hedge of Pears is also shown—

Cuap. XVII] THE PARIS SCHOOL OF FRUIT-CULTURE. 279

a hedge that when once made, and with its branches crossed and
intertwined, will support itself—and without doubt neat and
productive screens of fruit-trees may thus be made in any garden,
and the trees kept quite as neatly as if supported by expensive
trellising. Altogether the place will prove an instructive one,
though the School at Versailles will be found by visitors to be
more interesting so far as trained trees are concerned. A model
vineyard and a promising young orchard have been planted in the
Vincennes School of Horticulture, in which, as in the fruit-gardens
a professor gives free lectures to large classes.

Wy
‘ly

Hedge of Pear-trees (half formed).

280 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVIII.

CHAPTER XVIII.
THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING.

A corDoN means a tree confined to a single stem, that stem being
furnished with spurs, or sometimes with little fruiting branches
nailed in, as in the case of the Peach when trained to one stem.
Some have supposed that it means any form of branch closely
spurred in; but this is not the case. The termis wrongly applied
to any form of tree but the small and simple-stemmed ones. The
French have no more need of the word to express a tree trained
on the spur system than we have, and they have trained trees on
_ the spur system for ages without ever calling them by this name.

The Apple trained as a Simple Horizontal Cordon, grafted on the French Paradise Stock.

Professor Du Breuil, in reply to a letter requesting him to define
the exact use and meaning of the term, replied as follows: “The
word cordon is derived in French from corde. I employed this
expression to designate the forms of fruit-trees composed of one
branch, which only bears fruit-buds and branchlets.”

He states that, struck with the long period it took to cover
a wall by means of the larger forms of trees, he adopted those
quick-rising simple-stemmed kinds to cover the walls rapidly and
give a quick return. Hence itis clear that if we call a fan-
trained or a horizontal tree a “ cordon,” we not only misapply the

Cuar. XVUL] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING. 281

term, but prevent the inventor's simple idea from being under-

stood. However, the figures in this chapter
will give a correct idea of what the cordon
system is.

A simple galvanised wire is attached to a
strong oak post or rod of iron, so firmly fixed
that the strain of the wire may not disturb
it. The wire is usually supported at a distance
of one foot from the ground, and tightened
by a raidisseur, a handy little implement de-
scribed elsewhere in this volume. A raidisseur
will tighten several hundred feet of the wire,
which need not be thicker than strong twine,
and of the same sort as that recommended
for walls and espaliers. The galvanised wire
known as No. 14 is the most suitable for general
use. At intervals a support of wood or iron
with an eye in it is placed under the wire on
which the tree is trained; thus forming the
simplest and best kind of cordon, and the one
go extensively employed for making edgings
around the squares in fruit-gardens.

By selecting good kinds and training them
in this way abundance of the finest fruit may
be grown without having any of the large trees
or those of any other form in the garden to
shade or occupy its surface. The bilateral
cordon is useful for the same purposes as the
simple one, and especially adapted to the bottoms
of walls, bare spaces between the fruit-trees,
the fronts of pits, or any low bare wall with a
warm exposure. As in many cases the lower
parts of walls in gardens are quite bare, this
form of cordon offers an opportunity for cover-
ing them with what will yield a certain and
valuable return. It is by this method that
the finest-coloured, largest, and best French
apples sold in Covent Garden and in the Paris

Ow

Py yey «da ap

ma

se

me Sal

Simple and Double Cordon Trees trainin gas Edgings.

PRR ri ay

ZAI (

Z|

=

fruit-shops at such high prices are grown. In Covent een

282 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. XVIIL

and in Regent Street they are sometimes marked two and three
shillings each, and in St. Petersburg they are sold in winter for
as much as six shillings each. Considering the great number
of walled gardens there are in this country, there can be no
doubt whatever that by merely covering, by means of this plan,
the lower parts of walls now entirely useless, we could easily
supply our markets with the very choice fruit referred to, and
be independent of other countries in this respect.

Many will suppose that
such very fine fruit must
require a warmer country
than ours for their produc-
tion. But by treating them
as the French do we may
produce quite as good a
result, and may, in addi-
a se tion, grow tender but fine
Cordon Tree on low Wall of Plant-house. In this way apples, like the Calville

eee eg ee iene, that do Wtvle oad
may be grown to perfection. when grown as standards.
The climate in most parts
of England will be found to suit them as well as that of France,
if not better, because the sun in some districts of France is
rather too strong for the perfect development of the flesh and
flavour of the apple. There is no part of this country in which
the low cordon will not be found a useful addition to the garden
—that is, wherever first-rate dessert fruit is wanted. So great is
the demand in the markets for fruit of the highest quality that
sometimes tho little trees more than pay for themselves the first
year after being planted. In any northern exposed and cold places
where choice apples do not ripen well it would be desirable to give
the trees as warm and sunny a position as possible, while the form
recommended for walls should be used extensively. In no case
should the system be tried except as a garden one—an improved
method of orcharding being what is wanted for kitchen fruit, and
for the supply of the markets.

When lines of well-grown cordons are completed the whole forms
a mass of bold spurs. Some keep them very closely pinched in
to the rod, but the best are allowed a rather free development of

Cuar. XVIII] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING. 283

spurs, care being taken that these are produced regularly and
thickly along the stem.

The cordon system as generally applied to the Apple is simply
bringing one good branch near the earth, where it receives more
heat, where it causes no injurious shade, and where it may be pro-
tected with the greatest efficiency and the least amount of trouble.

It is an extension of the best principles of pruning—a wise
bending of the young tree to the conditions that best suit it in
our northern climate. The fact that by its means we bring all
the fruit and leaves to within ten inches or a foot of the ground,
thereby exposing them to an increase of heat, which compensates
to a great extent for a bad climate, will prove a strong argument
in favour of the plan. The form is so definite and simple that
anybody may attend to it, and direct the energies of the little trees
to a useful end, with much less trouble than is requisite to form
a presentable pyramid or bush. It does not, like other forms,

Young Cordon Tree of the Lady Affle trained as an Edging.

shade anything; and beneath the very line of cordons a slight
crop may be grown. They are less trouble to support than either
pyramid or bush; always under the eye for thinning, stopping,
and pruning; easy of protection, if that be desired; and very
cheap in the first instance.

A few words are necessary as to the best method of planting
and managing the Apple trained and planted around the quarters
or borders. Ina garden in which much neatness is desirable it
would be better to plant them within whatever edging may be
used for the walks; but in the rough kitchen- or fruit-garden they
may be used as edgings. The reason for supporting the cordon
at the height of a foot from the surface is to prevent the fruit
getting soiled by earthy splashings. In gardens where it would
not be suitable as an edging, the best way would be to plant
it ten inches within the Box or whatever kind of edging was
employed. In planting, the union of stock and scion must be kept

284 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVIII.

just above the surface of the ground, to prevent the Apple grafted
on the Paradise from throwing out its own roots and consequently
becoming useless for such a mode of training. The trees should
never be fixed down to wire or wall immediately after being planted,
but allowed to remain erect during their first winter and until
the sap is moving in them, when they may be tied down. Some
allow them to grow erect for a whole year before tying them down.
They should in all cases be allowed to settle well into the ground
before being tied to anything. For general plantings, the best
kind of plants to get are those known as “maidens,” ¢.e., erect
growing trees about a year from the graft. These can be readily
trained down to the wire, or to the wall, in spring. In training
the young tree, the point with its growing shoot of the current
year should always be allowed to grow, so that the sap will flow
equably through the plant, drawn on by the rising shoot at its
end. To allow gross shoots to rise at any other parts of the tree
is to spoil all prospect of success. If the tree does not break
regularly into buds, it must be forced to do so by making incisions
before dormant eyes.

A chief point is not to pinch too closely or too soon. The first
stopping of the year is the most important one, and the first
shoots should not be pinched in too young, but when the wood
is a little firm, so that the lower eyes at the bases of the leaves
may not break soon after the operation. Stopping should be
done at six leaves, as the object is not to havea mere stick for the
cordon, but a dense bushy array of fruit-spurs quite a foot or
more in diameter when the leaves are on in summer. ll the
after-pinching of the year may be shorter, and as the object is to
regularly furnish the line, the observant trainer will vary his
tactics to secure that end—in one place he will have to repress
vigour, in another to encourage it. About three general stoppings
during the summer will suffice, but at all times when a strong
“water shoot? shows itself well above the mass of fruitful ones,
it should be pinched in, though not too closely. In some of our
nurseries may be seen “cordons” with every shoot allowed to
rise up like a willow wand—utterly neglected and on the wrong
stock.

As the Paradise keeps its roots quite near the surface of the
ground, spreading an inch or two of half decomposed manure over

Cuar. XVIII.] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING. 285

the ground, or in gardening language ‘“ mulching,” could not fail
to be beneficial. This is the more necessary on warm or dry soils,
in which the Paradise stock is least vigorous.

The cordons are usually planted too close together in France.
When the trees overtake each other it is common to graft them
one to another—a very simple operation. If when all are united
they should grow too strong in rich ground, the stem of every
second plant may be cut off just beneath the wire and the trees
will be nourished by the others. When the line is well trained
and established the wire may be taken away altogether. If the
plantation be made on a slope, all the trees should be planted so
as to grow up the incline.

Finally, in winter, the trees will be the better for being looked
over with a view to
a little pruning here
and there; taking
care to thin and
regulate the spurs
when the plantation
is thoroughly esta-
blished, to cut in
useless stumps, and
to firmly tie the
shoots along the
wire but not too tightly so as to prevent their free expansion.

As the system is chiefly valuable for the production of fine
dessert fruit, only the best kinds should be selected; but, as some
Apples are of high value both for kitchen and dessert, some of the
finer kitchen Apples are included in the following list of such as
will be found very suitable: Reinette du Canada, Reinette du
Canada Grise, Reinette Grise, Reinette de Caux, Reinette d’Es-
pagne, Reinette trés-tardive, Belle Dubois, Pomme d’Api, Mela
Carla, Calville St. Sauveur, Coe’s Golden Drop, Calville Blanc,
Northern Spy, Melon-apple, Cox’s. Orange Pippin, Duke of
Devonshire, Kerry Pippin, Lodgemore Nonpareil, White Non-
pareil, American-Mother, Early Harvest, Lord Burleigh, Beauty
of Kent, Bedfordshire Foundling, Lord Suffield, Cox’s Pomona,
Hawthornden, Tower of Glamis, Winter Hawthornden, Betty
Geeson, Small’s Admirable, and Braddick’s Nonpareil. Some of

The White Calville Apple.

286 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XVIIL

the best of the above are valuable keeping Apples. The Reinette
Grise may be seen in fine condition in the markets at Rouen in
June, and Reinette trés-tardive is good in July. Those who
wish to plant good early Apples might try Borovitsky, and a few
of the best early kinds; but it is better to devote most of the
horizontal cordons to the growth of the finer and later fruits.
Of the above selection the Calville Blanc, the Reinette du Canada,
and Mela Carla must,be grown on a warm wall; the Mother,
Melon, and several of the other later and finer Apples will also be
grateful for the same protection.

Of the kinds of French Apples that may be had grafted on the
Paradise abundantly in nurseries all over France the following
are among the best: Calville Blanc, Reinette du Canada, R.
d’Angleterre, R. Grise, R. de Caux, R. trés-tardive, R. de

Reinette du Canada trained as a Cordon.

Bretagne, R. d’Espagne, Belle Dubois, Belle Joséphine, Calville
St. Sauveur. As a great number of trees is required for this
mode of planting ; as the Apple on the Paradise occupies but a
small space in nurseries compared to other trees; and as it is
very likely that before long there will be a demand for this form
of tree, it is to be hoped that our nurserymen will offer suitable
kinds at a very low rate by the dozen, score, or hundred, as is
the case in France. Till this is done there can be no hope of
the perfect and general success of the system.

As to the culture of the Apple on the Paradise in its earliest
stage in nurseries, M. Jean Durand of Bourg-la-Reine, near Paris,
writes to me as follows :—

“Tf the Apple-tree is to be grown in the form of the horizontal
cordon, it must be grafted on the variety known to horticulturists
as the Paradise. This variety, which loves a fresh, damp, clayey

Cuap. XVIII.] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING. 287

soil, cannot be grown from seed, but must be propagated by means
of layers or cuttings, which are obtained in the following
manner: Having chosen soil of the proper description, it must
be well dug and manured. Trenches, six inches deep and a yard
apart, are then opened, and the stocks, which have been prepared
previously, planted in them. They should be pruned down to
twelve or fourteen inches in height, and placed in the trenches
at a distance of four inches apart, and in such a way that about
six inches of the top appears above the ground. The trenches
are then filled in and the ground levelled.

“In the following spring, as soon as there is no longer any
danger from frost, the stocks are cut down level with the ground.

mane eenees|

a , th 1
py FR ky y
” ;
ye

. ea wy

a

be :
i ob af
an

Edging of Sineple Cordons three years old in Fruit-garden at Brunoy.

The object of this operation is to develop a number of shoots:
these are earthed up about June or July by covering them with
a small quantity of earth taken from the trench on each side of
the line of plants, so as to cover their bases to the depth of four
inches or so.

“In the following November these buds will have taken root ;
the plants from which they take their origin will give every year
a certain number of young plants, and will be alluded to in future
as old stools.

“ Every year during the month of November the young plants
should be stripped from these old stools. It is necessary above
all during the first year to use a strong pair of pruning-shears,

288 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cnap. XVIII.

called a sécatewr, for taking them off in order not to injure the
stools; later on they may be simply broken off. Immediately
after this operation the stools should be covered over with earth.
They will afford young plants for a long time—from five to ten
years, according to the care taken of them—and the suckers thus
obtained will serve for grafting in the nursery.

“The ground which is to receive them should be well dug
and the trees then planted in lines two feet apart, or a little more.
They should be placed sixteen or twenty inches apart and three
or four inches deep. The operation of planting in beds requires
great care. The young plants should be well trimmed both at
top and bottom, so as to give the branches a uniform length of
sixteen inches, and the
ground hoed frequently
until the month of
August, with the double
object of destroying
weeds and keeping the
ground open. At this
period the young plants
are ready for budding,
each subject receiving a
bud at about four inches
above the surface of the

Grafting by approach, to unite the points of Horizontal ground. Immediately
Cordons, The apex of each cordon is cut at A, when afterwards, particularly

Jirmly united to its neighbour (Du Breuil). : < 2

in dry seasons, it will
be well to give the ground a good hoeing to help to keep it
moist,

“During the winter the plant should be cut down to within
three inches above the bud, and all the remaining shoots should
be stripped off. The following spring a number of small shoots
will make their appearance all over the pruned plant. When
they have reached a length of an inch or an inch and a half, they
should be pinched down to favour the gruwth of the graft, which
will have grown as large as the other buds. The bud which has
not been pinched will naturally soon exceed in size those which
have been. From this time it will attain sufficient strength to
absorb the sap, and it will be necessary to remove all the other

Caap. XVIII.] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING. 289

shoots. This little pruning operation requires considerable
caution, and is performed by the aid of the knife. Care should
be taken not to confound the graft with the other shoots on the
plant. The stem of the stock above
the bud being thus deprived of its
shoots, serves as a stake to which to
tie the young growing scion, which
tied loosely is preserved from ac-
cident during its growth. At the
end of the year this natural stake,
having served its purpose, is cut
away, and the graft having attained
its proper size is ready for trans-
planting as a maiden plant, and may
then be trained into any form the
grower may think desirable.

“The Apple thus grafted on the
Paradise is, as is well known, a great
success throughout all parts of France
and the adjoining countries. In pro-
portion to the space it occupies, it
furnishes a great quantity of the
finest fruit. It is not rare to count
seventy or eighty apples upon a little
tree whose arms together are not
more than seven feet long. This
form is due to M. J. L. Jamin, of
Bourg-la-Reine. This nurseryman
used to sell dwarf fruit-trees of all
kinds in pots in the Paris market,
and amongst them the now well-
known cordon. The form was much
appreciated and promptly spread
abroad, and after having had some
guccess at a horticultural exhibition
held at the Louvre, it was definitely adopted in kitchen- and fruit-
gardens under the name of the horizontal cordon.

“To establish the growth of cordons in the nursery a line of
galvanised iron wire is stretched horizontally at about fourteen

Another Mode of Grafting to unite the Cordons (Du Brenil).

290 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XVIII.

inches above the ground, the ends being firmly fixed. The young
trees are then cut down nearly to the level of the wire, and when
they start in spring two opposite buds are chosen for the formation

and after all had

ts

tion of the R

4

been securely grafted together, every second stem was severed. B shows the p

The horizontal Cordon trained as an Edging. Originally the trees represented here were planted too thickly,

of the two arms, and allowed to grow during the
summer, the buds on the stem below these being
pinched within an inch or so of their base.
During the summer the two shoots ought to
form a strong cordon fit for transplanting in the
following winter. The simple cordon with one
branch is formed in the same manner, except
that one bud only is allowed to grow.”

Since the discussion which took place in the
journals concerning the merits of this mode of
Apple-growing, I have seen a great number of
cordons on the Paradise in many parts
of France and in Switzerland, seeking in
various districts to ascertain its merits and
defects; and am more than ever satisfied of its
value. Some have considered that a late frosty
season would be fatal to low cordons, and that
our climate is too conducive to the production
of gross wood, while on the Continent it be-
comes ripe and stubby, and the trees may be
preserved within bounds. If such were the fact,
this objectionable tendency should be more
developed in the warm parts of north-western
France near the sea-coast; but this is not the
case: Grafted on the true French Paradise
stock, the tree is always good, and keéps per-
fectly within bounds in parts of France and
Belgium as cold and moist as southern England.
In a note from Professor Morren, of Liége, he
says: “The culture of the Apple as a cordon
on the Paradise stock has been extensively tried
in this country, and is rapidly extending,
particularly near Liége, Verviers, Huy, Namur,

and in all the Flemish districts. Hedges of horizontal cordon
Apples and Pears are now formed along the sides of the railway
between Brussels and Louvain. These plantations were made two

Cuap. XVIII] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING. 291

years ago, and have proved very successful. The fruits attain a
considerable size, and the experiment promises so well that pre-
parations are being made to greatly extend it.” It is improbable
that there should be so much difference in the behaviour of trees
separated by a few miles of sea! In many continental districts
where frosts are quite as severe as here, the cordons escape yearly
without serious injury ; and besides, no form of tree ig so easily
protected in spring, it being so very low.

In conclusion, it may be urged in favour of these cordon Apple-
trees: 1. The fruit is larger and finer than that borne on any
large form of tree. 2. The tree comes into bearing much earlier
—in fact, often bears freely the second summer after being grafted.
3. The growth is dwarfer and much more compact than that of
the apple on any other stock,
and the tree may, without
root-pruning, be kept in a
more compact and fruitful
form than apples on the

r ay be with that
Crab m J : Stmple Mode of protecting Cordon A pple-trees in
troublesome attention. 4, M. Famin’s Garden at Bourg-la-R eine.

The fruit being held at an

average of one foot from the ground is in consequence benefited
by a greater degree of heat; and from the compactness of the
form the leaves and wood enjoy a greater amount of sun than
is the case with high trees: it need hardly be said that these
are great advantages. 5. The tree being confined to a single
stem, and stubby fruit-spurs held near the surface of the ground,
there is in consequence no injury to the fruit from wind
or the swaying about of branches; besides, the fruit, if it does
fall, is not injured. 6, The trees may be more readily protected
than any other form whatever, should protection be considered
necessary. 7. They may be more easily attended to in pinching,
pruning, and thinning the fruit, and the desired shape attained
more readily than any other form of trained tree. 8. Being little
taller than a neglected Box edging, they shade no garden-crop.
9. They take up but small space, and the positions best suited to
them are those that hitherto have been made no use of. 10. The
apple on the French Paradise grows to its highest perfection on
stiff loamy and wet and clayey soils, those which are often most

292 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XVIII.

inimical to fruit-culture in these islands. 11. By planting it
against low walls we may grow the fine winter apples now supplied
to the capitals of Europe from northern France.

The testimony of the late Mr. James Barnes, of Bicton, is worth
adducing :—

“T have seen a good many espaliers in my time, but never one that bore a crop
like those little cordons that I saw at Ferriéres, Versailles, and amongst the French
fruit-growers. The espalier on the Crab stock, no matter how big and ugly was
the trellis you put it upon, was always with difficulty kept within bounds, always
pushing its vigour to the top branch, whereas the little trees 1 saw in France
growing on very stiff moist loams were in the stubbiest and neatest condition
that could be desired; and everywhere I was told that they were scarcely any
trouble, a little pinching now and then, and some attention to see that the spurs
were equally distributed along the line, being all that was required. Why, the
trouble is worth incurring for the sake of having such a pretty garniture to our
walks in spring and autumn. The pinching and training would be pleasant
employment for ladies and young folks, in their few hours’ garden rambles,
affording both profitable and amusing exercise. So many tortured forms of trees
have been presented to the public that I do not wonder at those rejecting them
who cannot see the undeniable merits which have been claimed for these cordons ;
but when once they are seen well done, and in working order, everybody inter-
ested in a garden will be charmed with them, and the plan will, I venture to
say, be adopted in the largest as well as the smallest gardens in the land. Every
operation connected with the culture of these trees will be agreeable in consequence
of its simplicity ; and it will be a pleasure to have the little trees under the eye,
from the unfolding of the buds in spring to the gathering of the fruit in autumn.
It is to me very surprising that some of our great fruit-growers, pomologists, and
others, who are, I believe, in the habit of travelling in France every year, and
some of them for the past thirty years, did not spy out and introduce this system
long ago, and more surprising still, that it is but recently that we have learned
from Mr. Robinson the real value and nature of the stock (others who have
mentioned it have always recommended the Doucin or English Paradise). No doubt
but for his exposition of the matter we might have gone on for many years in the
future as in the past without knowing anything of value about it, notwithstanding
the proximity of the fruit-gardens of northern France and southern England, and
the abundant intercourse between the two countries. We have brick and tile
edgings in all sorts of fancy forms, pebble, stone, slate, and wooden edgings,
also Grass, Box, Thrift, and many other living edgings ; but when once fairly
understood, the little edging of choice Apple-trees will prove the most popular,
profitable, and useful of them all for the fruit- or kitchen-garden. Apart from
edgings, the plan of planting the cordon on the ends, fronts, and low walls of
plant-pits and glass houses, low walls and fences, small vacancies or spaces
between fruit-trees on walls of any aspect— indeed, on any kind of blank space
on walls—is another distinct improvement ; and, when we haveit in full operation,

Cnar. XVII] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING. 293

the specimens of the finer and tenderer fruits grown on this method will be such
as we have not yet had in this country.”— Gardener’s Chronicle, February 27,
1869.

On the same subject the late Mr. J. A. Watson of Geneva wrote
to the same journal :—

“M. Vaucher, the President of our Horticultural Society, began fruit-growing
at Chatellaine,a mile from Geneva, three years ago. Knowing that he had made
large plantations of the horizontal cordons, I paid him a visit early in July with
the view of ascertaining their condition. ‘The plantation is not more than three
years old, the garden having been a grass field previously. In entering the
garden the first things that catch the eye are the very neat lines of these little
trees running around the borders, and at about one foot from the margin of the
gravel walk. The space between the cordons and gravel is planted with the
finer kinds of Strawberries. The borders margining each square are cut off
from the body of the square by alleys, and these are also edged by cordons in
the same way. In most cases two lines of cordons are employed, one above the
other, the fruit of the lower line sometimes coming within three or four inches
of the ground. The effect of the whole is neat, and such as would make a
tasteful gardener use them for edgings, even if the result they yield be ever so
problematical. But as regards the Apple, with ordinary care there is nothing
problematical about it, for the most dense crops already adorn these beautiful
little trees. Here are my notes and measurements of a few of them :—Calville
d’Hiver, eighteen inches from the ground, seven feet six inches long, thirty-seven
fine promising fruit ; the same kind, seven feet long, seven inches from the ground,
twenty-four fine fruit; Pepin d’Angleterre, six feet long, the fruit fifty-seven in
number, hanging at an average of fifteen inches from the ground; Reinette
d’Espagne, three feet six inches long, twenty-four fruit; the Lady Apple, six
feet long, 110 fruit, These were some of the best examples I saw; and I need
not remind your readers that the fruit, instead of being too thin, is much too
thick. I may safely say that if properly thinned as fine fruit as ever grew will
be gathered from these young cordons—so neat in appearance, and at the same
time such a source of profit. I particularly observed that the fruits on the lower
line of wire, at an average of about six inches from the ground, were quite as
good and fertile as those on the upper wire, at an average height of about eighteen
inches—although, perhaps, at some disadvantage from being exactly under the
higher line. I may add, that there are many gardens about Geneva in which these
cordons on the Paradise are a perfect success, that they give little trouble to the
gardeners, who are always fond of them, be the gardens or the ‘help’ large or
small.”

It is not merely in the way it is at present practised in France
or elsewhere that the cordon system is interesting and instructive
to all taking an interest in the culture of hardy fruits. It offers
a means of training trees so that we may readily give them that
protection in spring, the want of which is in nine cases out of ten

x

294. THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cwar. XVIII.

the cause of our failures in fruit crops. Hitherto the best course
to pursue with the borders along our fruit-walls has always been
a disputed point: some contending that they ought not to be
cropped at all; others that salads and small vegetables might be
grown upon them.

Let us crop the borders with trees trained on the horizontal-
cordon principle as suggested in the accompanying figures, and in
this way dispose of the much-debated question as to what is best
to do with the fruit-borders. By so doing we should collect such
a valuable stock of fruit-trees immediately in front of each wall
as would render it convenient and desirable to protect efficiently
both walls and borders, and by the same means. The low cordons
will no more shade the wall than a crop of small salading and
will prevent all need
for disturbing the
border. Indeed, I can
conceive no greater
improvement in our
fruit-culture than de-
voting to fruit-trees
those excellent sunny

borders that usually

in Spring by wide “SSS SSNS = lie at the foot of our

pulroghcame, corlone fehole greed in Shig,” fruitewalls. By thig

plan we should, it is

true, sacrifice some of the more suitable spots for early vegetables

and salads, but we should gain very much more, and the change

would be in every way conducive to the beauty and utility of

our gardens. When the wall-trees are being attended to the

cordons cannot be forgotten, and the whole will be under the eye
at a glance. ‘

The Pear may also be grown thus in the highest perfection, and
there can be no doubt that the fruit which may be grown in this
way on the border would, if put to the market test, more than pay
for the expense of protecting cordons and wall-trees at the same
time. Other fruits will probably be found to submit to this mode
of culture as well as these, and all kinds should be tried by those
with opportunities for making experiments in fruit-culture, those
kinds of a fertile and compact habit being selected for trial.

Narrow border in
Sront of fruit-
wall, with two
lines of horizontal
cordons, protected

Cuar. XVIII] THE CORDON SYSTEM OF FRUIT-GROWING 295

Should we in time find varieties of our other hardy fruits conform
as readily to the cordon system as the Apple on the Paradise, this
way of covering borders as well as walls with fruit-trees will prove
a gain in the culture of our choice hardy fruits, the importance of
which it would be difficult to over-estimate.

Care being taken to protect the borders and walls efficiently
from the time of flowering till the fruit is beyond all danger, they
may be afterwards exposed to the refreshing summer rains, and then
there will be an end to all but mere routine work till the protect-
ing season comes again. Every hundred feet in length of such
well-protected wall and border would be equivalent to a well-
managed orchard-house.

Simple wooden support for Cordon, the wire
attached to a stone in the ground.

Iron support, with ratchet wheel at
the top.

Tron support let into stone.

Although the cordon is so simply supported, it is desirable to
know the best means of doing so in a permanent and ready way.
The simplest way of all is to drive a tough wooden post in the
ground to the required height, and attach the wire to it. The
post may be driven in obliquely, or upright; or an iron support
with a stay let into a block of rough stone would be as satisfactory
as any other, because permanent. A variety of good supports are
now offered by houses who erect espalier trellises.

Tar Pear as a Corpon.—When at Holme Lacy in Hereford-
shire, a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see a wall
covered with Pear-trees, trained as single cordons, and in the
finest bearing condition. I learnt from Sir H. ae

<7

296 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnar. XVIII.

Stanhope, that he had taken some interest in their mode of culture
when in France, and made several experiments, this plantation of
Winter Pears being one of them. He has kindly furnished me
with the photograph from which the sketch was engraved, and the
following account of the trees :—

“ Allow me to furnish you with an illustration of my cordon
Pear-wall, one-half of which, planted in December, 1861, bore
fruit in 1864; another half, planted in March, 1865, bore fruit in
1868. From the time these trees began fruit-bearing up to
the present date, they have been, and are now, perfectly healthy,
and have yielded large crops every year, with the exception of two

en

HOH LEENA 2

or three trees, perhaps, which may miss bearing each year; as to
the superiority of the fruit, in size, appearance, and flavour, over
fruit grown in my garden on pyramids and espaliers, there can be
no question. In hot summers it was found necessary to mulch,
and even to water them, owing to the Quince stock, on which all
are grafted, having more fibres and rooting nearer the surface
than the Pear stock. They are trained on a south wall, which,
however, is somewhat shaded by large Oaks, and, although this
circumstance renders the wall unfavourable for Peaches, I do not
consider it has been against these Quince-grafted Pears, as, but
for the shade, they would probably have suffered more in hot
summers than they have done. I do not, therefore, think a south

Cuap. XVIII] THE PEAR AS A CORDON. 297

wall, by any means, a necessity for the successful culture of cordon
Pears in the south and west of England. As to the pruning, my
late gardener writes as follows: ‘My experience in pinching has
never been what I was led to expect; never, but in one solitary
instance, have I found the fruit-bud to be the result of that
practice, and even that one being so far from home, so to speak,

Oblique Cordon
Pear. and year.

Oblique Cordon Pear, 3rd year. B is the position which the tree will eventually occupy.

would have to be cut off in order to keep the spur short. But that
was not all, for I have found that what was once a decided fruit-
bud would lengthen and grow into wood before the growing season
closed.’ I myself certainly think that the pinching cannot be
carried out in our climate to the same extent as in France. [Close
pinching is a bad English practice—not a Freuch one. In France
I never saw fruit-trees pinched in very close.—W. R.] The

298 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuapr. XVIII.

result with us was to produce too many wood-shoots. Whether
this is the result of a richer soil and a moister climate or not, I
cannot say. The merit of the successful results of the cordon-
wall is due to my late gardener, Mr. Wells, now at Osborne Park
Nurseries, Potter’s Bar. The following are the weights of some
of the cordon-grown Pears, produced by trees which have always
been allowed to bear freely, viz.:—Glou Morceau,
134 0z.; Beurré Bose, 12} oz.; Beurré Superfin, 14
oz.; Van Mons, 15 oz.; Easter Beurré, 16 oz. ;
Beurré Diel, 15 02z.; Zéphirin Grégoire, 114 oz. ;
¥ Triomphe de Jodoigne, 14 oz.; Joséphine de
y Malines, 11 oz.; Doyenné d’Alencon, 132 o2.;
N Duchesse d’Hiver, 184 oz.; Ber:amotte d’Esperen,
113 0z.; Conseiller de la Cour, 14 0z.; and fruit
from Doyenné Boussoch, Beurré Hardy, Madame
Millet, Williams’s Bon Chrétien, Figue d’Alengon,
and Beurré Sterckmans have weighed equal to
these, as have also Duchesse d’Angouléme, and’
many others.”

For the fruiting of seedlings and testing of new
kinds, the cordon for Pears is also a good plan, and
if the object be to cover a wall in a short time and
get a quick return, it is certainly the best way.
In this case it enables us to attain our ends in the
shortest space of time, and with the least possible
waste of space.

Some of the leading teachers of fruit-culture in
France adopt the oblique cordon as the short way

; to a quick return, and plant extensively the finest
Pear tree rainedas’ varieties trained in this way; but others ridicule
ier ale ag ae the planting of trees as closely as one would Cole-
high walls, etc. Worts. For the finest kinds of Winter Pears and
for culture on high walls it is well worth adopting,
provided the trees can be got at a low price, or grafted on the
spot. None but the very best kinds should be planted, and
to begin with, it would be desirable to plant a goodly number
of one kind known to succeed well in the neighbourhood rather
than a variety of sorts. The kinds known to do best in this
contracted form are *Beurré Superfin, Flemish Beauty, Beurré

299

Cuap. XVIII]

THE PEAR AS A CORDON.

Giffard, “Louise Bonne of Jersey, *Marie Louise, Beurré Clair-

geau, Duchesse d’Angouléme, *Easter Beurré, and Beurré d’Anjou.

‘uAnjae y2Inb v u1vG0
0] parisap $2 Jt adayMd SABI 43JULAl 2204) [0 a4nJjNI-7]VAr ay} 4of pogins 48aq 52 ULLOf Si4f, ‘uop4soD anhiz9gQ UV Sv pautvay ADIT IYL

—

——————

{
t
) 5
y
I
I
1

As regards the training of the Pear in this

way, it is too simple to require description here. The tree is

* Of these a beginner would do well to take those marked with
an asterisk.

4

300 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XVUI

merely treated as we train a single branch of a fan-shaped tree,
and requires none of the careful pruning necessary to form the
more elaborate shapes. Healthy young plants, a year from the

—

| r ; q j ‘|
' ' { |
t ‘ 4 f | { { «
: eS bf a , |
; * ti fF + |
3 A |

#3
: *h
|

ha Ve
j= sk
7-3
~

ep te ey Wet rt
Se ve ig ae
bh ye Ys
4

Pear-tree trained in U form for uery high walls.

graft, are chosen, planted at from 16 to 18 inches apart, and
trained as explained in the accompanying figures.

Sometimes the Pear is trained as a vertical single or double
cordon. Of the two forms the single is preferable, and it is
chiefly suited for very high walls, the gable ends of outhouses, and

Cuar. XVIIL]J THE PEAR AS A CORDON. 301

the like. It need scarcely be added that the trees in this case
should be on the Quince stock.

The Pear may also be trained as a horizontal cordon on low
walls, the fronts of glass houses, and as an edging like the Apple.
But generally the Pear pushes too vigorously to be trained in this
way, while the pendulous habit of the fruit renders it more liable
to be splashed. I once saw Uvedale’s St. Germain grown in this

The Spiral Cordon against walls.

way at Chartres, the great fruit sitting on the ground, and quite
encrusted with earthy splashings.

The disposition to form a neat compact line of spurs so
abundantly manifested by the Apple when well trained on the
Paradise is more rarely shown by the Pear. Nevertheless a few
varieties, such as Louise Bonne and Beurré Giffard, might be
tried; allowing them to attain a greater length of stem than the
cordon Apples, and placing them a little higher from the ground,

302 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caap. XVIII.

As regards the Pear asa horizontal cordon, Mr. Watson of Geneva
wrote as follows to the Gardener's Chronicle:—“I question if
there exists elsewhere a more extensive collection of Pears trained
on the horizontal-cordon system than may now be seen in M.
Vaucher’s garden near Geneva. There are hundreds of them,
consisting of every good sort that M. Vaucher could buy. Beurré
Noirchain, four, feet six inches long, had twenty-three fruit upon
it; Beurré Giffard, six feet six inches long, twenty-two fruit;
those of the last-named kind hanging about four inches from the
ground.”

Tue Pracu as a Conpon.—With the Peach as an oblique cordon,
a good result is attained, the wall being covered very rapidly ;
and the neat laying-in of a great number of shoots on each side of
the simple stem does away with the crowded appearance which a
plantation of cordon Pears assumes when old and the stems
thickened. But instead of the wood being closely pinched in, as
people might suppose in England from reading of the method of
one M. Grin, it is nailed in at each side of the branch, more so
indeed than if that branch were part and parcel of one of the
older and larger forms of tree. J once saw an excellent result
afforded by this system against the high back wall of a vinery in
the establishment of M. Rose-Charmeux, at Thomery. By its
means he perfectly covered his wall in a short time, and gathered
a great variety of fruit from a small space. Out of doors it not
unfrequently affords equally good results. It is well calculated
for high walls, and may be adopted for low ones by training the
trees at a more acute angle with the earth.

Considering the time usually required to furnish walls in the
ordinary way, there can be little doubt that this mode of training
the Peach is a real improvement, where a considerable number of
varieties are required from a small space. Apart from that,
however, the facility and simplicity with which walls may be
covered by this method, and the readiness with which a diseased
or otherwise objectionable tree may be replaced, will doubtless
prove a sufficient recommendation for cultivators who are not
restricted as to space. It should, however, be borne in mind that
on very good soils where the Peach grows very vigorously, it will
not suit so well as on poor ones where it grows slowly, and that
medium-sized forms may be adopted for the Peach as well as for

Caar. XVIII] THE PEACH AS A CORDON. 303

the Pear. The following is a description of the mode of forming
it after M. Lepére :—

“There are two modes of growing this form. One, which was
recommended by a professor of arboriculture, and frequently
put in practice by many amateurs, but which I consider faulty,
consists in planting the trees just as they come from the
nursery, and training them at once in the oblique form. The
inconvenience arising from this method consists in being obliged

Peach-tree trained as an Oblique Cordon.
end year's pruning. The leading shoot is cut
atA,and the side-shoots at the cross-marks.

Young Peach-tree trained as an Oblique
Cordon. ist year. A shows the first
pruning.
to place the tree close to the wall, which crowds the roots too
much, preventing them from affording sufficient nourishment to
the tree. Besides this, on account of the inclination of the tree,
part of the roots are directed towards the surface of the earth or
placed in an unnatural position, thereby preventing their full
development. By-and-by, the trees that have been planted thus
are cut to half the length that they were when they came from
the nursery, having a number of weak, useless branches on the
lower part, a condition which, as every one knows, is always un-

304 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caapr. XVIII.

favourable. The second method differs from the first, inasmuch
as the plant from the nursery is cut down instead of being planted

(Du Breuil.)

t
!
\
i
|
a)
|
|
I
1
|

| NQ
.
!

ns

|

|

THE PEACH TRAINED AS AN OBLIQUE CORDON,

in an oblique direction. To obtain the oblique form without
planting the tree in a crooked position, the stem is cut at eight

Cuap. XVIII] THE PEACH AS A CORDON, 305

inches from the graft, and placed in the ground so that the base
of the stem is four inches from the wall, with its extremity just
touching it. The roots are well spread over the hole and drawn
as much as possible towards the border in which the tree is
planted. Care is taken to leave a well-placed bud on the side
where the oblique branch is to be formed, and its development
must be encouraged by ruthlessly pinching off all useless shoots.
Under these conditions, the tree grows as long during the first
year as the one planted obliquely and allowed to be of its full
length from the first. This method is also to be preferred,
because the shoot thus obtained the first year can be left intact
and allowed to attain a development equal to that of the tree planted
according to the first method. Besides this, the shoot is calculated
to grow faster in consequence of its bark being less
hardened, and each year the terminal point may be
allowed to grow without cutting back. Sometimes the
terminal bud does not develop, owing to its having
been killed by cold. In such a case a stronger eye is
chosen lower down to make the desired lengthening.

“Ag in the case of other forms of training, the
branches of the Peach cordons are allowed to growin
a more erect position at first than they are finally in-
tended to occupy. I should advise this cordon form as Sere ae
to be adopted in the case of gardens whose walls are ems. « a

a‘ . - fi ‘ Serent variety
on the incline, as often occurs, and for soil of inferior being grafted
quality where the Peach-tree grows slowly, because a
under such circumstances it never attains its full development.
The plan does not answer where the ground is flat and the con-
ditions are such as favour the rapid growth of the tree.”

Some fruit-growers think that there is no occasion for resorting
to this simple cordon in the case of the Peach, any more than in
the case of the Pear. M. F. Jamin, of Bourg-la-Reine, plants in
his fruit-garden a form of tree with three vertical branches, and
if he wants a great variety of fruit from a small space, works a
different variety on each branch. This figure shows, on a small
scale, the appearance of one of his young specimens, trained on
this principle. The U and double U forms, described in the
chapter on Montreuil, are also extensively adopted by many
growers in preference to the oblique cordon.

fete

poe
ETE

306 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XIX.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE PARADISE, DOUCIN, AND CRAB STOCKS,

Tue stock is as important to the cultivated fruit-tree as the founda-
tion is to the house; if we have not the right stock, all is wrong.
The French Paradise stock is the only one that should be used to
form cordon trees except on the very poorest and driest of soils.
Before the writer had seen the results of using this stock in France
and called attention to its merits, it was condemned as useless
by our authorities, who described it as “exceedingly dwarf in
its habit, and too tender for this climate, unless in very warm
and dry soils!” But in fact it is as hardy as the hardiest tree
of the forest, not perishing even if thrown with its roots exposed
on the surface of the ground, and allowed to remain there
through a rigorous winter; and the soils above all for which it is
peculiarly unfitted are those that are hot and very dry, while it
flourishes on rich, moist loams, and even bad clays—the very
soils which often present the greatest amount of difficulty to the
British fruit-grower. As will be readily seen, this is simply a
matter for experiment, and I appeal to the horticulturists of
Britain to settle the question by direct trial, a thing they can so
readily do. The “ English Paradise’ is the Doucin—one that
as regards vigour is intermediate between the Crab and the
Paradise, well fitted for neat standards, pyramids, and large
bushes, but growing too vigorously to furnish anything but
disappointment if planted as a low cordon, except on very light
calcareous or “burning” soils. To plant the Apple on the
common or Crab stock, and expect to form a dwarf fertile tree, is
folly. By mutilation and removals we may secure a crop, and
keep the Doucin or “English Paradise” within bounds; but
what is wanted is a stock that will furnish a dwarf and fertile

Cuap. XIX.] APPLE STOCKS. 3807

growth, without any root-pruning or attention beyond that of
slight pruning, according to their luxuriance. This we have
exactly in the Paradise stock, grown by millions in the nurseries
around Paris, and in many other parts of France.

We have next to determine what is this Paradise stock. It
need scarcely be said that a plant like this, which exerts so
marked an influence on the trees grafted on it, and is so truly
valuable for our gardens, deserves to be at least as well known as

FLOWER OF THE FRENCH PARADISE APPLE,

Drawn from nature and engraved by A. Thiebault.

any one kind of fruit, however good. Yet this is so far from
being the case that but very little is known about it. To most
of the French botanists its origin is involved in obscurity ;
apparently the clearest account is that of Professor Koch of
Berlin, who has paid a great deal of attention to the origin of all
out fruit-trees. He says:—‘ The name Malus paradisiaca appears
to have been first used by Ruellius in the year 1537. It is a
native of South-Eastern Russia, Caucasus, Tartary, and the Altai
Mountains. I have often seen this shrub in the Caucasus, and

308

THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS.

(Crap. XIX.

near the Don and the Volga, where it forms bushes and dwarf
trees, frequently accompanied with suckers.”

Without attempting to throw any light on the origin of the
Paradise, M. Carriére of the Jardin des Plantes has studied its
characteristics, compared them with those of the Doucin, and

described both in the ‘ Flore des Serres ’ :—

Z PARADISE.

“Roots much ramified and tidy, short,
remaining near the surface, and never
tap-rooted. Shrub, bush-like, much
branched, the branchlets rather long,
and with a lateral tendency, the adults
covered with a smooth bark of a reddish
colour; lightly pubescent in the case
of the young shoots. Leaves lanceolate,
elliptical, of a light green above and
velvety beneath, finely denticulated,
acuminate at the ends, but principally
at the base. Petiole broadish and
channelled. Calyx, with divisions
acuminated and recurved, often con-
torted, as long as the peduncle. Petals
straightly elongated at the base, faintly
keeled, borne on a thiu base, prolonged
into a sort of keel. Ovary on a slender
base, pubescent. Fruit higher than
broad, lightly ribbed, skin white, flesh
sweetish, almost insipid; ripening in
July.” It flowers more abundantly,
and eight days earlier, than the Doucin.

Dovucin.

“Roots rather long and strong, tap-
rooted. Tree not much _ ramified,
straight in its growth, with branchlets
short, large, in adult specimens covered
with a deep dull brown bark; very
tomentose, and whitened in the case of
the young shoots. Leaves broadly oval
or nearly oboval, lightly blistered,
shining on the upper and pubescent on
the lower surface, rather broadly den-
ticulated, scarcely acuminate at the
apex, abruptly contracted and round at
the base. Petiole broad, scarcely chan-
nelled. Calyx with divisions usually
horizontal, occasionally recurved, rather
large. Petals suboval, nearly blistered,
keeled, borne on a base short and
rather broad. Ovary on a stout sup-
port, covered with a tomentose down,
white and thick. Fruit depressed,
broader than high, not ribbed, the skin
of an intense green, marked here and
there with brownish spots: flesh of a
high and agreeable flavour; ripening
in August.”

The Paradise stock has been known in France for between 200

and 300 years.

ancient, but has been known for at least 160 years.

The Doucin would appear to be not quite so

It is used to

form low trees, pyramids, wall, espalier, and even standard trees
less vigorous and more suitable for gardens than those grafted on
the Crab stock and occasionally for cordons on bad and poor dry
soils. It is most probably a vigorous and deep-rooting variety of
the same species as the Paradise, healthy everywhere, and
succeeding well where, in consequence of its habit of surface-
rooting, the Paradise would suffer and prove useless. Apples
grafted upon the Doucin come into bearing earlier than upon the
Crab, and it is admirable for all forms of garden-trees in size
intermediate between the very dwarf cordons and bushes and the
tall and vigorous orchard-trees.

Cuap. XIX.] APPLE STOCKS. 309

The Crab stock it is needless to describe. It is the stock on
which our Apples have been grafted for ages, and which is the
only one employed in the majority of British gardens. It is the
natural stock for the Apple, and that on which it grows with
greatest vigour; but it takes a much longer time to come into
bearing, and the attempts to keep it of a size suited to gardens
by pruning, pinching, and root-pruning which may be seen every-
where, ure all efforts thrown away. Thus it will be seen there

THIEBAULT

Fruit of the French Paradise Apple. Drawn rom nature and engraved by A. Thiebault.

are three distinct stocks, each suiting distinct purposes, and that
those who experiment upon the cordon system of Apple-growing
without acting upon or bearing in mind these facts as the most
important in connection with the subject, cannot be said to try
it fairly.

Of these three stocks, the one which has been most abused and
least known, but which will yet prove the most valuable of all as
a garden stock for the Apple, is the true French Paradise. When

¥

310 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XIX.

fairly tried it proves to be of all stocks yet known the hardiest,
most dwarfing in its effects, and most powerful in inducing early
fertility. This stock, which has been characterised in England as
a thing quite worthless, will, if planted in the coldest and wettest
of soils, instead of sending long roots down into the sour clayey
earth like the Crab and in a lesser degree the Doucin, keep its
wig-like mass of small roots near the surface, and without root-
pruning bear fruit long before the others. That is the way to
best test its powers of withstanding cold, and the other merits
claimed for it: on all ordinarily rich and cool soils it will be
found to succeed perfectly without root-pruning of any kind.
Growers have only to try it to prove that instead of dying in our
cool climate, and on our moist soils, its general adoption will lead
to marked improvement. It is necessary to observe that in
trying this stock healthy plants should be secured to begin with.
It has been ascertained that some of our nurserymen who have
tried this stock import the Paradise from France in a very small
state, and then graft it soon after it arrives. The consequence is
that the little trees have no power to push forth a healthy graft.
If imported in this state they should be allowed one year’s growth
before being grafted.

Thinking that experienced growers in the colder parts of North
America might be able to throw some light on the hardiness of
this stock, I wrote to Mr. J. J. Thomas, a pomologist of long
and deserved repute, author of a standard book on fruit-culture,
and pomological editor of the Albany ‘ Cultivator,’ who replied
as follows:—“The French Paradise stock grows well with us on
strong soils, with suitable pruning and cultivation. Neglected,
and on light.soils, it frequently fails after a lapse of several
years. The oldest trees with which I am acquainted in western
New York are on the grounds of Ellwanger & Barry, at Rochester.
Trees which have been worked on it thirty years old still possess
a fair degree of vigour, having stems six inches to eight inches in
diameter, and the trees are about eight feet high, with about the
same extent of branches. Twelve-year-old trees are five feet or
six feet high, and four inches or five inches in diameter. On my
own grounds, which are a strong clay-loam, trees which have
been planted twenty-five years are seven inches in diameter at
the base, and are about ten feet high, with ten feet spread of top.

Cuap. XIX.] APPLE STOCKS. 311

These have been sparingly pruned. In these remarks I carefully
distinguish the true French Paradise, with its peculiar wood and
small fruit, with a mixture of sweet and bitter in its flavour. ”

On the same subject Mr. Such of South Amboy, New Jersey,
writes as follows :—

“In my garden I have on this stock many little bush-like
Apple-trees that have endured the greatest extremes of heat and
of cold. About four winters ago the thermometer fell to 20°
below zero, and last summer the heat was intense, reaching 106°
to 108° in the shade. In spite of this my little trees are in
perfect health. The Doucin stock is also thoroughly hardy.
There is near here a small orchard of Apples on this stock,
planted more than fifteen years ago, all of which are in full
vigour. My trees on the Paradise are like very large currant
bushes ; those on the Doucin are from ten to fifteen feet through.”

Since the first edition of this book appeared, the Paradise stock
has been figured in the ‘Florist and Pomologist’ (May, 1875),
with the following remarks :—

“We have much pleasure in submitting a figure of the true
French Paradise Apple, the Pommier de Paradis, which, when
used as a stock, is of such inestimable value in inducing dwarfness
and prolificacy in other varieties of Apple. Mr. Barron has
collected from various sources, British and Continental, a number
of Apple stocks, which are growing side by side, so as to admit of
easy comparison. Side by side, also, are various Apples worked
on the several stocks. There are the Crab stocks (Pommiers
francs), with long, spreading, rigid, wiry, tangled branches, of a
deep purplish-black colour, and at the time of our visit (April 11)
with no vestige either of leaf or flower to be seen. There is the
Dutch Paradise, of straggling habit, with olive-coloured shoots,
in full leaf, but without a flower. There is Mr. Rivers’s Nonsuch
English Paradise, destitute of leaf or flower, and Rivers’s Miniature
Paradise, equally late, and scarcely justifying its name. There
is Mr. Scott’s Paradise, of very distinct somewhat pyramidal
habit, in full leaf, but with scarcely a flower to be seen. There
is the Doucin, also of pyramidal habit, and producing flowers
early. Then there is the true French Paradise, Pommier de
Paradis, obtained from the most reliable sources in France, which

must unquestionably bear away the prize for precocity of flowering
y 2

312 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnar. XIX.

and abundance of bloom. By precocity we mean not early
flowering with regard to season, but with reference to age also;
while other stocks of the same age have not reached the fruiting
stage, this one has already done so. It is of rather straggling
habit, but full of flower. While some stocks at the time of our
visit were showing few flowers and others none at all, this one
stood out in the row sheeted over with pale pink blossoms.
These qualities it very markedly contributes to the grafts. Short
compact growth, and early and abundant flowering, characterise
the scions grafted on this stock, as they characterise the stock
itself. A long row in one of the quarters, consisting of various
Apples grafted on this stock, side by side with rows grafted on
other stocks, is one of the most striking illustrations of the effects
and consequences of grafting it has ever been our fortune to
witness. The difference in appearance is so great that it would
almost seem as if the one row were cultivated for fruit, the other
for timber! By way of illustration we may mention the Rhode
Island Greening, a vigorous-growing kind, but which when
worked on this stock becomes subdued, assumes a short, bushy
habit, and produces an abundance of early bloom. What was
formerly grown at Chiswick under the name of French Paradise
is quite a different thing, and relatively very inferior. Of course
this Paradise stock is not intended for orchard use, where the
freer-growing stocks are preferred. The French Paradise stock
is of spreading habit, with pale purplish shoots. The inflorescence
is abundant, and precocious as to season, and also in relation to
the age of the plant. The young leaves are glabrescent, oblong-
lanceolate, the apex acute, the base rounded, the margin crenu-
lated, the crenulations mucronulate; the petiole is less than half
the length of the leaf, setose, and the stipules are linear-subulate,
as long as the petiole. The peduncles are about three-quarters
of an inch long, setose; the flower-tube glabrous urceolate,
reddish, one-eighth of an inch long; the calyx-lobes triangular,
gradually acuminate, setose within ; the petals concave, oblong-
obtuse, tapering at the base into a short stalk, and provided with
a few cottony hairs on the inner surface; the styles are crested
at the base for a short distance, and there slightly covered with
cottony hairs, dividing above into five stigmatic branches. The
fruit, which is a really good early eating Apple, is, according to

Cuap. XIX.] APPLE STOCKS. 313

our notes, of medium size, oblate, somewhat angular, yellow,
changing on the exposed side to deep golden-yellow, and sometimes
having a thin flush of rosy-red. The eye is broad, but closed,
sunk in a rather deep cavity. The stalk is short, scarcely pro-
jecting from the hollow, which is not so deep as that of the eye.
The flesh is pale straw colour, fine grained, solid, juicy, and with
a brisk agreeable flavour. It ripens in the middle and end of
August, and would form a good useful early dessert Apple, inde-
pendent of its value as a dwarfing stock for Apple-trees grown in
the bush or pyramidal form.”

A correspondent of the Garden writes, “I find it to be a
very difficult matter to procure it (the French Paradise) in this
country; and, so far as my experience goes, nurserymen seem to
discourage its introduction. Last year I wanted a number of
trees on the French stock, and had a quantity sent to me by a
nurseryman whom I knew; but the vigorous appearance of the
trees made me doubt the stock. Acting upon my advice, the
nurseryman wrote to another in the trade, who advertises one of
the largest collections of Apples and Pears in England, and
stocks of all sorts and sizes, and the result was a letter in reply
condemning the French Paradise stock as useless, and recom-
mending another variety of the English Paradise, which the
writer of the letter had raised and named after himself, and
which it appeared was superior to any other in existence. Nota
little annoyed at being put off in this way, my friend took the
trouble to procure the plants for me direct from France, and
from an undoubted source; and fine well-ripened little trees they
were, only about half as vigorous as those I had got before on the
English stock. They were planted in March, and some of the
trees, though only maidens, bore a few large fine fruit this season,
and they are planted in the open quarters of the kitchen-garden.
They have also made a good growth, and promise to bear well
next year. Besides these, I ordered another lot on the French
Paradise, this time from a house north of the Tweed; but was
informed they could not be got in England true, and that I must
wait until the frost had gone in France, when I should be supplied.
I did so, and had them direct from Orleans in April. This is my
experience in trying to get the French Paradise stock, which I
am desirous of experimenting with.”

314 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XIX.

Trials made in a variety of gardens, apart from that by Mr.
Barron in the Royal Horticultural Gardens at Chiswick, have
proved all that-has been claimed for this stock. Among the most
important of the trials were those at Paxhill Park, in Sussex, in
the gardens of the late Mr. Northall Laurie ; in Mr. Roger Leigh’s
garden at Barham Court; and in Mr. Dancer’s fruit-garden at
Little Sutton, Chiswick; where very satisfactory results were
obtained. Trials were also made in the Duke of Portland’s
garden at Welbeck by Mr. Tillery, and as in the cases pre-
viously mentioned, with complete success.

Mr, Roger Leigh, of Barham Court, showed at South Kensington
such a collection of dessert and culinary Apples grown on this
stock as one rarely has an opportunity of seeing. Among the
dessert varieties were King of the Pippins, Cox’s Orange Pippin,
Ribston, and others, not only large but especially handsome,
owing to their fine colour; while the culinary sorts, such as
Belle du Bois, White Calville, Reinette du Canada, and others,
were remarkable for their great size. These fine Apples are
gathered from trees growing in bush or cordon form on the true
Paradise stock and in good soil. The fruit thus produced in a
Kentish garden is fully equal to the best samples grown on the
Continent—a noteworthy fact, and one well worth the attention
of cultivators, and especially of those who grow fruit for market.

Preserving Grapes through the Winter without letting them hang on
the Vines.

The preservation of Grapes through the winter with the least
amount of trouble is one of the most important of all matters to
the British Grape-grower. Every cultivator knows to his cost
what a serious inconvenience it used to be to keep Grapes hanging
all the winter after they were ripe, especially in places where
there were a good many houses devoted to Vines. Books on the
Vine give directions for regulating the Vineries so as to preserve the
Grapes after they are ripe, and every calendar of operations tells
us how to manage them in that respect, though the directions are
not always intelligible. Here, for instance, is an extract from a
recent issue of a gardening-paper :—“ Those who wish to keep
Grapes harging as fresh and plump as possible to the longest

Cuap. XIX.] PRESERVING GRAPES. 315

possible period, must take care not to afford them too much heat,
as an excess of this, no matter how dry the structure may be, or
how favourably treated otherwise, is sure to cause them to shrivel
more or less prematurely. Give only just such warmth to the
pipes or flues as will insure sufficient buoyancy to any humidity (!)
which may arise in the house as to enable it to make its escape.
Independently of the ill effects caused by actual heat, a too-warm
atmosphere, even in the driest house, will cause a correspondingly
excessive evaporation and consequent condensation.” Then of
course we must have fire-heat and give air when foggy days occur,
“as,” says Mr. Thompson of Chiswick—“ the mean temperature
of this month (November) is on the average little above 40’, and
the air is generally saturated with moisture. When this is the
case, moisture will be deposited on all substances exposed to the
air, if they are not warmer than it is. Grapes that are ripe
should therefore be kept warmer than the air, otherwise they will
be liable to damp. The application of fire-heat would effect this:
but if it were applied suddenly, and without air being given at the
game time, the heated air would deposit moisture on the berries ;
for although these would ultimately acquire the same temperature
as that of the air surrounding them, yet for a time they would be
colder, and so long as this is the case they would act as condensers
of the moisture in the warmer air in contact with them. The
more rapidly the air is heated, the greater for a time will be the
difference between the temperature of the fruit and that of the air,
and of course the slower the heating the less at any time will be
the difference. Give therefore, in damp weather, a little fire-heat
in the morning, and admit air. If the nights are cold, the tempe-
rature of the house should not be allowed to fall lower than 45°.”
Here then are delicate operations and much trouble to bestow on
perhaps half a dozen houses during the winter months. If the
vineries are old and badly heated, the task is most difficult ; in the
best-constructed ones it is a great and needless labour. The
trouble of regulating the atmosphere, the expense for fire-heat,
and the necessity of keeping the house almost entirely devoted to
the Grapes, must render any improvement acceptable.

M. Rose-Charmeux’s method of keeping Grapes fresh and plump
throughout the winter by inserting the ends of their stalks in
bottles of water instead of letting them hang on the Vines for

316 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XIX.

months, was in France accepted as a great boon. One of the best
examples of what can be done in a private place is to be found in
the gardens of Ferriéres, the country seat of Baron Rothschild.
Here is constructed, in addition to very fine and well-filled fruit-
rooms, a Grape-room, which is filled with stands thickly hung
from top to bottom with all kinds of Grapes M. Bergman, the
manager, by cutting down all his Grapes in harvest fashion, is
thus enabled in a few weeks, in fact as soon as the Grapes in the
latest houses are ripe, to do as he pleases with the crop of his
many and well-managed Vineries. He can allow the wood
to ripen, prune and clean the Vines, or utilise the cleared space
of the houses for any purpose that may be convenient, not fearing
as we used to do in England, to spill a drop of water or make full
use of the house.

The Grapes are cut with a considerable portion of the shoot
attached, much as if one were pruning the Vine; the shoot is
inserted in a narrow-necked and small bottle containing water,
and these little bottles are fixed firmly in a row, so that the
bunches hang just clear of each other. In the first instance
two strong uprights are erected, each supported on three legs.
Then from one to the other of these uprights, on both sides alter-
nately, are nailed sets of strong laths, two for each line of bottles.
These laths are kept an inch and a half or so apart by a piece of
wood at each end; in the inner one are made incisions, into which
the bottom of each little bottle fits, and then the outer lath has a
concave incision in which the side of the bottle rests, so that,
caught in the inner and leaning firmly on the outer lath, it holds
the stem and stout bunch quite firmly. Walking space was left
between the walls of Grapes; for six or seven rows were arranged
one above another on both sides of each support.

Animal charcoal is mixed with water, allowed to stand for some
time, and then the water is strained off to fill the bottles. But
there can be no doubt that to put a pinch of animal charcoal in
each bottle would prove a better plan of guarding the water from
any impurity from the slight deposit of organic matter that might
be expected; at least, it does not seem very clear how charcoal
removed from the water before the Vine-stem is put in can have
much effect in keeping it pure. However, this is not an important
matter, and it is certain that a pinch of animal charcoal, which is

Cuap. XIX.] PRESERVING GRAPES. 317

very cheap, will keep the water quite sweet. One cultivator who
keeps Grapes on a large scale by this method, never uses any
charcoal at all, but simply fills his little bottles almost full with
water, and then inserts the branches, which nearly close the necks
of them. He appeared quite as well satisfied with the plan as
those who had taken pains to keep the water sweet. In case
evaporation should cause the water in the bottles to fall below
the bases of the shoots it is simply necessary to add a little
more.

With one-tenth the amount of expense and trouble we may
in a Grape-room like this maintain conditions infinitely better
calculated to preserve the fruit than is possible in the Vinery. We

Thomery mode of fixing the Ferriétres mode of fixing the Portion of upright
bottles. bottles. used in Grape-room
at Ferriéres,

may keep the fruit in the dark, preserve the necessary amount of
dryness in the atmosphere, and keep up an equable temperature,
all of which conditions are essential to the well-being of fruits.
It would be wise, in arranging a room of the sort, to have hollow
walls and other contrivances to attain the conditions under which
fruit is known to keep best.

As we grow better hothouse Grapes and on a larger scale
than any other country, this method has proved of more use to us
than to the French. Those who have adopted the system are
unanimous in declaring, after several years’ experience, that they
can keep the fruit as long in this way as upon the Vine, with
fewer mouldy berries, and almost without trouble. Having all
the stock of Grapes safely housed and away from the attacks of

318 . THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuav. XIX.

vermin and other interlopers, is another of the many advantages
presented by this plan. In places where the stock of Grapes is
not sufficient to require a special room for their keeping, part of
the fruit-room, or even a dry cellar or store-room, might be
adapted to this purpose.

M. Rose-Charmeux, when he originated the plan, began by
having a stove and a couple of chimneys to try to regulate the
atmosphere of his large Grape-room ; but finding that the Grapes
kept very much better without this, he simply devoted to his
winter stock of Grapes a large room in his house. It is fitted up
in all parts to accommodate handily the little bottles before spoken
of, padding the inside of the windows so as to exclude light, and
obviate, as far as possible, changes of temperature. The Grapes
are cut in October, and preserved in good condition until April,
when the earliest of the new crop are ready to cut. He has fre-
quently preserved them till May, and even till August.

A small room in M. Rose-Charmeux’s house demonstrates that
a similar one in most houses might be made to answer the pur-
poses of keeping Grapes. It has no windows, and scarcely any
means of ventilation. The house is heated by hot air; but while
there are openings in the floor of the passages and other rooms to
‘ admit this, there are none in this little room in which the Grapes
keep perfectly. Thus it is clear that the ordinary dwelling-house
will present suitable conditions for the preservation of Grapes
throughout the winter. The system was attractive enough when
it was considered necessary to construct a room specially to carry
it out ; it is much more so now when it has been proved that not
only is it unnecessary to take any special means to warm or
ventilate the structure, but that the Grapes keep much better
without that trouble. The first result of the method was an
annual gain to the village of Thomery, which is almost wholly
occupied with Grape-culture, of from £4000 to £6000. The
system enables the cultivators to keep their Grapes much later
than of old, and thus to add considerably to their revenue.

In England the system has been tried and favourably reported
on by Mr. Hill of Keele Hall, the famous Grape grower, and by
other good growers. Mr. Whittaker of Crewe Hall sent some
to a meeting of the Horticultural Society, but he had taken
unnecessary trouble by corking and sealing the bottles. The

Cuap. XIX.] PRESERVING GRAPES. 319

insertion of the shoot into a bottle of water is all that is required,
and as the bottles used are little more than wide enough at the
neck to admit the shoot, the surface exposed to evaporation is very
small. It has been urged against the method that the Grapes
“lose their sugar.” This is not the case unless the fruit is kept
a very long time. The French, in carrying out their experiments,
have kept some of their Grapes as long as they could, and have
frequently shown them in a nice plump condition long after they
ripen their early Grapes. In these extreme instances a loss of
sugar was no doubt perceptible ; but what kind of flavour would

Section of Grape-room at Heckfield. Scale 4 in. to x ft.

Grapes possess if left hanging on the Vine till the summer months
when these Grapes were exhibited? There is no necessity for
keeping them till they lose their sugar. In most of our large
gardens Grapes are forced early, and would be ripe before the
fruit of the previous year had lost its virtues in the least degree.
To be able to clear the Vineries of Grapes two months before
the ordinary time, will prove to be a decided gain to all Grape-
growers.

Not only has this system been adopted by all our great English
grape-growers, but they have modified it by doing away with the
necessity for using bottles. Mr. William Dodds has invented a V

320 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XIX.

tube made of tin or zinc, and suspended by a wire. They are
simple in construction, and may be made by any ordinary tinman.

Mr. Kemp has invented what he calls a Grape-rail, which
mainly consists in the substitution of a fine trough for the series
of bottles. ‘

Mr. Wildsmith’s Grape-room at Heckfield is 14 feet long by 10
feet broad and 8 feet high, and is fitted with three tiers of racks
running horizontally round the room. Space is thus provided for
a large quantity of fruit.

Messrs. Tillery, Wildsmith, Nisbet, Simpson, Johnston, and a
host of others have all adopted the system as a permanent thing.

The particular variety of Grape which
seems most fitted for keeping in this
way is Lady Downe’s Seedling; but
Black Alicante, Barbarossa, Black Tri-
poli, Burckhardt’s Prince, Royal Vine-
yard, Gros Colman, Syrian, White Vine,
and Trebbiano, succeed well when cut
perfectly ripe. Lady Downe’s Seedling
may be cutas late as the end of February,
and will keep good until the end of June.
It may be asked why late Grapes should
be kept so long when early forced Grapes

eae, be cut as early as May; but it must

eS Vit” be remembered that the difference in

cost between keeping late and forcing

early Grapes is enormous, whether they are intended for the table

or market. Late Grapes, too, carry better to market than early
forced ones.

The advantages of setting both Vines and houses free at so early
a period will be appreciated by everybody, more especially by
those who are still stricken with the bedding-out mania. It also
gives the Vines greater strength, and allows them to do fuller
justice to the pains bestowed upon them. The conditions of
success are simple, and easily complied with. First, the Grapes
must be thoroughly ripe before being placed in the bottles.
Secondly, the house must be suitable, 7c, dry and frost-proof, and
not liable to unreasonable fluctuations in temperature which induce
decay, especially if the Grapes are not fully ripe when bottled.

Cuar. XIX.] PRESERVING GRAPES. 321

On these points hangs the whole matter of good or bad preservation.
Complete ripeness is easily secured, but a proper house is a more
difficult matter. It should be built with hollow walls, to neutralise
the effects of both heat and cold; and, though much fire-heat is
undesirable, as it causes the fruit to shrivel, provision should be
made for its application to expel damp when required—the door

Kemp's Grape-rail.—A, front view; B, side view of support; D, end view of trough; C, side
view of trough.

and ventilators being wide open while the heat is being given.
The most important point to observe when cutting the Grapes is
to see that the whole extent of wood above the bunch be left
intact, and not cut off as in the illustration of the Thomery and
Ferrieres methods of Grape-preserving. The water absorbed by
the wood is by this means partially diverted from the fruit into

322 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XIX.

the branch beyond it, thus preventing deterioration in flavour. If
charcoal is put in the water when the bottles are first filled,
changing the water is never required, and in such a room as that
described evaporation is so trifling that water need only be added
once or twice in the season to keep the bottles full. Given the
above conditions, and Grape-rooms would soon become as common
as other fruit-rooms, because the Grapes would be certain to keep,
and the Vineries would be set free so much sooner. Of course,
like most other innovations, it was laughed at when first described
as likely to be a useful system in English gardens. I first noticed
it in use at Thomery in M. Rose-Charmeux’s garden there.

Interior of Grape-room at Thomery.

( 323 )

CHAPTER XX.
SOME NOTES ON FRUIT GARDENS.

Many French nurserymen
have, inaddition to the ground
devoted to the raising and
training of young trees, a
private garden or “school” of
fruit-culture, in which various
trees may be seen in a de-
veloped state. The garden
established by M. F. Jamin
sd ? is an excellent example of
Pe ee ae this class of garden, and being
near Paris and easily acces-
sible, should be .visited by the stranger interested in fruit-
culture. The walls of stone have a coping of overlapping
tiles, which project about nine inches. This is, perhaps, as
good a coping as any in use, and its effect is neat, much
more so than that of other tile copings employed here. The
walls are all wired closely and effectively with the galvanised wire
tightened by the raidisseur. The walls with the warmest and
best aspects are planted with Peaches and Winter Pears, and
herein is an instructive lesson.

A most experienced fruit-grower here, one who knows England,
gives as his experience that it is absolutely useless to attempt the
culture of the finer Winter Pears, the most valuable of all, away
from walls, and that it is necessary to place such kinds as the
Easter Beurré against well-coped walls with a southern exposure,
the soil being of the finest description and the climate that of

1 AY

324 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XX.

Paris. He could grow some of them in the open, but they would
be uncertain and worthless; and he gives an instance—Beurré
Rance, which is excellent against walls. The collection of Winter
Pears had only been planted a short time, and yet the crop was
very good, every young tree bearing as much as one could desire
to see upon it. These Pear-trees were destined finally to assume
the form known as the Palmette Verrier; but the branches were
being trained diagonally, so that they might be furnished and
formed with less trouble and in a shorter time, the sap rising
much more freely and naturally in young branches that ascend
obliquely than when they run in an exactly horizontal direction.
Beurré Diel is also planted against walls here—not that it may

Peach-tree (Candelabrum) with the vertical branches in the U form, instead of ascending
directly from the mother-branch as in opposite illustration,

not be grown in the open, but its flowers are very liable to be
injured by frost in spring, and therefore it is placed on a wall to
secure a crop.

This garden is very instructive, as showing the perfect control
under which the energies of the trees are directed to a useful end
by the skilful cultivator. Though a nursery-garden where the
more promising young trees are often sold, there are nevertheless
beautiful specimens of trees in it—the Candelabrum Peach-tree
for example. Illustrations of such trees having usually shown the
tree when bare of leaves and fruit, it seemed desirable that the
public should see some when in full bearing. The fine example of
a Peach-tree represented opposite has been drawn and engraved
exactly after a photograph taken when the fruit was approaching

Cnar. XX] SOME NOTES ON FRUIT-GARDENS. 825

ripeness, It is one of the most interesting exam le
of training applied to a good end, that = to a aaa aie
to the tree, is done with a well-directed aim and with a good
result. ; A good deal of pruning is often done without either.

In this garden the plan of adopting three upright shoots from

EERO, ee

Feach-tree with 20 vertical branches (Candelabrum form) in full tearing; variety, Chevreuse
tardive ; 10 years of age, 33 feet long, 10 feet high; average crop, 400 Peaches of the first quality
and size. M. Famin’s garden, Bourg-la-Reine.

one tree, instead of the cordon system, has been carried out. It
is applied to the Apricot and the Peach, one kind being worked
on each ascending branch, and thus three kinds are borne by each
tree. There was no indication of a disposition on the part of any

of the trios thus united not to grow agreeably together; indeed,
%

826 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XX.

they were as equally balanced and as healthy as could be wished.
Where it is desired, by nurserymen or private growers, to have a
large number of varieties in a restricted space, this is the best
plan of all.
Western and southern walls are found to require more protection
and wider copings than those with northern and eastern aspects,
the abundant rains being more dreaded than the frost; the

Pyramid Beurré Dumont; 10 years old, 10 feet high, 10 feet wide,
M, Famin’s garden, Bourg-la-Reine.

western walls here have therefore a much deeper coping than the
eastern. North walls receive very little coping and sometimes no
protection atall in the way of a permanent coping, while east walls
have one eight inches deep, south walls ten inches, and west walls
twelve inches. Surely nothing can be more suggestive to those
who have to grow fruit in Britain, the country of rain. This
curious difference in the way of protecting the walls according to
their exposure, is based on long observation, and it partly explains

Cuap. XX.] SOME NOTES ON FRUIT-GARDENS. 327

to us why the deep temporary copings recommended in this book
are so effective in saving crops. It may be doubted if they could
have much influence in protecting the trees from intense cold, but
they give complete protection from cold rains, sleet, and snow.

A winged pyramid figured in this chapter from one of the
specimens here, is of a form which commends itself owing to the

TATRY AS
Winged Pyramid, Beurré Hardy; 10 years old, 13 feet high, 6+ feet wide; average crop,
400 Pears. M. Famin's garden, Bourg-la-R eine.

avoidance of loss from high winds, the branches being firmly
placed in position. It is a combination of the espalier and the
pyramid, and is as easy to form as any other to those who have
learnt the rudiments of fruit-culture as taught in France.
The branches are trained in four opposite wings mutually sup-
porting each other by the aid of slender rods of willow, or any

easily-procured stakes. Such a form must not be classed among
Zz 2

328 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XX.

the mere curiosities of training; in addition to the fruit being
supported firmly, the wood and fruit are more fully exposed to
the sun, and the tree has full room for its complete development.
On deep and strong soils this is of great importance, excessive
repression by the knife producing gross infertile wood. Therefore
free large forms of this kind are as valuable in some soils as the
small forms like the cordon are in others, especially for kinds of
Pear that grow and fare best on the Pear stock.

The handsome palmette form is also well grown here. One

Ne

Pear Triomphe de Fodoigne, in Palmette form; 10 years old, 15 Jeet long, 84 feet high.
M. Famin's garden, Bourg-la-Reine.

specimen in full bearing was photographed, drawn, and engraved
for this work. This is the handsomest of the large forms for trees
in strong soils, and many beautiful examples of it may be seen in
France, Cordon trees are well grown in this garden, and the
horizontal ones forming copings are protected in spring by broom
or other twigs woven into light frames of wood about twenty
inches wide, and supported a few inches above the cordon in
flower.

M. Durand’s garden in this town contains also a good example
of a fruit-garden, including a collection of the choicest Grapes

Car. XX.] SOME NOTES ON FRUIT-GARDENS. 329

South

ool oo oe 3
7

a Ps

o

ofe
|
ar
Do | Bia °4
° . *
¢
reodhe thot dhe] ko
2 . z
a Hi
pele tpod bedi ed af
a a ,
a
hod}? hod he db ed
. ol}? |le offo
2
°
‘ ° °
‘ ofp
Hed dba edly
. o i 2
é
> ° I. i
6
¢ ° :
°
be eo jbo [ee de | fi
° 5 G q
G G{}*
‘ ° @ off
holt? Ilo o
2 ° 2 @
o i
Ane abs é
3
a 5 2
=
Lo dle Thad bobo
°
°
oat dhwd le dee
° ofo
> ol|°|}o
sede
CICS | fo
3 pit tds ie
a 2 3
= -e
el.
ie
i e
‘
dey ole D
o}] > ofp
Hott
7 fo
°
ie ofe
°
let of
afel
ofp
°
alle
of
dh,
TheJhol hoffe
°
| ol
Olle
= |p
| J
q
|. of? D ofo
° ° ° 2 ° ° Pied o Bos e ° . os
a CY i
" North pace
Nort

Plan of Fruit-garden for the North of France, designed by M. ¥. Durand, of Bourg-la-Reine,
150 yards long and 80 broad.
References to Plan,—A, Cisterns for water-supply. B, South wall with Peach-trees trained in the
Jan, palmette, and candelabrum forms. C, Espaliers of Pears in the palmette form, the trees
eighteen Yeet apart. D, Lines of Apples trained as horizontal cordons, planted twelve feet apart
and a few inches within the margin of the beds. E, Pear-trees in the columnar form, ten feet
apart. F, North wall with Cherry-trees, about sixteen feet apart. G, Bush Apples on the Paradise

330 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cwar. XX.

grown in France. The plan of forming a special garden for fully-
trained fruit-trees is well worthy of imitation by growers of fruit-
trees for sale.

acer EY nt FS
Pear-tree grown by M. Croux, of Sceaux. Atl the points of the branches have been united
by grafting.

On mentioning to M. Durand my wish to have a plan of what he
would consider a good example of a fruit-garden in Northern

stock, six feet apart. H, Fast wall with Winter Pears, suchas Easter Beurré, Crassane,and St
Germain. I, South wall of Peach-trees with five erect branches, eight feet asunder. x, North
wall with Cherries in the palmette form, about sixteen feet apart. K, West wallof S: mer and
Autumn Pears. LL, Interior walls of the garden. M, Pyramidal Pears, twenty feet apart. N,
East wall with Apricots—horizontally-trained trees, planted twenty feet apart. O, West ‘wall
with Plunts, twenty feet apart. P, Gooseberries. Q, Currants. R, Raspberries s Bounda:
trellis, which may be covered with Vines, or Fears if tn a cold climate, as 4

Cuap. XX.) SCEAUX. 331

France, he designed one specially for me, which is given in this
chapter.

Sczaux.—In the same neighbourhood are nurseries belonging to
M. Croux, and a very good school of fruit-culture apart from the
large home-nursery. Many of the trees are trained into very
curious forms. The cordons here have grown too strongly, and
every second stem is severed. They had of course
been previously firmly grafted one to the other.
Cydonia sinensis against walls has fruit a foot long
in favourable seasons, but is simply a curiosity.
Several kinds of Ribes, including the Gooseberry,
are grafted on the Red Currant. The remarkable
specimen of training figured opposite was shown by
M. Croux at the Paris Exposition of 1867, and was

Mode of support-

ing stake for trees

trained as shown

Pear-tree with horizontal branches, supported by slender galvanised in the preceding
wires stretched from a stake at back of the tree to stones in theground. Sgure.

much admired. The plant-nurseries of MM. Thibaut and
Keteleer near here are well worth visiting.
Caatinion, Fontenay aux Roszs.—Visitors to Bourg-la-Reine
or Sceaux may on the same day conveniently visit the garden of
M. Chardon in this village. The owner is an amateur, and has a
most interesting little garden of fruit-trees. In addition to the
common and well-known forms, he has many specimens trained

332 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XX.

over walks and bowers, and altogether the garden would well
repay a visit by anybody visiting Paris who wishes to see what
may be done with fruit-trees
by an amateur.

Suisnes (Brie-Comte-
Robert).—The nursery of
M. Cochet here is an inter-
esting one for the fruit-
grower. Apples, on the
horizontal-cordon system,
are planted in large
numbers in places formerly
only occupied by high box-
edgings. They were among
the best cordons I have
seen in France, some bear-
ing as much fruit as they
seemed able properly to
develop; yet M. Cochet
considered it a very thin
crop, and said they fre-

View of Espalier Pear-trees and lines of Apples trained as Cordons in garden at Brunoy.

quently have them almost
2
ihe : 4
\
-
fess
ial )
iL
(ia
Wt
Nes,
ie
oe
f
t i Plan of Espalier in breceding Sigure
| at corner of line,
I

as thick as they can stand along the line. Several walks
are marginéd here with two instead of one line of cordons, the
inner line being about three inches higher than the outer one. Of

Cuar. XX.] SUISNES. 333

course many variations may be made thus, but the single line,
well conducted and rather freely developed, is the best of all,
though there are many positions and circumstances in which two
lines, superimposed cordons or other modifications, will prove
desirable. M.Cochet has planted almost every good variety of
Apple on this principle, and finds they all do well on it. All are
grafted on the true French Paradise stock. Some of his fruit
from three-year-old plants was remarkably
fine, and nothing could look prettier than
the handsome Apples"along the side‘of the
walks. A much more regular and better
effect could be obtained by lines of one kind
only, and the training and pruning of them
also would be more likely to be performed

cat? sae afi
al a! Fees
a

: sin}
in the best manner. In nearly all parts of NI fi
the garden there was abundant evidence Ke

that the horizontal cordon for Apples is
the best improvement effected in open-air
fruit-culture for years. |
A jline of Pears trained thus may also
be seen, but it is a failure, although there
was a fine crop hanging on one specimen
of the Belle Angevine. When grown in this
way the Pear usually manifests a disposition
to shoot up “ gourmands,” or shoots very
like those of Willows, from the bend. On
walls where the sap has room to spread,
this inconvenience is of course not present.
The young Pear and other trees here in
preparation for wall and espalier culture /
are neatly trained in line by means of tightly-strained galvanised
wires. By this means trees fit to place against walls immedi-
ately, may be picked out at any time. A good many handsome
palmette and other trees are to be seen, but particularly
remarkable are those trained in what is called the columnar
form. This is simply a tree trained to a single stem, or a
vertical cordon, the top being allowed to grow as high as it can,
and thus close columns of leaves and fruits are formed as much
as fifteen feet high. Nothing could exceed the fine condition

Sees aes

aay

a,
a=,

o_o
(Pew

Sr
ax

Pear-tree in Columnar form,

334 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Caap. XX.

of many of these trees, perfectly laden from top to bottom
in many cases, and in many more bending arched to the ground
with the weight of their fruit. They were not staked, but when
they are grown in a regular fruit-garden it is the custom to
connect them securely near the top by a line of wire, so that they
cannot bend down with the weight of the fruit. Their advantages
are that fruit and leaves enjoy abundance of sun and air. The

NI

al

a

J Jatin

— oe Ses

Portion of Self-supporting espalier of Pear-trees, formed of horizontal and vertically trained trees,

the points of the horizontally-trained tree grafted ly approach to the outer branches only of the
vertical ones.

fruit is said to be better flavoured than from the pyramid tree,
in which there is usually a good deal of shade, while they are
perhaps the easiest of all forms to conduct, and a great many
kinds may be grown on a small space. Their drawback appears
to be the great height to which they attain, thus rendering
pruning and the gathering of the fruit not so easy as desirable.
In many French gardens a peculiarly simple and neat way of
training espalier Pear-trees may be seen, and there were good
examples both here and in the next place
described. It consists of a stout stake
for the main trunk of the tree, and of
wires running from this to stones or
pegs buried in the ground. That the
roots of the tree may not be hurt by a
ee ee large stake, this is sometimes supported
by the stem. Besides, the support for the
wires and younger branches is only required towards the top of the
tree; hence another reason for not fixing the stake in the ground.
It is quite easy to project little stakes from the stouter parts to

Cuap. XX.] BRUNOY. 335

the young growing branchlets of the tree, and thus keep the
points perfectly trained in the desired direction. On the first of
November every year, one of the many professors of fruit-culture
in Paris, gives and illustrates here a lecture, which is attended
by from three to four hundred gardeners from various parts in
the neighbourhood.

Brunoy (Serne-rt-Marne).—There is here a very remarkable
fruit-garden belonging to an amateur, M. Nallet—a garden which
will repay a visit at any time of the year. It is only a few
minutes’ walk from Brunoy station, passed on the way to Fon-
tainebleau, and within an easy distance of Paris. It is an oblong
piece of ground, walled in and with a straight walk through the
centre, bordered by two lines of handsome pyramidal trees, cut

Espaliers of Pear-trees with the branches grafted by approach.

off from the walk by long horizontal cordons. Lines of tall trellis-
work run at right angles with the main walk, and accommo-
date a great variety of trees—many fanciful, and many of the
best and most useful forms. The owner considered that, taking
bad years with good, an average of ten fruit per yard run of each
branch of a cordon tree might be calculated upon. The cordons
are never protected, and, here as elsewhere, furnish numerous
places which would otherwise not be occupied at all. It is im-
possible to give the reader an idea of the variety of form to be
geen in the fruit-trees, therefore we will confine ourselves to the
most remarkable. The garden offers recreation to its amiable
owner, and he, while not neglecting the very best forms, also
amuses himself occasionally by transforming one or more trees

336 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XX.

into fantastic monograms and letters. The columnar form is

very well developed here, some of the specimens approaching

eighteen feet in height. They are regularly staked, and high

yf TR TRY tity. i lines of wire connect them

IN i ARM {iy Wi! by the tops, so that they are
oT oO held firmly together.

; Numerous palmette trees
occur here, and it is notice-
able that the lines which the
trees are to follow are laid
down at first with Willow or
other slender flexible rods.
This very much simplifies
training. The plan is well
worth adopting in our gardens
even for the simplest vertical
forms. There is with this
plan no doubt as to the exact
course each shoot is to follow.
The shoots also make cleaner
growth, from being tied to
the straight rods when young.
Much time is also saved to
the men in training by having
the lines exactly laid down
for the tree at first. Willow-
rods do admirably where
there are bends of branches.
A Plum-tree, trained as a
Palmette Verrier, was very
ornamental, the lines of fruit
darkening the long, neatly-
guided branches. Curtains
of Pear and other trees,
trained on slender trellises
of wire, are very well formed.
The Peach is grown to some extent against the walls, and
successfully, some of the trees looking almost as well as those
at Montreuil, though the walls are not so high. A large portion

SPECIMEN OF FANTASTIC TRAINING IN GARDEN AT BRUNOY.

Cuap. XX.] BRUNOY. 337

of the wall-space is devoted to oblique cordons of the Easter
Beurré, and these were in excellent bearing; they had been
planted six years, were about twelve feet long, and bore from ten
to fifteen fruit each. Planted twenty inches apart, and confined
to one stem, which is never cut back at the point if the wood be
ripe, they soon cover the wall, and as the good fruit of this variety
commands a high price, a quick return is afforded. In several
small walled gardens made in connection with the chief one of
M. Nallet, the greater portion of the wall-surface is devoted to
Easter Beurré.

The practice of grafting by approach the branches of the Pear-
trees is extensively employed here. The figures will better
explain the mode of training and the
aspect of the trees in the garden than any
deseription. I am much indebted to M.
Nallet for his kindness in sending me
accurate sketches of some of his most
remarkable trees.

A distinct and apparently useful form
of tree I met with here for the first time.
It is called the balloon form, and is made
by taking eight branches from the base
of the tree, and bringing them outside a
circular hoop, allowing one main stem to
ascend erect. The branches, after grow-
ing a little above the hoop, which gives
a desirable uniformity to the base, ascend
at regular intervals to the tcp, where
they are neatly united to the erect shoot. The figures will
explain this form, but the stake has been made much too
large by the engraver. It should be of iron. This figure is in
other respects a good representation of a handsome specimen
in M. Nallet’s garden. Each branch being kept distinct, and
the tree being well opened up by this system, the result was
very good. A specimen of the Duchesse d’Angouléme trained
thus was one of the handsomest-looking trees I have ever seen.
The method has more advantages than would appear at first sight
—the long fruiting-branches being thoroughly exposed to the
sun and light from bottom to top, the branches being held

Sorin, ten feet high.

338 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XX.

firmly, and the tree being altogether a decided improvement upon
the pyramid for important positions in gardens.

Ferritres.—The fruit-garden here is the finest I have seen in
any private place in France. There are many beautifully-formed
espalier-trees. They are more than twice as high as those
usually seen in our gardens, being about ten feet high; but not a
square foot of the whole surface of a
trellis several hundred feet long is with-
out the portion of branch which the
fruit-grower originally intended it to
carry. The form mostly employed is
the palmette, scores of them being as
regularly formed as if the shoots pushed
and sap flowed at the grower’s bidding.
Walks, extending the full length and
breadth of the garden, are bordered with
these high trellises, the effect being very
good. Other kinds of espalier-trees, of
which the branches do not turn up at
the ends, but run obliquely their whole
length, are abundant here, and are pre-
ferred to the Palmette Verrier, which,

Pear-tree in Balloon form, seven- C 5
teen feet high and six feet in Plan of Pear-tree in Balloon
diameter. Sorm,
once formed, does not admit of increase in size. Trellises for
espalier-trees are numerous here. The reason is that the autumnal
winds are very destructive to large finely -grown Pears on pyramidal
trees; on trees fixed to espaliers the fruit will withstand the
strongest September gale. Thisis an important consideration for
those who wish to grow the finest kinds of keeping Pears. This
garden contains hundreds of the finest pyramidal Pear-trees, tall,

Cuap. XX.] LYONS. 3839

firmly and regularly set with branches, each in its turn furnished
from top to bottom with fertile wood. There remains the objection
that fruit grown in this way and in all respects carefully looked
after, is liable to be blown off by an autumnal gale; hence, the
grower cannot depend on them as on an espalier. Cordons of the
various fruit-trees, mostly simple cordons, are employed, when
the aim is to cover the wall quickly and get an early return.
Ground-cordons of the Apple form a continuous and frequently
inter-grafted line by the side of the walls, and are very useful in
the production of fine specimen fruit of the more valuable kinds.
There is a deep permanent coping to the walls, and, beneath it,
iron stays to support a temporary coping, not less than two feet
wide during the spring. A wide coping is placed over the Easter
Beurré here, not only when in flower, but throughout the season.
It is believed that, in a climate so changeable, and frequently so
severe, spotting, cracking, and various other maladies are best
guarded against by a deep coping.

Lyons.—Towards the close of the Paris Exhibition of 1867, a
noble Peach-tree was shown by M. Morel, trained as a Palmette
Verrier, and so well trained as to excite the admiration of all who
saw it. M. Morel lives at Vaise, a suburb of Lyons, where I had
the pleasure of visiting him afterwards. The wall on which his
Peach-trees are grown is on an average thirteen feet high, and it
is made of very cheap material—the common earth of the garden.
A foundation is made, and the wall raised a little above the surface
of the ground with stone, to guard the earth-wall above from
injury by frost and wet.’ Then the earth is laid in and well
battered down between boards, and on every layer of earth there
is deposited about a inch and a half of mortar. The layers in one
wall were about one foot deep; in another—the better wall ofthe
two—they were about two feet deep: and between each layer the
thin seam of mortar could be seen. The walls are about eighteen
inches thick, and capped with a coping of tiles, under which are
inserted iron supports for protection in spring. In this way
strong and useful walls are made for fruit-growing and other
purposes. The earth-walls cost about a shilling per yard, those
of stone about four shillings. The earth-walls, when well made,
last for a couple of centuries. A house near at hand, constructed
in the same way, has been erected one hundred years.

340 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XX.

It is worthy of notice that while the Peach does very well about
here as a standard tree, good cultivators find distinct advantages
not alone in growing it against a wall, but also in well protecting
it when in flower. M. Morel considered that this is of advantage in
three ways—firstly, in securing a crop by preserving the flowers
from destruction by frost; secondly, by saving the trees from the
disease caused by frosts and sleety rains falling on the young
leaves and shoots; and thirdly, by the tendency which a wide tem-
porary coping has in making the tree push more vigorously in its
lower than in its upper parts. A wide mat at the top of the wall
in spring obscures the light to a considerable extent from the
upper part of the wall, and this prevents the sap from running
rapidly to the top as it generally does. However, a good trainer
can always prevent that. These things are mentioned to show
that, even in a climate much better than that of Paris, protection
to the wall is considered a necessity. The trees away from walls
are often attacked by gum and the “ maladies caused by the cold
of spring,” to use M. Morel’s words. Does not this suggest the
true cause of the miserable aspect of many Peach-trees where
careful protection in spring is not resorted to? In numerous large
British gardens, with every appliance, the walls are often left ex-
posed or with the most meagre protection—so that there is nothing
to prevent the cold rains of spring from falling on the young
leaves and flowers; while in many Continental gardens, with but
a solitary man to attend to them, careful protection is regularly
given. Here, too, each espalier Pear-tree is protected in spring by
having a cross-bar fixed over it, by the assistance of which and
wires, mats are held over the trees during the season of dangerous
frosts.

The portions of the walls here occupied by the old and esta-
blished trees were perfectly covered with the healthiest specimens ;
even the bases of the stems and the branches had shoots trained
over them. The forms most employed are the Palmette Verrier
and the Candelabrum. The pruning is done in winter, when time
and weather permit, and not in spring, as is generally the case.
There can be little gained by waiting till streams of sap are
ascending through the branches, and but slight discernment
suffices to distinguish the various kinds of buds in winter as well
‘as in spring. An important point in M. Morel’s culture, is that

Cuar. XX.] LECOLE REGIONALE DE LA SAULSAIRB. B41

he does not stop the leading shoots, except when one happens to be
weak. In all countries there is probably too much cutting in and
shortening back. As to the state of fruit-growing about here, it
is still much in want of improvement, though a considerable
advance has been made during the past generation. Thirty years
ago, a dozen Pears of good quality were sold here for eighteen-
pence—now worth one-third as much. This good result has
been brought about by popularising really good varieties,

Tue Recronan Scuoon or Savursarm.—There are many small
departmental schools established with a view to spread a know-
ledge of rural pursuits in France—this is one of a few establish-
ments with a more extended aim. It is situated in the department
of Ain, a couple of hours’ journey from Lyons, and is principally
an extensive school of agriculture. Although Saulsaie is situate
much further south than Paris, there can be little doubt that
there are many parts of England far more favourable than it to
the production of fruit. The original specimens of the Palmette
Verrier are to be seen here, and very fine some of them are. A
marked superiority was observed in the Easter Beurré Pear grown
against walls and the same variety grown away from their shelter
and protection. Against walls, where the trees had been efficiently
protected in spring, the trees and fruit were in perfect condition.
This speaks for itself, and proves that it is to well-managed walls
we must mainly look for improvements in the culture of our finer
and tenderer fruits. Here the French actually find that walls
are not only a benefit but a necessity for some kinds of Pear.

As the place is very much exposed to storms, peculiar ex-
pedients have been resorted to for securing the trees against
their influence. The practice of training trees with the branches
crossed and intertwined by way of mutual support, was illustrated
here on a large scale, in the case of both Apples and Pears. Laths
and sticks are first used to train the trees into shape, and after
the trees have attained their full size, crossing and supporting
each other, the supports are removed or allowed to rot away.
There were many Apple and Pear trees trained on this principle,
and so well and firmly that there could be no doubt whatever that
it is perfectly practicable and good, and that the objections which
have been urged against it are entirely groundless. It has been
gaid that the branches would destroy each other by friction : there

24

CROSSED AND SELF-SUPPORTING ESPALIER PEAR-TREES AT SAULSAIE.

Cuar. XX.] LVECOLE REGIONALE DE LA SAULSAIE. 343

was ample evidence here that this was not the case, even with the
strong winds so frequently blowing. Apple-trees in one fine line of
eight feet high, mutually support each other without the slightest
injury. There are three stages of branches on’ each tree, except
at the end of the line where they are required to complete it.
Having obtained the three tiers of branches, the central stem is
retainel as a support for the intercrossing branches. It requires
eight years to form a series of fine espaliers like those in the
Government School at Saulsaie. The shoots at the top are to en-
courage the sap to flow freely through each branch, and also to
prevent very strong growth on the branches. It is thus clear that
we may not only much improve the appearance of our espaliers by
improved trellising, but make the espalier-trees self-supporting.

In the case of very large pyramids planted here, another ex-
pedient to protect them from the wind was adopted. As is
frequent in French fruit-gardens, the branches of the pyramids
are brought regularly in straight lines from the bole of the tree
—that is, the branches form four, five, or six wings, as the case
may be; five is the most usual number. In the instance I am
describing there are four wings to each pyramid ; but the branches,
instead of being stopped, as is usually done, are trained in straight
lines from one pyramid to the other, so that they cross each other,
forming walls of trellis-work, an opening being left at the bottom
under which one may pass. In one spot there were regular little
squares formed thus between every four trees—in fact, a green
wall of from twelve to fourteen feet high enclosed the visitor. I
never met with this elsewhere, and it was very well done.

An expedient to give additional support and strength to the
espaliers was, when employing the double trellis, to let the two
sides meet at top and ‘lean against each other—thus, A —instead
of placing them vertically, as is the custom. A line of trees
trained in the vase-form were united one with the other by a
strong arched branch, the branch springing from the top of the
vase. The fruit-gardener here, the late M. Verrier, had invented
and carried out with much skill, forms to suit a garden open to
fierce winds which would render such exposed trees insecure
without the strongest support. No garden could afford a better
test of the effect of wind on trained trees. Some that were standing
singly looked like neat summer-houses. They ae ee

A

344 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XX.

with the branches brought out from the main stem in six lines,
the branches in each line being of course placed exactly one above
the other. Trees are trained thus, so that the air and light may
fully benefit all parts of them. The character of a pretty. bower
was imparted to the space between every two wings of the tree by
simply carrying an arched branch from wing to wing overhead.

There is here a very well-furnished Peach-wall, made of common
earth in the same way as by M. Morel at Vaise-Lyon, except that
the base of the wall was made of rough stones instead of solid
stone. The coping is of tiles, not sloping down on both sides of
the wall, but running clean from front to back, the higher side
being reserved for the most important crop. Beneath this coping
wooden supports project about twenty inches from the wall, to
accommodate a neat straw mat in spring. Espaliers are here
occasionally protected with these straw mats by simply projecting
from the main support of the espalier two little stays of iron
or wood, which carry a rude and cheap span of framework, on
which the mats are so placed in spring that the wind cannot blow
them off.

There is a School of Dendrology here, with the trees planted
in their natural orders, and generally speaking good facilities for
teaching young men with a taste for rural pursuits.

Dison.—The home-nursery of Leconte here is well kept and
instructive. It is an oblong piece of ground, about four acres in
extent, and walled in on every side, the walls being coped with
overlapping tiles. All the space on both sides of the walls was
planted with oblique cordon Pear-trees, trained on single gal-
vanised wires, attached to two strong nails in the walls. A wall
about fifteen feet high was nearly covered with oblique cordon
Pears, and as they had so much room to rise, the position seemed
particularly suited to them. Near at hand they were grown to
the same height by projecting a trellis above the garden-wall,
so as to form a very high screen of cordon Pears above it. This
was done by erecting strong uprights of iron to the required
height above the wall, and then running galvanised wires from
the bottom of the wall to a strong horizontal wire or rod passing
from upright to upright at the top. Looking along the walks,
cordon Apples could be seen stretching without interruption
from one end of the garden to the other, the effect being very

Cuap. XX.] ANGERS. 345

pretty. They were planted a few inches inside the box edging,
and between it and lines of handsome pyramidal Pears, and,
as usual, chiefly to fill up neatly and permanently a space that
otherwise could not be usefully occupied.

Ancrrs.—This famous old town is known almost everywhere
for its many and large nursery-gardens. It is a fine climate, this
of Anjou—so genial as to develop the Tea-plant in perfect health
out of doors, and with sun enough to spice the air with the
fragrance of that noble evergreen, Magnolia grandiflora, which
may be seen used as a promenade-tree in the place immediately
outside the main entrance to the nurseries of M.A. Leroy. There
are many large specimens and lines of this plant in these very
extensive nurseries. The Camellia does perfectly well in the open
air, and is grown to an enormous extent, nearly two acres of
ground being devoted to the production of young plants, 25,000
being grafted every year. Many other trees and plants are
propagated in great quantity—Pears for example. Of one single
variety, Easter Beurré, the enormous number of 40,000 plants are
grafted annually. Of Duchesse d’Angouléme, 25,000 are yearly
required; of Williams’s Bon Chrétien, 25,000; that excellent
Pear, Louise Bonne d’Avranches, is also required to the extent
of 25,000 annually; and Doyenné d’Alengon to 20,000 plants—
so that the number of one kind of Pear grown is alone sufficient to
form a nursery of itself. Observe the enormous number of Easter
Beurré (Doyenné d’Hiver) required. This is the Pear which we
import from France in winter. In the region around Paris this
kind must be grown against sunny walls. It is folly to attempt
its culture in any other fashion in England. Quantities of this
fruit are sent from Paris to Russia, where it commands a very
high price. ; ;

Fifty workmen are sometimes employed in budding here. The
fruit-trees are budded as we bud Roses, and those in which the
buds fail are grafted in spring. In this way a year is gained.
There is a splendid collection of pyramid pears grafted on the
Quince stock, many of them of great size and perfect symmetry,
the ground being rich and deep, and perfectly suited to the
Quince. Every kind of fruit sold or recognised as a variety of
any merit is grown here ; Pears to the number of 1,028 varieties ;
Vines, 550 distinct varieties ; Apples, 800 varieties ; Peaches, 250,

346 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cwarp. XX.

including 45 of the best American kinds; and so on. The Apple
is planted to a considerable extent as a horizontal cordon, and
many varieties bear abundance of fruit, some of the finer Russian
kinds being gathered early in July. The following varieties
also bear abundantly as cordons: Joanneting, Astrakan, Winter
Pearmain, Archduchess Sophia, Court Pendu Plat, President
Dufoy, several kinds of Reinette, several kinds of Caville, Trans-
parent, and many others. It is scarcely necessary to enumerate
kinds, as nearly every first-rate variety does well when trained in
this way and grafted on the true French Paradise stock.
Roven.—This district is so near home, and its climate so very
much like our own, that even those who believe the climate of
Northern France to be a delightful one will admit the utility
of noticing the culture of fruit-trees here. I first visited the
nursery of Mr. J. Wood, an English nurseryman, established here
fifty years. Speaking of fruit-growing in France and England,
these were his. words: ‘For every single fruit-tree sold in
England there are one thousand sold in France! Every cottager
with ten square yards of ground buys and plants fruit-trees. If
it were not so, you would not get so much French fruit in
England.” Generally, he said, the culture of wall-fruit was
carelessly performed in that district, with the exception of the
Pear. Fine old specimens of Pears against the walls of chateaux
afforded quantities of good fruit. Alpine Strawberries are grown
here in considerable quantity, and preferred to the common kind.
By covering the ground with a little mulching to prevent evapo-
ration, and giving abundance of water in dry weather, they get
them to bear from early summer to late autumn, gathering
plenty of fruit all through this prolonged season. When gathered
fresh from the plants, and used with the usual accompaniments,
the best varieties of the Quatre Saisons Strawberry are certainly
excellent. Mr. Roger Leigh of Barham Court has grown them
extensively of late years, and finds them a great success. They
occupy ground among the fruit-trees. On the occasion of a féte,
sixty quarts of this delicate fruit were gathered in his garden on
a single morning. Various fine kinds are grown ; some not pro-
ducing runners, which is a great advantage. Few things are more
worthy of general culture in England than these long-bearing
Strawberries; the climate is even more suitable for them than

Cuap. XX.] ROUEN. 8347

that of France. Their merit is not only in their continuous
bearing, but in their flavour, which is better than that of many
of the larger kinds.

In a letter from M. Fallot, writing from the Chateau de Main-
tenon, published in the ‘Bulletin de la Société d’Horticulture
d’Kure-et-Loire,’ the writer strongly urges on Strawberry-growers
the advisability of cultivating the Four Seasons Strawberry from
seed rather than from runners or cuttings, wherever it may be
practicable. There is a wide difference between beds of plants
grown on the two systems. The robust habit of the seedlings,
their greater productiveness, and the superior beauty and size of
the fruit, give them almost the appearance of being different
varieties of the same plant. M. Fallot has largely experimented
on the three usual methods of propagation by division, by runners,
and by seeds, with the result that he estimates their merits as
being in the inverse direction of the order in which they are
named, that is to say, the roots are inferior to runners, and both
inferior to seedlings. The comparative ease, however, with which
a large plantation may be made from cuttings or runners has
great temptations for the cultivator, whose time is taken up with
a, thousand other cares. Last year being a damp one, M. Fallot’s
crop was most successful, the fruits being so large and fine that
when brought to table they were thought to be a new variety.
The following is his method of culture :—‘‘ About the middle of
June the best fruit on the finest plants are chosen for seed. They
are dried in the sun, and the seeds are washed out, rejecting those
which remain floating on the surface. They are sown in the
beginning of July in a light soil, raked over and covered with
straw; they are shaded until germination has taken place, when
more light is admitted gradually day by day. The sowing may
be made in pans, which may be exposed to the sun or placed in
the shade, as may be thought desirable ; they should be watered
daily. During the last week in August they are pricked out,
leaving about 4 in. between each plant, and in March following
they are planted out 12 in, or 15 in. apart, advantage being
taken of the first fine days for the operation. All runners are
diligently nipped off during the whole year, and also flower-buds
until the middle of June. From the end of July the plants are
in full bearing until the first frosts set in. The second year’s

348 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XX.

crop is found to be much more abundant than the first, and lasts
from the 20th of May until the frosts set in, the plants growing
much more rapidly and vigorously than if they had been raised
from cuttings or runners. From about the middle of June the
plants are well watered every day at the rate of a gallon of water
to every ten plants. After the third year’s crop the plants are
pulled up and destroyed, the order of operations being—first year,
sowing; second year, first crop from the end of July only; third
year, a full and abundant crop from May 20 until the first frosts
set in. The seedling Four Seasons Strawberry being more
vigorous in its growth than the others, continues bearing to a
later period, but it is not adapted for forcing, the plants produced
from division or runners being preferable for this purpose. It is
hardly necessary to remind growers that this variety is the only
one that can be reproduced from seed; the English and American
sorts not only do not yield the variety to which they belong, but
produce a mixture of as many kinds as there are plants, and
must, therefore, necessarily be propagated by means of runners.”

The fruit-garden in the botanic gardens at Rouen contains a
good many of what are called model trees, and many cordons ;
but on the whole, while there is much that is curious, it affords
little instruction. Specimens in the U form of trained trees
abound. The only noticeable feature was a trifling one—placing
Willow-wands in the exact direction in which it is desired to
conduct the chief branches. That done, little remains but to tie
the young shoots to the Willows as often as necessary. There
was one good specimen here of a winged pyramid—.e., a pyramid
having the branches trained in five vertical lines, and with the
points united by grafting.

Troves.—This old town is interesting to the horticulturist
from the experienced fruit-growers, MM. Baltet, having exten-
sive nurseries in and near it. Their nursery is extensive and
rich in advanced specimens of pyramidal and other Pear-trees.
Horizontal cordons, where established, bear wonderfully well.
Thus the Lady Apple, well established on the Doucin stock, bore
fruit almost as thick as the Apples could sit on a cordon not
closely pinched in; but on the Doucin the shoots grow too
vigorously, and do not preserve that compact habit which is so
desirable in these trees. If the soil were very poor and light and

Cuar. XX.] TROYES. 349

dry, the tendency to over-vigour would be repressed, and the
Doucin prove a desirable stock.

How fortunate it is that stocks which possess such admirable
qualities are known and easily procured! Suppose the soil
to be rich, deep loam, wet, cold, or stiff. By using the French
Paradise, we obtain large and
beautiful fruit. Plant the same
on a very poor, dry, hungry,
or calcareous soil, and it is
almost useless. Then we have
the Doucin, which suits poor soil
to perfection, to fall back upon,
and thus good results may be
produced on soils of very diverse
and even very bad qualities.
Here, as in every garden, the
cultivator considers that cordons
“are good, and take up little
space.” Of course, in a large
public nursery like this, little
lines of trees under the eye of
numerous daily visitors, who may
at times buy such of them as they
fancy, cannot be exhibited in the
perfect state in which they are
in private gardens; besides, a
number of kinds are planted, and
not those known to be best worth
growing, and yet sufficient proof
of the excellence of the system
was here afforded.

There was a good crop of Pear,
Beurré Clairgeau, on a hedge formed of that variety. Several similar
hedges are formed beside it, and arranged rather closely together,
so that plants may be placed between them for the sake of shade.
As clipped hedges of Arbor vite are frequently employed in France
for giving shade to plants in summer, it need scarcely be remarked
that the substitution of hedges of good varieties of Pears would be
an improvement. The same may be said of many hedges and

exactly above each other, and all the potnts
united by grafting.

350 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XX.

dividing lines in gardens and nurseries everywhere. At first stakes
are used to support the trees, and indeed, some must be employed
till they have attained their perfect development; but after-
wards, if properly trained, they will support each other perfectly,
and they may be pruned and kept to look as neatly as if supported
by a costly trellis. Alongside one of the main walks a young
specimen of a very carefully and neatly made curtain of this kind
may be seen. These hedges bear as freely and well as any other
form of Pear-tree whatever. The line of Beurré Clairgeau was
grafted on Quince and Pear stocks alternately. The trees on the
Quince were little better than dead; those on the Pear were fine,
full of fruit, showing that the variety requires the Pear stock.

In another part of the town the Normal School of the depart-
ment has a garden behind it for the purpose of teaching the
pupils fruit-culture. Here double or superimposed cordons of
the Lady Apple bore fruit in great abundance. The walls were
made of the dried stems of the common Reed, nailed between
rough cheap wooden framework, the mass of stems being about
two inches thick. A flat board nailed along the top at about
seven feet from the ground, afforded about eight inches of coping.
The wall of the school for about four feet from the ground was
very neatly covered with dwarf Peach-trees which bore a fair
crop, and neatly covered a space such as is generally left bare.

Se Te er a

Fantastic training in forming name,

( 351 )

CHAPTER XXI.

THE PEACH GARDENS OF MONTREUIL.

Tux finest supplies of Peaches for the Paris market do not come,
as perhaps many would suppose, from the sunny south or the
balmy west, but from within a few miles of Paris, where they
have to be grown on walls furnished with good copings, and
receive in every way careful protection and culture. Approaching
Montreuil the country is seen covered with good crops of vege-
tables and fruit to the tops of the surrounding low hills. But.
getting nearer still to the village, a great number of white walls,
about eight or nine feet high, appear, enclosing rather small squares
of land, which are almost entirely devoted to the Peach. As the
walls are netted over many acres in some parts, the effect from a
distance is curious. In the squares are small fruit-trees and all sorts
of garden-crops. To the visitor who examines the plantations
here it is quite apparent that it is not to the climate that the best
growers owe their success. Among the two hundred and fifty
eultivators having Peach-gardens here, there are many with very

352 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXI.

shabby-looking trees on the walls, while those in some of the best
gardens are perfect models of health, fertility, and skilful training.

, and in the spaces left bare in con-

ph. The wall has a permanent coping of
ing a slightly-ascending direction, the Calville Blanc Apple, grafted on the French Paradise stock, is

‘a;

plaster, beneath which ts a temporary wooden coping twenty inches wide. Beneath the Peach-trees,

I

h

of the b
trained as a Cordon.

G

Early Spring Aspect of a portion of Peach-wa'l in garden at Montreuil, from a photogr

The illustrations to this chapter show their mode of pruning,
disbudding, covering bare spaces on the stem, and other processes
in the French system, and a glance at any garden-wall with a

Cuar. XXI.] THE PEACH-GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 353

Peach-tree will suffice to show the difference between our system
and the regular and close-pruning under theirs. A principal aim
with them is at securing straight, well-formed, well-furnished, and
equi-distant branches,

and always to spur in the 2 i i “\
shoots rather closely in
spring.

The garden of M. Che-
vallier at Montreuil dis-
plays examples of culti-
vation not anywhere
surpassed. The first im-
pression is good, for
the outer side of the
walls is covered with
admirable specimens of
Peach-trees, the narrow
strip forming the border
in which they are
planted being cut off
from the roadside by a
fragile fencecovered with
Vines. This fashion of ~
utilising the outer as
well as the inner sides of
walls deserves adoption
by all interested in wall-
fruit culture. There is no
aspect whatever of a wall
that may not be used to
great advantage. Over-
head is a permanent %.
coping of plaster, and
immediately beneath it,
and at intervals of three 7
or four feet, the spokes “4 " ey
of old wheels project
eighteen inches; on these are placed the temporary copings of

boards or mats in spring in this very paradisaical climate. In the

the formation of the branches.

Exspalier-training at Montreuil. The “square” form showing one side after pruning. The numbers show the sequence of

354 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXI.

garden admirable culture everywhere prevails. The walls are
white—they are whitewashed every year with a view to the
extermination of insects,—and the trees are of the brightest and
healthiest green. At in-
tervals the knuckle-end of
the leg-bone of a sheep
projects from the wall a
couple of inches only, and
at about a foot and a half
from the top of the wall.
These are placed so as to
firmly fix the temporary
coping inspring. The boards
or neat frames of straw are
placed beneath the perma-
nent coping and on the

Espalicr-training at Montreuil, The Montreuil Fan.

CM

Small Wooden
Coping used to
protect young
Peach-trees tn

Spring.

supports. The space be-
twéen coping and brackets
being very narrow, there
is considerable support
afforded to the temporary
covering at the back part; by attaching an eye to its under-
surface, and firmly tying it with a twig of osier, wire, or strong
twine, to the bone projecting firmly below, it is secured from

Cuar. XXI.] THE PEACH-GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 355

danger of removal by winds. The cold rains which occur
during the several months while the trees are in bud and flower
and the young shoots and newly-formed fruit tender, run off
the plaster coping on to the temporary one, and from it quite
beyond the trees; while frost is effectually prevented from doing
serious harm by the same means.

To suppose that this protection is merely necessary for the
flowers and to secure fruit, is a
fallacy ; a little temporary coping
is improvised here even over quite
young trees without a fruit on
them, simply to guard their
leaves in spring from the maladies
consequent upon the extreme cold
and many vicissitudes of the
French climate at that season.
This extemporised coping is
simply formed by placing little
wooden brackets against the wall
at ‘about four feet from the ground,
and placing thereon a thin rough
board. Such a practice is not
known in England, where there
is of course quite as much
necessity for it. The effect of
the sun on the stem and larger
branches of the tree isalso guarded
against, pieces of bark or boards . . —
eine a before the short bole “sua. paride lis fe Fort shoat
or base of the tree, the main “97 i folowing sears B romain to cerry
branches on the upper parts pra e applied tf shoot B did not bear
being carefully shaded by train-
ing over them the young branches of the current year’s wood.

Black marks are traced on the white walls to show the lines
which the main branches of the trees are to follow. In some
cases they are quite simple vertical or horizontal lines, according
as the form to be attained may require; in other places they form
initial letters, flourishes, and other ornamental shapes; for though
the cultivator generally prefers simple and definite forms, he is

356 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXI.

also proud of his skill in overcoming difficulties of training, and
shows it by these curiously and very successfully trained trees
against his walls. It is only just to state that these elaborately-
trained trees bear freely and well; but
except for curiosity’s sake or for show,
they should not be attempted.

Branches of large trees trained nearly
in a horizontal position, fifteen feet, were
three inches higher at the apex than at
the base, a difference which scarcely
removed them from the horizontal posi-
tion, and yet sufficed. to give an easy
ascent to the sap, and prevent all tendency
Mode of preserving the Lower Part of the branch to shoot vigorously from

of the Stems from the Sun. . A .

any point near the base, as is sometimes
the case with the branches when placed exactly in a horizontal
position. Apart from this, the growing-point of each main
branch is allowed to push freely a little upwards, so as to en-
courage the sap to flow regularly through the branch, and not
halt at any one point to the detriment of all. Grafting by
approach is practised to cover naked branches. Four to five
hundred Peaches are gathered from the best trees, or an average
of about ten for every yard in length of fruiting-branch.
Cheap and rather thin planks, about twenty inches wide, are
-preferred for the temporary coping ; walls twelve feet high would
be benefited by afew inches more. Cordons of Calville Blanc and
other fine Apples are planted plentifully on the spaces between
the trees; no matter how well the walls are covered, there is
always space for cordon trees between them, in consequence of
the branches having an upward inclination.

M. Lepere’s garden here is large, and consists of a series of
oblong spaces surrounded Ly Peach-walls, both walls and ground
being well covered and cropped. The Peach is the favourite
subject, but neat pyramidal and cordon Pear and Apple trees are
also to be seen, and the place is a very interesting one. Outside
the entrance of the Peach-grounds there is a small garden, where
against a wall may be seen several capital examples of Peach-
trees, the finest being trained after what is called the square
form. This is much admired by the best cultivators, but they

Cuap. XXJI.] THE PEACH GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 357

prefer and generally adopt the palm-leaf forms as being the best.
The Candelabrum form is also to be seen in fine condition in this
out-of-the-way nook; it is simply trained by raising vertical
branches from horizontal ones running along near the bottom of
the wall. But as to the form itself, it is not a matter of so much
importance—the two chief points are covering the walls and the

Fruiting Branch of Peach submitted to the third year's pruning. D, which has borne the Sruit of
the past year, is cut at A; the wood-buds below F will furnish fruiting shoots for the following
year; and C will bear the fruit of the coming summer.

treatment of the fruiting branch. Yet it is interesting to notice
the forms adopted by the most successful growers, who, however,
are sure to have several trees most fantastically trained.

An old man, dressed in a blouse, is moving along the walls,
nailing in the shoots here and there, and with him a dozen young
men, his pupils. This is M. Lepére, who has a class twice a

week. The principle of giving a full explanation of their system
2B

358 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXI.

of doing anything well, animates all French cultivators more or
less. Did anybody ever hear of an unusually successful English
market-gardener or fruit-grower calling a class round him at a
low fee, or without fee? The French, though proud of their
success in this way, are careful to give it the fullest. possible
ventilation ; and those attending cannot fail to master the culture
of the Peach, if so disposed, following the cultivator as, gliding
along the wall, he stops and nails in the shoots, cuts: out the
foremost branches here and there that are not wanted for next
year’s work ; and, in short, does and explains everything before

Pruning to replace old fruit-spur: wood-buds Result of the preceding operation. B is cut at
are developed at the base, and all the shoots C, producing E, which bears fruit; G, wood-
are cut sharp off, as at A, buds ; and thus the spur is renewed,

his pupils. M. Lepére has been cultivating Peaches here for a
couple of generations, and certainly has reason to be proud of the
result.

The well-made walls all run east and west, and are placed
within about ten yards of each other. This proximity of the
walls is brought about so that many walls may be accommodated
on a comparatively small space ; so arranged, they are also effective
in concentrating the heat and for sheltering. The ground is
thus divided into very long narrow strips, the white walls
covered with the fresh green of healthy Peach-trees, and the
ground planted with fruit-trees, Strawberries, and Asparagus.

Cnar. XXI.] THE PEACH GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 359

The soil is of a calcareous nature, and the long strips enclosed by
the walls are generally about fourteen yards across. The syringe
is rarely or never used, sulphur being the remedy for spider.
The ground is in all cases mulched near the trees, a wide alley
being left ; and for preparation of the border they simply trench
and manure the ground a couple of feet deep, and about six feet
wide. The trees are pruned on the spur system, and are trained
to assume a variety of shapes, words and figures. The Candela-
brum shape is one of the handsomest and most useful. To form

Spring aspect of Fruit Garden Site sh eee A a a Lepére fils, on the same plan as
it, two branches are taken along to the right and left near the
bottom of the wall. From the uppermost, single shoots are
taken at regular intervals to the top of the wall—the lower
branch simply running along to the end and rising to the top of
the wall, or, in other words, forming a great oblong frame for the
interior. Then there is the Montreuil fan shape, but with the
divisions somewhat far from the base in most cases, and several
modifications of the common horizontal mode of training, which
we employ so much for the Pear, but never for the Peach.

These seem favourite varieties, and by their means the walls are
232

360 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXI.

perfectly covered—if indeed one can draw any distinction
between the walls here, which are all as fresh-looking as a
meadow in May.

A form presenting the advantage of the cordon, without its too
confined and unnatural development, is very common. It is
properly termed the U, bearing a considerable resemblance to that
letter much elongated. Frequently this is doubled, and a tree
with four ascending branches obtained. These forms are excellent
for poor ground, or that in which the Peach grows with but little

Mode of Pruning to cover bare spaces Result of preceding operation, second year. A, B, C, D,

on the branches of Peach-trees, first are the shoots developed from the buds to which the
year. The shoots arising from the same letters refer in the preceding figure. This figure
buds A, B, C, and D, are allowed to shows the appearance of the branches before the
grow freely, and are nailed in during pruning.

the summer.

vigour. The number of fruit borne by the finer examples of trees
here range from four to five hundred, and this without in the
least injuring the tree. As to the pinching of the summer shoots
after they are laid in, it is done according to their strength ; but
the greater number are pinched at from six to ten inches, and the
lateral branches that spring from these are of course pinched also,
while weak shortish branches are allowed to grow to their full
extension. The pruning is distinct from ours in this: it is done
on the spur, and not on the cutting-out principle. We generally
leave the shoots of the past year long, and cut away a good deal

Cuap. XXL] THE PEACH GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 361

of the old wood ; here the branches are conducted in straight lines
and regularly spurred in every year, fruit and wood-buds being
left at the base, according to the judgment of the cultivator. The
wood of the current year is laid in against the wall with nails and
shreds, just in our own way, only thicker, as of course must be the
case when a close array of spurs along each shoot has to be
obtained. This system is perfectly suited for our wants, provided
we take care to protect the young shoots and flowers in spring, as
common-sense directs. In any case, the perfect control exercised
over the tree, the equable furnishing of fruit-buds in every part,

Summer management of the Peach. The shoots Shoot of Peach without Fruit: the branches A,

above the fruit are retained and stopped, which would have been retained had the shoot

A, A removed, and the two lower shoots borne a crop, become useless, and the shoot B

Surnish the fruiting wood for the following is cut at C to favour the development of D, D,

year. which will be the fruiting branches of the
Sollowing year.

and the beautiful symmetry of a tree thus managed, have an
interest for all students of fruit culture.

In passing along by the walls, grafting by approach may be
seen in operation here and there, with the object of covering
naked spots, strengthening shoots, and even adding a young
shoot to the base of an old spur that has become too long. An
interesting example of its utility was shown by the outer branch
of a tree. It is considered very desirable that the lower and
outer branch of a Palmette Verrier should be the strongest and
highest of all, so as to secure a flow of sap to the lower parts of
the trees, instead of allowing it to flow rapidly towards the higher

THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XXI.

362

In one case, one of the outer branches
, and did not seem to push much more

parts, and thus spoil all.
was feeble and delicate

AYIAVINTIL PLOUL YJ2M YFHOLYZ
asanoo 02 Gus ay} ajquia og szurog ay, qo pasive Mppysys acv saymuvag ay, “Fugunag asolag oagsv 3 hyjvpuozisoy pIuzvL} aaeg-YIVIg

ISSN Yi
y Ze: ty YL y, U7 aS “ ~ KS SES CS KK AS
OQAYAS ASS eZ pp ti,
y) DIZZE YZ PP Yf; ZPD, BRC SG UK WS
EES S SSS MMW LEE,

a OY 1

7 / My.
a L

EE _—O <<“
KISS <<: Llib >>
— Kila DBE
Sp GGG SS ZZ (WU
ZZ EE ERE
CSSA NGS ALLL"
2 LLL ZZ_ALEESSS SSS

than to the bent from whence it Ea to have grown strong to

the top of the wall.

A healthy and vigorous shoot of a neigh-

bouring tree was grafted on it by approach, and in the course of

Cuar. XXI.] THE PEACH GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 363

a single season the desired strength was obtained, and the shoot
went vigorously to the top of the wall. Not only are the pruner’s
best precautions taken to secure abundance of vigour and sap in
the lower parts of the specimen, but slow-growing and not very
vigorous kinds are grafted a little above the middle of the tree, so
as to prevent in the completest manner the tendency which the
sap has to rush towards the higher points. To show the differ-
ence between cultivators, it is sufficient to mention that M. Lepere
considers this precaution indispensable; while another distin-
guished cultivator in the same neighbourhood does not practise
it at all, but pinches the upper shoots and deprives them of
leaves when too vigorous, and thus preserves the most perfect

Disbudding of the Peach, second year, C and A Disbudding of the Peach, second us, yf no
oe ee ‘eshte rating adore folate
health in his trees. This repulsion of the sap to the lower parts
of the trees is also effected to some extent by the use of the wide
temporary coping, which guards against frost, and keeps the
growth down by partly excluding light from the upper part of the
wall. When it is removed, and when all danger of frost is past,
the sap has flowed so freely into the lower branches that but little
trouble is required to keep the tree in a perfectly equable state, all
parts of the wall doing full amount of work. I noticed some
walls alongside a road at Montreuil made of blocks of plaster two
feet long, one foot high, and five inches thick, forming a strong
wall. The blocks are sold at about fifty shillings per hundred.

364 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnap. XXI.

The walls are about nine feet high, and have a coping of plaster six
inches wide. Plaster is very cheap in the neighbourhood, being dug
up in quarries quite near to the gardens, and thus it is easy to form
a neat and thin projection from the ridge of plaster which forms
the top of the wall, by placing boards underneath till the coping
sets. This protection is more necessary at the west and south
than at the east, the cold rains being more feared than frost,
and more difficult to guard against; for while a narrow coping
will save the trees from frost, it is not so effective against cold
driving rains. It is particularly noticeable that, no matter
what form of tree is adopted, all the fruiting branches are

Grafting by approach to furnish bare spaces on the main branches of the Peach-tree. The second
spring after grafting, when the Graft has firmiy united, the shoot D is cut at C, and B forms a
well-placed shoot.

higher at the apex than the base, instead of pursuing the
horizontal line, as is the case with us. Perhaps to the passing
visitor some of the trees in their full summer dress might appear
to have their branches horizontally placed; but even in cases
where there is most room for the supposition, the outer ends of
the shoots are in fact several inches higher than where they spring
from the ascending axis.

Many cordons are to be seen in abundant bearing in the garden,
both against the walls and in the open. The Calvilles against
the walls were very good, and were not always confined to a single
line, but were superimposed. It is a better plan to confine them

Cuar, XXI.] THE PEACH GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 365

toa single stem, allowing that to elongate as much as space will
permit, that is, if the space to be covered is a mere narrow strip
of wall as is the case under these Peach-trees, and the object be
to secure a crop of the finest fruit. Some of the Calville and
other Apples to be seen here on cordons have nut-brown scars
near the apex, showing where the destructive “worm” has been
cut out of the fruit; by taking it in time the fruit is saved, and
this attention, which would be ridiculous in the case of ordinary
fruit, is repaid in the case of the Calville, for the finest speci-
mens of which such very high prices are sometimes received by
the owner of this garden. It need hardly be added that such
prices are for fruit exceptionally fine, both as to appearance and

Multiple Grafting by approach, to furnish bare spaces on the stems of Peach-trees. A, A, A,
ligatures of Grafts.

size. There are specimens of the Peach trained as cordons bearing
plenty of fruit, but they present few advantages in this case that
should make them be preferred to forms that are more fully
developed. It is not with them, as with the Apple on the
Paradise stock,-a union that induces a very dwarf development,
but, on the contrary, being confined to a single stem they are apt
to push too vigorously. M. Lepére had not a word to say in
favour of the system.

The U form is so pretty, successful, and generally adopted, that
the following remarks on its formation by M. Lepére can hardly
fail to be useful :—

“This graceful form is very easy to establish, and I strongly
recommend it to those amateurs who have but little wall space to

366 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XXI.

devote to Peach-growing. Peach-trees planted in this way afford
the means of growing a number of varieties in a small compass,
and of speedily obtaining a well-trained tree in full bearing.
After having chosen healthy trees, eighteen months old, full of
buds at the base, they are cut down to within eight inches of the
graft at the time of planting. When the first leaves begin to
appear, two well-placed shoots, situated about six inches above the
graft, are chosen, one on each side of thestem. These are intended
to form the two main branches that are afterwards to be trained
in the U shape. The ends of
these two branches are then
turned directly upwards, care
being taken that the extremities
are perfectly free, so that their
development may not be inter-
fered with.
k “The space to be given in
planting, when the soil is of the
best kind, is about a yard to each
tree, which will leave an interval
of eighteen inches between each
principal vertical branch, thus
allowing sufficient room for nail-
ing in the summer shoots. When
the soil is not so favourable for
Peach-growing, the trees can be
planted two yards from each other
Details of the preceding Figures: C, incision of and trained in the form of the
pa Seite aba preparation of shoot double U. In this case, as in the
other, the principal branches will
be eighteen inches apart. Three years ago I planted on a southern
aspect some Peach-trees in the form of the single U. They
yield on an average one hundred Peaches each every year. The
wall against which they are trained is ten feet high, and they
were in full bearing the third year.

“T give the preference to this form over the oblique cordon,
because, the principal branches being trained in a perfectly
upright position, the sap is more equally divided amongst the
smaller shoots, and if a tree or two happen to die in a fully

Cuap. XXI.] THE PEACH GARDENS OF MONTREUIL. 367

formed plantation, the place they occupy on the wall, which thus

Peach-tree in the double U form.
One side is left unfurnished to show
the practice of marking on the walls
the outline which the tree is to
assume.

becomes empty, is not shaded by the
branches of the neighbouring trees.
The dead trees can therefore be easily
replaced by young subjects from the
nursery. Thisis a great advantage for
amateurs who have not always fuil-
grown trees to fill up bare spaces.
In the oblique form the inclined posi-
tion to which each tree is subjected at
the time of coming into leaf, causes a
disturbance all along the upper edge
of the branch, when constant watch-
fulness of training is not pursued.
Besides, if several trees happen to die,
and the only trees available to replace
them are those from the nursery, the
place they will occupy on the wall will
be shaded by the branches of the old
trees, and the young ones will be in-
jured for want of light and air. As I
have already said, the U form is the
most easy to train, the most graceful

to the eye, and more prolific than the
oblique.” In many parts of France
may be seen fine results obtained by
growing trees on this simple principle.
Occasionally the points of trees
trained in the U and double U forms
are united by grafting by approach.
This does not in their case seem to be
any advantage.

The reason why the Peach is so
successfully cultivated at Montreuil
is, that the cultivators pay thorough
and constant attention to its wants,
with which a life-long experience
has made them familiar. The trees
are at all times well attended to.

Peach trained in the double U form, with
the points of the branches united by

grafting.

Quite as good and as certain

368 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXL

results could be attained with the Peach in many of the southern
parts of England and Ireland, particularly if its culture were
made a speciality of, as it is in France. Indeed, some of our sea-
shore districts would seem to be more favourable for Peach-culture
than the neighbourhood of Paris. When cultivators devote them-
selves entirely to a subject, they soon learn allits wants, and, more-
over, attend to them at the right moment. It is, of course, unfair
to expect as much from gardeners concerned with a great variety
of subjects, and often without good appliances for the culture of
any.

It is a matter for regret that public attention has been to some
extent called away from the many uses and advantages of walls
in our climate, and that we have made no progress in protecting
or managing wall-trees corresponding with our advances in other
respects. Some persons have gone so far as to say that garden
walls ought to be abolished altogether. One cannot believe that
such people can ever have seen the excellent results produced by
well-managed garden walls—results as beautiful as profitable.
Why, even if we could erect glass-houses by the economical aid of
a magic wand, the good fruit-grower would still find uses for a
large extent of wall-surface. As things are at present, all should
aim at greater success in the protection and management of wall-
trees. Our chief want of success now is due to not preserving
the flowers and tender young leaves from the sleet, cold rains, and
frost, during the cold and changeable spring common to northern
France and the British Isles.

( 3869 )

CHAPTER XXII.

FIG CULTURE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF PARIS.

Fia culture, as practised in the neighbourhood of Paris, is very
peculiar and interesting, as well as successful, and is well adapted
for the southern counties of England. The Fig bearing well as
a healthy standard tree at Arundel and elsewhere in Sussex,
without any attention, there cannot be a doubt that the Parisian
mode is perfectly applicable in sunny spots in England. It
might even be carried out on the railway embankments in our
southern counties. The system of culture is founded on the habits
of the Fig in the climates of Paris and London. In hot countries
the Fig is an evergreen tree, growing and bearing almost per-
petually. In cold countries the Fig loses its leaves in winter, and
becomes, in fact, a deciduous tree. Then the rudimentary Figs
borne at the end of each branch, instead of falling off prematurely,
as most other fruits would do, seem to rest stationary; in the
spring they recommence their growth, and ripen off into the
large, succulent, and well-flavoured Figs supplied to the Paris
market in summer. The French call those Figs that require part
of two years for their development “ figues-fleurs ;” those formed
in spring and which ripen during warm autumns are known as
“secondes figues,” or “figues d’automne.” These ripen but rarely
in the climate of Paris, and it is to the care of the “ figues-fleurs,”
or Figs formed in the preceding year, that all attention is given.
To protect them and the young branches, the trees are trained in
long sweeping shoots, pretty near the soil, and in such a form that
they may be readily buried in the ground when the winter and
its dangers come. The frosts are often of great severity in the
neighbourhood of Paris ; so great, indeed, that the Fig would have

370 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXII.

little or no chance if left exposed. So in autumn the cultivators
train the branches into four bundles, make a little trench for
each, and cover, as shown by the figures, with small sloping banks
of soil, protecting the crown of the root by means of a little cone
of earth, which merges gradually into the four little ridges that
cover the branches. When the plantation is made on deeply
inclined ground, a somewhat different system is followed, as is
also shown by the illustrations. Most of the details of the
culture are taken from Du Breuil’s “Culture des Arbres et
Arbrisseaux,” from the publisher of
which, copies of the figures were
purchased. I am also indebted to
M. Godefroy-Lebeuf, Argenteuil, for
making my visits to that town and its
Fig-plantations pleasant and instruc-
tive. In the climate of Paris the Fig-
tree is grown as a low shrub, with free
sweeping branches arranged in single
lines, or planted all together on a
piece of ground devoted to the purpose,
and which for want of a better name
may be called a “figgery.” The
branches of these tufty trees are not
allowed to grow longer than from six
to nine feet, so that the tree may be con-
veniently buried in the ground during
the winter. Those varieties which pro-
duce rudimentary Figs in autumn in
abundance are the only ones grown,
Branch of Fig-tree bearing the Figs ag the Figs of the current year very

formed during the preceding year, D ; : i p
those formed during the current year, Yarely arrive at maturity. Argenteuil

Aj and rudimentary Pigs, C. and La Frette are the two most
famous localities for the cultivation of the Fig-tree in the
neighbourhood of Paris. Before the southern railways were
constructed, these two villages used to supply the whole of
Paris with all the green Figs that were seen in the markets. The
introduction of the Fig-tree into Argenteuil appears to have taken
place about two centuries ago. It is cultivated in orchards in
deeply dug and richly manured land, the soil of which is of a

Cnarv. XXII] FIG CULTURE NEAR PARIS. 371

siliceous, calcareous, and clayey nature, well sheltered from the
north and north-west winds, and open to the south and east.
The cultivation of the Fig extends over a space of one hundred
and thirty acres, the production being ‘somewhere about four
hundred thousand Figs per annum. The variety grown in this
locality is the Blanquette or White Courcourelle, and the method
of growing it is as follows :—

Layers, raised in baskets or in the ordinary way, are planted in
the month of March in holes about four feet six inches in diameter
and one foot eight inches deep, filled with well-manured mould.
The planting is performed in such a way that the roots of the

Fig-tree growing on level ground, with the branches grouped in four sets.

layer are buried from ten inches to one foot deep, and that the
stem which springs out of the earth in an oblique direction should
be covered with from three to four inches of earth. Tv form the
stool more quickly, two layers may be planted in the same hole
instead of only one. In this case the two layers are placed in
lines parallel to those of the plantation at eight inches’ distance
from each other, and in such a way that the stems are opposed to
each other in the direction of this line. The surface of the hole
should be at least a foot below that of the surrounding soil. The
rest of the soil is arranged slantwise round the stem of the layer,
go that the rain-water may be easily retained round the roots of
the young trees. The trees are planted five or six yards apart,

372 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXII.

the lines being separated by a space of about four yards, so as to
form a kind of quincuncial arrangement. These young plants are
left to themselves during the whole of the summer, care being
taken to keep them from drought by means of frequent watering
and careful covering. During the first half of November, when
the first cold days set in and the trees are completely bare of
leaves, a dry day is chosen when the ground is not too damp, and
the young branch is carefully bent downwards until it reaches
the bottom of the trench. It is then covered up with a layer of
earth a foot deep, to preserve it from the cold. Towards the end
of February, as soon as the weather has become mild, the branches
are uncovered and the trench is arranged the same as it was
before earthing up. The development of the young plant is again
allowed to proceed during the summer, to be again earthed up
when November sets. in.

The third spring after planting, a fine day is chosen towards

Fig-tree with the branches trained in two sets.

the middle of March—the young stem is cut at from six to eight
inches from the ground, so as to favour the production of a large
crop of shoots, which will afterwards form the principal branches
of the tree. These shoots are allowed to grow through the
summer, and are earthed up in autumn. This process is performed
according to the following directions:—A dry day is chosen
when the soil is in a friable condition, so that it will fill the
spaces between the branches without leaving any empty places.
The soil used should be free from leaves, grass, and straw, which,
if they were allowed to come in contact with the buried branches,
would cause them to become rotten. It is also necessary to pull
off the half-grown autumn Figs, which would rot in the earth,
and cause the same mischief as any other decomposing vegetable
matter. These precautions having been taken, the branches of

Cuar. XXII] FIG CULTURE NEAR PARIS. 373

the tree are divided into four equal bundles, each being tied to-
gether with string. As many trenches as there are bundles of
branches are then dug in the ground. Each trench commences
at the foot of the tree, and is made of sufficient depth to contain

the bundles of
branches. They are
dug in different
directions, accord-
ing as the ground
is inclined or hori-

zontal. Intheformer :

case they are dug all
in the same upward
direction; when,
however, the ground
is level, they ra-
diate equally from
the centre. The
earthing up of the
branches being ac-
complished accord-
ing to these direc-

Showing the Mode of burying ine Fig-trees cultivatea on level
ground, to preserve then from being destroyed by frost in Winter.

tions, each bundle is covered with mould to the depth of eight
inches, a small cone being piled up exactly over the root.
Towards the end of February a damp, warm day is chosen for

Fig-tree planted on sloping earth buried for the Winter months.

defer this operation unt
frequently suffer from bei

uncovering the buried
Fig-trees. The sooner
this operation is ac-
complished the more
forward will be the
growth of the tree, and
the ripening of the
fruit; but the early
fruit is oftendestroyed
by the late frosts. For
this reason some
growers prefer to

il the end of March, although the trees
ng thus suddenly exposed to the heat of

26

374

the sun, and the fruit does not ripen so well.

THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXII

Others uncover one-

half their trees at the end of February, and the other half at the

Li
i

ve i Ne:
ye |

ic HK
ye

Fig-tree planted on sloping ground, with Earth Basin on
lower side to better retain the water.

end of March. By this
means a better average
crop is insured both in
quality and quantity.
The branches are sepa-
rated from each other by
equal distances, so as to
avoid confusion, as well
as to prevent the leaves
from rubbing against the
fruit, which would have
the effect of blackening
them, and render them
comparatively worthless.
Those branches that are
too near the ground are
held up by meansof forked
pieces of wood. The soil
is carefully levelled

where the ground is horizontal, a little hollow being made round

the root of the tree to hold the rain-water.

planted on sloping
ground require
hollows to be made in
the soil, so that the
water which flows
from the higher
ground may be col-
lected at the root
of each tree. In
this way a proper
degree of moisture
is insured during the
whole of the sum-
mer, besides which

the soil is prevented from being cut up by the rains.

Trees that are

Section

Ay

h

b

HL De
& Hf]

SF

He

Yi;
le

ing Fig-tree plant

d on inclined ground, with Earth

Basin to retain the water.

This plan

would seem to be peculiarly well suited to plantations on the

Cuar. XXII.]

FIG CULTURE NEAR PARIS.

3875

steep slopes of railway embankments. Henceforward the young
shoots growing from the stock are carefully cut off; otherwise

they would weaken the larger branches. These

precautions are taken during the fifth year.

In the spring of the sixth year the oldest
branches are of the form shown in our illustration.
The operation of nipping-off the buds at the end
of each branch is performed as soon as the un-
covered trees begin to show signs of springing
into leaf; that is to say, on some fine day the
bud on the end of each lateral shoot is pinched off
so as to favour the formation of buds on the wood
lower down, as well as for the encouragement of
any young Figs that already show signs of making
their appearance. About one-half of the buds

on the side-branches are also pinched off, choosing srem of Fig the sixth

those that are nearest to the young Figs. Two, #7 er planting.

The points of the

however, are always left on near the base of each — shoots 4, A, A, A,

are pinched off in

branch, and one towards the tip, in order to Spine 10 favour the
draw up the sap. The end-shoot of each branch #v@/bment of the

Figs, and also of

is treated in a similar manner, but with this — wood-duds at the base

difference, that the bud immediately below the

of the shoots.

one at the end is allowed to remain on, as well as one or two
more for the purpose of producing side-branches, which ought to

be left about a foot from each other on
each stem. As soon as the young shoots
are about two inches long, the shoots on all
the lateral branches and on the end-branch
are nipped off—a fine day being chosen for
the purpose. Of the former only a single
shoot—the one nearest the base of the
branch—is allowed to remain so as to re-
place the one which bears the fruit of the
year. The shoot at the end of the terminal

Fig-branch with young Figs.

The lateral side buds A, B, B, branch is allowed to remain, and some of

B, are pinched in Spring,—two

af the base, D, D, and one at the lateral ones intended to bear fruit

the apex, C, being left.

in the following year.

These last are

spaced out so that they may receive an equal amount of sunshine
without being interwoven or rubbing their leaves against the

2c2

376 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXII.

fruit. As soon as the proper number of branches that each stool
ought to bear is reached, all new shoots growing on the parent-
stem are nipped off. :

Although the Figs which make their appearance during the
current year ripen with difficulty, a certain number may be grown
in favourable years. Their ripening is hastened in the following
manner. Those branches which appear to be most prolific are
allowed to retain two shoots at their base instead of only one.
The one nearest the base is intended to produce the young Figs
for the following year, the other the
autumn Figs. In order to force these
latter into rapid growth the end of the
shoot must be nipped off as soon as it
has reached a length of four or five
inches. As the process of forcing autumn
Figs to ripen makes the trees weaker and
. less-able to produce the buds, or “ Fig-
flowers,” for the next year, only those
which are strong and vigorous should be
chosen for the purpose.

Should the late frosts destroy the
crop of Figs, which may take place before
the middle of May, summer-pruning
apie wee eens must be resorted to, that is to say, each

ing of the crop. Should the year lateral branch is pruned back to near
ee ee le Bol the stem. This operation causes the sap
are removed. | The shoot that kas +o flow to the old wood and produce a
Orne LIgs 18 Cut a .
large crop of shoots. This circumstance
is taken advantage of to fill up empty spaces, of course taking care
to leave only those shoots growing that are really useful. The
shoots are thinned out according to the method already described.

Towards the end of August a dry day is chosen for cleaning the
figgery. The portions of the shoots which have borne fruit are
cut off, and useless shoots are taken away just above the lowest
eye. If this eye should develop in the succeeding year, it is
disbudded in its turn. Withered branches are also removed quite
close to the stem, care being taken to cover the wounds with
grafting-wax. Some growers leave this operation until the
spring of the following year, but prunings made at that time

.Caar. XXII.] FIG CULTURE NEAR PARIS. 377

cause a much greater loss of sap, and the wounds made in the
tree heal up with great difficulty.

In the spring of the seventh year the lateral branches of each
stem are treated like those of the preceding year. The other
operations are similar to those already described. The principal
branches are allowed to grow longer every year, taking care to
allow the fruit-bearing shoots, which are replaced from year to
year, like those of the Peach-tree, to renain at regular intervals.
When the branches have grown to the length of from six to nine
feet, their growth should be checked, otherwise the sap will
desert the fruit-bearing
branches at the sides, and so g
cause them to wither away.
When sufficiently long the
principal are treated in the
same way as directed for the
side-branches.

The earthing-up to which
the branches of the Fig-tree
are subjected every year causes
them to grow in a horizonal
direction a foot or eighteen
inches from the ground. This
is an element of success, for
on the one hand the fruit
nearest to the ground receives
the greater part of the heat

Branch of Fig-tree after the gathering of the crop.

and ripens readily, on the other
hand the sap is more evenly
distributed amongst the differ-

C bears the young Figs for the coming year's
crop; D is pinched back to help the ripening of
some of the Figs of the current year; and the
fruit has been gathered from the naked shoot,

ent side-branches. The
Argenteuil Fig-trees begin to
bear when they are six years old, and are in full perfection at
ten years. They live along time, but it is necessary to renew the
long and old stems, which wear out every twelve or fifteen years.
For this purpose the requisite number of shoots are allowed to
grow on the parent stem to replace those which are cut away in
the August following. The soil round the trees should be dug up
every year in the spring after having unearthed the branches and

which is cut at B.

378 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXII.

before covering-in the trenches at the foot of the tree. They
should also be well watered several times during the summer, and
manured every three years. The practice of putting a drop of
fine oil into the eye of the fruit just as it colours and shows signs
of opening, to hasten its maturity, is employed about Paris,
especially during cold summers.

The Culture of the Vine at Thomery.

As it is certain that the culture of the Grape grown against
walls in the open air may be attempted with profit over a large
part of the southern and midland counties of England, an account
is given of the successful and highly-interesting culture of the

The Chasselas de Fontainebleau.

Chasselas Grape near Paris, where it must be grown against walls
as well as with us.

Every autumn, quantities of this delicious little Grape may be
seen in the Paris markets, packed in small boxes or circular
baskets. This variety is not unfrequently grown as an early
Grape in this country, under the name of the Royal Muscadine ;

Cuap. XXII] CULTURE OF THE VINE AT THOMERY. 379

but it is not so delicious when forced in our hothouses as when
ripened under warm sunshine on the whitewashed walls of
Thomery and Fontainebleau. There are several varieties of
Chasselas grown in French gardens, all of which are of excellent
flavour ; but this is the best of them, and the one most generally
grown, as a dessert Grape, for the French markets. The Vine is
moderately vigorous in growth, and is easily recognised, even when
not in fruit, by its peculiarly blunt-lobed rounded leaves. The
bunches are generally small, rarely exceeding a pound in weight
even when grown indoors in this country, and grown out-of-doors
in French gardens the clusters are smaller still. The berries are

- WV NS

ALUN {HEY
WAY VY

Wall of Chasselas at Thomery, showing the Vines trained as Horizontal Cordons,
both ix a pruned and unpruned condition.

round and of a clear greenish-yellow colour, acquiring a pink or
amber tint, on the sunny side, when fully ripe. Being of a
peculiarly sweet juicy flavour, and producing a crackling sensation
when eaten, it seems singular that this delicious little Grape does
not more frequently find its way to our London markets, as it can
be imported quite as cheaply as the Spanish Chasselas and Sweet-
waters, and it is greatly superior to them in flavour. It bears
packing and carriage well, and the only drawback is that it must
be used soon after it is ripe.

When well ripened against walls the French think it the best
Grape ever grown, and superior to our hothouse Grapes, fine as

880 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuap. XXILE

they are. Here I am simply stating an opinion without en-
dorsing it, merely adding that this estimate is not solely confined
to those who have no opportunity of judging both sides of the
question, but was held by the late Baron Rothschild, who grew all
our finest Grapes, and by some other good judges. Grape-culture
is often successful against houses with us when it receives mere
chance attention from cottagers and others. By selecting the
soil and position, and really paying some attention to protecting
and cultivating the Vine, we may grow good Grapes against walls,
even in many places where ground-vineries are now resorted to.
Should any person doubt the possibility of cultivating the Chasselas
and Others of our best hardy Grapes in the open air, I have
merely to refer him to the horticultural papers for the autumn
of 1868. They contain abundant evidence that even with the
rough treatment Grapes now receive in the open air, it is quite
possible to grow them of good quality on walls. Grapes are
already grown well in the open air in a few places—by Mr.
Darkin, at Bury St. Edmunds, for example; and by Mr. Fenn, in
the Rectory Garden at Woodstock ; so that there can be no doubt
about the possibility of ripening good Grapes over a considerable
portion of England and Ireland.

It is necessary to observe that the plan is only recommended
for warm soils and positions, for gardens not having much glass
and yet some wall-space, for covering cottages, out-offices, etc.,
and not in any way as a substitute for Vine-culture indoors.
The Chasselas de Fontainebleau, or Royal Muscadine, is far the
best for culture in the open air in this country.

An account of the Grape-growing at Thomery from the pen ot
M. Rose-Charmeux is likely to convey the most practical informa-
tion on the subject, and the following is translated from his
‘Culture du Chasselas :’ from the publishers of which the follow-
ing illustrations of the subject have been purchased for this
work :—

“At Thomery the soil is of a sandy and clayey nature, and
mixed with pebbles in those parts which are near the river. The
soil is at all times easy to work. Near the Seine it lacks depth—
so much so, indeed, that before cultivation it has to be dug and
trenched so ato remove some of the stony subsoil. Everywhere
else the layer of vegetable mould measures from four feet six

Cuap. XXILJ] CULTURE OF THE VINE AT THOMERY. 881

inches to six feet in thickness. This layer is on a reddish clay
of about the same thickness, and beneath the clay is a broken-up
stratum of building-stone filled with fissures. This building-
stone is easily extracted.
The Grapes ripen a fort-
night earlier in the flinty
districts than in those
parts in which the soil is
deeper and richer.

“The gardens at
Thomery, takenaltogether,
present much the appear-
ance of those of Montreuil-
sur-Bois. There is nothing
but walls in all directions,
distant from each other
about forty feet, and ten Low Double Espalier, and Mode of Protecting the Vines
feet high. This height has eee
only obtained during the last fifteen years, before which period
they were rarely higher than six or seven feet. The change
has been advantageous for two reasons; first, the Grape-growers
have been able to increase the space required for their purpose
by taking possession of a
larger portion of air instead
of having to buy fresh ground;
and secondly, the high walls
= are found to improve the ap-
pearance and quality of the
Grapes. The walls are built
of hard stone quarried in the
neighbourhood, the stones
being laid with mud only.

The face of the wall is then

Set ee ne ump ia eOYored With @ swortar mate
of lime and sand, and is finally

covered with the same material thinned to a creamy consistence.
Every wall is topped with a roof of pantiles, surmounted by
a row of gutter-tiles. These roofs project about ten inches, and
below them are fixed at every yard iron rods, inclined slightly

882 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXII.

downwards. These supports project about twenty inches beyond
the edge of the tiles, affording altogether a support of at least
two feet six inches wide. Upon this is fixed, when occasion
requires it, a coping of bitumenised felt, or, where economy is
necessary, a piece of thin plank. The bitumenised felt is
stretched on frames of wood, about ten feet in length by eighteen
inches in width, the felt being fastened to them by means of
small nails. These frames are chiefly used when the Grapes are
perfectly ripe, which is generally about September 15, or when
there is danger of the fruit being spoilt by
heavy rains. Formerly, before these methods
of shelter were employed, large quantities
of Grapes were continually lost through

fl

Sulphur Distributor employed at Thomery.

becoming rotten with the wet; since their
adoption, however, there is no fear of such
Pruning to obtain the a result. The size of the temporary
PEL IER HE: copings to be used is always dependent
on the aspect and height of the walls. With walls facing
the south and ten feet high, frames containing felt at least
thirty inches in width ought to be used. With a western
aspect, they ought to be even wider, in order to avoid all danger
from the heavy rains. With the old low walls, frames twenty-
four inches wide for the south, twenty-eight inches for the
west, and sixteen inches for the east, were found to be quite
sufficient.”

“ After selecting a proper position and soil, the most important

Cuap. XXII] CULTURE OF THE VINE AT THOMERY. 383

point is the sulphuring to prevent the Oidium. Sulphur is the
effective cure for this pest, and it should be applied directly after
the first pinching of the shoots, at a temperature below 96° Fahr.
in the open air. If the heat is too great, the young skin of the
Grape is liable to become decomposed. In full sunshine at noon
the fruit would be burnt up in an hour’s time. Sulphuring may
be carried on while the dew is falling. There is no fear in this
case of soiling the Grapes. The operation should not be deferred
until the Oidium has made its ap-
pearance. The second sulphuring
should be performed when the
Grapes are about as large as a pea,
or even earlier if the Oidium has
appeared at all. It would be pre-

Low Espalier of Vines trained vertically, four
feet high.

ferable to sulphur while the Vines wer =
are in flower. The operation is oe
performed with sublimated sul- | :
phur, blown upon the Vine with Layer of Vine raised and planted
a pair of bellows specially con- pune

trived for the purpose. It may be effectively done without the
operator standing an instant in one spot, but passing quickly along
the line. In these latitudes heavy rains destroy in part the effect
of the sulphur, and it is nearly always necessary to repeat the
operation three orfour times. If the Grapes themselves are attacked,
it is on them that the flowers of sulphur should be applied. It has
been remarked that under sunshine the Oidium may be totally
destroyed in one hour, a result that may be attributed to the

384 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXII.

speedier disengagement of sulphurous acid gas by the heat of the
sun, but it is dangerous to apply it if the sun is too strong.”

The pruning of the Vine is so well understood in England that
it is needless to give it here in the full detail with which it is
honoured in M. Rose-Charmeux’s book, the ‘Culture du Chas-
selas.’ The system as shown
—s in the illustrations is simply

En Gee mee a the well-known spur-prun-
ee ing practised in nearly
every English vinery. There

are indeed several modifica-

tions of training; but this
as everybody knows is of no
real importance. In this

f

t

1)
A
LS

W

SSS SS =
Rose-Charmeuxz’s System of Vertical Train~ Vines trained Vertically with alternated
ing. The Vines are planted at sixteen inches spurs, wires nine inches apart on wall;
apart. Vines about twenty-eight inches apart.

case, as with the Vine indoors, the selection of a proper medium for
the roots is of far greater importance than anything else, while the
simplest form and the best system of pruning are without doubt
the same as those seen in our vineries—an erect stem with the
side-shoots annually pruned in. At Thomery the Vine is fre-

Cmar. XXII] CULTURE OF THE VINE AT THOMERY. 385

quently trained as a horizontal cordon line over line ; but to
execute this form well requires time and skill, which only culti-
vators who devote themselves specially to it can afford, and it
may be safely said that letting the Vines run straight up the
walls and with their spurs at each side is better than any less-
simple mode. The really-important points to bear in mind are—
first, the warmer the exposure is, the better for the Grape ;
second, that the walls are white, or nearly so, as the Vines get
more heat on such walls than they do on dark ones, and are
maintained in better health; third, that wide and efficient
copings are used to
permit the fruit to
thoroughly ripen in
autumn, and pre-
vent its being
spoiled by heavy
rains ; and that the
higher walls are
found to possess an
advantage over the
lower ones. The
plants are fre-
quently raised in
rough baskets for
convenience of re-
moval and sale.
Several of the ap-
pliances here in use
are sensible ones,
which might be found useful in other ways than that of Vine-
culture. For instance, the movable scaffold to facilitate the
labours of the women who attend to the walls in summer, the
shade to shield them from the sun, and the frame for conveying
a number of small baskets laden with Grapes from the walls to
the Grape-room.

Grafting is frequently performed, and chiefly to replace a bad
by a good variety, or to hasten the fructification of a new one.
The plant is cut down to within nine or ten inches of the soil,
and with the gouge an incision is made on the smoothest side, a

Movable Scaffold used for thinning the Grapes.

386 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. XXII.

corresponding cut being made in a scion or in the stem of a young
plant, both of which methods are here shown. The grafting is
performed as soon as the sap begins to move in spring, and the
grafts are tied and covered with grafting-wax (see illustration).

A particularly noticeable feature in the cultivation is that the
young Vines are as a rule planted at a considerable distance from
the wall—say a little more than three feet, and the stem laid
into the ground to near the base of the wall. Sometimes the
stem is allowed to rise some distance from the wall, and in the
following year when it has grown a little it is again lowered and

Frame for carrying small baskets
JSilled with Grapes from the walls
to the store-rooms: four feet
high at back, thirty-one inches

Shade to protect the Grape-thinners from strong wide, and ten and a half inches

Sun. deep.

taken to the wall. This method is obviously pursued to secure a
number of vigorous roots spread over a large surface. Where the
ground is stony and poor it is probably a good plan.

As regards the forcing of Grapes at Thomery, there is little
to note of any importance to the British Grape-grower, who is
certainly in advance of all others as regards the indoor-culture
of this old and ever-popular fruit. Nevertheless, M. Rose-
Charmeux’s garden exhibits such an advance on the ordinary
style of forcing Grapes around Paris that it deserves a few words.
“The walls of the pits are of brick; the highest, towards the
north, measures about five feet in height; the front wall being

Cuar. XXIL] CULTURE OF THE VINE AT THOMERY. 387

only about two feet high. The width of the hothouse at its base
between the walls is about four feet six inches, and the length
indefinite. The higher wall is covered on the top with a deal
board a foot wide and projecting towards the south; the lower
wall is covered in the same way with a board five inches wide.
The walls ought to be rough cast, and kept perfectly white like
those of the gardens. Bars of iron serve as supports to the
frames, and to keep the walls in their places when the frames

ee aes ee
inches long.
are taken away, and rods provided with holes are placed in the
middle of each frame so that they may be opened to different
heights according to circumstances. A copper hot-water pipe,
four inches in diameter, serves to warm the structure, and an
entrance-door is constructed at each end. Grape-forcing begins
from the 15th to the 25th of December, in order to have ripe
fruit by the end of April. During the first fortnight the heat is
not allowed to rise above 58° F. to 65° F. In a fortnight

388 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXII:

it is allowed to rise to 78° F. or 80° F., from which time until
the Grapes are ripe the heat is maintained at from 80° F. to
88° F. The time of flowering requires a great deal of attention,
for on it depends entirely the success of the result. In order
that fecundation should take place under the most favourable
circumstances, and that the Grapes
should be well formed, it is ab-
solutely necessary that the tem-
perature should be maintained
between 78° F. and 88° F.; also
that the Vine should have plenty
of light and dry air.

“The low span-roofed house is
constructed in the following man-
ner:—On the east and west are

: built two small brick walls twenty-
Small Pit used for Forcing the Vine. ei cht inches high, and in the centre
of the enclosed space are placed strong posts about five feet high,
and distant from each other about three feet. A plank fourteen
inches wide, nailed on the top of these posts, ties them together
solidly and forms a sort of coping. This plank is covered with
sheet-zinc, and bars of iron are carried from it to the walls serving
as supports to the
lights. At each
end a door is con-
structed for the
attendants to go
in and out,and on
each side is a
thermometer for
regulating the
temperature. The
interior of the
hothouse is about Svadz Span-roofed Pit for Forcing the Vine: ten fect five inches wide,
fan feck wide at and five feet five inches high.
the base, so that the rows of Vines are distant from the side-
walls about eighteen or twenty inches, and one side gets the
effect of the sun in the morning, the other in the afternoon. Two
rows of pulleys are attached to the wooden coping for working

Cuar. XXII] CULTURE OF THE VINE AT THOMERY. 889

the straw mats, which ought to be taken off every morning and
replaced in the evening.”

Thus M. Rose-Charmeux speaks of his forced culture of the
Vine. In addition to the houses here figured and alluded to, he
employs a well-constructed portable lean-to house—portable
because the French yet believe in the virtue of the plan of alter-
nately forcing and resting their trees, a system which we have
long ago proved to be worthless.

The following is a French mode of training Vines on walls, and
a very good one; the walls are trellised with split pieces of Oak
which last nearly as long as the walls themselves. The Vines
are planted against them about six feet apart, as there are
three tiers of Vines, or cordons as they may be termed. The
distance for each Vine to run horizontally is something like nine
feet or so; the horizontal shoots are tied to the first bar or lath,
and the rest of the space is left for the summer-shoots and fruits,
only one bunch of Grapes being left on each pair of shoots. The
shoot that fruits this year does not bear fruit next, and so on
throughout. It is a simple and quick way of covering a wall,
and one which in the southern part of England might be advan-
tageously practised.

ihe ee eats Bisel La
PURCAUTIVE RVC V Sucre LeU
Wy A US
ote FR GE I ae AE SH at Hit slau m
St) EMA ATA ACPA APTA T
Si MVMW AULD PAUNULUE WD (UDMA W UT
EVN

French mode of training Vines on open Wall.

390 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXMI.

CHAPTER XXIII.

TRAINING.

In France the commonest garden-labourers frequently possess a
knowledge of pruning and training trees which we might look for
in vain anywhere in this country; and by way of illustrating
their skill in this way, we cannot do better than describe their
mode of forming two of the most popular forms of fruit-trees—
the Palmette Verrier and the Pyramidal Pear-trees, chiefly after
Du Breuil. The Pear will serve to illustrate training and pruning
as well as any other tree, and the principles laid down will apply
to other fruit-trees.

Tue Patmerre.—Wherever large wall-trees are grown, the
simple and beautiful form known to the French as the Palmette
Verrier is sure to obtain a place among them. It is the finest
of large forms, and is preferred by many of the best French
cultivators to any other, though for quick returns the vertical
forms now begin to supplant it in some gardens. The reader
may think it impossible to attain such perfect shape as is shown
in the illustrations, but there are many trees even more beautiful
than those represented. This figure also shows the advantages
of the kind of support used in France for espalier-trees as com-
pared with our method of using rough wooden or iron posts and
strong bolt-like wire. It will be seen that the tree differs from
the form of Pear-tree that we are in the habit of placing against
walls ; it is easy to point out its advantages in securing an equal
flow of sap to all the branches. In the common horizontal form
strength and fertility are apt to desert the lower branches, in
consequence of their not possessing a growing-point to draw the
sap through, and particularly when constant care is not taken to

Cuar, XXL] TRAINING. 391

repress the upper portions of the tree by summer-pinching. The
form here figured, in common with all very large wall and espalier

‘sed wire (No. 12), wires united tn strong ring

at base to secure rigidity in end supports.

Je

é

‘“'PALMETTE VERRIER,

Tagsyf

tal lines

T iron, hori:

PEAR-TREE TRAINED AS A

On trellis ten feet high, supports of

trees, takes a long time to complete. Given a wall 10 ft. or

12 ft. high, and 20 ft. or 24 ft. long, to be covered with a tree
, ? 2p 2

392 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXIIL

of this shape, it would require fifteen or sixteen years to form it.
By adopting a more contracted form based upon the same plan,
we may cover the wall or trellis more quickly.

The Palmette Verrier is named after the fruit-gardener at the
Ecole Régionale de la Saulsaie, with whom it was first observed.
To form the tree, we have in the first instance to plant a young
tree which, as so much care is about to be exercised upon it, should
be of the primest quality. In forming this, as all other fruit-
trees, the usual and most economical custom is to choose plants
about a year old from the time of grafting, or what are called
“maiden plants.” Trees more advanced might be bought to
make the same form more quickly, but they will be more
expensive the further they are advanced beyond what is called
the “maiden” stage. The young trees should be allowed to

The Palmette Verrier.
Second pruning. Third pruning. Fourth pruning.

remain a year or so in their positions before being cut, so that
they may root well. At the first pruning the young tree is cut
down to within a foot or so of the ground, and just above three
suitable eyes, one at each side to form the two lowermost
branches, the third a little above them and in front to continue
the upright axis. Of course all the eyes, except those that are to
send forth the first three shoots, must be suppressed in spring.
Although the tree in the illustration looks so very exact and
regular in its lines that the branches appear as if they had been
“bent in the way they should go” at a very early stage, it is not
so; they are at first allowed to grow almost erect, and are after-
wards gradually lowered to the horizontal position. During the
first year of the young tree possessing three shoots, care must be
taken (as at all times) to secure a perfect equilibrium between

Cuap. XXIII] TRAINING. 393

them. If one grows stronger than the others, it must be loosened
from its position on the wall and lowered. This will divert the
Sap so as to strengthen the rest. Nothing is more easily
conducted than the sap, if a little attention be paid to it; if
neglected, it soon rushes towards the higher points, and spoils
the symmetry of the tree.

At the second pruning they must be cut at B, and abouta third of
the length of the side-shoots must also be cut at A A, in preceding
figure. If one side-branch happens to be stronger than the other,
the stronger one must be cut somewhat shorter. In cutting and
pruning wall-trees the cut should be made above‘a front bud, so
that the wound made by the knife may be turned towards the wall,

The Palmette Verrier. Fifth pruning.

and away from the eye, from which, of course, it will soon be
effectually hidden by this front bud developing into a shoot, and
thickening at its base. During the second year no more branches
must be permitted to grow, because the trainer desires to throw all
the strength he can into the lower branches, which are to be the
longest. Sometimes, however, the strength of the lower branches
will permit the second stage of branches to be made during the second
year of training. At the third pruning the central stem is cut at six
inches or so above the previous incision, which is indicated by a
slight ring, and a third part of the new growth of the side-branches
cut off, as shown in the illustration. Here, again, we cut above
and inside three promising eyes to obtain a new set of branches,
and each succeeding year add another series until the tree is formed.

394 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXIII.

At the end of the following growing-season the specimen will have
advanced sufficiently to allow the lower branches to be bent up
towards the top of the wall, and will begin to look shapely. The
fifth stage of pruning is well shown in the illustration, which is
an exact representation of what the tree ought to be—A, and the
cross marks indicating where the incisions are to be made. Above
all things it is necessary to keep the growth and flow of sap
equal, not only for the sake of symmetry, but also to insure
perfect health and fertility ; for if one part be allowed to grow
grossly at the expense of another, an awkward state of things will
soon take place. Sometimes, when the vegetation is very vigorous,
time is gained in the making of this form by pinching the central

pe BOE om

Palmette Verrier, with weakly outer Branch completed by Grafting.

growth at eight inches or so above the highest pair of opposite
branches. It then breaks again, and care is taken to secure two
side-shoots and an erect one. Thus, with attention, and in good
soil, two stages of branches may be secured in the same year, but
this must not be attempted till the proper formation of the two
lower branches is secured. The dotted lines in the figure showing
the fifth pruning indicate the positions that have been successively
occupied by the branch E, while in course of formation, and show
that it is by no means necessary to train a young branch from the
beginning in the exact position it is required to take. In fact,
this form is only to be well and easily finished by allowing the
young shoots to first grow and gather strength in an erect or
oblique position. The branch E was adjacent to the central

Cuap. XXIII.]

‘TRAINING. 395

branch when young, and was at B; then it was lowered to C, next

year to D, and finally to its
horizontal position. Some care
is required to make the bend
of the shoots equal and gently
rounded. If the tree is trained
on a wire trellis, it is best
before it becomes necessary to
bend the shoots, to place two
bent rods in the exact position
desired. They must be fixed
at exactly equal distances from
the main stem, and be equal
in curvature. It is then an
easy matter to attach to them
the growing shoot, which will
soon harden to the desired
bend. Against a wall it may
be readily directed with shreds
and nails; if the wall be wired,
bent twigs may be applied, as
on the trellis. Like care should
be bestowed upon the other
bends, as they require to be
made; but of course the outer
and lower one is of the greatest
importance. As this form is
not at all presentable if the
outer branches be incomplete,
grafting by approach is some-
times employed to repair any
such defect.

This mode of training is too
little practised in our country,
and being applicable to
many forms of training, I can
strongly recommend it, having

Pyramidal Pear-tree.

frequently witnessed the good effects produced by carrying it out

earefully.

396 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. XXII.

PyrammpaL Traminc or THE Prar-Tree.—This culture is,
considered from the stand-point of beauty alone, as desirable as
any with which amateurs interest themselves. I have seen in
very small gardens in France, pyramidal Pear-trees, which if they
never afforded a fruit, would be beautiful objects; and there are
few “avenues” prettier than those of Pear-trees in little town-
gardens in Paris. In the fully-formed
pyramid, in addition to its symmetry
will be observed the straight clean
growth of each branch, springing at
regular intervals from the main stem,

Pyramidal Pear-tree. First
pruning.

which is so erect and well furnished.
From the summit to the base such a
tree ought to be garnished with nothing ee een

but branches well set with fruit-spurs. ine shoot, A 4, soe accien 2
The greatest breadth of the pyramid “””"*

should equal about one-third of its height. Pyramidal trees may
be purchased in all stages; but trees ready-formed are costly, and
as many would prefer training their own, and as those who plant
on a large scale will find it economical to begin with trees a year
from the graft, we will commence with a “ maiden tree,” letting it
grow one year in the ground before pruning it. The small cut
represents the first pruning of this young tree, and its appearance

Cuar. XXIII] TRAINING.

397

one year after being permanently planted, or two years from the

graft. B shows the union of stock and scion; and the
terminal bud, A, just below where the shoot is cut
should be placed on the side opposite to that on which
the scion was inserted, as shown in the figure, so that
the stem of the tree may rest perpendicularly on its
base. It is by attending to such little points as this
that the French get that perfectly equal distribution of
sap which is so essential to the satisfactory manage-
ment and prolonged fertility of trained fruit-trees.
The summer following the first pruning, the young
trees push with great vigour,

[ and their shoots should be
thinned when a few inches
long, removing every shoot
from the base of the stem to
a height of about one foot, and
thinning out those above this
point to six, seven, or eight
shoots ; reserving of course the
best-placed shoots, and taking
care to have them arranged
as far as possible at regular
intervals. Should they in the
course of the year assume an
irregular development, pinch-
ing with the finger and thumb
ase Second oust be resorted to. For
instance, in the cut opposite,

the shoots, A A, have pushed too much ; and one of them
rivals the leading shoot, B; they therefore are pinched,
merely taking off an inch or so. The second pruning
has for its object the production of a new set of lateral
branches, and the further development of those already
obtained. It is evident that to secure a beautiful tree,
the branches must spring forth regularly from the
main stem, which they are not likely to do if the tree
is left to itself. The illustration of “leading shoot
of Pear-tree” shows the way in which the careful

Leading shoot
of Pear-tree,
showing tnct-
sions A, A, A,
made abovethe
buds required
to break
strongly.

cultivator

398 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXIIL

furnishes his stem, as regularly as could be desired. The eyes
which he desires to break strongly have an incision made above
them, as shown in the figure. This is particularly desirable as
regards the lower part of each successive growth of the erect
stem; the vigour of the rising current of sap often pushing

A, the best position at
which to prune for the
terminal bud.

Mi.
te"

A, part of old leading shoot barked
and left to tie the young shoot to.
It is cut at Bwhen the shoot has
arrived at maturity.

A, B,C, incisions made above and
below branches and buds to check
irregularity of growth.

towards the higher buds, and causing the lower part to be poorly
furnished. These incisions, A, A, A, must be carefully performed
on the young branch—deep enough to penetrate the sap-wood,
and yet not so deep as to hurt the slender rising point. The top
of this shoot, instead of being cut off, has been barked for some

Car. XXIII.] TRAINING. 399

portion of its length above the bud that has been selected to
continue the growth of the coming summer. To this barked
portion the young shoot is trained, and a perfectly vertical growth
for what we may term the pillar of the tree is thereby secured.
The bark is neatly cut round above the upper eye; the branch is
cut off at about four or five inches above that point, and then the
bark is taken clean off. When the young leading shoot is long
enough, it is fastened to the bare portion of the stem.

In pruning the tree considerable judgment is required, so as
to get the base of the specimen well furnished, and secure fer-
tility in the fruiting-branches.
Several of the figures here given
will explain the practice ; which
is, to cut them of the greatest
length at the base of the tree,
and gradually shorten them as
the top is reached. The nearer
they spring to the soil, the
longer they must be left, or,
to be more precise, only a third
must be cut from the points of
the lowest branches; half the
length may be taken from those
situated between summit and
base ; and lastly, three-quarters
may be cut from the most
elevated. In cutting-in the
lateral branches, the perfectly oblique direction which it is
desirable they should take must be borne in mind in the pruning,
and the terminal bud of each left as far as possible, as in the
figure showing this. In case of a very irregular development
among the laterals, incisions are made above a weak branchlet to
encourage it, and below a strong one to retard it until the
equilibrium of the branches is established. Incisions are also
made before a dormant bud that has failed to become developed
into a lateral. The weak shoot is not cut, or but very little ; the
strong one is cut to below the level of the one it is desired to
encourage. These incisions should be performed with a little saw,
so that the cuts may not soon heal over. The incisions should

Pyramidal Pear-tree. Third pruning.

400 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIIL

penetrate sufficiently into the layer of young wood to well
intercept the sap-vessels. If with all these precautions there are

Grafting by approach, to cover bare spaces on
Pyramidal Trees.

objectionably-bare spaces on
the stem, they may be re-
medied by grafting by ap-
proach, that is to say, turn-
ing back a vigorous branch
to the main stem, and graft-
ing it on to the bare space;
or if this cannot be done,
inserting a short ordinary
graft in the stem. This,
however, with good manage-
ment, will rarely be neces-
sary.

Having trained the branches
straight, the next point is to
see that they follow the desired
oblique line; and it will be
seen by the illustrations that
the disposition given them
is better than the one they
assume under a less careful
system. The light enters
freely to all parts of the tree;

the more important part of it is under the command of the
eye and hand, and the top is prevented from running away.
This, however, is more owing to the fine

formation of the lower branches than to the
position they assume, though certainly such
free and straight outlets for the rising sap
are very effective in preventing a gross de-
velopment above, and consequently in keep-
ing the tree in the condition desired. During

the summer following the second PYUDING, Grafting by approach as

the operations for maintaining the lead

with the vertical branch, and

applied to Wall and
Espalier Trees.

equality

among the lateral shoots of the new growth, must be carried
out as before described. In the third pruning the young lateral

Cuap. XXIII] TRAINING. 401

branches of the preceding summer are cut in much shorter than
the lower ones to favour the development of these.

At the fourth pruning the lower branches are not cut nearly so
long as in the previous pruning, because they have now attained
to almost the desired length and vigour. The new branches of
the second series are left somewhat longer, and the pruner looks
more to the top-structure, so to speak. The wisdom of forming
the base well at first will be apparent. During the summer

Pyramidal Pear-tree, ~ Fourth pruning.

following the fourth pruning before described, attention should
be given to the young branches at the top of the pyramid, as well
as the side ones. As the lower branches will have nearly reached
their full length, a too vigorous growth of the terminal shoot of
each must be prevented by pinching.
The next figure shows the aspect of the tree at the fifth pruning,
and how the pruning is performed. Asis well seen by glancing from
B to A in this figure, the new growth of the lower branches is cut
very short, while the higher the remaining superior branches are,

402 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXIII

the longer are the portions cut off. The succeeding prunings
differ nothing in principle from the others, future development
taking place principally in the middle and higher parts of the
tree. Care should be taken to guide in the desired direction by
means of twine, and sometimes slender stakes, any branches that
may have deviated from it. Thus the pruning is carried on till

Pyramidal Pear-tree. Fifth pruning.

the tree becomes a large and perfect pyramid, the laterals being
well pinched in, and in every case a free terminal shoot being
allowed to proceed from each, so that the tree may be kept equally
balanced and the sap freely conducted through each branch.
They may of course be cut back well every year ; always, however,
at a bud likely to furnish a good shoot for the following season.
It is very questionable if the mathematically-designed pyramid

Cuap. XXIII.] TRAINING. 403

here alluded to be so desirable for gardens generally as a flatter
and less pointed form. For example, the pyramid as represented

XG << a
}
—

~

ee
} J \

ff
pT

ay

Av

SN

)

uy
£Lp
fm

“ff
La

Ly

}

fp

= oA ER CRS US <> OR
Pyramidal Pear-tree with drooping Branches.

at the time of its fourth or fifth pruning is in outline preferable
to the tall cone-like pyramidal trees.

Occasionally the pyramidal Pear has its branches bent down-
wards, some thinking that this induces a more fruitful habit ;

404 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIII.

there is no evidence, however, proving this form to be better than
the simple pyramid.

The excellent practice of cutting in pyramidal and other trees
that happen to be worthless varieties, and re-grafting them with
superior kinds, is much practised by the French growers and
amateurs. This system is quite as applicable to wall-trees as to
pyramids or standards. In numbers of our gardens great good

mightbe effected by re-

f graftingwith good vari-
eties, and doing away

with the worthless ones
sovery commonly seen.
The columnar mode of
training to be seen
here and there in
France, is considered
better than the pyra-
midal form, where
saving of space is an
object, and where too
much shading of the
crops by the trees is
undesirable. The
woodcut on page 333
shows a tree before the
winter-pruning takes
Wall Pear-tree re-grafted. On each of the branches A, B, C place, and, as will be
D, a graft has been placed, The graft at C failed, and Seen, it is an erect stem

consequently a shoot, e, is allowed to ascend ; so.that it may S
be budded the autumn following the grafting. d ensel ¥ furnis h ed

with short fruiting-
branches. Except on the Quince in suitable soils, it is not likely
to present many advantages; for if on the Pear and confined
thus closely to a fastigiate bundle of shoots, it would in all pro-
bability run too high to permit of proper annual pruning or of the
crop being gathered with convenience. Judging by the strength
and thickness displayed by our old horizontal wall-trees grafted
on the Pear-stock, we should, if we adopted a contracted form like
this with trees worked on the Pear, in a few years have objects
more like rustic gate-posts than trees.

Cuap. XXIII] TRAINING. 405

It is not uncommon in English gardens to train the branches of
the pyramidal Pear in a pendulous fashion ; and it is a system

Pendulous Training of Wall Pear-tree.

«|

AX

admired by some, though somewhat more troublesome to form
than the simple pyramid. The figure represents a manner of

applying a modification of the same principle to the ordinary
PP as. a

406 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cnap. XXIII.

horizontally-trained Pear-tree. I do not say that it is as good as
it is graceful in appearance, believing in simple, easily-conducted
forms, but as these smaller arching branches may be established
on kinds that bear better on the young wood, or on trees with
the branches thinly placed, it may prove useful. The mode of
formation is so simple and so easily established that no further
description is needed. It cannot however be said too often
that the simple and quickly-formed trees, described elsewhere,
are as excellent for walls as for trellises, combining as they
do the advantages claimed for the cordons with a not too-
contracted, repressed development.

When the exact system of training described in this chapter is
well carried out, well-furnished branches and fruitful spurs are
the rule. Should it not be so, the growers frequently resort to
grafting fruit-buds on the bare spaces, as shown by the following
figures :—

Grafting to furnish useless water-shoots
with fruit-buds. A, short lateral fruit-
shoot; C, incision to receive A 3 D, oper-
ation completed (this graft ts performed
in August, the buds Sruiting the follow-
ing year); B, terminal fruit-branch fhe
crown-grafting of fruiting-shoots on Evoss
unfruitful ones.

B,

Cuap. XXIII] TRAINING. 407

The greatest attention is paid to the proper and neat pinching
and pruning of the shoots, as shown by the following figures :—

Shoot cut too long. Shoot cut too low.

Young shoot of Pear pro- Shoot of Pear pinched too Resull pinchth
purl fivchel of alow Sook esult of over-pinching.
Sour inches from the base.

Pinching of the second growth The stipulary shoots forced into
of the Pear. growth by the removal of the prin-
cipal shoot, A.

Another result of over-
pinching.

252

408 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXIV.

CHAPTER XXIV.

FRUIT CULTURE: HOW ARE WE TO IMPROVE ?

Tux discussion on French and English fruit-growing which took
place in the ‘ Times’ a few years ago, and afterwards spread through
various other journals, was, like most discussions, not calculated to
leave much impression on the public mind as to the best course
to pursue. For this reason, therefore, in this chapter I propose
to enter at some length into the matter. The fruit-question is
not one that merely concerns those who can devote time and
money to the pleasures that gardening affords; it is a question
for the general public of especial importance when considered in
relation to the market-supplies of our cities and towns.

Considering the hardiness of the Pear, its keeping-qualities,
and its great variety, it is the most valuable dessert-fruit that
can be grown in northern latitudes. A perfect Peach may be
preferred to a first-rate Pear, but by properly selecting varieties
of Pears we may have them in perfection during eight or nine
months of the year, and the variety in flavour is perhaps greater
than in the case of any other fruit. We are quite behind the
French growers in its production. Our stocks of Apples are
usually good and abundant; our stocks of Pears are frequently
scarce and very poor in quality. In many gardens a really good
Pear is almost as rare as a Mangosteen. We can increase the
quantity and improve the quality of our Pears in a tenfold degree
over the greater part of England and Ireland, and even in time to
come make an article of export the fruit that we are now obliged
to import so largely.

No doubt the brighter sun of France is more favourable to the
culture of the Pear than our own climate; but it is equally true
that by the aid of walls for some sorts, by judicious selection of

Cuap. XXIV.) FRUIT CULTURE. 409

ground, locality, and kinds, we may grow it to perfection. The
quantity of Pears the French send to our markets is surprising.
Messrs. Draper, the salesmen of Covent Garden, showed me by
their books that from one importer alone they sold from 601. to
1002. worth of French garden-produce (chiefly Pears) each market-
day ; and a fruit-merchant has told me of one dealer in Pears
who annually collects in France and sells in our markets 10,0000.
worth of that fruit.

It is a mistake to suppose that the climate does all this for the
French—the winter and spring in many parts of Northern and
North-central France being quite as difficult for the fruit-grower
as they are in England. The Pear loves a moist, genial climate,
and in many parts of England and Ireland our advantage in this
respect will be found to compensate in some degree for the
difference in sunlight. Some Pears are grown better in England
than in France, and it is a curious fact that some which ripen
and go off quickly in the neighbourhood of London remain in an
eatable condition much longer and acquire a more delicious
flavour in the cooler climate of Yorkshire. Let it be borne in
mind that we are talking of the culture of a fruit which grows in
a wild state as far north as Southern Sweden, and then we can
estimate at their true worth the objections of those who say that
our climate prevents any improvement, and who, perhaps, imme-
diately afterwards assert the superior quality of British-grown fruit.
Nature is our willing handmaid in this matter, and we have it in
our power to place this fine fruit within the reach of all, and render
ourselves quite independent of foreign growers. I do not say we
could grow such big Belle Angevine Pears as are sold for a guinea
apiece; but that is of no consequence, as these are valueless
in point of flavour. ,

There are various ways in which we may improve the culture
of the Pear, and the first and best is by paying more attention to
it as a naturally-developed standard tree—in a word, by an
improved system of orcharding. Upon orchards we must chiefly
depend for the supply of our large cities and towns. This subject,
in its commercial aspect, may be left to the growers of fruit for
the market, but the country-gentleman and large farmer—in fact,
everybody possessing a hedgerow, field, or shrubbery—cannot be
too strongly urged to use the great opportunities they have for

410 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV.

growing Pears. They grow useless shrubs and weedy trees in many
places where the finest fruit might be grown with little trouble
beyond that of gathering it; there are numbers of farmers, who
hardly ever see a good fruit of this kind, in possession of lines of
hedgerow where the trees would grow as healthfully from among
the lower brushwood as any subject that now embellishes them ;
and there are many owners of gardens, who now go to market for
their fruit, who might gather it from places in their little
shrubberies at present entirely devoted to miserable bushes of
Privet. I know well the kind of objection that is made to some
of these suggestions—the boys would gather the fruit, ete. Little
blame to the boys for making an occasional raid on the little fruit
that comes in their way, but if the fruit were as plentiful as it
might be they would not be so troublesome.

There is another aspect of the question which may also well
commend the growth of Pears and other hardy fruits in ground
now profitless. It is often thought that Nature is usually
sparing of leaf-beauty where the flower is highly ornamental, and
stingy with flowers where leaves assume large proportions and
elegant outlines; and, to a smaller extent, that she is apt to
bestow her favours in a like way as regards fruit. Nothing can
be further from the fact than this supposition. When we
consider the flowering charms of the greater portion of our fruit-
trees, we ask Why are they not more planted for the sake of their
beauty alone? Take the Apple in its countless varieties, and
consider that, if it did not give such crops of fruit, beautiful to
look upon, and more delicious in flavour than half the boasted
fruits of the tropics, it would be sought after for the sake of its
blushing flowers, which turn the orchard into fairyland. But it
happens to bear fruit of various colours, sizes, and flavours, and,
of course, that is a reason why we have hitherto not employed
such a beautiful hardy tree in the pleasure-garden. Then we
have the Pear, which comes in earlier, and furnishes snowy masses
of bloom; and with a more picturesque and handsome habit than
the apple. From nearly every hardy fruit we may reap a like
harvest of floral beauty—Almonds, Apricots, Cherries, Crabs,
Medlars, Peaches, Plums, and Quinces, being all more or less
ornamental. And as perhaps some curious persons here and
there may not object to plant beautiful flowering fruit-trees

Cuar, XXIV.) FRUIT CULTURE. 411

because they also bear precious and handsome fruit, they have
only to place these objects in any open spots, in pleasure-grounds,
by wood-walks, in the fences at intervals, instead of the worthless
bushes that now too often occupy them—and, in a word, in the
numberless positions where trees good for neither timber nor
flowers now take up valuable ground.

_ Then there is the ornamental orchard. Usually the orchard
1s, of all spots, the most formal; but there ig no need that it
should be so, as anyone with extensive pleasure-grounds can
quickly prove. At Meudon, where an ornamental orchard was
formed, the position was a valley-like hollow, but in an elevated
position—just the spot to make a compact Pinetum. Instead of
planting it with trees and shrubs of the ordinary type, it was
resolved to embellish it with well-arranged groups of fruit-trees.
On one side a large clump was devoted to handsome pyramidal
Pear-trees, on another to Apples, another to Plums, and so on.
The grass was not broken up, nor any of the ornamental features
of the spot interfered with in the least. It need hardly be
pointed out how varied, as well as useful, such an arrangement
might be made. There might be mixed groups of new and
untried kinds, as well as masses of tried ones; there might be
isolated specimens of various kinds on the grass, from an Apple
on the dwarf Paradise-stock to a fully-grown and handsome Pear.
Fruits little known or of doubtful utility, like the Eugenia or
the Cherry-plum, might be associated with the others with
greater propriety than in the fruit-garden proper. Such things
as the American Blackberries—and very fine some of these are—
would find a congenial home; so would the Dewberry and the
various Cranberries. The relatives of our common fruit-trees
might of course be planted in the near neighbourhood for
comparison’s sake; standard Peaches, Figs and Apricots might
be tried with safety if the garden were in the south; and the
whole would prove one of the most interesting features in a
country-place.

It should be remembered that some of our hardy fruits are
capable of affording quantities of wholesome food ; but before they
do so efficiently we must take them out of the class of things
that are carefully walled-in in gardens, overdone with kindness, or
injured by unnatural pruning, and recognise the fact that many

412 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXIV.

excellent kinds are as hardy and easily grown as the Blackberries
and Sloes of the hedges. For the purposes herein suggested
thoroughly hardy and free-growing sorts should alone be selected ;
but it must not be supposed that first-class fruit, even of the
continental varieties, cannot be produced in this way. In the
gardens at Oak Lodge, Kensington, is a very large and handsome
Pear-tree growing among Rhododendrons and other choice shrubs
which adorn the margin of a piece of rock-bound water. It is a
fine old tree of the Beurré Diel, which, without pruning or
attention of any kind, produces abundantly such good fruit, that,
of twelve samples of the same variety laid before the Fruit
Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, the fruit of this
tree was pronounced the best. This is not mentioned as a
remarkable instance, but merely to prove that the finest Pears
may be grown by the simplest means, and that the tree is worth
cultivating for its beauty alone. The garden of Oak Lodge is
the best-designed town-garden in London, and Mr. Marnock, who
arranged it, left several of these old Pears in conspicuous positions
when laying out the place solely for their beauty as trees, apart
from their fruiting qualities. Therefore it is clear that we may
effect considerable improvement by planting this tree in shrub-
beries, -pleasure-grounds, and like positions, and in many wild
and semi-wild places, both in enclosed private grounds and in the
open country. There can be no doubt that enormous quantities
of good fruit could. be grown upon railway-banks now useless, and
from which fruit could be so readily conveyed to market ; on this
point, however, we shall have more to say by-and-by.

The accompanying illustration shows a type of fruit-garden
common enough in and near Paris, and which deserves the atten-
tion of all interested in the improvement of small properties. A
mere spot of ground is planted with carefully-selected and choice
fruit-trees well trained, and the result is, even from an ornamental
point of view, better than it often is where subjects are planted
that have only beauty to recommend them. The view is from a
sketch taken in winter by M. Francois Courtin, of a small garden
facing the street leading from Vincennes to Montreuil. Beneath
the trees Pansies, Pinks, and other hardy flowers grow: . the
presence of the trees does not prevent the little garden being
made gay with flowers. In winter, the graceful pyramidal Pear-

Cuapr. XXIV.] FRUIT CULTURE. 413

trees and well and simply-formed Peach and Plum-trees against
the walls certainly often look better than little gardens arranged
with another aim. In spring there is the beauty of fruit-tree
blossoms, and in autumn the crown of trees—good fruit. The
art of the engraver, even in its best form, can give but a suggestion
of such a garden, but probably this will show how desirable it is
to make, more than ever, full use of our opportunities of planting
fruit-trees in small gardens.

WY

Wy
h
\

}

Fruit-trees in a Front Garden (Vincennes).

The second way in which we may improve the cultivation of the
Pear is by planting it to a greater extent as a pyramidal tree,
grafting on the Quince where the soil is rich, moist, or deep. On
many dry and sandy lands the Pear must be grown on its own
stock, and for orcharding purposes generally that may safely be
pronounced the best. We shall never have a good supply for
market till we pay more attention to the Pear asa freely-developed
standard tree; we shall never have a first-rate supply of Winter

414 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV

Pears till we pay more attention to Pears on walls than we do at
present. The French, from whom we have adopted the pyramidal
form, employ it to an enormous extent, but do not stop there. It
is in planting the pyramid that most of our improvement in this
direction has taken place for a good many years back. Almost
every nurseryman has now a stock of the tree in this form, and
we cannot employ it too much, provided sorts that ripen well in
ordinary seasons are selected ; but there are other ways of equal
importance. The pyramid is so pleasing in outline, and indeed
in all other respects, that, although so highly suited for the
kitchen or fruit-garden, it should by no means be confined to
either. Handsome specimens and groups may well be introduced

in favourable spots in the pleasure-ground and shrubberies, and
‘thus the owners of those numerous small ornamental gardens
near towns may gather fine fruit.

Another important way towards improvement is re-grafting
worthless fruit-trees. Fruits—Pears in particular—are strangely
affected by different soils, localities, aspects, etc. A fruit may be
found to be extremely good in one locality, and worthless in others.
Thus, sometimes after taking great care in planting fruit-trees,
and after growing them and training them for many years until
they have become good specimens, so far as fruit is concerned they
have turned out to be but cumberers of the ground. Many, doubt-
less, have proved the truth of this assertion, and yet have hesitated
to destroy their trees because of the beauty of their appearance
and the blank occasioned by so doing, years being required to
again fill up the space thus left bare. The plan now recommended,
however, obviates all disappointment; all that is necessary to
be done being to re-graft as the illustration indicates. It is easily
accomplished, and it is astonishing how soon a tree is thus re-
furnished and in full bearing condition after being re-grafted.

The advantages of the process may be summed up thus :—

1. It enables us within two years or little more, to obtain a full-
sized fruitful tree of a new variety, which otherwise could only
have been done at the expense of planting and training a young
one for ten or twelve years. 2, Double-grafting on a well-seasoned
stock assists the fruiting properties of many shy bearers. Many
Pears very commonly found in this country ought to be re-grafted,
and much good may be effected by the process.

Cuap. XXIV] FRUIT CULTURE. 415

Let us now turn to the third way of improving the culture of the
Pear, and one that has been comparatively neglected for some years

past—that is, the Pear on walls. Here we are certainly behind-
hand, and do not appear to have made much progress for avery long
fine, Perhaps it may be thought that the French might dispense

416 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV.

with walls;.but no such thing. They find them indispensable for
the perfect culture of the finer Winter Pears ; and were they not
to use them, they could never obtain such a stock of these as they
have. Yet we have for a long time past been paying attention to
almost every kind of garden-improvement except this important
one. It is true that walls are expensive, but once reared it is a
great pity to neglect them; and, apart even from garden-walls,
there are numerous places with as much wall-surface naked and
useless as, properly covered, would yield a good supply of fruit.
Few things combine beauty and utility more than a well-covered
wall of Pear-trees; and the creation of such is not a matter of
difficulty. With walls it may safely be said that our climate is as
good as that of Northern France. Most large gardens would be
benefited by having a much greater proportion of wall-surface
than they have at present; to many small ones they would also
prove a desirable addition.

Of whatever material the wall be made, it will be desirable to
whiten its surface and keep it white. Black and dark-coloured
surfaces absorb heat in the daytime, and give it out again during
the night in the form of radiant heat; from which facts we might
perhaps conclude that walls for training fruit-trees should be
black, or at any rate of a dark colour. Direct experiment was,
however, necessary to settle this question, and M. Vuitry, who
employs his leisure in arboriculture, communicated the results of his
experiments in this direction to M. du Breuil, leaving no doubt as
to the proper colour to be chosen for walls against which fruit-trees
are to be trained. He has proved—Ist. That a thermometer
hung during the day with its face turned towards a white wall, ata
distance from it equal to that of a fruit-tree trained against it—
ae, about an inch and a quarter—always showed a mean tempera-
ture of nearly 6 deg. Fahr. higher than one hung against a black
wall under precisely similar circumstances, 2nd. That during
the night the difference of temperature shown by these two ther-
mometers was inappreciable. Contrary therefore to the opinions
entertained by many persons, it seems evident that the walls
must be whitened when we wish to give the trees trained against
them the maximum amount of heat to be obtained in the par-
ticular climate and aspect. Indeed, it is precisely the plan that has
already been pursued by the fruit-growers at Montreuil for Peach-

Car. XXIV.) FRUIT CULTURE. 417

trees, and at Thomery for their Vines, it having been frequently
remarked that trees trained against white walls were healthier
than those nailed to more or less dark-coloured ones. This result
is easily explained, for not only does the lighter colour reflect
more heat back to the trees, but by this means they receive a
greater quantity of light; and it is well known how greatly
vegetation is stimulated by these agencies. Walls of a light tint
are advantageous in another way, for they not only reflect light
and heat on the particular trees trained against them, but also on
the others in their immediate neighbourhood. By abundantly
planting the finer Winter Pears against walls with a warm exposure
and whitewashed surface, we may within half-a-dozen years gather
such crops of the really valuable Winter Pears as have never before
been grown in this country.

Another improvement must of necessity accompany this, and
that is, the French method of wiring garden-walls. We cannot
use nails with concrete and earth walls, and even if we could the
deliverance from nails would be a great point gained ; the French
mode of employing a little raidisseur or tightener on each wire,
and using very slender galvanised wire, is perfect in its way. It
will be found to save much time and greatly improve the appear-
ance of garden-walls. We must also adopt the improved kind of
espalier elsewhere described.

The upright mode of training wall and espalier trees, of which
some of the best examples in France have been photographed and
engraved for this book, must also commend itself to anyone in-
terested in fruit-culture.

The U form, or double cordon, is best suited for a very high
wall or fence, and if the trees are planted three feet apart, and
the side laterals regularly pinched in, the wall becomes quickly
furnished, which is the great merit of the system ; another also
being the large variety of fruit that can be had from a given
space, and the ease with which a failing plant or bad variety can
be replaced. The first cost for so many plants is necessarily great
if the grower does not graft his own trees; but quicker returns
goon make up the deficiency in this respect. The same kind of
tree may also be trained obliquely, many preferring this to the
vertical mode, on the supposition that the flow of sap is less rapid,
and that, consequently, the trees are more disposed to form fruit-

418 THE PARKS AND

ot ew sa 'd
is Vie
as eM SSSA ANNAN Se
Z Sar gee wy =

GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV.
buds than they other-

P wise would be. The
iy tree with three erect
branches is suitable for

" the same purpose as
that with two, but can
y be planted on propor-
tionately lower walls or
trellises, and, if deemed
advisable, the middle
branch may be formed
by another variety
being grafted on the
stock. The four-
branched tree is well
adapted for strained-
wire fences, round vege-
table quarters, sides of
walks, and other boun-
dary lines, and being
as easily formed as the
old-fashioned espalier,
should be adopted in
lieu of that mode of
training for choice kinds
of Apples and the
hardier Pears. Strong
“‘maiden” trees, planted
five feet apart, and cut
back to form the two
outer and central
branches, will in two
years present the ap-
pearance represented
by the woodcuts—that
is if summer-pinching
and tying have been
H attended to. Thedouble
U form is one of the

Varieties of Vertical Training.

420 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [CHar. XXIV.

Lebeuf’s garden at Argenteuil, where there is a wall beautifully
covered with fertile trees in this form.

As regards trials made with a fruit-garden after the French
method in England, thanks to the spirited and judicious plan-
tings made by Mr. Leigh, of Barham Court, we have now in
Kent a fruit-garden made after French models, and of the highest
interest to growers of hardy fruit everywhere. Not content with
trying modes of training more in fashion abroad than with us,
or plantations of approved kinds of fruit on the cordon system,
Mr. Leigh has formed several new fruit-gardens; and these
are replete with interest. There is a very large number of
trees planted, and several acres of ground devoted to fruit-
culture, all the walls being white as in a neatly-ordered French
fruit-garden. The first plantations were made in 1872, and in
three years the walls were covered with bearing fruit-trees ;
particularly noticeable being a wall covered with the finer kinds
of Winter Pears, trained as single oblique cordons, and bearing
very fine fruit. This form is well suited for covering high
walls very rapidly, and for the production of the finest Winter
Pears, such as Doyenné d’Hiver. Those having high south, or,
still better, high east walls, could hardly do better than plant
them thus with this fine fruit, so seldom seen in perfection in
our gardens. The worthless specimens usually grown give no
idea of the quality of this unsurpassed Winter Pear, which,
throughout Europe, is rarely worth eating except under careful
wall-culture. Equally numerous at Barham Court are the erect-
trained five or seven-branched trees, which quickly run to the
top of the walls, and are very easily managed. They are a
marked improvement on the old horizontally-trained Pear-tree,
which took so long to form; Plums, Pears, Peaches and Apricots
are thus trained here, and, so far, they promise a very good result.
There are several walled gardens facing pleasantly to the sun, on
a gentle slope, and there is plenty of wall-space, some of which is
of whitened felt, as in the Paris Municipal Garden, in the Bois de
Vincennes. This, however, is not a desirable material to use,
brick or concrete walls being far preferable. Most of the walls
here are neatly wired. Throughout each garden run lines of light
but strong trellis-work for Pears—a great improvement on the

Cap. XXIV] FRUIT CULTURE. 419

handsomest modes of training yet adopted, and being very
simple, and’ therefore readily put into practice, should be carried
out largely, even in the most conspicuous positions. The
woodcut fully explains all that is wanted as to the best mode
of forming the tree, care being required to have all the branches
equi-distant. All the above modes of training are calculated to
supersede the ordinary espalier, which is often an eye-sore in
many otherwise good gardens. The vertical and horizontal style
combined, the Palmette of : is ty ee ow
the French, is well suited , § +e £ Fe 4
for the formation of large p OW, \f
trees.

The accompanying wood-
cut represents one of the
simplest and best forms of
tree for rapidly covering
walls with choice Pears. Be-
fore this and like forms the
old horizontal pattern, which
took so many years to form,
must give way. Among the
many advantages that belong
to the upright form may be
mentioned that of simple
training. To establish such
trees, all that need be done
is to take a young tree of
from three to seven branches,
and place the branches as
nearly as may be in the desired position. It is not even necessary
to have the branches exactly opposite, as without that the wall
may be perfectly covered. With trees of this kind a very few
years’ growth will suffice to cover a wall that would not be
covered in sixteen years by the old method. Trees on this
plan may be five-branched or seven-branched. There is no
trouble in training. Young trees may be taken from the nursery,
and their branches placed in the desired direction against the
wall. The above specimen was sketched in M. Godefroy-

Upright Pear-tree for Wall (Argenteuil).

Cuap. XXIV.] FRUIT CULTURE. 421

“fixings” for the old espalier. The espaliers here are, in many
cases, ten feet high. Trees with erect branches soon cover these
to the top, and the effect is better than that of the old-fashioned
espalier, while the great height prevents the need of repressing
the trees over much. The amount of galvanised wire used in the
garden is very great, but the expense will be justified by the
security afforded to heavy fruit during autumnal gales. Much
destruction to the finest fruit arises in that way. Probably in no
garden in England have so many of the little horizontal cordons
been tried as here. They do admirably, and, though many of
them were only recently planted, the lines are now dotted with
large fruit, some of which is the finest of its kind to be seen.
Here are also Ribstone Pippins trained in this manner, and the
fruit is much larger than that grown in the ordinary way. The
Ribston is one of the fruits which would well repay culture in
this way. Popular and excellent in quality, as it is, everybody
would admire extra fine samples of it, and in our markets they
would fetch a very high price. It is, of course, needless to grow
kinds of fruit in this way that may be had as good as we require
them by more simple modes of culture. The little cordons are
nearly all grafted on the true Paradise stock. Rivers’ Nonesuch
is also found to be good on a dry bottom, but grows stronger than
the true Paradise. Where any other stock is used the growth is
too rampant for this mode of training. The Lady Apple bears
well here, and ripens satisfactorily on cordon trees ; so does the
White Calville. A mode of training these and other tender
Apples on very low wooden walls formed of one or two boards is
recommended by Mr. Leigh to his cottagers as a substitute for
brick walls. The quantity of fruit already borne by the young
trees is surprising. Horticulture is much indebted to Mr. Leigh
for thus testing, in a thoroughly practical, intelligent way,
questions of much importance.

Of all our wants in connection with the Pear, that of the
spread of good varieties is perhaps the greatest. Naturally, or
rather I should say in a wild state, the Pear is a poor fruit about
an inch and a half long; and from this has been gradually deve-
loped the splendid race we now possess. Scattered through our
gardens and orchards in all parts of this kingdom, there are scores
of kinds which are practically of little more use than the wild

QF

_ 422 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnar. XXIV.

fruit-trees of the woods and hedgerows. But apart from all these
worthless varieties, named and unnamed, that occupy valuable
ground, there are numbers which are regularly sold in our
nurseries, possessing fine names, and which yet are practically
useless to the cultivator. Let us suppose the case of a person
wishing to commence Pear-culture—he has some slight knowledge
of other branches of horticulture, and expects that the long list of
the varieties of Pears which he finds in his nurseryman’s catalogue
will resemble each other pretty much as his Verbenas or Pansies
do. Taken by the different names and descriptions, he seeks
variety, only however to find disappointment. A wide selection
of varieties is an evil in every way. It requires much skill on the
part of men who have studied gardening all their lives to know
what to avoid in these lists; how very dangerous, then, for the
amateur, or for those who have only slight knowledge of the
matter, to make a selection! Let us glance for a moment into
some of the fruit-catalogues. It is needless to state how very
much the Pear varies. Here is a catalogue naming, describing,
and numbering nearly 400 kinds. People suppose that giving
long lists of this kind is for the sake of selling a great number
of varieties; but that course would be so clearly a mistaken one,
that one cannot suppose an intelligent person persisting in it.
The presence of bad and unsuitable Pears everywhere throughout
the country simply tends to retard the culture of this noble fruit ;
whereas the distribution of the really good kinds in abundance
would create such a demand for them as would cause the trade in
young trees to increase tenfold.

The compilers of the catalogues alluded to do not follow the
example of the famous M. de la Quintinye, chief gardener to
Louis XIV. at Versailles, whose list was lengthy, although pub-
lished so very long ago, but who conscientiously divided it into
several sections—viz., “good Pears,” “indifferent Pears,” and
“bad Pears!” This was honest in M. de la Quintinye, and would
be admirable in a nurseryman. The spirit of expurgation was
strong in this old gardener, and he follows the bad list with
another—a long one—heading it—‘ Besides the Pears which I
know not, here is a particular list of those which I know to be so
bad that I counsel nobody to plant any of them.” This, observe,
was in France, where a greater number of kinds arrive at per-

Cuap. XXIV.] FRUIT CULTURE. 423

fection than is the case with us, and where a greater number of
varieties are grown. Although our nurseryman-friend, with his
long list, is somewhat of an exception, the lists of others of our
fruit-tree raisers are much too long to be any real guidance to
the amateur. There is less general craving for novelty in fruits
in France than in England. At Angers, in one of the largest
fruit-tree nurseries in France, the following seven sorts only are
raised in large quantities :—Williams’s Bon Chrétien, Duchesse
d’Angouléme, Easter Beurré, Louise Bonne, Beurré d’Amanlis,
Beurré Diel, and Beurré d’Aremburg. On an average, from
30,000 to 40,000 trees of each of the first two are sold every year,
and about 20,000 of the other five put together. Even the best
of the new varieties find scarcely any sale.

The following may be taken as the best Pears for culture in the
British Isles of the many hundred kinds known :—Doyenné d’Eté,
Jargonelle, Williams’s Bon Chrétien, Louise Bonne of Jersey,
Jersey Gratioli, Urbaniste, Fondante d’Automne, Beurré d’Amanilis,
Suffolk Thorn, Seckel, Comte de Lamy, Flemish Beauty, Désiré
Cornelis, Marie Louise, Baronne de Mello, Thompson’s, Beurré
Bosc, Duchesse d’Angouléme, Beurré Diel, Beurré Hardy, Maréchal
de la Cour, B. Superfin, Doyenné du Comice, Glou Morceau,
Winter Nelis, Beurré Rance, B. Sterckmans, Joséphine de Malines,
Bergamotte Esperen, Easter Beurré.

Of these, Beurré Bosc, Duchesse d’Angouléme, Beurré Diel,
Doyenné du Comice, Glou Morceau, Beurré Rance, Joséphine de
Malines, Bergamotte Esperen, Haster Beurré, Beurré Sterckmans,
Désiré Cornelis, and Winter Nelis, should be grown against walls.
In some cases they may afford a satisfactory result away from
them, but if grown against white walls they will in all cases be
highly improved, and some of the very best of them are only to be
had in perfection when thus grown. As wall-space is often
limited, and as it is necessary to have the warmest walls to perfect
the finest Winter Pears, it is desirable to be very particular in-
deed when selecting Pears for wall-culture ; and Easter Beurré,
Doyenné du Comice, Glou Morceau, Beurré Rance, Joséphine de
Malines, and Bergamotte Esperen, should be abundantly planted
against walls wherever a supply of first-rate Winter Pears is a

want.

Some of our authorities on fruit-growing give the Haster Beurré

2Fr2

424 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXIV.

as one which should be planted as a bush or pyramid, and say it
is “mealy and insipid from walls.” But the fine Haster Beurrés
which adorn our tables in winter and spring are grown on walls
in France. All of the same variety are grown in like manner in
the school of horticulture at Versailles; and as soon as a wall is
cleared of other varieties of Pear-trees there, it is immediately
planted with the Easter Beurré—so much is this fine variety
esteemed. The quantity of its fruits sold in the markets of
Europe during the winter-season is something incredible. It is
perhaps the most valuable of all Winter Pears; and the chief, or
almost the whole supply comes from France. The climate does
it, some will say, but such is not the case; for if left to the
climate unaided, we should have few fine Easter Beurré Pears in
Covent Garden in winter. And thesame remark applies to other
varieties of Winter Pears. ‘The flavour is said to be inferior when
grown against walls. Let us try them against white walls as the
French do, and see if we cannot nearly or quite equal their Pears
in size, and quite equal them in flavour. We have been for years
planting them as bushes and pyramids, and paying little or no
attention to their culture against walls; hence our deficiency of
good Winter Pears—those which are by far the most valuable
of all.

Having taken sufficient care to select the very best varieties,
and to place them in positions where they are likely to succeed,
there is more to be done in getting rid of the bad ones. They
abound in every part of the country, and take up space in which ©
the best kinds might and should be growing. This prevalence
of bad kinds not only results from the greater scarcity of the
good varieties in bygone days, but also from the large number
of inferior kinds that are still offered for sale. In very many
cases the tree is worthless, because it has not been planted in a
position to ensure success. It frequently happens, for example,
that the finer kinds of Winter Pears, and those which the French
grow against walls around Paris, are in Britain sent out as suit-
able for pyramids. All worthless Pear-trees should be destroyed,
and good kinds planted or (happily there is an alternative) the
others re-grafted with good sorts. Another point would be gained
if the custom of growing inferior kinds from pips—which is
common among farmers in some fruit-growing districts with

Cuav. XXIV.) FRUIT CULTURE. 425

Pears as well as other hardy fruits—were abandoned, and only
first-rate and hardy kinds planted or grafted.

As to Apples, it is well to bear in mind that a good hardy kind
on a well-managed standard or naturally-developed tree is the
best for the supply of the markets with all but the very best
fruits, and for all ordinary purposes; and that the system of
orcharding in the London market-gardens is on the whole a good
and safe one. Generally speaking our Apple-culture is not to be
complained of, though it may certainly be improved. There is
in this country a large demand for fruit of the finest quality that
can be obtained, both in the case of those who buy all they use
and those who grow their own. In these islands it is also gene-
rally admitted that to keep the sun from the general contents of
our gardens by shading them with Apple-trees is anything but
desirable, and therefore the cordon trained as an edging is recom-
mended. Ithas been proved that where well managed these will,
if placed alongside the walks in the kitchen and fruit gardens,
furnish abundance of fruit of the finest quality. In many places
the positions in which the cordon-plantation may be made are
unoccupied. The system will have to encounter prejudice and bad
management—but as soon as well-managed specimens are seen
in our gardens it will spread rapidly, and prove a boon wherever
perfect fruit is desired. In Northern England and in Scotland,
where every ray of sun is required, many gardens are shaded and
half destroyed by old standard Apple-trees.

The Peach attains the finest possible condition when well
grown against walls in England. In other countries it may be
grown freely as a standard tree; in none can they produce finer
or better fruit than may be gathered from walls in England and
Ireland. France has very diverse climates—some in which the
Peach grows well as a standard—but the best Peaches grown in
France are gathered from walls in those parts where the climate
is most like our own. Good specimens of Crawford’s Early Peach
have been gathered from pyramid trees standing in the open
quarters of the Rev. Mr. Benyon’s garden in Suffolk ; therefore
it is certain that in the midland and southern parts of the British
Isles the Peach may be grown against walls to the highest degree
of perfection ; and in favourable parts of the south, early Peaches
may be grown with success as a standard or bush tree, away from

426 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV.

all protection. ‘There can be no doubt whatever that if we pay
as much attention to the Peach as the cultivators of Montreuil
do, we can attain quite as good a result. Our good fruit-
growers understand its culture well enough; but of late years
public attention has, by various means which need not be detailed
here, been called away from the fact that, with walls, we can
produce the finest fruit in the world, and without them do little
or nothing with the choicer fruits. The “ power of the climate ”
in Paris may be very wonderful, but there is one thing it cannot
do better than our own—it cannot produce a better Peach than
is often gathered from walls both in England and Ireland. It
would be thought, perhaps, that with their climate, the French
would be able to dispense with protection to the trees in spring,
and altogether leave their trees more to nature than the British
gardener ; but exactly the reverse is the case. The French Peach-
grower takes care to have a good protecting coping to his wall.
With us it is not uncommon to see the culture of the Peach and
Nectarine attempted without any coping at all. Of course we
want this protection as much as the French, or more so. Over
the greater part of the country, without question, the Peach may
be grown to the highest degree of perfection, and yet, though few
Englishmen could manage, as Dr. Johnson did, “seven or eight
large Peaches of a morning before breakfast began,” they may well
say with him that getting “enough” of them is indeed a rarity.
To succeed with the Peach in the open air, we must remove it
altogether from the chance culture now bestowed upon it; give
it full attention in spring and early summer; select suitable soil
in the first instance, and thus avoid expense for what is called
made ground. We must take care to protect the trees in spring,
as the careful French cultivators do; and take advantage of the
new and cheap ways of erecting walls. No chance culture on any
walls that may happen to surround the place will alter matters
much.

We may do a good deal more than at present with our unoc-
cupied walls. Probably many readers who live near Oxford can
testify to the beauty and profit that result from the villagers
covering their walls with Apricot-trees. The same may be done
in many parts of England where such a thing is not now to be
seen ; but in the case of cottagers and others the only thing likely

Cuar. XXIV.] FRUIT CULTURE. 427

to do good is example. If they see a specimen of successful fruit-
culture in small gardens like their own, they need no other en-
couragement. And perhaps a present of afew good kinds of trees
and a few minutes’ advice from the gardener, would be more pro-
ductive of benefit to cottagers than many other things now given
them in a charitable way.

As to our various other hardy fruits, including the Apple and
Pear, there can be little doubt that it is to good orchard-culture
we must look for the increase of our supplies. The word orchard
is familiar enough in our ears, but a really good orchard is as rare
round country seats as if it were not a British institution. There
are farmers and market-gardeners and fruit-growers who have the
finest orchards; but at the country seat, with generally every
opportunity to select a good site, it is surprising how rarely even
a presentable thing of the kind is attempted. Indeed, in some
parts of the country it is never thought of—the ordinary type of
kitchen-garden being considered sufficient for all attempts at fruit-
growing. The surface cannot of course be devoted to standard
trees, as they hide the light from the necessary crops, and the
walls and dwarf trees, if such there be, are those upon which we
depend. Now good culture of trees on walls is far from being
as common as might be desired. But supposing that the wall-
culture is good, and that the most is made of the space, it is
hardly sufficient to yield a crop of fruit for all purposes. If
the walls supply a good dessert for a reasonable length of time,
it is as much as is expected of them, and more than they generally
do. They who secure a good crop of Winter Pears, who can com-
mand really eatable specimens of this fruit during the winter and
spring months, are few in number. The walls can only supply a
portion of the choicest fruit—chiefly of those kinds which require
the additional heat of a wall for their perfect development and
flavour. Standards we see are not much grown; they shade the
ground too much, and the ground-crops are better when fully
exposed to sun and air. In some places the culture of bush and
dwarf pyramidal trees is carried on successfully, but in general
it is so backward that nothing like a good crop is gathered. Be-
sides, all dwarf closely-pruned and accurately-trained trees involve
considerable expense and time, which it would be unwise to bestow
on kinds producing as good a result when grown as standard

428 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV.

trees, requiring hardly any attention, and actually permitting of
as good a crop of vegetables being gathered from under them as
if the trees did not exist. Perhaps there may be a few espaliers
in the:garden; but they are usually so very few and so badly
managed that little fruit is got from them. It follows, then, that
in private grounds there is as a rule no source from which an abun-
dant stock of the better kinds of hardy fruit may be gathered.
The wisest way to increase the supply of good fruit in any given
locality is to plant an orchard, carefully choosing the site, and,
above all things, selecting the very best kinds, all perfectly hardy,
and such as ripen their fruit every year, be the season what it
may. Such an orchard would be very convenient near the garden,
in fact might form part and parcel of it; as however the care
required is nearly none, except the pleasant one of gathering the
fruit, it would not matter much about its position. The first
consideration should be the selection of the most suitable soil
available. Not an inch of space of the whole need be lost. All
the trees should be allowed to grow as standards, and the crops
gathered from them would soon put to shame the crop on the wall
or dwarf tree. All the wall, dwarf, and espalier trees might then
be exclusively kinds that require some additional heat or atten-
tion, or to which the shelter and support of the espalier and the
cordon systems are an advantage. As protection of some kind
might be provided for most of these carefully-trained trees, it
would of course be wise to include among them all the sorts
most liable to injury by spring frosts; and such kinds are so
abundant that all the walls and espaliers might well be devoted
to them.

Great improvement in fruit-culture may be effected by the
judicious thinning of the branchlets of standard orchard and
garden trees. The natural tendency of trees of the Apple order,
to which most of our fruits belong, from the Hawthorn of our
hedges to the showy-flowered Chinese Pear, is to produce a dense
profusion of bloom, and consequently of fruit. Sheets. of white
or pink blossoms in spring, and showers of pretty fruit in
autumn, usually adorn them. And the tendency is as apparent
in the newest and largest Apple and Pear as in one of those
American Thorns laden with crowds of bright scarlet haws. For
ages and ages man has raised our hardy fruits, until they so vary

Cuap. XXIV.] FRUIT CULTURE. 429

in flavour, size, and beauty of colour that they puzzle system,
and until some of the varieties have no more likeness to the
aboriginal native than a Life Guardsman has to a chimpanzee.
Yet in one point they still inherit their marked native trait—
profuseness in bud and fruit. It is true that by selection the
fruits have become so large that the improvement to be had by
judicious thinning is not likely to present itself to many cul-
tivators; but one trial of the system will convert the most
sceptical. Nature’s tendency is to the production of myriads of
individuals, whereas in the case of our fruits we require size and
perfection of the individual rather than mere quantity. Let it
be duly considered that the total weight of finely-developed fruits
may equal, or nearly equal, an unthinned and half-starved crop,
and perhaps be worth three or four times more in money
value.

Generally the practice is to leave the crop as much to nature
as regards thinning of the branchlets as we do that of the Ash or
Blackberry. One year the tree bears a great crop of fruit, and
the whole of its vigour is so drawn up by the many hungry
feeders that little remains to form fruit-spurs for the following
year, and such as are formed may lack vigour to set. Then
comes a year of effort in the production of wood and spurs, and
perhaps by the end of autumn there will be a score, or even two
score, fruit-buds on one fruit-spur, where one, two, or at most
three, would be sufficient. Now, if all be allowed to set, the
regult will be a dense crop of poor fruit, which, if submitted in

_the market-test, will prove of little value. But if these spurs be
thinned so as to concentrate the energies of the tree in fine and
succulent fruit, there will also rest sufficient strength in it to
form at the same time a medium crop of fruit-buds likely to
afford a crop the following year, and to induce a more regularly-
fertile habit in the tree. By following this thinning-system we
may, in fact, get good and valuable crops every year; and by the
other the alternate and useless profusion before alluded to. The
Pear requires this attention as much as the Apple when grown as
a standard or freely-developed tree; but, in consequence of being
much more grown in a dwarf and contracted form, on espaliers,
walls, etc., and much pruned, the want of thinning is not so often

seen as in the case of the Apple.

430 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV.

No method of growing these trees in the open air is better
than the freely-developed standard tree, if the thinning-process
be well carried out. The tree should be opened up in the usual
way as regards its main branches, but equal attention should be
given to the regular and bold thinning of the fruit-bearing
branchlets; and even to the thinning of the spurs, where there
is plenty of time to do so. In one large orchard-plantation of
Pears to the west of London the fruit has brought more than
double the amount of money during the last few years, since the
careful pruning and thinning of the trees, than it did when left
to nature. The thinning of the branchlets should not be
performed till they have begun to bear fruit-buds in too great.
abundance.

The following are the names of the kinds of hardy fruit that do
best as standard orchard-trees :—

Jersey Gratioli

Doyenné du Comice
Citron des Carmes
Jargonelle

Williams’s Bon Chrétien
Aston Town

Beurré de Capiaumont

Bovovitsky

Early Harvest

Irish Peach
Joanneting

Summer Golden Pippin
Lord Suffield

Keswick Codlin
Adams’s Pearmain
Blenheim Pippin

Pond’s Seedling ~
Early Rivers
Orleans

May Duke
Early Prolific
Bigarreau

Pears.

Louise Bonne of Jersey
Suffolk Thorn
Thompson’s Pear
Beurré d’Amanlis
Swau’s Egg

Croft Castle

Apples.
Cox’s Orange Pippin
Early Nonpareil
Golden Pippin
Ribston Pippin
Sykehouse Russet
Bedfordshire Foundling
Hawthornden
Yorkshire Greening
Golden Noble

Plums.

Gisborne’s
Victoria

Cherries.
Late Duke
Knight's Early Black
Belle Agathe

Apricots,

Doyenné d’Eté
Comte de Lamy
Knight’s Monarch
Althorpe Crassane
Marie Louise
Beurré Superfin.

Court Pendu Plat
Golden Harvey

Sam Young

Sturmer Pippin
Beauty of Kent
Dumelow’s Seedling
Royal Pearmain
Tower of Glammis
Pitmaston Nonpareil.

Prince Engelbert
Damson.

Rival
Mammoth.

For Standard Trees in the Southern Counties.

Breda

Brussels

Turkey

Moorpark.

Cuar. XXIV.] FRUIT CULTURE. 431

Figs.
For the Southern Counties.
Black Ischia Brown Ischia Brown Turkey Courcourcelle Blanche.

Medlars.
The Nottingham is the best kind.
Nuts.
Lambert’s Filbert (Kentish cob) is the best.
Purple Filbert Pearson’s Prolific Cosford (alsé good).
Of the Quinces the Portugal is the best.

Of the various waste spaces where good fruit might be grown
the most conspicuous are the railway-embankments. Here we
have a space quite unused, and on which for hundreds of miles
fruit-trees may be planted, that will after a few years yield
profit, and continue to do so for a long time with but little
attention. Iam not aware that any attempt has been made to
cultivate fruit-trees on these places in England; but learning
that one had been instituted in France, I went to see the
experiment which has been made for a distance of eight leagues
or so along the line from Gretz to Colommiers—Chemin de fer
de ’Est. The French see the great advantage of utilising, in this
way, spots at present worthless, and they are beginning to work
at it.

A cheap fence of galvanised wire runs on each side of the line,
and on this Pear-trees are trained so that their branches cross
each other; and, though only in their fourth year, they are at
the top of the fence. In some parts they are trained in like
manner on the slender but very cheap and slight kind of wooden
fence, so common in France. By training them in a way to
cross and support each other, before the time the fence decays
the trees are perfectly self-supporting, and form a very neat
fence themselves. This is a plan well worth adopting in many
gardens where neat dividing-lines are desired.

Those who have travelled by day from Brussels to Louvain, or
from Leopoldsdorf to Soleman, on the Belgrad, Gratz, and Vienna
line, cannot fail to have remarked that the railway is flanked at
intervals on both sides by Apple and Pear trees, either growing
naturally or trained as espaliers.

According to Dr. Morren’s report in the ‘ Belgique Horticole’ of February 1869,
the trees planted three years previously between the first-named towns had so

432 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV.

far thriven exceedingly well, their branches already reaching up so as to forma
third and fourth stage, and in the spring of 1868 the majority of them blossomed.
They are placed seven feet apart, and trained on a fence of posts, thin horizontal
iron bars, and cross rails, the posts being five feet in height by three inches or
four inches in diameter, and the wooden rails one inch broad by two-fifths of an
inch in thickness. ‘he fence costs about threepence the running foot, and the
wear and tear is estimated at one penny. When iron wire is used—and old
telegraph wires come in most usefully for the purpose—it may be attached every
ten feet to a four feet high oaken post, the lowest wire being one foot and a
half, the second two feet and three quarters, and the third nearly four feet above
the ground. One tree may he planted close to a post, and one midway between
post and post—the trees will in that case be five feet apart ; and if the plan of
alternating a horizontal espalier with the columnar pyramidal form be adopted,
the fence will in a few years assume the appearance indicated by the accompany-
ing sketch.

If preferred, smaller intermediate posts may be used as supports for the

Fruit-trees along Railway.

espalier trees, and to facilitate training of the branches, the wires extending
from them to the large posts may be made to slope upwards. As regards the
method of training and managing a horizontal espalier fence, the following details
may be of service :—A strong, well-rooted Pear or Apple tree, one year from the
graft, is planted without being cut, at the place intended for it in the row, and
about the middle of the ensuing May, when the sap is in full movement, is bent
down and fastened in a horizontal position to the lowest wire. To encourage the
putting forth of fruitful side-shoots along its whole length, incisions are made
before all the dormant eyes, while too-vigorous shoots are pinched in. A good
even growth of fruit-wood will shortly be the result. Owing to the accumula-
tion of sap at the point where the young tree is tied down, the shoot there
thrown out will be stronger than any of the others; it must be allowed to grow
freely, and be attached in an almost upright direction. In the following year it
will require to be bent down and fastened in the opposite direction to the stem from
which it sprang, and it then forms the second arm of the tree. To form the

Cuar. XXIV.] FRUIT CULTURE. 433

second stage of branches, which is the next operation, a shoot must be taken
from arm No. 2, and, after being carried up as far as the second wire, be bent
down and fixed horizontally. From this third branch, by repeating the opera-
tions of the stage below, a fourth leading branch is formed, and the second stage
is then complete. As regards the upper or third stage, it may either be formed
in the same or in a slightly-different manner from the first and second, and in the
sixth year the extremities of the two lower branches will require to be drawn up,
and either grafted by approach or otherwise attached to the two uppermost. If the
tree push forth very vigorously at first, its two leading shoots may be allowed to
grow in an upright direction in the same year, and afterwards be attached
horizontally to the wire.

Respecting the cultivation of columnar-pyramidal trees—a form to be preferred
where, on account of the corn-crops, much shade is undesirable—a good plan is
to put in strong, healthy plants two years from the graft, and the first operation
will consist in pruning away all side-branches above the union of scion and stock.
Incisions are afterwards made above the eyes, with a view to cause them to break
out strongly, and in the following spring, the lateral shoots thus developed must

Section of Railway-embankment and Terraces for Fruit-trees.

be cut short back. During the second year, the same mode of proceeding as
regards incisions and cutting back of side-shoots (to about one inch in length)
should be continued, and the point of the main stem will require to be somewhat
shortened. Later on, as the tree shoots upwards—and it will, if permitted, attain
a height of fifteen, twenty, and even twenty-five feet—the topmost lateral
branches must be pinched, whilst the lower ones are regularly cut back and not
allowed to extend beyond one foot from the main stem. If incisions have been
made in the latter as above directed, and successive prunings properly attended
to, the tree will be clothed from summit to base with short fruiting-branches, and
in five to seven years from the time of planting will begin to yield. -

When it is proposed to utilise the slopes and embankments of railways for
fruit-growing, the system of planting the trees, whether espalier or free-growing,
on terraces some two or three feet in width, will be found in many cases a very
advantageous one; and not only Apples and Pears, but Cherries, Plums,
Gooseberries, Currants, Strawberries, Filberts, Walnuts, and other kinds of
fruit and wood suitable to the locality, may also be successfully cultivated.

On some of the State railways of Sweden the plan is found to work well of

434 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXIV.

engaging a competent man to superintend the cultivation of a certain number of
station orchards aud gardens, and perhaps it might answer to make some similar
arrangement in connection with the planting, pruning, training, etc., of fruit-trees
grown on the sides of the line. Railway employés in those localities where the
traffic is small, would thus be enabled to make a profitable use of their spare time,
and, under the direction of an efficient staff of pomologists, be the means of
turning to good account thousands of acres of what is now waste, unproductive
land.—S., in ‘ Field,’

In France and Belgium it is often the case that, instead of the
trees being in the form of standards, they are trained as is
represented in the accompanying engravings, so as to form a
hedge. Established trees crossed in this way should not be
allowed to get into a rough hedge-like condition, but, on the
contrary, should be trained as neatly and perfectly as trees on a

AS st%,
al pees
fe <: ve

Fruit-hedge fully furnished.

trellis or wall. No fraying of the branches, resulting from their
being interlaced, need take place. A shoot should be taken
along the top so as to act as a finish and tend to hold all tightly
together, and, thus constructed, the whole will look much firmer
and neater than the ill-trained espaliers that one too often sees.
These fruit-hedges might well replace useless hedges and other
fences in many gardens and country-places.

A correspondent well conversant with fruit and fruit-culture in
England, sent me the following note with sketches :—

“During a recent journey through a part of Belgium I was
struck with what appeared to me to be a very excellent method
of turning railway-fences to good account. For miles along the
road between Aix-la-Chapelle and Brussels the fences on either
side of the railroad consist of wooden posts 4 inches Square and

Omar, XXIV,] FRUIT CULTURE. 485

4} feet out of the ground, with four pieces of straight wire nailed
to the outer side; between the posts four long, thin sticks are
tied diagonally ; the fencing is then covered with cordon Apples
and Pears of the most suitable kinds for market and other
purposes, the Apples being worked upon the Paradise stock.
They are planted in front of and between each post, and trained

VA

/

Form of Fruit-tree Fence.

obliquely to the sticks fastened to the wires. The trees appeared
healthy, short-jointed, well-trained, and likely to be very pro-
ductive. I could not help thinking of the thousands of once
fruitful acres which the railways in this country have thrown out
of cultivation and the desirability of devising some plan for
reclaiming and turning to profitable account some part of this
lost inheritance. I know there are great difficulties in the way ;
these may be thought too formidable to be surmounted, but
where the iron road passes through a flat country, and one

Railway Fence furnished with Fruii-trees.

suitable for fruit-cultivation, there are always portions of land on
each side, and often corners and triangular pieces hitherto left
waste, and I cannot help thinking they might be made useful in
helping to furnish some of the food required for the support of

our people.—W. N.”
OrnaMENTAL Prar-trees.-——As this book was going through the

436 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIV.

press, the following notes, by M. C. Baltet, of Troyes, were
published in the ‘Revue Horticole’: as they are so interesting, and
so likely to be useful to all who care for fruit-trees for their beauty,
they are given here—

“A group of prolific, large-fruited varieties, such as Beurré de lAssomption,
Williams’ Bon Chrétien, Van Marum, and others, will always be a source of
delight to the lover of fruit, but the artist will look for effect from’ the natural
appearance of the trees. If he wishes for luxuriant growth, he will find it in the
branches of the Pear known as the Curé, Louise Bonne d’Avranches, Conseiller de
la Cour, and others. The Beurré Hardy, Vauquelin, and Duc de Nemours have
long upright branches, while those of the Beurré d’Amanlis, Bon Chrétien, and
‘Triomphe de Jodoigne spread out more or less horizontally, or even curve down-
wards. The latter tree is the type of hardiness and vigour. Arbre courbé,
Nouvelle Fulvie, and Marie Louise would not be out of place as drooping trees ;
while to rival the pyramidal varieties of the Robinia, the Oak, the Birch, and
the Elm, we may admit a group of Pear-trees which grow naturally in this
shape, such as Fondante du Panisel, Beurré de Nantes, Fondante de Noel, Beurré
d’Angleterre, and a number of others, including Charles Ernest, a new and excel-
lent variety. ‘The ‘curious,’ as they were called in the days of La Quintinie
have already borrowed from the domains of pomology such subjects as the
Weeping Pear, the Mount Sinai Pear, the Sage, Willow, and Almond-leaved
Pears, etc. ; but their fruit is insignificant. The beautiful foliage of the Sucrée de
Montlugon, Delpierre, Triomphe de Jodoigne, etc., is rivalled by that of the
Mikado and Daimyo varieties, which are cf Japanese origin, with large, thick,
and somewhat cottony leaves. China furnishes us with two sorts, the thick,
shining, and ciliated leaves of which change to amaranth red in the autumn, like
certain Maples and Sumachs. Amongst our own sorts, we have the German
Kopertscher, the Belgian Délices de Jodoigne, the American Philadelphia, and
Gile-6-Gile, which present the same character. The observer who takes notice of
the particular characters of each variety will know that Marie Guisse, Monseigneur
des Hons, and Royale d’Hiver are the first to show their buds in the spring, while
Martin sec, Madame Loriol de Barny, and Herbin seem loth to shed their leafy
clothing in the autumn. Bonne d’lizée and Doyenné d’Alencon are the earliest
to flower, and Alexandrine Donillard, Sylvange, and Nouvelle Fulvie protect their
clusters of flowers with a sheltering rosette of leaves as soon as they open. If
we wish for Pear-trees with double flowers, we may gratify our desire with
Comte Lelieur and Beurré de Naghin, with their regular corolla, or the double-
flowered Bergamotte and Calebasse Uberdieck, with their drooping petals, will
satisfy us. Without being able to compete with the coloured barks of the Birch,
the Golden Ash, the scarlet Dogberry, or the veined Maple, we may content our-
selves for the present with the Ash-coloured bark of the Bési Dubost, the ochrey
Passe Colmar, the violet Beurré Giffard, the purple Doyenné Flon ainé, the dark
brown Bon Chrétien de Bruxelles, the bright-barked Fondante Thirriot, the
sombre Rousselet, and the yellow-green and sepia-veined and variegated varieties
Beurré d’Hardenpont and d’Amaniis, Verte longue, Saint-Germain, &. Amongst
our ornamental shrubs we have examples which have their bark curiously split,
crannied, and gabled, but we can match them with Van Mons, Deux-Sceurs,
Angélique Leclerc, Beurré Lebrun, and others, the latter having a vigorous stem,
which looks as if it had been sprinkled with carmine. Wildines will furnish us
with prickly varieties, and the study of local fruit has provided us with the
ee de Fosse, which, in the department of the Aube, is as large and tall as an

alk,”

( 437 )

CHAPTER XXV.

CONCERNING CERTAIN IMPLEMENTS AND APPLIANCES
USED IN FRENCH GARDENS.

Tur Crocuz.—This is simply a large and cheap bell-glass,
which is used in every French garden. It is the cloche which
enables the French market-gardeners to excel all others in the
production of winter and spring salads. Acres may be seen
covered with them round Paris, and private places have them in
proportion to their extent—from the small garden of the amateur
with a few dozen or score, to the large one where several hundreds
are required. They are about sixteen
inches high, and the same in diameter
at the base, and cost in France about
a franc a-piece, or a little less if
bought in quantity. The advantages
of the cloches are—they never require fs
any repairs; they are easy of carriage pe ee
when carefully packed; with ordinary — 7 Cloche as used in Winter-
care they are seldom broken; they are Se
easily cleaned ; are useful for many purposes besides salad-grow-
ing; for example, in advancing various crops in spring, raising
seedlings, and striking cuttings. Every garden should be
furnished with them according to its size; and when we get
used to them and learn how very useful they are for many
things, from the developing of a Christmas Rose to the forward-
ing of early crops in spring, they will be much in demand. It is
not only in winter that they are useful, but at all seasons, both for

indoor and outdoor propagation and seed-sowing. In France,
2a

438 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXV.

seedlings of garden-crops likely to be destroyed by birds or insects
are frequently raised under the cloche.

In a recent number of the ‘ Comptes Rendus,’ M. Th. Schlosing
points out that the power of absorbing mineral ingredients in
solution from the soil is diminished by cultivating plants under
glass, and thus lessening the amount of. evaporation from their
surface. A Tobacco-plant so grown absorbed 17 per cent. of
mineral matter, instead of 20 per cent., as it would do under
ordinary circumstances. The production of vegetable acids was
diminished by one-half--that of resin and cellulose to a less
extent; while the nitrogenous ingredients were not materially
decreased. Starch was present to the extent of 20 per cent.,
instead of to 100th per cent. only. Thus when evaporation is
reduced in amount, a portion of the starch remains unused, and
consequently accumulates in the plant. Assuming the correctness
of M. Schlosing’s conclusions, the immense
importance to cultivators is obvious; as
the two staple food-ingredients, the nitro-
genous matters and the starchy ones,
can be augmented by limiting evapora-
tion.

Usually the cloche is made without a

ee ) knob, as that appendage renders their
oF te package a much greater difficulty and
increases the cost, so that practical men

use only the one without the knob. When not in use the
cultivator puts his cloches in some by-place, in little piles of
half a dozen each, small pieces of wood being placed on the
top of each to prevent them from settling down firmly on each
other. Workmen used to them carry two or three in each hand
in conveying them from place to place, by putting a finger
between each. In commencing to use them in our gardens
it would be well to see that they are placed in some spot where
they will not be in danger of breakage. The cloche must not be
confounded. with the dark and very large bell-glass that was in
common use Many years ago in our market-gardens, and which
may yet be seen here and there. These were even dearer than
the hand-glasses which superseded them. The French cloche
does not cost one-fourth so much as a hand-light—and, moreover,

Cusp, XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 439

does not require painter, plumber and glazier for keeping it in
repair.

How to procure these cloches has hitherto been a difficulty.
Many have been deterred from employing them by the trouble,
expense, and loss consequent on ordering them from France.
Messrs. E. Breffit and Co., proprietors of the Aire and Calder
Glass-bottle Company’s Works in Yorkshire, well known for its
productions, now produce them on an extensive scale. It is well
that the manufacture of the cloche has been taken up by a firm
with every means of carrying it on in the best manner, and with
stores in the North and in Liverpool, as well as in London. Messrs.
Breffit and Co.’s offices are at 83, Upper Thames Street, E.C. ;
their stores at Free Trade Wharf, Broad Street, Ratcliff, E., and at

hie
2 @y

The Cloche as used in the Propagating house.

120, Duke Street, Liverpool—and their manufactory at Castleford,
near Normanton, Yorkshire, at any of which addresses orders will
be taken and executed as soon as possible. They can also, of
course, be obtained through various retail glass-houses.

CARRIAGE FOR TRANSPORTING Oranau-rreEs.— The fashion of
growing large Orange-trees in tubs is so general in France that
some efficient means of moving them from place to place is
necessary. Many contrivances have been tried, and several are
in use, but the best and handiest is that employed for the carriage
of the large specimens in the gardens of the Tuileries. For
the following notice of it I am indebted to the late Mr. John
Gibson : “The machine used in the gardens of the Tuileries for
removing large Orange-trees in tubs, of which a longitudinal

ion i i i useful contrivance I have
representation is here given, 18 the most a

440 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXV.

seen in use for this purpose. Its simplicity and the facility with
which the tubs are lifted for transit are its chief recommendations;
no taking to pieces or removal of the side-beams, prior to loading,
is necessary, beyond the removal of the hind axle, which consists
of a strong wrought-iron bar with a hook at each end, the hooks
fitting into eyes fixed on the inside of the stock
of the hind wheels. They are made fast with a
pin through each hook; when this bar is removed the machine
is backed to the tub, one of the hind wheels passing it on each
side until the tub is midway between the fore and hind wheels

Gl a where the lifting ap-
paratus is fixed. This
being done the axle-
bar is fixed and the
Ae ° machine is ready for
loading.

“The stirrups
attached to the lower
end of the upright
lifting-rods are now

Carriage for transporting Orange-trees. lowered to the bottom

1. Fore ee a 3. oinescrs. of the tub by means of
the rack and pinion

machinery until the two iron bars, which are previously pushed
under the tub, can be placed in the four stirrups; this being
done, all is ready for lifting the tub in an upright position by
the rack and
pinions, which are
worked by a man
on each side. When
the tub is high
enough for travel-
ling it is secured

| len T|

by means of a pin Truck for moving Plants in Tubs and large Pots.
through the four

upright lifting-rods inserted at 5 in the illustration; the tub
being lowered on to the pins for travelling. The whole operation
does not occupy the three men required to work it more than two
or three minutes. The machine is drawn by one horse, and it will

Cuap. XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 441

be seen how easily and quickly the superb Orange-trees
alluded to are brought from their hibernatory in the spring to
their summer-quarters, and as easily taken back in the autumn.
The fore part of the machine is made to ‘lock’ so that it turns
in little more than its own length. It is in every respect a
most complete apparatus for this and for like purposes.”

Truce For Tups or very Larce Pors.—This very handy little
truck is what the French use for moving large plants in tubs and
large pots. It would be difficult to find anything more useful in
its way. Large specimen plants are quickly and easily moved by
this means. The pot or tub is caught by the little iron feet,
then thrown on its side and tied firmly if a long distance has to
be traversed.

Grartine Masric.—The thorough knowledge of grafting pos-
sessed by the French led them long ago to invent various kinds
of grafting-wax or mastic, which greatly facilitate grafting.
These, while distinct improvements for propagators and practical
gardeners having much grafting to do, render grafting on a small
scale by amateurs a pleasant operation. The mixture commonly
employed for grafting in this country is not such as many amateurs
care to make, and now that grafting-mastic is readily procurable
it is scarcely worth while making our old-fashioned unpleasant
preparation for the sake of a graft or two. The best of the French
compositions for grafting is that called Mastic [Homme Lefort—
an awkward name for an excellent article now procurable through
seedsmen,

Iuprovep Fruit-sHetves.—In the Pear-room at Baron Roth-
schild’s at Ferriéres there is an excellent plan for arranging the
fruit—the successive shelves of fine Pears being so formed that
every individual pear can be examined without touching it. In
the case of a fruit requiring so much care as the Pear does, from
those who desire to have each variety, or even each perfect speci-
men, used at the right moment, thisis an important improvement.
In the Pear-room at the Versailles School of Horticulture the old
flat form of bench is in use, and all the shelves are closed in by
wooden doors, so as to exclude the light from the fruit.

ProucH-HoE.—This is used for cleaning the numerous long
straight avenues in national and other large parks. A few men,
each guiding one of these, clean the weeds from an avenue almost

442 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXV.

as quickly as they can walk along it, but the texture of many
walks would not permit of its use at all. At St. Cloud and other
places where it is used, the surface is quite sandy, and wherever

Portion of Pear-stand at Ferriétres.

this is the case it may be used with advantage, particularly in
places where many wood-walks and drives have to be kept in
order. They could not be used on such firm walks as we have
about London.

Frames ror Forcrna.—The French market-gardeners use a
great number of frames, and it is by their
aid they procure most of the tender and
excellent forced vegetables sent to the
markets in early spring. These frames are
made of very rough wood; are narrow—
not exceeding four feet in width; and
arranged in close lines completely immersed
in the heating-material. They are usually
about twenty inches high at the back
\ and fourteen in front. Undoubtedly the
Section of Pear-rail in the principle is better and cheaper than our

Frubrom a Ferris. ww We employ large and well-made
frames in private gardens, and for the most part place them so
that all but the base is exposed to the influence of the weather

Cuar. XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 443

and the plants therein are more liable to changes of temperature
and cold. By having the frames narrow, all the sidework rough
and cheap, and the frames placed in close lines, the greatest
amount of heat is obtained at the smallest cost. By having
nothing but the surface of the glass exposed, little heat is
lost, and when the frames are covered by the neat, warm, and

flexible straw mats, they are as snug as could be desired. When
it is only desired to pre-

serve half-hardy plants
through the winter, the gf}#———==z. =
spaces between therough- fg) ee eet he 7
sided frames are merely ;
filled up with leaves and
slightly-heating materials. A space of about two feet is left
between each frame, or just enough for the convenience of the
workmen. Generally the frames are made by the workmen of
the market-gardens: two stout posts being driven firmly in at
one end, and an end-board nailed to them, ‘Then at every four
feet or so minor posts are driven
down, and the rough front and back
boards nailed to them. Numbers of
<8 them are also made ona plan by which
they can be readily taken to pieces
and stored in a small space while not
5 | |fj) in use. By this means the ground
| covered by forcing-frames in winter
is rapidly cleared for ordinary open-air
2s === || crops in summer.
SS Mats ror Coverine Pits AND
= Frames.—In our cold and _ variable
- climate, the winter-covering for many
Frame for making Straw Mots. minor glass structures is of the
greatest importance. It is a thing generally managed in a
yery expensive and by no means satisfactory way. The French
mode of doing it is much cheaper, neater, and more effective ; and
in passing through their market-gardens and forcing-grounds in
winter, it is one of the first things that seems worthy of imitation
by the English horticulturist. The covering used consists of
straw mats about an inch thick, the sides as neat as if cut ina

Narrow Frames used for Forcing.

444 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXV.

machine, the mat knit together by twine, and its texture such
that it may be rolled up closely. These mats are not only much
better as a protection than a bast mat, but cost much less than
that, while, in point of appearance and amount of protection given,
the advantage is all in their favour. The preceding figure
represents a simple frame used for making these mats in the
nurseries of M. Jamin, the celebrated cultivator of Orange-trees,
who thus describes it :—“ Get two pieces of timber (1) about three
inches thick, four inches wide, and as long as required. Pierce
these timbers, as shown in the figure, and introduce the bar A in
the holes to maintain the same width between the sides, and
support the nails or screw. ‘These nails are to keep the string
; tight (5). The bar
may be shifted from
hole to hole so as to
make mats of any
desired length. The
length of the string
must be about three
times that of the straw
mat, and rolled round
a little reel, shown at
E. The straw must
be placed on the ma-
chine so as to have
all its cut or lower ends close against each side, the tops
meeting in the middle, and so as not to have the mat thicker
than three-quarters of an inch when finished. The stitches must
not be wider than three-quarters of an inch, and are worked as
follows (see F in the figure). Take a little of the straw with the
left hand, and work the reel with the right, first over the straw,
then over the looped string, coming back underneath, and swiftly
passing it between the two strings, pulling tightly and pressing
the straw, so as to have a flat stitch, and not thicker than three-
quarters of an inch at the most. The same operation is repeated
until the mat is finished. The machine described has been at
work for the last twenty years in our nursery at Paris, and is
still as good as new. An ordinary workman may make daily from
thirty to forty yards’ run of these straw mats with it.” There are

Straw Mat (Paillasson) used for covering Frames.

Cuar. XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 445

several frames for this purpose, and also a machine for making
the mats so indispensable in the French garden; but the
one just described is the simplest for private use. Most innova-
tions of this sort are adopted slowly; but that people would
immediately use this, if they had an opportunity of seeing it
in working order, there can be little doubt. In France they are
found so useful that they are employed for many purposes besides
that of covering frames, and they form an efficient temporary
coping for walls in some cases. In all gardens where men are
regularly employed they may be made during bad weather in
winter ; and as there is often difficulty in procuring enough useful
indoor work for men at such times, the making of the mats will
be a gain from that point of view alone. In country-places, where
straw is abundant, their cost would be trifling.

Sfcatgeur.—This is an instrument that all who prune should
possess. It is seen in the hands of every French fruit-grower,
and by its means he cutsas clean as with the best knife and much
quicker. Men cut stakes with them almost as fast as one could
count them ; they have recently made some large ones for cutting
stronger plants—such as the strong awkward roots of the Briars
collected by the Rose-growers. Of these sécateurs there are
many forms. First we have the Sécateur Vauthier, a strong and
handy instrument. Its sloping semi-cylindrical handles have
their outer side rough, which gives a firm hold; the springs,
though strong, resist the action of the hand gently ; the curvature
of the blade and the adjustment are perfect; and lastly, the
principal thing, the action is so easy as never to hurt the hand.
“During the many years of my experience,” observes M. Lachaume,
a, fruit-grower who describes this implement in the ‘ Revue Horti-
cole,’ “I have used tools of all kinds, and the tools have also used
me a little; but I have never met with anything which gave me
so much satisfaction as the Sécateur Vauthier. Every desirable
quality is combined in it, and I recommend it with perfect confi-
dence. The strongest branch will not resist its cutting, nor a
single branch, however hard to get at, be inaccessible to it.
Another great advantage this sécateur possesses is a double notch
on the back of the blade and hook, which enables the operator,
when employed at his trellises, to cut every wire without using
the pincers.” The Sécateur Lecointe is another variety much

446 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXV.

recommended. It is said that this form of spring secures an easy
and gentle action of the instrument, and has the advantage of
lasting longer than others, from not being so liable to break,
while it secures a firmness and evenness in working which is not
otherwise attained. A further improvement is pointed out in the
fastening, which consists of a stop that catches when the two
handles meet, a projecting portion on the outside acting as a
spring which is to be pressed when the instrument is required
to be opened. Then there is the sécateur of older date than the
preceding, the one more generally used. It is much employed at
Montreuil. There can be no doubt that where much pruning
of any kind is done, and particularly pruning of a rather rough

The Sécateur Lecointe. The Common Sécateur.

nature, the sécateur is a valuable implement. For pruning in
which great nicety of cutting is required a good and properly-
shaped knife is best. The sécateur was invented by M. Bertrand
of Molleville.

Tax Rarwisseur.—This is the name for the little wire-straining
implement which plays such
a very important part in
wiring garden - walls, or
erecting trellises for fruit-
growing in France. It is
an implement which, though insignificant in itself, is caleu-
lated to make a vast improvement in our gardens and on our

The Raidisseur.

Cuar, XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 447

walls. It will save much labour, and make walls or permanent
trellises for fruit-growing far more agreeable to the eye and useful
to the cultivator than ever they were before. There are various

Key of Raidisseur.

forms which need hardly be described, as they are so well shown
in the accompanying cuts. The first is a reduced figure of one
about three inches long. The engraver has placed it in the best
position to show its
structure. The wire
that passes in through
one end is slipped
through a hole in the
axle; the other end is
attached to the tongue, as shown in the engraving, and then by
the aid of a key, placed on the square end of the axle, the whole
is wound much as a violin-string is wound round its peg. The
first form figured is
very much used in
the best gardens, and
seems to do its work
effectively. The next
Raidisseur here figured is that invented by M. Collignon and
recommended by M. Du Breuil. It does not differ much from
the preceding. D shows the point of insertion of the wire that
has to be tightened; B the
fastening of the other end of
the wire; and A the head on
which the key is placed. The
foregoing kinds are, like the
wire, galvanised. The best
of these tighteners cost but a
few pence; but even if they
were not cheap, it would still be profitable to employ them,
in view of the great saving they effect, by allowing the use

Collignon’s Raidisseur.

AU

ide View of Collignon’s Raidisseur.

Thomery Ratdisseur.

448 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XXV.

of a very thin wire, which besides being quite as efficient is in-
finitely neater than the bolt-like wire employed here. They
have a still better and simpler raidisseur in use at Thomery. It
is simply a small piece of cast-iron costing little more than a
garden-nail—so small that its presence on wall or trellis does not
look awkward as some of the larger kinds do, but for all that, it
is a very effective tightener. The walls at Thomery are very
neatly wired by its
help, and it is equally
useful for espaliers. I
have indeed never
visited a garden in
which the walls and
trellises were so neatly
done, and all by means
of this simple strainer
and the galvanised
wire.

Mr. Palmer of Ver-
sailles writing in the ‘Garden’ on this subject says: ‘“ Among the
numerous ‘raidisseurs’ manfactured in France there is none,
perhaps, more effective and simple, and certainly none cheaper
than the tightener made by Borel, of 10, Quai du Louvre. It
consists of a small iron bolt with a flat head, of the exact
size here given. The hole in the flat head B is used for winding
up the bolt by means of a nail or round piece of iron. The
hole at C ig for introducing the end of the wire to be wound
up, which coils away between the flanges (dd). The bolt revolves
between the coils of the stirrup-shaped wire loop X, which is
itself fastened by a wire to the end-post or hook of the espaliers.
The whole affair, with the wire loop ready mounted, is sold for
three-halfpence. Before this last raidisseur was invented, I had
successfully used for many years the following plan of tightening
wires. I made a loop somewhere about the middle of my wire by
twisting it round a cylindrical piece of iron or bolt, which I left
in it to prevent its closing, while I stretched the wire by hand
and fastened the two ends. This done, I gave the bolt as many
turns as were necessary to obtain the required degree of tension,
and then withdrew it. I could at any future time give an addi-

Borel’s Raidtsseur.

Cuar. XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 449

tional turn or two when required. If the wire be very long,
several loops may be made at equal distances apart. This method
of tightening has this advantage over almost all others, that if the
power applied be too great for the strength of the wire it will
always give way at A, never at or beyond B; thus the loop alone
comes off, without at all affecting the tightened wire.” M. Jean
Sisley, of Lyons writes: “A fruit-grower of our city—M. Ravet

Open Loop. Loop after three turns.

—uses the following simple and effective mode of tightening
wires. On the wire to be tightened he makes a loop A (as in the
figure), through which he passes a piece of wire (B), which he
turns round the pole C, to which the wire is to be fixed, and with
pincers he twists the two ends (D) till the wire is tightened.
Many persons who use the raidisseurs hitherto employed, have

complained that it is sometimes difficult to tighten the wire pro-
‘perly with them. The raidisseur has been turned up to a certain
point, and the wire is still rather loose, but another turn of the
raidisseur will break it, and to avoid this the wire is allowed to
remain slack, which is very unfavourable to effective training,
and moreover has a very slovenly appearance. The screw and
bolt tightener obviates this difficulty. A glance at the next cut
will show how it is used. One end of the wire having been made

450 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXV.

fast to the upright (as at A), and the other end secured to the
head of the raidisseur (as shown at C), the nut B is then screwed
off, and the screw end having been passed through the upright (as
at D), the nut is again
screwed on and
tightened with a pair
of pincers or a bolit-
wrench, until the wire
is brought to a proper
degree of tension. It
will be seen at once
that the screw allows of great nicety of adjustment, without
involving too much straining or any slackening of the wire.” These
contrivances, and numerous improvements and modifications of
them, are now sold by various English houses who make a
speciality of galvanised wire-work.

Marerian ror Tyine Pranrs.—The tying of plants, fruit-trees,
and many things in gardens, occupies a great deal of time, even
in small places. The material usually employed is bast matting,
and in most large gardens a number of bast mats are annually cut
up and used for this purpose. Of late years they have trebled in
price. This expense may be done away with, and a much better
material secured, by simply planting a few tufts of the common
glaucous Rush (Juncus glaucus) in some moist spot; where much
tying is to be done, a few dozen tufts may be planted. The
stems of this plant are smooth and ready for use at any moment,
and are suited for tying everything except the strong or “ mother
branches ” of fruit-trees (for which twigs of the Yellow Osier are
best fitted) and the finest and youngest shoots of hothouse-plants.
The Rush may be cut green and used at once, or it may be cut
soon after flowering and stored for winter-use in a dried state.
When wanted in winter it is desirable to steep it in water a couple
of hours before it is used, to insure the requisite flexibility. It’
forms a neat and lasting tie, and is not knotted like the matting,
but simply twisted, then pinched off with the nail or cut with the
knife, and one of the ends turned back a little. For tying the
young shoots of fruit-trees to an espalier it is admirable, as it is
for most other purposes of training. When men are accustomed
to it, they work with greater facility with it than with any other

Cuar. XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 451

tying-material. The dried grass of Lygeum Spartum is also used in
France to a great extent for garden-tying. It is a Spanish grass,
and will grow on any warm soil. It is suitable for very strong
and durable tying. Thus the two best materials for this purpose may
be grown in any garden without cost. Even if the bast matting
were as cheaply got as these, the fact that the Rush and Grass are
ready found in twine-like fashion, should make us prefer them. In
tying carefully it is necessary to twist the matting, and thus a good
deal of time is lost. In addition to the above hardy plants, the

|

Bur-reed (Sparganium vamosum). Reed-mace (Typha latifolia).

«“ Grass” of which may be directly used for tying, the leaves of the
New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax) are very largely employed for
that purpose about Paris. This plant is grown everywhere for
room-decoration. The long leaves being produced in great abun-
dance, the old leaves that are cut away should be preserved, thus
‘no a strong and excellent material for tying.
rene ae Tyne Grarrs anp Bups—The dried stems of
Sparganium ramosum, the Bur-reed, have replaced woollen thread
for budding-purposes in France. In texture they are peculiarly
suited to this purpose, being soft, dense, elastic, and tough, so as

452 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnap. XXV.

to enable the operator to secure an effective tie. The plant is a
common Water-weed about three feet high, growing everywhere
in Britain along the margins of ponds, streams, and ditches. It
is therefore a very cheap material, and may be cut and stored in
any quantity for budding and grafting purposes. It is in exten-
give use in some of the largest and best nurseries in France. The
stems of the common Reed-mace (Typha latifolia) are used for
like purposes, but not so extensively. By means of these, many
French grafters have been enabled to do away with all expense
for woollen and cotton thread. The Sparganium is gathered in
summer when fully grown; the leaves, which are united at the
base, are separated, and then hung up in bundles to dry in a shed
or barn. When required for use they are cut to the necessary
length, from fourteen to twenty inches, steeped in water for a few
hours, and then slightly dried by pressure or wringing. In large
field-nurseries, where there is no water, bundles of the Bur-reed
are kept moist and flexible by being buried in the earth, and they
may also be kept so by placing them ina cellar. It must not be
used very wet, and if too dry it is more liable to crack. Itis found
to bend best when applied edgeways to the body which it is to
envelope, and slightly twisted. For all kinds of budding and
grafting, except large cleft-grafting and the like, it is as good a
material as can be found. '

Prorgction ror Watt anp Espauier Trees.—Having several
times spoken of the deep temporary copings the careful French
cultivator uses for his fruit-wall, I here give a rough figure show-
ing a section of the tile-coped wall, and projecting from beneath
it the supports for the temporary protection. The French take a
good deal of trouble with temporary copings, and find them of the
greatest value in getting regular crops; for the frosts are severe
in the northern parts and all around Paris, and, in fact, over
nearly all the region north of the river Loire—the most important
fruit-growing districts of France. The best appliance of this
kind consists of narrow lengths of bitumenised felt nailed on light
frames from six feet to eight feet long, and about eighteen inches
wide. The use of these on walls devoted to the culture of choice
Pears, Peaches, etc., results in a marked improvement. The
temporary coping has a great advantage in being removable, so
that the trees may get the full benefit of the summer-rains when

Cuar. XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 453

all danger is past, and not suffer from want of light near the top
of the wall, as they would if ‘such a wide protection were perma-
nent. I believe that similar copings would be much more effective
than any of the netting and canvas protections now in use in
English gardens. The commonest temporary coping seen in
France is made of straw nailed between laths ; 1b seems to answer
its purpose very well, but it is not so neat as that made of bisu-
menised felt. Whatever kind of protection may be employed,
care is taken that

(ONES A

it shall throw CY ae Meat
the wet well off | iN a | Hine Hl
the wall; the it aa Hie AC ih Ht :
slightest experi- A iM A

ence of the effects
of frost on vege-

tation will. show Se cet Sr cn oem ce aowh
the wisdom of } p VA VA VA
this course. Of an Y

what does it avail Mode of Protecting Walls. A, Straw Mat, two feet wide, held
to place a net or between laths, for placing beneath the permanent copings while

there ts danger of Frost.
a few branchlets
of trees before a fruit-wall, if we allow the cold rains and sleet
to fall on every tender brush of stamens?

Wirinec GarpEN-waLis.—The one practice among French hor-
ticulturists most worthy of adoption by the English fruit-grower
is their improved way of placing galvanised wires on walls, or
in any position in which it may be desired to train fruit-trees
neatly. Several strong iron spikes are driven into the brick-
work at the ends—in the right angle formed by two walls—
nails with eyes in them being driven in in straight lines,
exactly in the line of direction in which the wire is wanted to
pass. The wires are placed at about ten inches apart on the
walls, and the little hooks for their support, also galvanised, are
fixed at about ten feet apart along each wire. The exact distance
between the wires must, however, be determined by the kind of
tree and the form to be given to it.. If horizontal training of the
branches be adopted, the wires had better be placed to form the
lines which we wish the branches to follow; if the branches are

vertical, we need not be so exact. The wire-—about . thick as
H

454 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXV.

strong twine- -is passed through the little hooks, fastened at both
ends of the wall into the strong iron nails, and then made tight
with the raidisseur. The wires remain at about the distance of
half an inch or three quarters from the wall. If we consider the
expense of the shreds and nails; the destroying of the surface of
the walls by the nails, and the leaving of numerous holes for
vermin to take refuge in; the great annual labour of nailing, and
the miserable work it is in our cold winters, it will be admitted
that a change is wanted badly. This system of wiring a wall
above described is simple, cheap, almost everlasting, and excellent

a at}

a

{
<}—

Mode of arranging Wires on Walls for training Fruit-trees with Vertical or Horizontal Branches.
A, Position of Raidisseur; B, Nails with eyes, through which the Wire is passed.

{

in every particular; and before many years elapse these advan-
tages must force it into universal adoption in our fruit-gardens.
A man may do as much work in one day along a wall wired
thus as he could do in six days with the nail and shred. Since
the publication of the first edition of this book various houses
took up the idea and have wired many garden-walls in the
way above described, in many cases effecting improvements in
details. Given a concrete wall (as described elsewhere in this
book), smoothly plastered, and wired thus, fruit-trees could
not, in a northern country, be in a more excellent position. The
temporary coping taken off after all danger from frost had past,
every leaf would be under the refreshing influence of the summer-

Cuar. XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 455

rains, all the advantages of walls as regards heat would be obtained,
and the syringing-engine would not be defeated by countless little
dens offering comfortable breeding-places to the enemies of the

fruit-tree, while the
appearance of the
wall would be all
that could be de-
sired.

The wire and the
raidisseur are also
efficiently used in
doing away with
any necessity for
nailing in training
the Peach and other
trees, when trained
as cordons,as shown

in the accompanying figure.

Wall Wired for Oblique Cordon Training.

When the lines which the wires are

to follow are fixed upon, bolts and eyes are driven in the wall, the
wire being fixed to and passed through them, and then made firm.

The French apply the term “ espalier” to their wall-trees, and
in adopting the word from them we have transferred it to trees
standing in the open, but trained in a similar manner. They

Trellis for Young Trees in Ni ursertes. Page 456.

term our espalier
“contre-espalier,”
but the terms wall-
tree and espalier are
distinctly and
generally understood
among us, and there-
fore it is better to
employ them in their
usual sense. The
simplicity and ex-
cellence of their
mode of making sup-

‘orts for espaliers will be better shown by the figures in the account
of the Versailles School of Horticulture than by verbal description.
The mode of making trellises for espalier-trees now extensively

2H 2

456 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXV.

adopted in France is far superior to our own mode, and owes its
excellence to the abundant use of slender galvanised wire and the
little tightening implements, or raidisseurs. The wire is sold in
twenty-three different sizes. Of this an intermediate size, 12, 13,
or 14, is that best suited and usually selected for strong and
permanent garden-work, albeit a mere thread to the costly thick
iron wire we use. The sizes appropriate for cordons, trellises, etc.,
are sold at from 30s. to 44s. per mile, so that the material is cheap
enough. It is sold by weight, No. 12 size being 31s. per cwt of
1241 yards, and a smaller size 34s. per ewt. of 2031 yards. Of course
smaller quantities are readily obtainable.

In some of the nurseries a simple kind of trellising is used for
training young wall and espalier trees. Itis useful in enabling the
French to keep in stock trees for these purposes to a greater age than
is the casein our nurseries, and for various purposes should prove
useful to the grower of young fruit-trees. A larger and modified
application of the same plan would do well for large espalier-trees ;
indeed it is applied with good effect and perfectly suits a method,
not uncommon in France, of keeping the upper branches of trees,
trained horizontally, shorter than the lower ones so as to secure
greater vigour in the lower branches. This trellis may be established
at a trifling cost by using light posts of rough wood, or, if perma-
nence and greater strength be desired, of T-iron. In either case
the posts must be firmly fixed. The wire should be passed through
a hole or strong eye in the top of the pole; and fixed with stones or
irons inthe ground. In order to train the shoots straight, their
rods may be extended from the post to the wires with but little
trouble. Other illustrations of the neatest and best trellises in
use in French gardens occur in several parts of this book.

Epeines ror Parks, Pustic Garpens, Squarzs, Drrves, ET¢.-—
The edgings in gardens have a very important bearing on their
general aspect, and often on their cleanliness. An edging much
in, use in the public gardens of Paris is made of rustic rods of
cast-iron, in imitation of the little edgings of bent branchlets that
many are familiar with. They are evidently cast from the model
of a bent branchlet, generally about as thick as the thumb, but
they are of various sizes. These irons are placed in the ground
firmly, and are very easily fixed. The fact that they are not
stiff, ugly, and tile-like prevents their offending the eye if one

Cuar. XXV.] IMPLEMENTS USED IN FRENCH GARDENS. 457

or two should fall a little out of the line here and there; this
is nearly impossible, as they are tied by a scrap of common wire
at the place where every two sticks cross-each other. They are
so plunged in the walk, or by the side of the walk, that about six
inches of the little fence appears above ground. This, however,
may be varied with the size of the subjects which they are used
to margin ; Six or seven inches is the usual height for edges for
ordinary purposes. In parks and pleasure-grounds, however, we
usually have edgings of grass, so it may be thought that iron
edgings are useless therein; but the little fences of bent wood
which furnished the idea for these iron edgings were generally
used to prevent grass near drives and walks from being trodden
upon, for which purpose those now recommended will answer
better. In much-frequented places along drives, and in public
gardens, parks, and squares, their chief merit will be found.

TrE Sfécarzur.—As this edition was going through the press,
the following note as to the utility of the sécateur (already
described) came to hand:

“T have used this useful French pruner for several years.
Last season I had occasion to lower two old thorn hedges, which
had been shorn for more than forty years. I fixed up a number
of stakes, stretched a line the required height, and employed a
good workman to cut off the top in an even manner with the
sécateur, lowering it 18 inches in order to bring a beautiful
landscape into view. The work was done in a very even way,
and in less than half the time the shears and saw would have
taken, the stem being the size of a man’s thumb. When such are
bent by the hand the cut is then made much more easily, by one
edge chiefly. I find the sécateur most useful for all kinds of shrub
pruning. Ihave three in use, two of the largest 9 inches long,
which I find the most useful, and which cost 6s. 6d. Ihave never
found the spring of the large size get out of order. The rivet
should be kept oiled, and then the shears readily spring open.” —
J. GARLAND.

458 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXVI.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE MARKET GARDENS OF PARIS.

Ir has frequently been said that the minute division of property
in land retards the improvement of agriculture in France. It
may be so with farming, but it certainly does not hold good with
market-gardens. These in and around Paris are very small, but
they are the best and most thoroughly-cultivated patches of
ground in Europe. Every foot of earth is at work; and cleanli-
ness, rapid rotation, deep culture, abundant food and water to the
crops—in a word, every virtue of good cultivation—are there
to be seen. It is doubtful if such good results could be obtained
from large market-gardens, and certainly in no part of Britain is
the ground, whether garden or farm, so thoroughly cultivated as
in these little family gardens, as they may be called, for they are
usually no larger than admits of. the owner seeing every crop in
the garden at one glance. The Paris market-gardeners as a class
keep to themselves, and each seems content with about as much
ground as gives occupation to his family. They are as a rule a
prosperous class. The gardens vary in size from one to two, and
oceasionally three acres, are usually walled-in, and contain a
cottage, a few sheds, and a well.

In the neighbourhood of our English cities the price of ground
is high—according to our scale that around Paris is very high
indeed, the rent varying from £24 to £33 per acre. On entering
upon a market-garden the tenant has to pay in addition to his
rent from £200 to £600 for stock, fixtures, etc. Manure forms
a very considerable item in the expenses of these gardens. One
market-gardener paid £20 a month for manure. His garden was
about three English acres in extent, which is much larger than

Cuar, XXVIJ THE MARKET GARDENS OF PARIS. 459

usual, Manure would appear to be dearer than in London, and
it is used very profusely, some of the crops being grown in almost
nothing else. From the beginning of May to the end of November
the market-gardeners have no use for hotbeds, still every day
arrive loads of stable-manure, which piled meanwhile into rick-
like heaps, will be used chiefly in winter and spring. In Novem-
ber they commence to make the hotbeds, and as stable-manure
continues to arrive every day it is mixed with that which has
been gathered during the summer—this making beds giving a
moderate degree of heat.

But a more important and expensive item is the watering.
The Parisian market-gardener, if not a “scientific” man, would
appear to be fully aware of the fact that by far the most important
constituent of vegetables is water. It is mainly owing to the
abundant watering of these gardens, that the Paris markets are
throughout the hot season better supplied with crisp, tender, fresh
vegetables than any other capital in Europe. Almost every
market-garden has its pump worked by the horse of the establish-
ment—the Naudin system being generally preferred. The water
is thence conducted into barrels plunged nearly to their rims
in the ground at regular intervals over the garden, and from
these distributed by copper watering-pots made to discharge the
water very quickly. This constant watering involves a consider-
able expenditure for labour, one or two men being nearly always
employed at it in each little garden during the sunny months.
The system of watering with the hose, generally adopted in the
city of Paris, could not fail to attract the attention of the market-
gardeners: it is already used by several of them In these cases
the pump is employed to elevate the water to a cistern placed a
few yards above the highest point of the garden. I examined
a garden thus arranged, and found the system very satisfactory.
Twenty-seven outlets for the water were established over the
surface of a garden about two acres in extent. To these a hose
of india-rubber is attached, with a few feet of copper tubing and
a large much-perforated copper rose or distributor at its other
end. From this, when the water is on, it flows in a gentle but
copious shower ; and the apparatus may be managed by a boy.

Nobody could pass suddenly from our own markets and market-
gardens to those of Paris in the middle of a dry summer without

460 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnap. XXVI

being forcibly taught how advantageous would be a good supply
of water in our gardens. It is the custom to grumble about our
climate—the “ dull,” “cloudy,” “changeable” climate of Britain ;
to speak of that of other countries as paradisaical, and to attribute
all our failures to “want of sun,” but if we have a warm and
sunny season our market-supplies immediately run short, owing
to the absence of any preparation for watering garden-crops. In
some dry seasons market-gardeners who are accustomed to realise
hundreds of pounds for a crop, gather barely as much of it as
would make it worth while sending to the market; while the
private growers are quite as badly off. Often in hot summer
when Cauliflowers in British gardens have almost disappeared
owing to the drought, they may be measured in the market-
gardens of Paris a foot in diameter and of the finest quality. We
have vegetables, salads and the like when the weather is dewy
and favourable, and where the climate is moist; but a few weeks
of drought puts an end to their goodness, and should it continue,
everything becomes worthless. Are we in a position to boast of
our horticulture while this is the case? Does the routine work,
“which merely waits upon the seasons thus, deserve the name of
skill? It is instructive to note that the very things which our
watery and cloudy clime is supposed to be most favourable to, are
to be found in greatest perfection with the French, in the drier
and, for vegetables, less favourable climate of Paris! The secret
of it all is that the French market-gardener, in addition to tilling
and enriching his ground in the best manner, waters thoroughly
and repeatedly every crop requiring water for its perfect develop-
ment. Few need be reminded of the many things of which water
is almost the life. Extract the water from a juicy Lettuce, or
any other garden vegetable, and what remains? Our soils are
of course saturated with water in winter, while in summer the
need of it leaves the vegetables mere accumulations of tough fibre.
Tam not sanguine enough to hope that any words of mine can
induce cultivators to adopt plans for watering gardens effectively ;
but there can be no doubt whatever that it would be a decided
advantage to mark off in every large kitchen-garden a portion of
ground near the best supply of water, to make it rich and light,
and keep it thoroughly moist during the dry warm months; so that
a few crisp delicate salads and vegetables may not during a dry

Cuar. XXVLJ THE MARKET GARDENS OF PARIS. 461

season be as impossible with us as in the Sahara. This small
division might be established in most places at a trifling cost ;
while the result would be so satisfactory that it would probably
soon lead the grower to adopt the same plan on a larger scale,
It need hardly be added that it would not be necessary to take
such precautions in very moist districts in the British Isles 3 but
there are many districts where a modification of the Parisian plan
would prove a decided advantage.

Noticeable in these market-gardens is their rich verdure at
nearly all seasons. In the ordinary kitchen-garden there is often
as much space wasted in needless walks and alleys as goes to
form one of these little gardens which occupy and support a
family. Custom, time, and authority are all arrayed in favour of
a series of walks in the kitchen-garden, and yet they are as
wrong as they can be. For the following reasons there should
not be any walks in a perfect kitchen-garden :—

First. Convenience of Watering and Irrigation.—Even in our
moist country good vegetable culture is not everywhere possible
without watering or irrigation. As gardens are at present
arranged, watering is difficult, and irrigation impossible, without
spoiling all the walks, gravel, and edgings. In many parts of the
country, especially in Scotland and the moist parts of Ireland, the
need of thorough watering or irrigation is not known; but in
England it is seriously felt. Three warm days in July show their
effect in Covent Garden, inconvenience the housekeeper, and
injure and reduce the supplies of vegetable food at a time when
these are more than ever important for health. It cannot be said
that either our kitchen- or market-gardening is what it should be
so long as we are unable to reap benefit instead of loss from the
sunny weather. In a garden properly irrigated, a few weeks of
warmth would give us a better result than we should obtain
during a similar number of cold or cloudy days. Therefore we
shall never have a good system of kitchen-gardening till all crops
liable to suffer from drought are as promptly and effectually
watered as a small plant growing in a pot.

Second. To Secure Good Culture.—To get the best result from
a piece of ground devoted to vegetable-culture, it is necessary that
the whole of it be thoroughly turned up, and enriched from time
to time. Walks and hard alleys, gravel, etc., prevent this from

462. THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXVI.

being doné with ease and thoroughness. The whole surface of a
perfect kitchen-garden should be as freely open to the labours of
man, or horse, or spade, as a heap of loam lying in a compost-
yard. In the orthodox kitchen-garden, the men may frequently
be seen carefully scraping their boots, just as if they were going
into a drawing-room or a Turkish bath. Half the ground tho-
roughly cultivated would be better than the large areas we fre-
quently see bare or badly cultivated. As regards the convenience
of moving composts and the like, that is more easily secured in a
garden free from all obstructions in the way of well-gravelled
walks and neatly-kept edgings. In a very large garden, a firm
cart-way might in some cases be desirable, but the fact is that
the space really necessary for the kitchen-garden proper, under a
good system of culture, is of a size that a walk or cart-way leading
to itis all that is required. The best system for the kitchen-
garden is a thorough trenching and annual enriching ; afterwards,.
and throughout the seasons of greatest growth, such cropping of
the surface as never allows the ground to be idle; this system is.
most easily pursued where there is nothing needlessly in the
cultivator’s way.

Third. Because Walks are Needless as a Convenience among
Kitchen-garden Crops.—Permanent walks may be a convenience
among choice dwarf fruit-trees, small fruits, plantations of herbs,
ete., but nobody who considers the matter fully will say that they
are needed among succulent crops, such as Cauliflowers, Kidney-
beans, and the like. A walk in itself is ugly, and a few lines of
a useful well-grown crop are far preferable in appearance; as to
inconvenience from mud, &c., there is none, because in any case
the cultivator or gatherer has to get on the ground, and in the
usual style of elaborately laid-out gardens he has always the
needless trouble of taking care not to soil the walks. In a well-
drained garden there is little fear of mud. In case one of the
main lines of walk passes through or near a kitchen-garden, we
need not consider it, because that is a question concerning the
general convenience of the place. It has nothing to do with the
present question—the need of walks in the kitchen-garden itself.

Fourth, Cleanliness and Neatness.—It is much easier to keep
clean a garden, the whole surface of which is devoted to crops,
than one where a large area is bare, and continually offering in

Cuar. XXVL] THE MARKET GARDENS OF PARIS. 463

edgings and in gravelled surfaces sunny welcome to the seeds of
weeds. Under a better system, all the trouble of cleaning the
walks, and keeping edgings, etc., in order, would be saved. As to
appearance, there is nothing nearly so beautiful in the ordinary
kitchen-garden as may be seen in a garden where the whole
surface throughout the growing season is covered with healthy
green vegetation.

Fifth. Because of Modern Wants.—The kitchen-garden is
now planned as it used to be when most of the flowers, fruits,
etc., were grown within its walls. In those days there was
absolute need of walks in the kitchen-garden, from the season
of the Golden Crocus to that of the Christmas Rose. But we have
changed all that. There has long been a desire to separate fruit-
gardening from kitchen-gardening: the wisdom of this view need
not be discussed here, but there can: be no doubt that in most
gardens flowers—hardy as well as tender—have left the kitchen-
garden for good.

Stath. Economy.—In many kitchen-gardeus there is quite a
mile of broad, gravelled walks, mainly for the “convenience” of
those who have to perform the pretty frequent labour of cleaning
them and the edgings, etc. Space may not be very precious in the
places spoken of, but itis none the less true that the ground often
wasted in walks would be sufficient to grow vegetables for a large
family. It is obvious that a market-gardener who tried to do his
work in a paradise of walks would soon be heard of in the Bank-
ruptcy Court. None of them however are simple enough to go to
work in this manner. But it must not be thought that their
gardens are always untidy because of the absence of walks. In
most countries, the better class of market-gardens are models
which the private gardeners might well study, even from the
point of view of neatness and appearance. Is it needful to speak
of the absurd waste of means in the making and keeping of walks,
edgings, etc., not merely useless, but the source of perpetual loss
of time and means ?

Various other reasons against the common practice could be
given, but they are not needed. The present system is so firmly
rooted that few will be able to change to a better plan soon, but,
nevertheless, the opening of the question will probably do good.
In the present state of horticulture, where so much remains to be

464 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. XXVI.

done, we can ill afford to spend means and energy in the wrong
places. Frequently it will be expedient to leave things as they
are in the case of fairly well-formed gardens; but in the case of
laying-out a new garden, it would certainly be better to separate
the fruits—large and small—wholly from the kitchen-garden ;
also, all such plants as herbs which do not require deep or frequent
culture, all store or nursery beds which are often visited, frame-
ground, and plunging-beds, should be removed from it altogether.
Such walks as convenience demands might be made in the fruit
and other departments. The kitchen-garden itself might be
formed or sheltered in whatever way the needs of the place might
suggest. No walks should be seen in it; it would, in fact, be
treated as one plot of ground in the highest state of culture to
which drainage, trenching, manure and water could bring it.

A great deal of the success of the Parisian market-gardeners is
due to a close system of rotation, eight crops per year being
frequently gathered from the ground. Were it not so the culti-
vators could not succeed, so very limited is the ground each pos-
sesses. A considerable portion of the surface in one garden
I visited was devoted to Cos Lettuce, and very fine specimens
they were; but beneath them there was a dark green carpet of
leaves very close to the ground—the leaves of the Scarolle, which
forms such an excellent salad. The young plants have room to grow
now amongst the closely-tied-up Cos Lettuce; but the moment
the Cos is cut for market, the Scarolle has fuller liberty, and with
abundance of water soon itself covers the ground. Then perhaps
some young plants of another vegetable are put in at regular
intervals in the angles between four plants of Scarolle, the new
crop being vigorous and halfway towards perfection when the
great smooth Endive is ready for the market. As an illustration
of the cropping, the cultivator described to me that of a portion
of his ground for the past year. In the earliest spring the ground
was occupied by Cos Lettuce, and from between them a crop of
Radishes was gathered. Cauliflowers were planted early among
the Cos, and as they approached maturity the ground was of course
wholly occupied by them, as one could not well put anything
beneath a crop of well-grown Cauliflowers. When they were cut
in May and June, an opportunity occurred of giving the ground
that thorough culture and preparation which such a course of

Cnar. XXVI.] THE MARKET GARDENS OF PARIS. 465

heavy cropping demands. Then a crop of Spinach was sown, and
in the Spinach Cos Lettuce. As soon as the Spinach was cleared
off, a crop of Endive was placed alternately with the Cos. Then
small Cauliflower-plants were put in, yielding a fine crop in the
autumn, and after them a small quick crop like Corn Salad, and
afterwards the ground was covered with frames.

Like everything else in Paris, and in France generally, the condi-
tion of these market-gardeners has much improved during the past
generation. Some of the crops, and particularly the forced crops,
are now brought to invariable perfection in low narrow wooden
frames. Eighty or ninety years ago, however, the market-gardening
of Paris was much less perfect ; fewer crops were gathered during
the year, the art of forcing early vegetables and salads was in its
infancy, and the most advanced market-gardeners had not got
beyond the use of the cloche to force their vegetables. The work-
men employed in these market-gardens work, like their masters,
hard, but are better paid than men of similar occupation in
England. From inquiries made of different cultivators, it seems
wages are from £2 to £3 per month with board and lodging.
They have no fixed hours for work as with us, but in summer
begin with the dawn and in winter hours before it. The men
board at their master’s table. M. Courtois Gérard said that to
cultivate a garden of two and a half acres devoted to forcing in
frames, and open-air culture, it 1s necessary to have five or six
persons—that is to say, the master and mistress, two men, a girl
anda boy. As to the masters, I was informed that many of them
could not read or write; but I noticed notwithstanding a good
barometer in each house. They well know the value of this in-
strument, and consider it of the greatest use in cultivation, by
helping them to take precautionary measures and to adapt work
to weather.

These men have their vicissitudes notwithstanding the vigorous
industry and excellent system of culture which is general with
them. Some that I visited devote a considerable portion of space
to a difficult crop—Cauliflower-seed. This takes a long time—
more than a year—to bring to perfection ; one market-gardener in
the habit of growing large quantities of it for Messrs. Vilmorin,
Andrieux and Co., had scarcely gathered two pounds of it one
year in consequence of the great heat of the season. There is a

466 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXVI.

Mutual Aid Society among these market-gardeners. To give an
example of the way they work, I have merely to state that when
a body of provincial cultivators were almost ruined by inunda-
tions, the Paris society sent them more than 1200 lbs. weight of
seeds to begin again with. Generally they seem independent,
and are said to accumulate money, and often to retire compara-
tively early in life from active work. Few will doubt that it is
better to have a large class of small proprietors in a thrifty and
independent, though humble condition, than one individual with
many acres, and every soul employed by him without anything to
call his own.

The opinion prevails widely in England that the smaller the
holding the worse the culture. It may be so in some cases;
very small holdings and very high culture are the rule around
Paris. The owners are certainly as hard-working and, apparently,
as poor as any independent workers can well be, but they appear
to gain, at least, as good a livelihood as the farmers who try to cul-
tivate a hundred or more acres in the best parts of Canada. This
Paris market-gardening is, however, so essentially peculiar and
special that it would be unsafe to deduce any broad conclusions
from it alone. The culture in the open fields round Paris is far
inferior, and very imperfect. Hence, the vegetables raised in that
way are inferior to those seen in the London market. In and
near Paris one rarely sees much variety in one garden; the ten-
dency is to special culture. Thus, one whole town and its environs
is devoted to Asparagus, another district to Garden-turnip culture.
Mushrooms form a speciality, and even the forcing of Asparagus
is sometimes made the main effort of a life. One may look in
vain in any of these gardens for either Rhubarb or Seakale. It is
odd to reflect how slowly and curiously ideas sometimes travel.
In the deserts of Utah, in the garden of a Mormon elder; or,
farther still, away on the coast range of the Pacific in a Californian
garden, Pie-plant (Rhubarb) and Seakale are as well known as the
Potato. Cross the English Channel, and we find a land where
they are seen no more, except, perhaps, in very rare cases as
curiosities.

According to some figures quoted by M. Joly before the Central
Horticultural Society of France, and taken from the records of their
Custom House, the total quantity of fruits exported to England,

Cuar. XXVI.] THE MARKET GARDENS OF PARIS. 467

Belgium and Germany amounted in 1874 to nearly 80,000 tons,
or more than double that in 1873. Of dried vegetables over
23,000 tons were exported in 1874, Chestnuts 6000 tons, and of
Potatoes the enormous quantity of nearly 175,000 tons. The
amount of money we now pay to the French for garden-produce is
considerable. The weights are surprising enough in themselves,
but when it is considered that a great deal of the produce is of
the very choicest description, fetching high prices (as in the case
of Early Asparagus, choice fruit, Winter Lettuce, etc.), then the
meaning of these figures may be better understood. Our growers,
and, perhaps, our politicians too, would do well to bear such
facts in mind, for there must be some points worth studying in
the conditions which give rise to such a state of things.

Gourd of the Paris Market.

468 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. X XVII.

CHAPTER XXVII.

ASPARAGUS CULTURE.

AsPARAGUs is grown much more
abundantly and to a much larger
size in France than it is in
England. The country is half
covered with it in some places
near Paris; farmers grow it abun-
dantly, cottagers grow it—every-
body grows it, and everybody
eats it. Near Paris it is chiefly
grown for market in the valley
of Montmorency and at Argen-
teuil, and it is cultivated exten-
sively for market in many other
places. About Argenteuil 3000
persons are employed in the
culture of Asparagus. It is
grown to a large extent among
the Vines as well as alone. The
Vine under field-culture is cut down to near the old stool every year,
and allowed to make a few growths, which are tied erect toa stake:
they do not overtop the Asparagus, but on the other hand, it,
when strong, shows well. above the Vines. It is not in distinct
lines among the Vines, but in tufts widely and irregularly sepa-
rated. One plant is put in each open spot, and given every
chance of forming a large specimen, and this it generally does.
When the stems get large and a little top-heavy in early summer,
a string is put round all, so as to hold them slightly together (the

Cuar. XXVII.] ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 469

careful cultivator uses a stake), and the mutual support thus
given prevents the plant from being injured by winds. It is
liable to be twisted off at the “collar ” by strong winds, especially
in wet weather, when the drops on every tiny leaf make the
foliage heavy. The growing of Asparagus among the Vines is a
very usual mode, and a vast space is thus covered with it about
here. It is grown in other and more special ways, though not
one like our way of growing it, which is decidedly much inferior
to the French methods.

Perhaps the simplest and most worthy of adoption is to grow
it in shallow trenches. Extensive plantings look much as a Celery
ground does soon after being planted, the young Asparagus plants
being in a shallow trench, and a little ridge of soil being thrown
up between the lines of Asparagus. These trenches are generally
about four feet apart. The soil generally is a rather stiff sandy
loam with calcareous matter in some parts, but the soil has not
all to do with the peculiar excellence of the vegetable. Soils on
which it would flourish equally well are common in England. It
is the careful attention to the wants of the plant that produces
such a good result. Here, for instance, is a young plantation
planted in March, and from the little ridges of soil between the
shallow trenches have just been dug a crop of small early Potatoes.
In England, the Asparagus would be left to the free action of the
breeze, but the French cultivators never leave a young plant of
Asparagus to the wind’s mercy whilst they can find a stake of oak
about a yard long. When staking these young plants they do
not insert the support close at the bottom, as we are too apt to do
in other instances, but at a little distance off, so as to avoid the
possibility of injuring a root; each stake leans over its plant at
an angle of 45°, and when the shoots are big enough to touch
it or be caught by the wind, they are tied to the stake. The
ground in which this system is pursued being entirely devoted to
Asparagus, the stools are placed very much closer together than
they are when grown among the Vines, say at a distance of
about a yard apart. The little trenches are about a foot wide
and eight inches below the level of the ground.

The young plants are placed in these trenches very carefully.
A little mound is made with the hand in each spot where a plant
is to be placed, so as to elevate the crown a little permit of

I

470 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXVIL

the spreading-out of the roots in a perfectly safe manner. The
planting-season at Argenteuil lasts from the first week in March
to about the 20th of April. The best Asparagus in France is
grown here, and by one system mainly. The plants, one-year
seedlings (never older), are planted in shallow trenches 7 in. or
8 in. deep, the plants a little more than one yard apart, and the
lines 4 ft. apart; no manure is given
at planting; no trenching, or any
preparation of the ground (beyond
digging the shallow trench) takes
place In subsequent years a little
manure is given over the roots in
autumn ; the soil, thrown out of the

This Figure shows the depth of the succes- . f
sive annual earthings given to the trenches and forming a ridge between

Asparagus. After four or five years’ By S .
growth the ridges disappear, and the them, 18 planted with a light crop

aprile ere Om ic in spring. In all subsequent years
x the earth is placed over the crowns

in spring and removed in autumn. The culture is for the
most part conducted by peasants on their own ground. Under
this system good results are obtained in various soils, the only
difference being that on cold clay soils the planting is not quite
so deep. Every winter the growers notice the state of the young
roots, and any spot in which one has perished they mark with a
stick, to replace the plant the following March. Early every
spring they pile up a little heap of fine earth over each crown.
When the plantation arrives at its third year they increase the
size of the little mound, or, in other words, a heap of finely-pul-

Planting Asparagus; Trenches at Planting-time and after a Season's growth.

verized earth is placed over the stool, from which some, but not
much, Asparagus is cut the same year, taking care to leave the
weak plants, and those which have replaced others, untouched for
another year.

The process of gathering is interesting to the stranger.
Asparagus-knives of various forms are described in both French

Cnap. XXVIL] ' ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 471

and English books, but one is confidentially told by the growers
that they are only fitted for amateurs who do not care to soil their
fingers. The cultivators here never use a knife. Each crown or
root is covered with a little mound of loose earth ; through the
top of this the tips of the strong, thick shoots are seen appearing.
In the light the young shoot first assumes a delicate rose-purple
hue. For gathering it is not enough for the shoot to be visible
on the surface; it must be one inch above it, so as to show the
slightly-rosy tip. Gatherings are made every second day about
the end of April, but in May, when the growth is more active,
the stools are gathered from every day. Given a shoot emerging
from the earth ready to gather: the slightly-hardened crust
around the emerging bud and on top of the little mound is pushed
aside, the fore and middle finger separated are then thrust deeply
into the soft mould, pushing the earth outwards. If a rising
shoot be met with on the way down, it is carefully avoided. A
second plunge of the two fingers and pushing out of the earth
-usually brings them to the hardened ground about the crest of the
root ; the forefinger is then slipped behind the base of the shoot
fit to gather, and pushed gently outwards, when the shoot at once
snaps clean off at its base. This plan has the advantages of
leaving no mutilated shoots or decaying matter in the ground.
Once gathered, care is taken that the shoot is not exposed to
the light, but placed at once in a covered basket. As soon as the
stalk is gathered, the earth is loosely and gently raked up with
the hand so as to leave the surface of the mound as it was before,
not pressing the earth in any way, but keeping it quite free.
The shoots are not rubbed or cleaned in any way—it would dis-
figure them, and they do not require it. Asparagus in a green
state is only cut here for soup, etc., and for that only inferior
shoots. We sometimes see observations as to the great superiority
of the green-cut Asparagus over that blanched in the above
manner; but they are invariably written by persons who know
the ordinary green form only, or the withered blanched stalks
eaten long after being gathered. But those who know what good
Asparagus really is—and we speak now of good judges in Covent
Garden as well as in France—know well that in flavour green
and properly-blanched Asparagus are very different things, and
that the blanched is the better and more delicate. ne . on the
I

472 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. XXVII.

question of gathering hear the French side :—‘“ In certain localities
they do not yet value the distinction between blanched and green
Asparagus, and occasionally prefer the last. That is an error
very prejudicial to the consumer’s interests. Properly-blanched
Asparagus is infinitely more tender and delicate. All Asparagus
cut when it is green is not fit to be eaten in the ordinary way, but
may be used cut up small as an accompaniment to other dishes.
To serve up green Asparagus is to dishonour the table! In the
markets of Paris the green Asparagus is worth one franc a bunch,
when the blanched is worth three francs; they do not eat it (the
green Asparagus)—it serves for the manufacture of syrup of
Asparagus.—V. F. Lesror” of Argenteuil.

There was originally but one single variety of edible Asparagus
(Asparagus officinalis), from which have come the commonly-grown
sort and larger variety (A. major); the former of which has
given birth to the early kinds known as Hative rose d’Ulm, de
Hollande, et d’Argenteuil, and the latter to the late kinds of the
same names. Culture and selection has so great an influence
upon vegetation, that it improves the constitution, habit, and
even the flavour. Itis by dint of observation, care, and patience,
that the growers at Argenteuil have been able to improve Aspa-
ragus, have created the two varieties “early ” and “ late,” and have
settled or established them in a manner to render them superior
to the original type in size and quality. The favourite is the Argen-
teuil Early Asparagus (Hative d’Argenteuil), because it gives
heavier crops and is ready ten days earlier than the earliest other
sorts known. Under good culture the late Argenteuil Asparagus
measures from 3 to 6 in. in circumference at 8 in. below the
tips; and is better than the early sort where there is not much
depth of soil. Although the crops are lighter for the first few
years than the early variety, it remains productive much longer,
the stems, in some Asparagus-grounds 27 years old, being found
to measure from 24 to 3 in. round. The early Argenteuil
Asparagus gives stems of 2? to 6 in. round at 8 in. from the tips.
It grows higher than the late sort, sometimes attaining a length
of 10 ft. It is very vigorous and cares little for richness of soil,
which should, however, be at least 10 in. or a foot deep, as the
roots rise nearly half an inch every year. It begins to yield in
the third year, and gives large crops from its sixth to its four-

Cuar. XXVIL] ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 473

teenth or fifteenth year, after which the stems, though plentiful,
are rather smaller. In good cultivation it lasts from 18 to 20
years. The Dutch Asparagus has stems from 1 to 3} in. round at
8 in. from the tops, and attains a height of about 4 ft. It is not
so fine in any respect as the Argenteuil kinds, and requires a
richer and deeper soil, so its culture is generally abandoned.
Among its other defects, it grows hard very quickly, opens out at
its points, and becomes green in 24 hours, At the Halles at Paris
it fetches 10d. per box, while the Argenteuil Asparagus realises
2s. 6d. or 3s. This statement as to the varieties is on the authority
of M. Godefroy-Lebeuf, of Argenteuil. It is commonly believed
in England that there is no real distinction between the different
varieties of Asparagus. In conversation, however, with trust-
worthy growers at Argenteuil, and from what I saw there, I think
there can be no doubt that there are at least two distinct kinds,
an early and a late.

The French mode of cultivating Asparagus differs from our
own in giving each plant abundant room to develop into a large
healthy specimen ; in paying thoughtful attention to the plants
at all times; and in planting in a trench instead of a raised bed.
They do not, as we do, go to great expense in forming a mass of
the richest soil far beneath the roots, but rather give it at the
surface, and only when the roots have begun to grow strongly.

The following from a French gentleman well acquainted with
the culture may be useful here :—

«In February, should the weather be favourable, form the ground into ridges
4 ft. wide and 1 ft. high, and in March or April, according to the weather,
make a trench between each ridge a few inches deep, and plant on little hills
or elevations 3 ft. apart, cautiously spreading out the roots, and covering
them with 1 in. of good compost; then add an inch of fine soil. A stick should
be inserted obliquely to protect the roots and to which the small stems can be
fastened when they require support. Keep the ground clear of weeds and destroy
all slugs, snails, and Asparagus beetles ; the latter lays its eggs on the stems, and
when the larve are hatched, they destroy the young plants. Water two or three
times during the summer with liquid manure if needed. In the autumn, when
the stems have withered, cut them down to 1 in. or 2 in. in height, and remove
the soil from the roots, leaving only about 1 in. or so of covering, and put a light
layer of old manure or compost from 2 in. to 3 in. in depth over the roots. ‘Thus
covered, the roots will never get injured by frost and the ground will be enriched,

“Szcoxp YEAR.—In February or March fork up the bed, making small hillocks
5 in. or 6 in. high over cach plant. Make good any plants that may have failed,

£74 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXVI.

and cover the whole bed with a layer of rotten manure ; this will keep the soil in
good heart’ and in an equable state as to moisture, therefore no more watering
will be required ; destroy weeds and insects, and tie the stems to their sticks in
order to prevent the wind shaking the roots. In autumn cut down the dry stems
to a few inches above the ground; again make up the ridges between the lines,
leaving the roots 1 in. or 14in. deep.

“'Turrp YEaR.—In February level the ground as in the preceding spring, and
yemove what was left of the stems; over each plant put a little hillof soil. A few
heads may this year be cut for use from each plant, but cutting must not be con-
tinued later than the 15th of June. Every year in autumn and in spring the
same operations must be gone through as in the preceding season.

“FourrtH Year.—The heads may now be cut for use, but be careful to dis-
continue cutting by June 25; after that allow all the stems which appear, torun
up. The roots having now attained full development, must be kept during spring
under a hill of soil 10 inches deep. The cutting-time being over, the bed may be
levelled if preferred; every autumn apply plenty of manure, and every spring
mulch between the hills with fresh manure to prevent the soil becoming hard.
Salt dissolved in water and applied in spring will be found advantageous. All
seeds should be picked off as early as can be done; do not let them fall on the
ground in autumn, otherwise a quantity of useless young plants will appear
to the detriment of the bed.

“The distances at which the plants stand apart may appear too great, but wide
planting is the great secret as regards getting fine Asparagus; besides, the number
of heads produced is double, and their size three or four times larger, than they
would be in crowded masses, thus showing a large balance in favour of plenty of
room. The celebrated Argenteuil Asparagus, so largely imported to Covent
Garden, is grown in a way similar to this. It is a practice in some provinces in
France to plant Asparagus in vineyards between the lines of Vines. In this case
the roots stand at 3 ft., 6 ft., and even 9 ft. apart, and though the ground may
not receive any manure for twenty years, the produce is large and the quality
excellent. Planting among Vines is much practised in Burgundy. Immense
quantities of Asparagus have been planted in several parts of France and Germany
for market-purposes ; they are for the most part cultivated with the plough, and
supplied with chemical manure; the result is generally good. In order to insure
success, take up the plants from their seed-bed with every possible care; throw
away every one cut or broken, and use only such roots as have a healthy
appearance, and strong, well-developed buds; do not expose them to the air; on
the contrary, put them into a basket in wet Moss immediately they are taken up,
and keep them there until they are planted. “D, GUInENEUF.”

The forcing alone of Asparagus throughout the autumn, winter,
and early spring, is an industry of considerable extent. In one
of the most recently-organised and active of these gardens about
half an acre of glass is devoted solely to the forcing of Asparagus,
and a supply is obtained from early in September to the end of

Cuap. XXVILJ ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 475

April. It is forced in three ways— in houses heated with hot
water; in frames sunk in the ground and heated in the same
way ; and lastly, in frames plunged in warm stable-manure. It
appeared to be forced with equal success in each case, though the
stable-manure seemed to offer the simplest means. As usual here
the frames are small—about 4 ft, wide ; the roots are placed
directly on the manure, not flat as they would be in the open

aca 2

Frames used for Forcing Asparagus,

ground, but packed as closely as possible, from 500 to 2000 roots
—according to size—going under one light; a mere sprinkling
of soil is placed over them. As a result, the shoots come up very
thickly. The roots employed are strong fine ones three years from
the seed ; as many as five crops of roots follow each other through-
out the autumn, winter, and spring in the same frame. The
universal straw mat is used to cover the frames at night. A

Section of Frames for Forcing Asparagus.

dozen persons were employed solely in gathering and “ bundling ”
the Asparagus for market, so that the quantities gathered for
use are very considerable. All is done in the simplest and
rudest manner, the securing of good crops being the only thing
considered.

The old mode of forcing Asparagus, still practised to some
extent, chiefly consists in digging deep trenches between beds
planted for the purpose, covering the beds with the soil and with

476 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXVII.

frames, filling in the trenches between the beds with stable-
manure, and protecting the frames with straw mats and litter to
keep in the heat. In the beginning of November the pathways
between the beds of Asparagus are dug up about two feet in depth
and width. The soil coming from the pathway is divided very
carefully, and put about eight inches thick on the surface of the
bed. The trench is filled up with new stable-manure, not litter,
and frames placed on the bed. The manure should rise as high as
the top of the frames,
and the lights be en-
2 tirely covered with
: mats and litter to pre-
; vent the heat accumu-
lated in the frame from

and filled with stable-manure, the earth being heaped on the :
beds. These are covered with rough frames, up to the edge of escapin. g. In about a

which the heating-material is piled, 5
fortnight or three

weeks, the Asparagus begins to show itself on the surface of the
bed. Many market-gardeners cover the whole of the bed inside
the frame to a thickness of three or four inches with manure to force
the vegetation more quickly, but in this case the manure must be
removed when the Asparagus begins to shoot. When the shoots
are about three inches out of the ground they may be cut. The
mats must be taken off in the daytime, but the heat must be well
kept up or the roots and buds will fail to push. The beds are
forced every second year only. The gathering of the Asparagus
may continue for about two months, but no longer, or the planta-
tion would be injured. When the gathering is over, the frames
and linings are taken away, and the soil which has been ‘dug up
from the alleys is put back again.

The preceding note applies to the forcing of the better qualities
of Asparagus chiefly. There is a garden at Clichy in which quite
a speciality is made of forcing the smaller-sized Asparagus for
soups, stews, etc. It contains a number of iron houses, on the
same plan as those in the Jardin Fleuriste, already described.
There are frames within each house, just as in propagating-houses,
and beneath them the Asparagus is forced for the markets, in
large quantities. The houses are heated with hot water, and the
culture in other respects resembles that practised in forcing-
gardens in England—that is, when the plants are taken up to be

477
implements has

The very large table Asparagus is

ASPARAGUS CULTURE.
the need for effective bunching

led to various improvements in these, some of which are figured
Revue Horticole.’

‘

Where so much Asparagus is grown both for home consumption
after the

forced indoors or in pits.

never forced.
and exportation,

Cuap. XXVIL.]

here

*YID9 ay + fo Pumpys ay, azoj1pmwf 07 ysvauaspun
7o Suruado pagvys-aSpam ay, ysnoryg paggorp Surag hg SA1J1R0I Ol) AV a4Yg ZVYI AzVIBPUL G AvIUu poyavUe $I]I41I IY L
443250} 38079 zfay aav suSvavgsy ayz fo s$2z ay 'a7qv Ayijiquanp asvasquLr of poppo S$? wf araig-sso4) ayy iQ puv g
paxyl aso ynym uo Y prwog ays sapys YILym. U2 Sa20048 240
“(uago) 4ayung [naqUase

spaainbad yp5ay
ayg guns OF spivmdof 40 spavaryjvg sapis asarg quosf
ay "aouvay un pasn Kyuouutor jsoue LayIung snsosogs
2 eons :

478 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXVIII.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

SALADS IN PARIS.

Tur market-gardens immediately round Paris are, in spring, for
the most part covered with glass—large clear bell-glasses, about
18 inches high, and small shallow frames. In each large glass a
huge Cos Lettuce rises nearly to the top, while at its feet—pigmies
round a giant—there is a ring of those dwarf tender Lettuces so
much sought after in winter and early spring. The icy breath
of the north is probably blowing over the garden; but the plants
are well screened from it, sitting in the sun within their glass
homes. We have all laughed at Sydney Smith’s “bottled sun-
beams ;” but we literally have them here. Sometimes these glasses
are ‘thickly placed on shallow hot-beds, when used for winter and
early-spring crops; sometimes on slightly-sloping beds of rich
light soil. The bell-glasses are used, for the most part, for the
production of Cos Lettuces; the shallow frames for the Noire
Lettuce, so much in demand in winter. The culture of Salads in
the suburbs of Paris for the supply of its markets and the markets
of many other cities, is one of the most interesting examples of
successful cultivation it would be possible to name. The sugges-
tion that climate is the cause of the superiority of the French in
this respect, will no doubt occur to some. It is not so, however.
By the adoption of the methods to be presently described, as good

Cuap. XXVIIL] SALADS IN PARIS. 479

salad as ever went to the Paris markets may be grown in England
and Ireland during the coldest months of winter and spring. The
winters in Northern France are severer than our own, and there
are many spots in England and Ireland which are preferable to
the neighbourhood of Paris for this culture. Near that city may
often be seen Cos and Cabbage Lettuces looking as fresh under
their coverings in the middle
of winter, when the earth is
frostbound, as Lilac-buds in
May: had they been treated
as ours usually are, they would
have presented a very different
appearance. As ordinary cul-
tivation suffices to grow them
with us in summer, and as
in winter and early spring our tables are supplied from France,
it is only as regards these supplies that we want improvement.
The first and chief thing towards it is to procure some of the
large bell-glasses or cloches used for this purpose. They are cheap,
require no repairs, and are easily cleaned and stored when not
required. The troublesome task of giving air is done away with
in their case. Without air on “every possible occasion” the
British gardener attempts nothing under glass. By adopting
this simple protector, he may forego that ceaseless trouble in
Lettuce-growing throughout the winter
and early spring. In the hotter weeks
of autumn, these glasses are tilted up
on one side for an inch or so, with a
bit of stone placed underneath; but
when once winter comes they are
: placed down quite close, and are all
Plants of the Letince Petite Noire through the winter in the same con-
unier the Cloche in Octoer- +o) ag Wardian cases. By the way,
the French recognised this principle of the Wardian case
long before we did, and what is more, have made a far more
practical use of it. For all sorts of winter Salad-growing this
huge bell-glass is infinitely superior to anything that we use
for like purposes. The plants get full light at all times, and are
not in the least “drawn” or injured by the confinement, the light

ewe
Cloches over Lettuce in Spring.

480 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. XXVIII.

coming in so freely at all points. The glasses are nearly sixteen
inches in diameter, and about as much in height. For the winter-
work they are sometimes placed on sloping beds with a sunny
aspect; the beds being wide enough to accommodate three or
four lines of glasses. In early autumn these beds are made and
the plants placed upon them, so that they can be readily covered
by the bell-glasses when the time comes at which growth is
checked in the open air. It should be added that the ground
chosen is very rich and light, and the Lettuces are sown at
intervals of a fortnight or so, to secure a succession. The plants
put out in September for the early and mid-autumn supply may
not require to be covered if the weather be fine; and if they
should happen to require it, the glasses are tilted up a little as
before described. But when the sun begins to fail and the cold
rains to check growth, about the end of October, then the crop to
be cut in the following month must be covered; and when towards
Christmas the frost begins to enter the ground, the glasses must
be firmly pressed down, and a deposit of leaves and litter placed
around and between them.

Thus, while everything else is at rest in the grip of ice, the
plants will be kept perfectly free from frost, receiving abundant
light from above, and growing as fresh as early summer leaves.
A deeper layer of the surrounding litter will be necessary in case
of severe frost. Covering the glasses a little more than half-way
up with a rather compact body of leaves and litter, effectually
secures the contents from sharp frosts. When very severe winters
occur, mats made of straw are spread over the tops of the glasses ;
and should heavy falls of snow occur while these mats are on,
they will enable the cultivator to carry it away bodily ; it should
on no account be allowed to melt on the beds or in the alleys
between. In late spring the cloche is not required, nor is it used
for any except those crops that require artificial assistance. Thus
the March and April supply is planted in October on a bed of
light soil, with a surfacing of an inch or so of thoroughly-rotten
manure or leaf-mould. These little plants are allowed to remain
all through the winter unprotected ; and when in spring the most
forward Cloche Lettuces are cut, the glasses are immediately
placed over the most advanced of the little ones that have remained
exposed. By that time they have begun to start up, encouraged

Cuap. XXVIII.) SALADS IN PARIS. 481

by the early spring sun, and from the moment they receive
the additional warmth and steady temperature of the cloche they
commence to unfold their fresh and juicy leaves, and finish by
becoming great-hearted and tender products. In the first instance
three or five little plants may be put under each glass, and these
thinned out and used as they grow, so that eventually only one is
left, which often grows almost too big for the glass. No water
is required, as the ground possesses sufficient moisture in winter
and spring, and evaporation is prevented by the glasses and the
protecting litter that covers the little spaces between them.
Thus a suitable moisture is kept up at all times, and the con-
ditions that best suit Lettuces are preserved by the simplest
means.

With the same glasses the various small saladings may be
grown to perfection. Thus, for instance, if Corn Salad be desired
perfectly clean and fresh in mid-winter, it may be obtained by
sowing it between the smaller Lettuces grown under these
glasses ; and so with any other small salad or seedlings that may
be gathered before the more important crop requires all the
room. These bell-glasses will be found of quite as much advantage
in the British garden as they are in France; they will render
possible the production of as fine winter salads in our gardens as
ever the French grew; they will enable us to supply our own
markets with a commodity for which a good deal of money now
leaves the country; hence their adoption is important for all who
care for delicate winter salads. At present the home-grown produce
is so inferior at that season, that it is generally avoided, and
rightly so; for Lettuces when hard and wiry from alternations
of frost, sleet, and rains—slug-eaten and half-covered with the
splashings of the ground, above which they hardly rise—are not
worth gathering. And though they may be grown well in frames
and pits, the method herein described is, when properly carried
out, better and simpler than that. To understand the cloche and
its use will not suffice; it is well to observe the culture of the
varieties suited for each season.

Cunrure or THE Lerruce Perire Norrz.—This kind is grown to
an enormous extent; these are the Lettuces sent from Paris
to Covent Garden throughout the autumn and winter. Few,
however, sow it before the first days of September. It is sown

482 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXVIIL

on light, rich ground, well and deeply stirred, and covered with
an inch, or a little more, of thoroughly-decomposed fine stable-
manure. The surface is made level and somewhat firm, and the
impressions of the number of cloches it is intended to use made
upon it. One cloche will prove sufficient for a private garden at
one sowing; afew suffice for the wants of a market-garden. The
Lettuce-seed is then regularly sown within the ring formed by the
impression of the large bell-glass, and covered with a very slight
coat of fine rich soil. Then the cloche is put on,
the rim being gently pressed into the light rotten
/ mould. Shade is given when the sun shines
strongly in early autumn, but air is never given.
A peculiarity of this excellent Lettuce is that
it grows best without air.

As soon as the seedlings are strong enough to

Diagram showing the
several stages of Let-
tuce-culture under
the Cloche. The
minute dots repre-
sent the seedlings,
which are pricked off
when very small, as
shown in the circle
with twenty-four
asterisks. The central
ring is the plan of a
Cloche with one Paris
Cos Lettuce in the
middle, and five
Cabbage Lettuces
around it; above it,
one with four plants
of a Winter Cabbage
Lettuce ; and beneath
it, one with three
plants of the Cos.

transplant, they are pricked out, about thirty
under each cloche. This transplantation is done
at a much earlier stage than is the case with
us. The plants are not allowed to get crowded,
but are taken up gently and without disturbing
the roots, soon after the cotyledons are developed
and when the first leaves are beginning to
appear. In transplanting, a surfacing of very fine
and thoroughly-rotten manure is placed over the
earth to the depth of an inch, and the earth is
often thrown into beds sloping to the south, so
that the cloches may enjoy the full sun. Whether
the beds are flat or sloping, they are wide enough
for three ranges of cloches placed in an alternate

manner, so that very little space is lost between
them. Before transplanting, the ground is marked by the
impression of a cloche, and the little seedlings are inserted by the
finger in the soft mould. Instead of getting drawn, as would be
the case if they were left together for a longer period, the plants
spread out into neat firm little rosettes, their leaves lying close to
the ground, for the light comes freely through the clear cloche,
and there is not a sign of ill-health or speck of dust to be seen on
the leaves. The strongest batch of those that in September were
in the rosette stage, under the cloches, are transplanted into their

Cuar, XXVIII] SALADS IN PARIS. 483

final places before the 15th of October, planting four under each
cloche. They supply a great want, coming in in perfect condition
towards the middle of winter.

Sometimes the crop is planted out in the narrow frames common
to Paris market-gardens, turning over the old beds before planting.
The frames being shallow the plants are near the glass, and as
soon as planted the lights are put on, but, instead of giving air
by the aid of these lights, the greatest care is taken to keep it out.
No matter whether under cloche or frame, the Petite Noire must
never get any air. Should severe frost occur, the glasses may be
protected with straw mats. It must be observed that when the
plants are transferred into the places where they are to attain
their fullest size they are removed with good balls, and with some
care to check their growth as little as possible. The plants
pricked out in October are ready to cut at the end of November
or beginning of December, when this Lettuce begins to come
into general use. In addition to the crop put out during the
first half of November, another is sown at that season, in the
way before described. Should very severe weather render the
Lettuces liable to suffer, dry litter is placed between the cloches,
and higher up at their north side, so as to prevent the frost from
entering the ground, and the contents of the cloches are daily
exposed to the light and sun, except when they are frozen, when
the covering is kept on or increased. The forced culture in the
small narrow frames usually begins about the end of November.
At that period a hotbed is prepared, sixteen inches thick, and
about 55° F. in temperature, spreading on it some of the never-
failing, thoroughly-rotten manure, and on it are planted seven
lines of Petite Noire. This plantation requires greater care than
those placed under the cloche, in consequence of the warmth and
humidity ; decaying or spotted leaves have to be picked off when
they occur, and the plants must be protected with the mats more
than those not excited by heat. The frames are surrounded by
fermenting manure, which also fills up the alleys between the
little frames to the upper edge of each.

At the end of January or beginning of February the last forced
crop of Petite Noire is planted, under cloches placed on a gentle
hotbed a foot deep, and covered with about four inches of the
game mould-like manure, the bell-glasses as usual being placed

484 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXVIIL

in three ranks. The bed for them may be made wide enough for
six (three lines on each side of a narrow alley), or for three only.
In this January or February planting, four plants of Petite Noire
are planted under each cloche, and one Cog in the middle. The
tender Petites Noires are gathered in February and March; the
Cos remains a little later, nearly filling up the glass and forming
one of those superb Lettuces to be seen in all our great towns
in early spring, and which are usually supposed to come from
some paradisaical climate, instead of the ungenial winter-climate
of Paris. Certainly the climate that would produce them without
protection at the period spoken of should be mild indeed.
Lerruce Verte Maraicuine.—This Lettuce is sown about the
first fortnight in October in the open air, or on a sloping bed under
acloche. It is pricked out, and twenty or thirty are generally
placed under one glass, which is taken off every time the weather
permits. As it often happens that, in spite of the care taken
with it, this Lettuce will grow too tall, it is generally taken up,
‘and transplanted some time in November. For this purpose a
new sloping bed is prepared and the plants are pricked into it
immediately, only eighteen or twenty being put under each glass.
From this moment they receive the same care as the other
Lettuces sown at the same time. Towards the end of December
or the beginning of January planting in frames and under cloches
is begun. In each frame eight rows are placed, each consisting
of twenty-five plants, so arranged that there is a Petite Noire
and a Cos Lettuce alternately. Under the cloches they are
arranged so that there are four of the former to one of the latter.
The Cos Lettuces thus grown may be gathered at the beginning
of February, after which the beds are planted a second time,
towards the end of February or the beginning of March; that is
to say, when the severe cold is no longer to be dreaded, a single
plant is pricked out in the little spaces between the cloches. As
goon as the Cos and the Petite Noire Lettuces planted beneath the
bell-glass are gathered, the glass is used for the second crop. By
this method the crop may be gathered about three weeks after.
At the same time warm borders on the south side of walls are
also planted with Cos Lettuces. Ten or twelve rows are drawn,
according to the size of the border, and planted with Cos Lettuces
about twelve or fourteen inches apart. After this crop has been

Cuap. XXVIII] SALADS IN PARIS. 485

Lettuce—Grosse Brune Paresseuse (S ‘wminer). Lettuce—Crépe (Spring).

Palatine (Autumn). Lettuce—Batavia blonde (Summer). |

Lettuce—Romaine blonde maratchére.

Lettuce—Romaine verte &hiver.

Some Lettuces of the Paris Market (Vilmorin).

2k

486 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXVIII.

planted out, a few Radishes, Leeks, or Carrots are sown between
the Lettuces. Generally speaking, these Cos Lettuces are fit to
gather towards the end of April or the beginning of May. Some
market-gardeners also sow Cos during the month of August,
which, planted out in hotbeds under bell-glasses, are generally fit
for gathering in December and January.

Gorrz Lurrucr.—This Lettuce cannot be raised in the same
way as the Petite Noire, because it will not come to perfection
without plenty of air. It is not so early as the Pétite Noire, but
is much esteemed, growing larger and more perfect than that
variety. The Gotte Lettuce is sown from the 20th to the 25th
of October on a sloping bed, and the
same method of after-treatment is adopted
as in forcing the Petite Noire, although
it is less damaged by frost. Being a later
kind, it may be left in the bed until the
Petite Noire is all gathered, when it may
be used to fill the vacant places in the hotbeds. The manure of
the hotbeds should be left undisturbed, but the soil in the frames
should be well forked and made even. Towards the end of
January or beginning of February the Gotte should be planted in
the frames. It should have plenty of air, whenever the weather
will allow it, by propping up the back of the light. If the
Lettuce does not heart early when protected, the light should be
removed as soon as the fine weather makes its appearance, so as to
allow it to come to perfection in the openair. Instead of planting
the Gotte Lettuce in a frame, it may be planted on a hotbed under
cloches arranged in three rows, three plants being placed under
each, taking care to preserve them from frost in the usual way,
and to give them air whenever the weather will permit. It may
also be planted in the open ground under a cloche. The earth is
well dug and raked, and an inch and a half of well-decomposed
stable-manure thrown over it, smoothed and flattened. The
cloches are then placed in alternate lines, with three plants under
each. When the plants have struck, air should be given them
whenever possible. This variety when planted in frames at the
end of January, arrives at perfection by the end of March; when
planted under cloches in February, at the beginning of April;

Lettuce Gotte.

Cuap. XXVIII] SALADS IN PARIS. 487

and when planted under cloches or in frames at the end of
February, towards the middle of April.

Tue Passion Letruce—Laitue de la Passion, as it is called—is
the only Winter Lettuce grown in the neighbourhood of Paris in
the open air. It is sown from the 15th of August to the 15th
of September, according to the soil which is to receive it, and is
pricked out rather thinly in October. It is generally left unpro-
tected through the winter ; however, it is prudent to defend it
against severe frosts by covering it with long litter, which is taken
off and put on again as often as necessary. This Lettuce is
generally fit for gathering towards Passion Week, from which
circumstance it derives its name. As regards the best varieties of
Lettuce of the Paris gardens for the different seasons, I am indebted
for the following note to M. Henri Vilmorin of Paris. “ Forcing
kinds: Crépe 4 Graine Noire (Petite Noire) and Gotte ; for spring
use, Gotte 4 Bord Rouge and Blonde d’hté ; for summer use, Blonde
de Versailles and Batavia Blonde; for autumn, Palatine; for
winter and early spring, Passion and Morine; and for all the year
round, White Paris Cos.

Tur Barse pe Capucin is the most common of all salads in Paris

i

iv]

"| 4 4

hs

;

|

Barbe de Capucin.

in the winter and early spring. It is perhaps too bitter for some
tastes, but is well worthy of culture in small gardens, being so
very ‘easily forced when other salads are scarce. This salad

may be had with the least amount of by cellar, or

488 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXVIII

any dark place where a little heat might be used to start the
blanched leaves in winter. Should the taste be too bitter to those
unaccustomed to it, or who do not like bitter salads, the addition
of Corn Salad, Celery, or Beetroot, improves and modifies the
flavour, and makes it a very distinct and agreeable salad. The
gardeners of the commune of Montreuil sow every year in spring
a large quantity of common Chicory for the purpose of forcing
the Barbe de Capucin. In autumn the roots are taken up with
the fork, care being taken not to break them. They are then laid
by the heels so as to have them always ready for use; and in
October, the season when such work is usually commenced, a hot-
bed about sixteen inches deep is prepared, the heat of which is
from 65° to 80° Fahr. The most favourable position for such a
hotbed is ina cave or in a deep cellar without light or air. When
the heat of the bed has somewhat abated, the plants are tied up in
bundles after carefully removing all the dead leaves and other
portions liable to produce mouldiness, after which they are placed
upright on the bed and watered. From the time the Barbe begins
to grow, these waterings must be given with judgment, so as to
prevent the interior of the bundles from rotting. At the end of
fifteen or eighteen days, the salad is long enough to be gathered.
The Chicory can be blanched from autumn up to March and April ;
after every gathering, however, the spent heating-material should
be removed, and replaced by a fresh supply, so as always to keep
the bed at the same degree of warmth. Chicory possesses many
excellent qualities, which should recommend it to more general
attention than it now enjoys. It is of easy culture, is not at all
fastidious as to soil, and may, therefore, be grown largely by those
who cannot devote much time or attention to the culture of choice
salading. Even where Lettuces and Endive are extensively grown,
Chicory should find a place, as its addition to the salad-bowl
imparts a piquancy which cannot well be obtained by any other
ingredient. It is largely used and much esteemed as a winter
salad in many parts of France, and, in common with the Dandelion,
it there enjoys the reputation of possessing peculiar blood-purifying
principles.

ScaroLE (Broad-leaved Batavian Endive).—This fine salad
occupies a considerable space in the culture of the Paris market-
gardens. It ought to be more generally grown in England, being

Cuar. XXVIII] SALADS IN PARIS. 489

easy of cultivation, very large, and forming an excellent salad;
indeed, it is on the whole perhaps the best we have. The mode
of blanching is very simple: the leaves of the plant are gathered
up, and a single straw tied around them. This is only done five
days before the Scarole is ready for market. A crop of this
nearly ready to blanch in September, was the second crop of the
same plant that had been on the ground—the first and best having
been gathered a few weeks before. Some of the finer specimens
of this second unblanched crop measured twenty and twenty-one
inches in diameter on the 7th of September.

Corn Satap or MAcuz.—This plant is very much used in
Paris, and is excellent as a salad. It is peculiarly agreeable
when mixed with a sprinkling of Celery. The culture is of the
simplest kind, the seeds being often sown amongst other crops.
The Ronde variety is sown about the 15th of August, and at
intervals till the end of October. That sown in August comes in
for the autumn consumption; that sown in September for winter
use; and that sown in October is used in spring. During hard
frost the crops to be gathered during winter are covered with
long litter. Mache Régence is sown in October, and is sown more
thinly than the preceding; it is considered the best variety. It
may also be raised in the spare places between the plants, under
cloches, in any open surface between plants in frames, or any cool
light garden-structure.

490 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XXIX.

CHAPTER XXIX.

SOME VEGETABLES OF THE PARIS MARKET.

A visit to the markets of Paris is sufficient to interest many in
the vegetable culture of that capital. There is so much difference
in the supplies to that market and the London one that there is
much to be learnt on both sides. That so great a difference
should exist in the market-produce of cities so near each other
is remarkable. The Parisians make as much use of the Seakale
or Rhubarb as we in England do of the Breadfruit-tree; and
one who leaves London in a hot and dry July, having tailed to get
a salad at dinner, arrives in Paris next morning, and finds the
markets full of every variety of salading as tender as if the
climate were a perpetual May. Although abundant intercourse
has long existed between the two countries, yet from the fact
that the visitors are rarely men capable of appreciating differ-
ences and their value and causes, and the difficulty of getting
information about the subjects, noticeable improvements have
not been exchanged from side to side,

Tue Carrots or THE Paris Manxet.—Every visitor to the
Halles of Paris or the streets near them during the earlier hours
of the day, must have noticed vast quantities of dwarf, tender
little Carrots. These indeed, sent from Paris, are seen in many
other cities. They are always fresh, always to be had, and
contain none of the tissue which makes the coarser Carrots so
much less valuable. Even when we do grow the best varieties
of dwarf Carrots in this country, they never present the cleanly
appearance of those of the Paris market-gardens, nor are they so
tender and good. The French, who are difficult to please in
respect to this vegetable, never make use of field varieties for

Cuar. XXIX.] SOME VEGETABLES OF THE PARIS MARKET. 491

cooking, except in cases of necessity. In France, also, where its
cultivation is most extensive and the best carried out, all the
known varieties are more or less made use of according to their
value; but the choice small kinds are grown everywhere, even by
the poorest people. The varieties grown in this country are not
so numerous, are in-
ferior in quality, and
badly grown, com-
pared with French
kinds. In gardens
this is most obsery-
able, and the conse-
quence is the London
markets are stocked
chiefly with the
Surrey Carrot, a
tough variety, with-
out flavour, and with
a heart like a walk-
ing-stick, It is,
moreover, difficult to
cultivate, on account
of the deep soil it re-
quires ; while, on the
other hand, the finer
cooking varieties
accommodate them-
selves thoroughly to
soils of medium /
depth. \ j

Frenca Forcine Car- {
rot (Carotte trés-courte —
3 chassis).—This variety
is the smallest and earliest
Carrot, chiefly used for
forcing. It is a great favourite among the Parisian market-gardeners on account
of its extreme earliness. Theroot is from 14 to 2 inches in size, nearly round, and
terminates in a very fine tape-like fibre. It is pale straw-coloured when grown
under glass during the winter, but scarlet when raised in open ground. The flesh is
very tender and finely flavoured ; and it has scarcely any fibry “ heart * in the centre.

Early French Forcing Carrot of the Paris Market.

»

492 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [CHar. XXIX.

'Yhe top is greenish and hollow-crowned ; the leaves few and small. This affords
afair supply of fresh Carrots all the year round. Recently, bunches of this variety
have made their appearance in Covent Garden Market, but the freshness of such
tender roots is spoiled by their journey from Paris to London. The preceding cut
shows the true shape and natural size; but inferior stocks, producing conical roots
neither so succulent nor so early, are often met with. This valuable Carrot
ought to be used only for forcing. Sowings should be made on hotbeds having
a medium temperature, from November to February, for use from February until
May. For early crops sown in warm borders, the Scarlet Horn will be found to
be far better adapted. Market-gardeners sow the Early French Forcing Carrot
in August and September, and after protecting it in winter, sell it in the spring
for newly-forced Carrots, to which they bear some similarity after a sharp brushing
before they are sent to market, but the difference may be easily detected by their
deep scarlet colour, an] the leaves being cut off the roots. In ‘addition to this,
the skin is rough and the flavour much inferior, whilst newly-forced Carrots are
smaller, of a straw colour, with a shining skin, and are always tied up in bunches
by their long thin leaves ; both kinds may sometimes be seen at Covent Garden.
Special attention should be paid to this variety, which really deserves general
cultivation. The following are its synonyms—French Forcing Carrot, French
Forcing Horn Carrot, Very Early Forcing Carrot, Very Early Scarlet Horn
Carrot, Very Early Short Horn Carrot, Early-Forcing Horn Carrot, Very Early
French Carrot, etc. In France its synonyms are Carotte grelut, Carotte trés-
courte & forcer, Carotte Carline, Carotte toupie, Carotte a chassis.

Scartet Horn (Carotte rouge courte).—A popular early variety, the most
geuerally cultivated for the first crop in the
open ground. The root is deep scarlet, 23 to
3 inches long, and 1 to 13 inches thick. It
is nearly cylindrical, slightly tapering, and
terminates abruptly. The flesh is very tender,
and highly flavoured. ‘he top is greenish,
and hollow-crowned; and the leaves of a
medium size. It can be used: for forcing
exactly like the preceding kind, but being of
a larger size it is not quite so early, there-.
fure the best time for sowing is in February,
on a warm exposed border; and, if well pro-
tected, in case of severe weather, a fair crop
of new Carrots may be expected by the be-

apa fee ginning of May. Sowings made subsequently

Shoriae. from March to May will afford a fair supply

during the whole summer where large roots

are objected to. On account of its small size it is not suitable for winter storing,

his kind is often mistaken or sold for the French Forcing Carrot, although the

two plants differ much, both in size and earliness, ‘The following are its

synonyms :—Early Horn Carrot, Early Scarlet Horn Carrot, English Horn Carrot,

Dutch Horn Carrot, Carotte rouge courte hative, Carotte rouge courte
d’Hollande, ete.

InrermepDiargs ScarLer (Caiotte rouge demi-longue pointue).—This is the

Cuar. XXIX.] SOME VEGETABLES OF THE PARIS MARKET. 493

best variety for general use; it has beautiful scarlet roots, 5 inches long and from
2 to 23 inches thick, tapering and sharp-pointed. The flesh is highly flavoured
and of the best quality. The top is greenish, hollow-crowned, with a few
vigorous medium-sized leaves, This excellent kind ought to be grown for the
main crop in every garden, as it is very hardy and gives large crops. It is the
best: and the most useful kind for winter storing; it grows in almost every kind
of soil, and, provided the plants are kept sufficient distance apart, it will resist
drought better than any other garden kind, besides losing little or nothing of its
valuable properties. Svwn from March until June, in rows from 9 to 12 inches
distant, the plants are thinned as soon as possible, and kept from 4 to 5 inches
apart, according to the quality of the soil, as soon as they altain the size of a
pencil. Hoeing and watering, in case of extreme dryness,
will aid development and ensure a good crop of excellent
Carrots. It is known under a great many names,
according to the country in which it is grown; and, on
account of its productive qualities, it has been cultivated
sometimes in the field, yielding as much as 14 to 15 tons
to the acre.

INTERMEDIATE ScaRLET STumMpP-ROOTED (Carotte rouge
demi-longue obtuse).—This is a French variety, similar
to the last described in its quality and uses. The root
is deep scarlet, from 4 to 43 inches long, from 13 to 2
inches thick, and almost cylindrical in shape. The root
is stumpy, the top greenish in colour and hollow-crowned.
It is an improvement on the preceding kind, which it
has supplauted in many gardens, though less hardy and
occasionally more affected by drought. It is a valuable
variety for autumn and winter storing. It has enjoyed a popularity in France
extending over thirty years, and is now much used in
America, Germany, and Belgium; but its introduction
into English gardens has been very gradual and partial.
It requires the same culture as the Intermediate Scarlet
Carrot, and is an exceedingly valuable kind that should,
if possible, be always found in the list of winter-vege-
tables.

Iyrermeprate Nantes Scarier (Carotte rouge demi-
longue Nantaise).—This is of recent French introduction,
having a close analogy to the two preceding varieties.
The root is a deep red in colour, 44 inches long, from 13
to 2 inches thick, and bluntly-cylindrical in form; the
top is greenish in colour, with a hollow crown. The
leaves are of medium size; the flesh is very super‘or in

: flavour and quality, the heart being less developed and
Intermediate Nantes wove tender than in other varieties, and both for sauces
Se and stews it is a most desirable kind. It is a valuable
acquisition to the kitchen-garden. Although it is an earlier variety than the two
preceding ones, it is not sufliciently so for forcing, Sown from March to June, it

Intermediate Scarlet
Stump-vooted.

494 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caap. XXIX.

will produce an excellent crop in the autumn and throughout the winter. On
account of the delicacy of this Carrot, considerable attention and care must be
devoted to it during growth, which however will be amply repaid by the results,
It is sometimes called “ Carotte sans cceur.”

Forcine Carrots.—The French Forcing and the Scarlet Horn Carrots are the
best for this purpose, but the first is to be preferred. The forcing is thus con-
ducted :—Prepare mild hotbeds 23 feet thick in November or December, and 14
or 2 feet in January or February; put on the frames, cover the bed with 5 or 6
inches of rich soil or mould, and as soon as the whole is sufficiently heated, sow
the seed broadcast, cover with half-an-inch of mould, smooth the surface, and
place mats over the glass until the seed comes up. Should the interior get dry,
give a slight watering, but damp must be guarded against. ‘The plants must be
thinned to half-an-inch apart as soon as they have four or five leaves. Air must
be admitted as often as the temperature will allow of it; this will give strength to
the seedlings. The heat must not exceed 60° during the day and 50° at night ;
this may be easily regulated by tilting the glass. In the case of sharp frost,
covering with mats is preferable:to artificial heat. Shading, if needed, must not
be omitted. A November sowing, if well managed, will produce fine young
Carrots at the end of February, and through March and April. Subsequent
sowings—in December for March to April, in January for April to May,
and, lastly, in February for April to June—are required by market-gardeners;
but, in private gardens, the first bed should be made in November and the second
in January; these will afford an ample supply until new open-ground Carrots are
fit for use. Where frames are not available, prepare at the beginning of February,
in some warm corner, a bed of hot material mixed with leaves, covered with 4 or
5 inches of mould; sow the seed and protect with mats supported with sticks or
other apparatus. As soon as the seed comes up remove the covering every day
as frequently as the weather will permit, and the crop will be ready by the end
of April and through May. Parisian market-gardeners mix seeds of Radish and
Lettuce with those of Carrots, they being ready for use before the Carrots, which
are then left to produce a second crop; a practice not advisable, nor is that of
planting Cauliflowers among forced Carrots.

. D, Gurménevr.

CuLTURE IN THE OpEN-arn.—The first sowings are made in the
open-air in the month of September. During frost care is taken
to cover the young crop with straw, which is removed whenever
the weather is fine enough. When this sowing is successful
the crop may be gathered towards the month of May. Other
sowings are made in February and March, from which time they
may be continued regularly until July. But at whatever time
the sowing takes place, the ground ought to be well prepared,
and the seed sown broadcast. After the seed is sown the ground
is slightly covered, then trodden down with the feet, and a layer
of fine and thoroughly-rotted manure spread over the whole; the

Cuap. XXIX.] SOME VEGETABLES OF THE PARIS MARKET. 495

ground is then raked lightly, and watered whenever it is neces-
sary. As soon as the young plants make their appearance, the
crop is carefully thinned out. Three months after the sowing,
the more forward Carrots may be gathered, the results of the
later sowings being left until November. :

Mr. Cornhill writes to the ‘Garden’: “I should like to see the
French Early Horn Carrot more extensively grown than it appears
to be. I would especially recommend a trial of it to the owners
of small gardens. I venture to assert that those who have
habituated themselves to a supply of this root during the spring
and summer months will not easily make up their minds to forego
the luxury. In all French kitchens this little Carrot is almost
indispensable, and this is not to be wondered at, for both its
appearance and flavour are good. The first crop, where it is
possible, should be sown on a moderate hotbed in January, taking
care that the soil employed is tolerably rich and well sweetened—
the best material I have found for this purpose is the clearings of
old hotbeds which have been turned over and over for several
years, and have become reduced to the consistency of mould.
Where asupply of this does not exist, any kind of free well-worked
soil may be taken. When the seed is up, thin out to about four
inches, and care must afterwards be taken to admit plenty of air
on all favourable occasions, so as to prevent drawing and to cover
up in cold weather. The first sowing in the open ground should
be made about the middle of February, choosing a well-sheltered
and rather dry spot. Thoroughly break and pulverise the soil,
which should be fairly rich ; it is well to fork-in a good dressing
of soot and lime, which give substance to the tops and will free
them in a great measure from the ravages of grubs. The seed
may either be sown in a four-feet bed or in drills; if the latter
be preferred they should be drawn with a good broad hoe, making
them as wide as possible. It is advisable to sow the seed mode-
rately thick to ensure a plant, thinning very early. By leaving
them thus they may be drawn as soon as the flavour is well
defined. By thinning out methodically and regularly over the
whole bed in this manner, a small piece of ground will yield a
continuous supply ; in fact, it is surprising what a quantity can
be grown on the space; by leaving them rather thick they can be
pulled early, which forwards the season, and as the crop advances

496 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXIX.

in size, so, from the constant thinning, they acquire the room
necessary to their development. It is, however, preferable not to
depend upon one crop, and successional sowings should be made
in the beginning and latter end of March, and again in April.”

Turnip-rooted Celery.

The root, which is the only valuable portion of this Celery, is a
stout tuber, irregularly rounded, frequently exceeding the size of
one’s fist. This Celery is sown in the neighbourhood of Paris
in February, on a hotbed ; but in the open-air, during the second
fortnight in April, or even later.
The plants are pricked out in
nursery rows, and are transferred
to their permanent quarters during
the second fortnight in June. The
roots are fit for use in September,
October, and November, according
to the progress they have made.
Cultivators are in the habit of
cutting off several of the large
leaves of the plant, besides off-
shoots, and then of earthing-up
the plant—a practice which tends
to increase the size of the tuber.
Though generally eaten cooked, it
is sometimes used, cut in slices, ina
raw state in salads. There are two
or three varieties of this Celery, the
largest being the common Parisian
variety ; the Erfurt has a smaller
root, butis at the same time earlier
and more delicate. Well grown
and properly cooked, this is an excellent vegetable—quite distinct
from our ordinary Celery, which is never so well grown in France as
in England or America.

Turnip-rooted Celery.

The Cardoon.

The Cardoon is much more grown and eaten in France than
in England, and its culture is well understood, There are several

Cuar. XXIX.] SOME VEGETABLES OF THE PARIS MARKET, 497

varieties, some of which are spiny, whilst others are destitute of
prickles, or nearly so. The principal varieties are, the Cardoon of
Tours, a spiny variety which Parisian gardeners prefer to all
others; the Spanish Cardoon, which is more cultivated in the
south than in the north of France; the Cardoon Plein Inerme,
which is almost as fine as the Cardoon of Tours, and which has
the advantage of being free from prickles ; and finally, the Cardoon
Puvis, much sought after in La Bresse and in the neighbourhood
of Lyons. The Cardoon Puvis is an almost spineless variety,
readily distinguished from those already named; the leaves are
larger and shorter than those of other Cardoons, which has given
rise to the name it bears in some localities—the Artichoke-leaved
Cardoon. The way the fine Cardoons of the Paris market are
raised is as follows. The ground requires well pulverising and a
rest from heavy cropping; it matters little how poor or stiff the
soil, so that the bottom be dry. The exposure must be an open
one, as they require a free circulation of air and all the sun
possible. Having marked off the spaces for the trenches and
ridges, allowing six feet for each, those marked out for the ridges
are manured well and dug, for the improving of the ground for
other crops, as well as providing for the Cardoon, must be kept
in mind. The trenches are next dug out one foot deep, laying
the soil right and left on the ridges, and breaking the lumps well
as the work proceeds. The sides of the ridges should be well
sloped off, and beaten smooth with the back of the spade. A
compost, previously prepared, must now be wheeled into the
trenches to a depth of four to six inches, consisting of about equal
parts of chopped turfy soil, good, solid, half-rotted manure, and
road-drift or fine ashes, and if at hand some burnt clay. This is
forked into the trench in such a manner as to keep the compost
merely covered, while the ground below is loosened to the depth
of a foot at least. The trench ought-to lie uncropped until the
season for planting out the Cardoons has arrived, by which time
the ground will be in fine order to receive them. Two rows of Dwarf
Peas are generally sown upon the ridges, and a row of Spinach
between ; these will be off before the Cardoons require earthing-up.
In the first week in May sow the seeds in thumb-pots, placing
two sound seeds at opposite sides of the pots, and plunge the
pots in a cold frame, which must be kept close until the plants

498 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIX.

appear, when plenty of air is admitted, to prevent them drawing
up weakly. In a fortnight after the plants are up, they will be
strong enough to plant out in this order—one row up the centre
of each trench, 18 inches apart, and a row two feet from it in
quincunx fashion on each side. Planting two plants together is
to guard against losses by insects, and when all danger from-this
is over, the weakest can be destroyed. Raising them in pots,
instead of sowing them in the ground, is to prevent gaps in the
rows, and to give the opportunity of having all the plants in the
ridge of equal size, so that when earthed-up, the plants being
alike in strength, the same quantity of soil will be required for
all. The weakest plants may be kept in the cold frame ten days
longer, which, with a second sowing, will give a succession.
Water the newly turned-out plants, and loosen-up the soil between
them. If dry weather succeeds this operation, the plants will
require watering once or twice, until they get established, after
which they will only require to be kept clear of weeds till October.
This will be most advantageously done by forking among them
occasionally, and thus keep the weeds in check, and promote the
growth of the plants better than by using the hoe, In the
beginning of October, the most forward trench of plants will
have attained their full growth, and a sufficient number of well-
twisted hay-bands must be provided for winding round them.
Taking advantage of a fine dry day, commence by carefully
bringing all the leaves into an upright position, in which they
should be held by one person while another fastens the hay-band
round the bottom of the plant, and winds away tightly until the
whole of the stalk is bound round, and the end of the rope secured.
When each row is completed, earth-up till the bands are covered
with the soil, which should be pressed very tightly round the
plant at the top, to exclude air and moisture as effectually as
possible. Hay-bands are said to rot the plants; but, by deferring
the earthing-up till October, and by twisting the bands well, and
fastening them tightly round the plants, very few failures occur.
Some have tried blanching by fastening the leaves closely together
with string and matting, and putting an earthen drain-pipe over
the plants, and filling up with sand. This plan answers ad-
mirably ; the whole of the leaf-stalks becoming perfectly blanched,
quite crisp, and fit for use. The adoption of this plan prevents

Cuap. XXIX.] SOME VEGETABLES OF THE PARIS MARKET. 499

the loss of room occupied by the ridges, as no soil would be wanted
for earthing ; but it takes a pipe seven or eight inches in diameter
for a well-grown plant, and these, if many are required, are
expensive.

The finest Cardoons can only be obtained by frequent and
copious watering, the quantity being increased
as they grow larger. If the weather is warm
and dry, at least a potful of water should be
given to each plant every other day. The
Cardoon is so fiercely armed that it requires a
little care to get at the great plants to tie
them up, etc., without being severely pricked.
To obviate this, three sticks are used—one of
them short, and con-
nected with the other
two by strong twine.
The illustration will
show this simple con-
trivance and the mode
of using it. The work-
man standing at a safe
distance pushes the
two handles under the
plant, and then going
to the other side and seizing them, soon
gathers up the prickly leaves. Another work-
man then ties it up in three places, and
then straw is placed round and tied so as
quite to exclude the light. In three weeks the
vegetable is as well blanched and as tender as
could be desired. To blanch the Cardoon pro-
perly and render the leaves perfectly tender,
it should be deprived of light and air for at
least three weeks. It is then cut just below the surface of the
earth, and divested of its'straw covering ; the withered leaves are
sliced off and the root trimmed up neatly. If it is desirable to
preserve the Cardoon for winter use it should be simply tied up,
as before directed, in the month of November, and uprooted care-
fully with a ball of earth attached to it, and plunged in fine rotten

Jor Blanching.

Blanched Cardoon,

500 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [(Caar. XXIX.

manure or leaf-mould in a dark cellar. The decayed leaves should
be removed every week or so. Under this treatment they become
sufficiently blanched in a fortuight, and may be preserved in a
good condition for at least two months.

Guose ArticHoxes.—Artichoke-culture is of more importance
in France than with us, and there is considerable difference
among the kinds grown. ‘The Artichoke is extensively cultivated
in all parts of France—in the north as well as in the south, in the
east as well as in the west; but it does not prosper equally well
everywhere, and each province has its variety, to which it gives
preference or which thrives better than other kinds. Amongst
these varieties ought to be mentioned the large green Artichaut
de Laon, the heads of which have scales more fleshy at the base
than the ordinary kind, and not placed very close one to the other.
This is one of the best varieties known, and one that is most
commonly cultivated in the
neighbourhood of Paris, espe-
ciallyatAubervilliers, Varieties
are apt not to come true from
seed, and they require, besides,
more time than offsets before
they are fit for consumption ;
the latter mode of propagation
is, therefore, that most generally
adopted. Near Paris the offsets
are taken off in spring; in other
districts the operation isdeferred
till autumn, as this is thought
to produce better and earlier
returns. The process is as
follows:—After stripping off the
soil from the base of the plants,
without pulling them up, the suckers, which grow at the collar,
are removed with a heel, or portion of the stem, attached to
them; and from amongst these offsets the strongest should
be chosen for planting. The soil which is destined to receive
them having been well prepared, the offsets should at once
be planted in lines, at a distance apart of about two feet six
inches each way, taking care to heap up the earth round the

De Laon Artichoke,

NV. des Vertus vont.

NV. de Meaux.

N. des Vertus Marteau.

Navet Saune de Montmagny.

Some Navets of the Paris Market (Vi wmorin).

21

502 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIX.

stalks and to water if the weather be dry. Some prefer planting
in pots until the offsets have fairly rooted, after which they may
be planted out with a ball. Artichokes thus treated are fit for
use sooner than under the ordinary method. In all cases, if the
planting has been properly conducted, a large number put in in
April will be fit for use in the autumn of the same year. Frequent
planting of this kind encourages a succession of good heads,
whereas leaving the plantations long in one place causes all the
heads to come in at nearly the same time. The De Laon variety
is considered the best; Camus de Bretagne is the kind that is
used raw.

Navets.—The long white Turnip, of which such large quantities
are now being brought from Paris to the London market, is
the Long Early White Navet des Vertus. The only district
about Paris that will grow this very early Turnip is the valley
on the banks of the Seine, opposite le Pecq de St. Germain and
Marly, between Le Vésinet Chatou and the river. The principal
villages where the cultivation of this Turnip is carried on are
Croissy and Montesson, especially the former, hence this Turnip
is known in the Paris market as the Navet de Croissy. It is
almost impossible to grow good early Turnips in the spring and
summer on a large scale in the open ground; either they do not
form well or else they flower without forming at all—that is to
say, when they escape the ravages of the grub or beetle. In the
Croissy district the soil is sandy, the climate somewhat cold, and
the air saturated with moisture, conditions all of which are
favourable to the cultivation of this Turnip, which elsewhere can
only be grown from seed sown in July and August. The Croissy
cultivators also produce large quantities of the early round
Parsnip and half-long early round scarlet Carrot, of both of
which varieties enormous quantities are seen in the Halles and
other Paris markets.

Tur Mrtons grown about Paris are quite different in race and
flavour to ours, being nearly always of the Cantaloup race. All
the Cantaloup Melons resemble each other, but vary greatly
under different kinds of treatment. In France, as is often
the case in England, almost every gardener has a so-called
variety of Melon. Their flavour depends entirely on the
time when the fruits are removed from the plant—not too

Cuar. XXIX.] SOME VEGETABLES OF THE PARIS MARKET. 503

soon before and not too late
gardeners never leave a
Melon to ripen on the plant.
There is no doubt that in
this country Melons are left
too long on the vines after
being ripe, and hence their
occasional bad flavour. In
fruit-shops, too, they are
exposed in windows, and
their flavour is destroyed in
a short time. The Cantaloup
Prescott is a fine Melon when
well grown and gathered at
the proper time. It is re-

after they are ripe.

French

Cantaloup Melon of the Paris Markets.

markably refreshing without being too sweet and sickly, as
some of the varieties in this country are.

SOME VEGETABLES GROWN OR USED IN FRANCE.
(D. GurIniNnEur.)

ARTICHOKE, green, purple and large
Laon (raw or boiled); the young white
leaves for salad.

Bastia, alba, and rubra.

Beans (Broad), Seville long pod,
purple seeded, purple flowered; des
Marais.

(Runners), large Soissons,
Rice, Asparagus ; black algerian, purple
podded (both these latter are edible
podded) ; mont d’or butter.
(Dwarf or French), choco-
late; white flageolet; green flageolet ;
early wrinkled-leaf flageolet ; dwarf
Scissons; black algerian, white butter,
spotted white-podded (all three edible
podded), and many others; Dolichos,
several varieties.

Brer-Root, rough bark, or crapau-
dine; early flat Bassano.

BENINCASA CERIFERA.

Borecotz, or Kaue, Palm-kale.

Brake (young shoots).

Burnet, in salad.

CapsBaGe, Baccalan, early and late;
St. Denis; Vaugirard, for winter ; Savoy,
long-headed ; Norwegian (very hardy) ;
Tronchouda, curled ; Russian ; Chinese.

Canrpoon, several sorts.

Carrot, earliest French forcing, or
grelot; Nantes; pale red Flanders ;
white transparent; purple.

CAULIFLOWER, dwarf Lenormand,

CeLerrac, common, Erfurt, curled.

CHERVIL, sweet-scented ; tuberous-
rooted.

Cuicx Pzra.

Cuicory, large rooted; Witloef;
common (Barbe de Capucin); spotted.

CueEnopopium, Good King Henry ;
quinoa (as Spinach).

CLAYTONIA CUBENSIS, salad.

CoRcHORUS OLITORIUS, salad.

Corn Sauap, large seeded; Italian ;
variegated,

Cucumper, large white, green, yel-

21.42

504

low; Russian; Grecian or Athenian ;
snake; Arada.

DanvELion, improved,

Eee-piant, long and round purple,
long white, striped, black.

Enpive, Italian, Ruffec,
Batavian en cornet, for winter.

Evexinc Parross, salad.

FEDIA CORNUCOPIA, salad.

FENNEL, sweet (in the south).

Gourp, potiron jaune,

Hoty TuistLe (young leaves for
salad).

Hors (young shoots like Asparagus).

Ick-PLANt, salad.

Kou Rast, Artichoke-leaved.

Lzex, yellow Poitou.

Lentin,

Lertuce, early Paris market (for
forcing only); yellow Berlin; brown
Genoa; blonde Versailles; Bossin;
Perpignan; spotted; winter, large
white cabbage.

(Cos), spotted ; blood-red for
winter ; Artichoke-leaved.

(for cutting young), Oak-
leaved ; yellow Dutch ; curled; Lactnca
perennis; Lactuca augustana.

Lorus tetragonolobus.

MaRtTYNIa PRoBOSCIDEA, pickling.

Merton (Open ground), cavaillon,
maraicher, and de Tours.

(Cantaloup), noir des
Carmes, prescott & chassis, fond blanc
(these three chiefly for Paris market).

NETTLE (young and tender leaves
for salad).

NIGELLA AROMATICA (seasoning).

Oxra, long and short (for pickling
and sauce).

Ontons, pale red Niort; Pear-shaped ;
Trébons ; Catawissa.

Oxauis, yellow, white,
(roots and leaves).

Rouen ;

and red

THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXIX.

Patience Dock (like Sorrel and
Spinach).

Pras, clamart, early and late; purple

podded, Sabel, Leopold II.
——— (Sugar), tall; giant grey-
seeded; grey ‘seeded; white podded ;
yellow podded; very dwarf; dwarf
white wrinkled.

Pepper or Capsicum, all the varieties,
chiefly in the south for pickling, also
roasted with oil and vinegar.

Puysais pubescens (yellow Alke-
kengi).

PicRIDIUM VULGARE, salad.

PLANTAGO CoRONOPUS, salad.

Porato, Marjolin (the earliest);
Saucisse; Reine blanche; Vitelotte

_(salad).

PurRsSLANE, yellow, for salad; green,
for boiling.

Rapisa, early rose turnip; extra
early white turnip; purple turnip;
black tumip; large Gournay; long
white green top; long purple; long
Rave tortillée du Mans.

Rampton, salad.

RAPHANUS CAUDATUS.

Rocket (Brassica eruca), salad,

Rusa Nut (roots).

Sastry (leaves blanched for salad).

Scotymus HIsPanicus (like Salsify).

SHALLOT (the true kind, not that
now used in London).

SgirRet, for the roots.

SorreEu (daily in Paris).

Spinaco, Lettuce-leaved ;
Viroflay.

Sweet Poraro (in sorts).

Swiss cHARD, curled.

Turnip, des vertus marteau; de
Meaux; de Teltau; long black; early
white strap leaf; de Bortsfeld.

Water Cuestnvt, boiled.

Yams (in varieties).

large

Cuar. XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 505

Mouth of Mushroom-cave at Montrouge.

CHAPTER XXX.
MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS.

MusHRooM-GROWING as carried on beneath Paris and its environs
is the most interesting example of cultivation under difficulties
of which we have any knowledge! To get a fair idea of it it is
necessary to visit one of the “ Mushroom-caves ” at Montrouge,
just outside the fortifications, on the southern side of Paris.
The surface of the ground is mostly cropped with Wheat; but
here and there lie blocks of white stone, which have recently
been brought to the surface through well-like openings, the
stone being mined like coal. We find a Mushroom-grower after
some trouble, and he accompanies us across some fields to the
entrance of his subterranean garden. Through the circular
opening or mouth of the pit protrudes the head of a thick pole
with sticks thrust through it. This pole, the base of which rests
in darkness sixty feet below, is the only road into the cavern.
Down the shaky pole we creep, and soon reach the bottom, from
which narrow passages radiate. A few small lamps fixed on
pointed sticks are placed below, and, arming ourselves with one
each, we commence slowly exploring tortuous passages dark as
night and perfectly still. The passages are so low that frequently
we have to stoop to aveid the pointed stones in the roof. On
each hand there are little narrow beds of half-decomposed stable-

‘506 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuap. XXX.

manure running along the wall. These have been formed quite
recently, and have not yet been spawned. Presently we arrive
at others in which the spawn has been placed and is “ taking”
freely. The grower pointed with pride to the way in which the
flakes of spawn had begun to spread through the beds, and passed
on to where the beds were in a more advanced state. Here we
saw small, smooth ridges running along the sides of the passages,
and wherever the rocky subway was more than a few feet wide
two or three little beds were placed parallel to each other. These
were nearly new, dotted all over with Mushrooms no bigger
than Sweet-pea seeds,
and affording an excel-
lent prospect of a crop.
They contain a much
smaller body of material
than we employ for
Mushroom-beds. They
are not more than
twenty inches high, and
about the same width
at the base; while
the beds against the
sides of the passages are
not so large as those
placed in the open
spaces. The soil with
ie which they are covered
Basages in Mushroom-cave. to the depth of about
an inch is nearly white;.it is simply sifted from the rubbish of
the stone-cutters above-ground, and gives the recently-made bed,
when moistened, the appearance of being covered with putty.
Although we are from sixty to eighty feet below the surface
of the ground, everything looks trim and scrupulously clean, A
certain length of Mushroom-bed is made every day in the year,
and as the men finish one gallery or series of galleries at a time,
the beds in each are equally forward. As we proceed to those
in full bearing, creeping up and down narrow passages, winding
always between the two little narrow beds against the wall on
each side, and passing now and then through wider nooks filled

AOE

%
N
g
8
8
*
8
&
a
:
N
8
&
2%
=
a
s
&

508 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXX.

with two or three lines of beds, daylight is again seen, this time
coming through another well-like shaft, formerly used for getting
up the stone, but now for throwing down the materials for the
Mushroom-beds. At the bottom lies a large heap of the white
earth before alluded to, and a barrel of water—for gentle waterings
are required in the cool, black stillness of these caves.

We find but little unpleasant smell, for the galleries are all
thoroughly ventilated, not only for the sake of the labourers, but
of the Mushrooms, which would not thrive in confined air. If
the air were not frequently changed, the workmen, the lamps,
and the gases given off by the slow fermentation of the material
would soon render the quarries unfit for the culture. The
ventilation is accomplished by means of small shafts here and
there, surmounted by wooden chimneys, with the upper end cut
at an angle. The top of the chimneys is above the level of the
mouth of the principal shaft, and the bevelled edge turned towards
the north. The number of ventilating-shafts and their distances
apart must be regulated by the special wants of each mine. Fre-
quently the Mushroom-growers content themselves with using the
ventilating-shafts constructed by the former owners of the pit,
seeing that the construction of each shaft costs from £8 to £40,
according to its depth. It sometimes happens that two quarries
communicate, in which case the ventilation is an easy matter ; it
is, however, necessary to guard against strong draughts and
sudden changes of temperature, which would interfere with the
well-being of both the men and the Mushrooms. For this
purpose the usual means employed for the ventilation of coal-
mines, such as fires and trapdoors, is adopted. When the entrance
to the quarry is by a horizontal gallery, as at’ Méry, level with
the road, the ventilation is comparatively simple, and the work of
cultivation much easier. The caves are let at from £6 to £16 per
month, according to the extent and height of their galleries, and
the facilities for ventilating them. Atmospheric variations, both
inside and out, must be narrowly watched, so that the temperature
of the quarry may not rise or fall too far above or below the
average, and that the ventilating-currents may always be kept in
the same direction and of the same strength. If the beds are in
a cavern, the draughts should be in the direction from north to
south, and the ventilating-shafts and their dampers should be so

Cuap, XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 509

constructed that the quantity of air necessary for the proper
growth of the Mushrooms may be obtained at will. Proper
watering plays a great part in Mushroom-culture; means must,
therefore, be taken for obtaining a sufficient supply of water in
the quarry itself. It often happens, however, that the opening
of the quarry and the locality of the beds are far away from any
dwelling or well, in which case the water is conveyed to the
mouth of the shaft in large barrels holding about 130 gallons.
By means of a sail-cloth hose, which is attached to the tap of the
barrel, the water is lowered to the bottom of the shaft, where it
is stored in large tubs or tanks. In some quarries sufficient water
filters through the rock for the supply of the beds.

Once more we enter a narrow passage, and find ourselves be-
tween two lines of beds in full bearing, the white “ button”
Mushrooms appearing everywhere in profusion along the sides
of the diminutive beds. As the proprietor goes along he removes
sundry bunches that are in perfection, and leaves them on the
spot, so that they may be collected with the rest for the morrow’s
market. He gathers largely every day, occasionally sending away
more than 400 lbs. weight, the daily average being about 300 Ibs.
We are now in an open space, a sort of chamber, say 20 feet
by 15, and here the little beds are arranged in parallel lines, an
alley of not more than four inches separating them, the sides
of the beds being literally blistered all over with Mushrooms.
Frequently the Mushrooms grow in bunches or “ rocks,” as they
are called, and in such cases those that compose the little mass
are lifted all together.

The sides of one bed here had been almost stripped by the
taking away of such bunches, and it is worthy of note that they
are not only taken out, root and all, when being gathered, but the
spot in which they grew 1s scraped out, so as to get rid of
every trace of the old bunch, the space being covered with a little
earth from the bottom of the heap. It is the practice to do this
in every case, and when the gatherer leaves a small hole from
which he has pulled even a solitary Mushroom, he fills it with
some of the white earth from the base. The Mushrooms look very
white, and are of prime quality. The daily gatherings, and the
absence of all littery coverings and dust, secure them in spotless

condition.

510 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXX.

These caves not only supply the wants of Paris, but greatly
those of England and other countries, large quantities of preserved
Mushrooms being exported, one house alone sending to our own
country no less than 14,000 boxes annually. To traverse the
passages any further is needless—there is nothing to be seen but

SG
KEN

Plan of large Subterranean Quarry at Fortes Terres, Frépillon. S,S,S, represent the plan
of the bases of the huge supporting pillars, and the dotted lines their union with the roof.
D, C, shows the line of the section shown in the following cut, and P, place for preparing
the plaster.

a repetition of the culture above described, every available inch
of the cave being occupied. We find our way to the bottom of
the shaft, carefully mount the rather shaky pole one by one, and
are glad to find ourselves in the hot sun in the midst of the
ripe Wheat. In traversing the fields, two things relating to

Cuap. XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 511

Mushroom-culture are to be observed—heaps of white gritty
earth, sifted from the débris of the white stone, and large heaps
of stable-manure undergoing preparation for Mushroom-beds.
That preparation is different from what it receives in England.
It is ordinary stable-manure thrown into ‘heaps four or five feet
high, and perhaps thirty feet wide. The men were employed
turning this over, the mass being afterwards stamped down with
their feet, a water-cart and pots being used to thoroughly water
the manure where dry and white. This cave is but a sample of
a number in the immediate neighbourhood of Paris. In the
Department of the Seine alone there are 3000 stone quarries ;
those which have been abandoned as such and which are situated
close to Paris, at Montrouge, Bagneux, Vaugirard, Méry, Chatillon,

Section following the line C, D, tn preceding figure.

Vitry, Houilles, and St. Denis, are used by the 250 Mushroom-
growers of the Department.

We will next visit a Mushroom-cave of quite another type at
some little distance from Paris. It is situated near Frépillon,
Méry-sur-Oise—a place which may be reached in an hour or so
by the Chemin de fer du Nord, passing by Enghien, the valley of
Montmorency and Pontoise, and alighting at Auvers. There are
vast quarries in the neighbourhood, both for the building-stone
and plaster so largely used in Paris. As many as 3000 lbs.
weight of Mushrooms were at the time of my visit sent daily from
Méry to the Paris market. The Mushroom has rather mysterious
habits, for after a time the great quarries seem to become tired of
their occupants, or the Mushrooms become tired of the air; the

512 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXX.

quarries are then well cleaned out, the very soil where the beds
rested being scraped away, and the place left to “rest” for
@ year or two.

The distant view of the entrance to these quarries has much the
appearance of an English chalk-pit. But there is a great rude
arch cut into the rock, and through this we enter, meeting pre-
sently a waggon coming forth with a load of stones, the waggoner
with lamp in hand. To one who has seen the low-roofed Mush-
room-caves near Paris, the surprise is great on getting a little way
into this one. At least it is so a8 soon as one can see; the dark-
ness is so profound that a few candles or lamps merely make
darkness visible. The tunnel we traverse is nearly regularly
arched, masonry being used here and there, so as to render the
support secure and symmetrical, the arches being flat at the top
for six feet or so across, and about twenty-five to thirty feet
high.

Presently we turn to the right, and a scene like a vast subter-
ranean rock-temple presents itself. At one end are several of us
with lamps, admiring the young Mushrooms budding all over the
lines of beds which, serpent-like, long and slim, stretch away to
some 150 feet distance where a group of men is at work at the
beds. From both sides of this gloomy temple start the dark
openings of avenues at short. intervals, and the floor of all is
covered with Mushroom-beds. These beds are about twenty-two.
inches high and as much wide, and are covered with silver sand
and whitish clay in about equal proportions. In some parts of
the cave the work of ripping out the stone by powder and
simple machinery continually goes on. The arches follow the
veining of the stone, so to speak; their lower parts are of hard
stone, the upper ones of soft, except the very top, which is again
hard. There is but a slight crust of stone above the apex of each
arch, and above that the earth and trees. Running in parallel
lines, and disappearing from view in the darkness, one knows not
what to compare the beds to, unless it be to barked Pine-trees
in the hold of a ship.

As the beds are regularly gathered from every day, no very
large Mushrooms are seen. They are preferted at about the size
of a Chestnut. If the old superstition that a Mushroom never
grows after being seen by human eyes were true, the trade of

Cuar, XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 513

a Mushroom-grower would never answer here, as the little bud-
ding “buttons” are watched every day. The average daily
gathering from this cave is about 880 lbs. weight, and some-
times that is nearly doubled. Even when the crops reach their
lowest ebb, about 400 Ibs. per day are sent to market. The
proprietors of the larger quarries are coming to the conclusion
that culture on a more limited scale gives the best return in pro-
portion to expense, the care and supervision required by so many
miles of beds being too great.

All the manure employed is brought from Paris by rail, as the
place is twenty-five miles from that city by road. In the first
place, so much per horse per month is paid in Paris for the
manure; then it has to be carted to the railway station and
loaded in the waggons; next it is brought to the station of
Auvers, and afterwards carted a couple of miles to the quarries,
paying a toll for a bridge over the Oise on the way. One grower
at Méry-sur-Oise uses as much as 300 tons per month. It is
placed in large flat heaps a yard deep by about thirty long and
ten wide, not far removed from the mouth of the cave, and here
it is prepared, turned over and well mixed three times, and as a
rule watered twice. About five or six weeks are occupied in the
preparation, long manure requiring more time than short. The
watering is usually limited to parts where it is dry and overheated.
Every day stable-manure is brought from Paris; every day new
beds are made and old ones cleared out—the spent manure, useless
in Mushroom-culture, is much in demand by farmers and gardeners,
it being very useful for garden-purposes, particularly in surfacing
or mulching. The advantage the cultivator has in these caves as
compared with the mine-caverns near Paris, is the taking his
materials in or out in carts, as easily as if the beds were made in
the open air. Many men are employed in the culture here, the
daily examination of so large an extent of beds being a consider-
able item in itself. Here and there a barrier in the form of straw
nailed between laths may be seen blocking up the great arch-
ways toa height of six feet or so. This is to prevent currents
of cold air wandering through the vast passages. ~

The mode of preparing the spawn here is entirely different to
ours. The French growers prefer virgin spawn—that is to say,
spawn found naturally in a heap of manure. But as this material

514 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXX.

cannot be obtained in sufficient quantity to meet the wants of
such extensive cultivation, they frequently put a small portion
of it into a freshly made Mushroom bed to spread, and instead of
allowing this bed to produce Mushrooms it is all used as spawn.
In this case the small bed devoted to the propagation of spawn
is placed in the open air, and covered with straw, and as soon as
it is permeated with the spawn it is carried into the caves and
used. As the making and spawning of beds is a process continu-
ally going on, spawning-beds of this sort must be ready at all
times. It is never made into bricks as with us, but spreads
through short, partly-decomposed manure.

A bed in the open air, which is exposed to all the accidents of
the weather, may be spawned with dry old spawn, such as may be
taken from the stock kept for sale. Experience, however, has
shown that, for Mushroom-beds in cellars or quarries, it is better
to allow the spawn to become damp, and undergo a kind of
stratification before being used. For this purpose, the cakes are
placed in rows on the floor of the cellar or cavern, and allowed to
remain for about eight or ten days, until the dampness of the
atmosphere has caused the filaments of spawn to swell up and
resume their normal roundish form, whitish colour, and felted
appearance. It is of importance only to expose a sufficient
quantity of spawn to the damp for immediate use, for it will not
bear being dried and damped again. It must also be remembered
that the spawn must be exposed at such a time that it will be
ready for use when the Mushroom-bed is at the proper temperature.
If the spawn remains too long in this preliminary damping its
sporules become swollen with the damp, and, not finding a
suitable temperature for their development, they wither away.
The stratification of the spawn advances the gathering of the first
crop of Mushrooms by eight or ten days. It is for this reason,
amongst others, that the Mushroom-growers in the Paris quarries
often take their fresh spawn from beds already in work, except
when they desire to obtain an entirely new “strain.” When the
bed has reached the proper temperature, the Mushroom-grower
chooses from among the beds already in bearing the one which
appears in the healthiest condition, that, in fact, in which the
spawn-filaments are most numerous, thickest, and cling most
closely to the particles of the manure. The best time for taking

in the Mushroom-caves at Montrouge.

Sectional View: Operations as carried on

Cuar. XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 517

the spawn from a young bearing-bed is just when the young
Mushrooms are first appearing, The bed thus selected is
broken up, and the cakes of spawn removed, and broken into
lumps of about the size already described. This kind of spawn
isin the best condition for yielding an early and abundant crop
of Mushrooms, which may be gathered at least twenty days
sooner than if dry spawn had been used.

To soil a mushroom-bed, the Paris growers use the chips and
powder of the stone which has been taken out of the quarry, and
which may be procured in large quantities either on the floor of the
quarry or on the surface of the ground around the shaft. This
rubbish is passed through a sieve, and the finer portions mixed
with light, dry earth, in the proportions of three of the former
to one of the latter. The mixture is then watered so as to form
a dry putty-like paste, in which the fingers will leave an im-
pression. The addition of the earth to the powdered stone favours
the development of the Mushroom. Great care must be taken in
selecting the cakes of spawn, only those flakes being chosen which
show an abundance of bluish-white filaments well knitted to-
gether and having a characteristic odour of Mushrooms.

hashes Among the spawn may sometimes be found a spurious kind,
which must be avoided. Such patches are a kind of fungoid
growth which spreads very fast, an almost imperceptible spot being
sufficient to infect and kill a large quantity of healthy Mushrooms.
This disease the French growers call da molle, or la mole. As
will be seen by the illustration, the Mushroom when attacked by
this disease loses its shape, and forms a spongy mass full of
granules. The skin which covers this shapeless cottony mass is
pure white at first, but speedily changes to a yellowish-brown as
it rots away. It emits a disgusting odour, and the inside becomes
filled with brown threads, which are sure signs of decomposition.
Sometimes the edges of the cap turn upwards instead of down-
wards, and the gills become united into a spongy mass which
sticks to the edges of the cap. As soon as the diseased Mushroom
comes into contact with the air it turns brown, and exhales an
odour like that of putrifying meat. When the disease shows
itself in only a few isolated cases, the Mushrooms attacked are
promptly removed from the beds and quarry ; but if it has
been allowed to spread, the whole of the bad and si spawn
M

518 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXX.

must be removed and carried away toa distance. The cause of
this disease is at present uncertain, the opinions of practical
Mushroom-growers being divided on the matter. Some at-
tribute it to lack of cleanliness when the beds are being
broken up. Others say that the remains of old manure mixed
with the soil of the quarry generate dampness underneath the
beds, and as this moisture cannot be absorbed by the stone surface
beneath, it gives rise to the “molle.” According to this
hypothesis, the remedy would be to thoroughly scrape the surface
of the ground on which the bed rests. Others say that the

Mushrooms attacked by the “molle."—(Lachaume.)

ced

“molle” is the consequence of the beds being too much crowded
together in a confined space. According to them, the vapours
produced by the fermentation of the manure become condensed’
on the walls, and, mixing with the natural infiltrations, fall upon
the beds, and bring about the decomposition of the manure.
They base their opinions upon the fact that it is in the summer,
when the heat is great, that the “ molle ’makes its appearance in
quarries with low roofs, and that it is much more rare in quarries
which have high roofs and strong currents of air circulating
through them. But in any case, no matter what may be the

Cuar. XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 519

cause, the remedy is the same, that is to say, to thoroughly break
up and remove the surface upon which the beds are built. Another
disease which sometimes attacks the spawn is known to the Paris
growers under the name of verdigris. It makes its appearance
in the form of very small greenish granules of the colour of
verdigris, and having a peculiar smell resembling chloride of lime.
The same remedy is used as in the case of the “molle.” It is
supposed to be the result of the decomposition of foreign sub-
stances which have become accidentally mixed with the spawn.
Mushrooms grown from spawn attacked by verdigris are poor and
sickly, and probably possess poisonous properties. The smallest
particle of iron in the beds of manure is avoided by the spawn, a
circle around remaining inert.

The gatherings are made in the quarries at a very early hour.
At one o’clock in the morning the Mushrooms are gathered which
at a later hour are sold in the open market. The Mushroom-
gatherers are“each provided with two large baskets, which they
carry on their backs knapsack fashion—one to receive the Mush-
rooms, the other containing the soil with which to fill up the gaps
left in the beds after the gathering. The proper way of gathering
a Mushroom is to seize it in one hand by the cap, at the same
time giving it a slight twist and pulling it gently upwards, so as
to detach it from its roots without disturbing the little Mush-
rooms that are growing round its base. The gathered Mushroom
is dropped into the empty basket, and the hole which it has left
behind it is filled up with a pinch or two of soil from the other.
In some quarries the gatherers pick the Mushrooms and leave
them in little piles on the pathways, or on the beds themselves.
They are followed by women, who pack them into baskets, and by
men who fillup the gaps left in the beds. The beds are then
smoothed down with the hand, and if they appear to be too dry
they are watered. The baskets should be covered over with a
cloth, to avoid all contact with the air, which is apt to turn the
Mushrooms brown. The contents of the smaller baskets are then
packed into larger ones holding from 23 lbs. to 85 Ibs. and
gent to market. Mushrooms of good. quality are sold wholesale
at 8d. to 10d. per pound according to the season. The
re continued daily, but do not yield the same quantities

The time that beds will continue to bear depends
2m 2

gatherings a
regularly.

520 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuap. XXX.

on the materials employed, and the manipulation to which they
have been subjected. The inside and outside temperature have
alsoa great influence. In quarries with a low roof the temperature
is always high, and vegetation is consequently more rapid. The
duration of the crop is from forty to sixty days, and the yield
rapidly diminishes towards the end of that time. In quarries
with high roofs, or which open on to the road, the temperature
is lower, the vegetation is less active, and the bed lasts longer.
In some high-roofed quarries the beds will bear for three or four
months.

A useful contrivance for facilitating the watering of the beds
has lately been invented; it consists of a portable water-cistern

View in old Subterranean Quarries devoted to Mushroom-culture, and in the occupation
of M. Renaudot.

to be strapped to the back and fitted with a rose and tubing, so
that a workman may carry a larger quantity of water, and apply
it more regularly and gently than with the old-fashioned watering-
pots—while one hand is left free to carry the lamp. An iron
frame was also invented, in which the bed was first compressed
and shaped, the frame being then reversed and the bed placed:
in position. This method of forming the beds was afterwards
abandoned, owing to its being impossible to avoid fissures between
thelengths. On an average 2500 yards of beds are made here every
month. Simple mechanical contrivances to facilitate the operation
would, therefore, prove of the greatest advantage to the cultivator.

Tn addition to the caves in the localities above alluded to, there

Cuap. XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 521

are other places near Paris where the culture is carried on—
notably at Moulin de la Roche, Sous Bicétre, near St. Germain,
and also at Bagneux. The equability of temperature in the caves
renders the culture of the Mushroom possible at all seasons; but
the best crops are gathered in winter, and consequently that is
the best time to see them. I, however, saw abundant crops
in the hottest part of a very hot season. These Mushroom-
caves are under government supervision, and are regularly in-
spected like any other mines in which work is going on. As
regards the depth at which the culture is carried on, it varies
from twenty to one hundred feet, sometimes reaching 150 and
160 feet from the surface of the earth. The caves are so large
that sometimes people are lost in them. In one instance the
proprietor of a large one lost himself, and it was three days
before he was discovered, although soldiers and volunteers in
numbers were sent down.

The Mushroom reared in the Paris quarries is always much
smaller than that which grows naturally in meadows. The earth
for “soiling” is very poor, and contains but little humus; but
this comparatively slow growth is advantageous from a com-
mercial point of view, medium-sized Mushrooms selling better
than very large ones in the Paris market. The French growers,
according to M. Lachaume, divide the edible Cave-mushroom into
the following varieties :—-

1. The Small White Mushroom, whose cap is from 3 in. to

4 in. in diameter; the stem is 2 in. in length, and its flesh is
more spongy than that of the cap. This Mushroom is greatly
esteemed, and it is always eaten whole.

2. The Large White Mushroom. The cap sometimes measures
as much as 34 in. in diameter without the edges of the cap
ceasing to turn inwards, the stem is relatively short, measuring
about an inch in diameter, and is milk-white; the skin of the
cap, which is firm and fleshy, is slightly torn, and the gills are
light pink. . ar. =

8. The Cream-coloured Mushroom. The stem 1s 2 in. in
length, and 3 in. in diameter, and milky white. The cap is from
2. in. to 22 in. in diameter. The skin is torn and clouded with
cream-coloured spots on a white ground, and the gills are of a

beautiful light pink.

522 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXX.

4. The Grey Mushroom. This variety attains the largest
proportions of any. Its cap sometimes measures 134 in. in
diameter, the open portion near the stem being as much as 43 in.
across. The skin of the cap is greyish buff, and is generally torn
into silky filaments. The stem is about 2 in. high, and 1+ in. in
diameter; the ring is highly developed, and conceals the gills
when the edges of the cap are open. The flesh is very firm,
remarkably white, and emits a rich odour. In spite of these good
qualities, this kind is less sought after than the others.

These varieties are pretty constant when grown under the same
conditions, but I have seen spawn of the cream-coloured variety,
when sown in a quarry, yield Mushrooms of the pure white
variety, which would seem to indicate that the conditions under
which they grow have a great influence. To be certain of the
variety we are cultivating, we must grow successively two crops
from virgin spawn, so as to leave the soil and the nature of the
manure sufficient time to exercise their influence. For instance,
virgin spawn grown on pigeons’ guano may, when a bed is first
sown with this spawn, give a white or cream-coloured Mushroom,
but the virgin spawn, grown on the same bed, having been
influenced by the horse-manure, may produce a variety at the
second crop.

Tn his little work on the ‘Culture of the Mushroom,’ M. La-
chaume gives a description of a method of growing Mushrooms
without manure, which he has adopted with great success. He
takes a cubic yard of old lime-rubbish, and reduces it to frag-
ments the size of a Hazel-nut. The mass is then moistened and
transferred to a dark cellar. This mass, from containing large
quantities of nitrous salts, greatly favours the development of the
Mushroom. Against the wall a sloping bed is made with the lime-
rubbish about two feet three inches wide, and two feet high, the
lower edge being kept in its proper place by means of thin boards.
The surface ig then smoothed with the hand, and pieces of spawn
are inserted all over the bed, at eight inches apart. The sowing
being completed, the whole is covered with river-sand or fine
stone-dust to the depth of an inch and a half. The sand should
be fresh, and not too damp, but as soon as the surface of the bed
becomes dry it should be lightly watered with a solution of salt-
petre, two ounces to the gallon. The beds must be watered with

Cuap. XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 523

great moderation, for any excess of moisture would rot the spawn.
At the end of about six weeks the Mushrooms ought to begin to
make their appearance. By following this inexpensive process,
and by renewing the bed from time to time in a different part of
the cellar, we may, according to this writer, obtain a plentiful
supply of Mushrooms all the year round.

Mushrooms are subject to the attacks of mice, rats, snails,
woodlice, beetles, flies, and mites. The remedies used for these
are as follows:—For rats and mice, ordinary traps; for the grey
snail, placing here and there little heaps of damp bran or bits of
Cabbage-leaf, and examining these at night; for woodlice, placing
hollowed halves of Potato, and in the morning plunging these
into boiling water; for beetles, perseveringly hunting them out,
taking care, however, not to damage the spawned portions of the
bed ; for flies, by placing a number of pans of water with a few
drops of oil of turpentine or soapy water added, or by a floating
light; for mites (a parasite of the beetles, found in crowds upon
the scraps of straw litter), by watering the spot with water in
which fresh lime is held in suspension.

In old times the market-gardeners of Paris used to grow the
Mushroom in the open air to a large extent, but not so much so
since it has been grown in the caves. Nevertheless there may
still be seen a good deal of space in the open air covered with
beds, especially in winter. They begin with the preparation of
the manure, and collect that of the horse for a month or six weeks
before they make the beds; this they prepare in some firm spot
of the market-garden, and take from it all rubbish, particles of
wood, and miscellaneous matters. After sorting it, they place
it in beds two feet thick, or a little more, pressing it with
the fork. When this is done the mass or bed is well stamped,
then thoroughly watered, and finally again pressed down by
stamping. It is left in this state for eight or ten days, by which
time it has begun to ferment, after which the bed ought to be
well turned over and re-made on the same place, care being
taken to place the manure that was near the sides of the first-
made bed towards the centre in the turning and re-making. The
mass is now left for another ten days or so, at the end of which
time the manure is about in proper condition for making the
beds. Ridge-shaped beds—about twenty-six inches wide and the

524 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. ([Cuar. XXX.

same in height—are then formed in parallel lines at a distance of
twenty inches one from the other. The beds once made of a firm,
close-fitting texture, the manure soon begins to warm again, but
does not become dangerously hot for the spread of the spawn.
When the beds have been made some days, the cultivator spawns
them, having of course ascertained beforehand that the heat is
suitable. Generally the spawn is inserted within a few inches of
the base, and at about thirteen inches apart in the line. Some culti-
vators insert two lines, the second about seven inches above the
first. In doing so it would of course be well to make the holes for
the spawn in an alternate manner. The spawn is inserted in flakes
about the size of three fingers, and then the manure is closed in
over and press-
ed firmly a-
roundit. This
done, the beds
: are covered
with about six
inches of clean
litter. Tenor
twelve days
afterwards the
growers visit
the beds, to see
if the spawn
has taken well.
When they see the white filaments spreading in the bed they
know that the spawn has taken; if not, they take away the
spawn they suppose to be bad and replace it with fresh. But
using good spawn, and being practised hands at the work, they
rarely fail in this particular; and when the spawn is seen
spreading well through the bed, then, and not before, they cover
the beds with fresh sweet soil to the depth of about an inch or so.
For cover, the little pathway between the beds is simply loosened
up, and the rich soil of the market-garden applied equally, firmly,
and smoothly with a shovel. With these open-air beds they
succeed in getting fine Mushrooms in winter. A covering of
abundance of litter is put on immediately after the beds are
earthed, and kept there as a protection.

Mushroom-bed in Open air (Fanuary).

Cap. XXX.] MUSHROOM-CULTURE IN CAVES UNDER PARIS. 525

The daily production of Mushrooms in and around Paris is
estimated at about twenty-five tons, worth about £1000, or close
upon £400,000 per annum. This goes either to the market, to
the preserved-provision manufacturer, or to the provinces. One
preserved-vegetable factory takes no less than two hundred tons
of Mushrooms a year. Growers make special arrangements with
large consumers at an all-round price of about £2 10s. per
hundredweight. One of the largest growers is M. Gérard of
Houilles and the quarries near St. Denis. He employs nineteen
horses and fifty men, and his daily expenses amount to £20.
He has over four miles’ length of beds in his different quarries.
M. Renaudot, of Méry-sur-Oise, sends eighteen tons of Mushrooms
to market every month. There are in Paris about fifty agents
who have the monopoly of the trade, and who supply the shops
and restaurants, the stalls in the markets, the manufacturers of
preserved vegetables, and, to a certain extent, the provinces. In
addition to those eaten fresh, Mushrooms are preserved in large
quantities in a variety of ways, by drying, by desiccation, by
grating to powder, by bottling in butter or oil, and also in tins.

Care-mushrooms as gathered.

526 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXXI.

CHAPTER XXXI.

LILACS OF THE PARIS GARDENS.

Lracs, like Ivy, are of more importance in France than with us.
After the sweet Violet—sold by millions of bunches—perhaps
‘the most welcome plant in the flower-shops of Paris in winter
and spring is the white Lilac. It has for a good many years
been popular in Paris and other continental cities, and more
recently has been frequently seen in Covent Garden, invariably
imported from Paris. The production of this white Lilac has
long been a source of interest to cultivators. On seeing snowy
fragrant masses of it in the shops so early as October, many
persons have supposed it to be a white variety of Lilac, but this
is not so; it is the common kind forced into bloom in the dark,
and, though the blossoms are of as pure a white as most white
flowers, they are simply blanched, just as the shoots of Seakale
are. At first, the white variety of the common Lilac would seem
to be the most suitable for forcing in this manner, but those who
have tried it found it much less go. In the dark it does not make
such a vigorous growth as the common Lilac, and, oddly enough,
the flowers do not come of so pure a white. The French force
the common Lilac in great quantities for yielding these white
blossoms, both in pots, and planted out in beds under glass, The
plants intended to be forced are cut round with a spade in early
autumn to induce them to form flower-buds more abundantly,
and this also facilitates their removal in a compactly-rooted
manner at a later period of the same year. On being taken up
and placed in the house in which they are to be forced, they are
at first kept somewhat cool, but soon the heat is increased till it
reaches from 80° to nearly 90°, and abundance of moisture is

Cuar. XXXI.] LILACS OF THE PARIS GARDENS. 527

supplied at the same time, both at the roots and over the tops;
in the latter case by syringing with tepid water. The chief point,
however, is, that from the day the plants are placed under glass
they are not allowed to receive any light, the glass being completely
covered with straw mats. Thus they gather white Lilac blooms
before the leaves show themselves much. The heat and moisture
and complete darkness effect all that is desired. The Paris
growers commence to cut the white Lilac at the end of October,
and continue to do so till it comes into flower in the open ground.
For many years, the forcing of Lilacs in France was confined to
one or two Parisian nurserymen, who kept the process a secret,
and to whom it proved a source of income, as the flowers, which
were pure white, were eagerly sought after, and as the growers
of them had no rivals in the trade, they were enabled to ask
almost any price they pleased for them. The white Lilac blossoms
have rarely been seen in England except when imported; but
since the appearance of the first edition of this book the
production of white Lilac from the common kind has been tried
with success. Mr. Howard of Bedford Hill, Balham, has produced
it abundantly, and in a simple manner. In autumn and at various
periods throughout the winter, he dug up some bushes of the
common Lilac and placed them in a darkened shed used for
forcing Seakale, etc. This structure is heated by a hot-water
pipe which passes through it, but not to so high a temperature as
that used by the Paris growers. From this shed, in which the
bushes flowered abundantly through the winter, Mr. Howard has
gathered quantities of pure white Lilac, with its fragrance perfect.
Thus it is proved that the production of this addition to our
winter forced flowers may be effected with little trouble.
Recently some careful observers in France have ascertained
that darkness ig not essential to the production of white flowers
from red varieties. The harsh treatment Lilacs often receive
out-of-doors, should turn the attention of indoor gardeners
to their culture in pots now that it has been proved that they
may be flowered easily in a room without the aid of a forcing-
house. In this way the season of these sweet flowers may be
greatly prolonged, and the flowers are often better indoors in
March than in the garden ina harsh May. The French sometimes
graft them on a dwarfing-stock, one of the Privets. Enterprising

528 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXXI.

nurserymen could scarcely confer a greater benefit on all who care
for flowers in the house, than preparing Lilac-bushes for flowering
in windows in town and country. It would prolong so delightfully
the season of this too short-lived flower. I look forward to seeing
them plentiful in London houses, where the absence of strong light
would tend to subdue the reddish pigment and give us the pale
but sweet flowers. The subject is a very interesting one, so both
sides of the question are here given; but I am glad to find that
experiments by M. Lavallée and others in France place the
matter beyond all doubt as to the facility of their production in
the light.

I extract the following particulars respecting the production of
the white variety of the coloured Lilac from an interesting article
by M. A. Lavallée, Secretary-General of the Société Centrale
@Horticulture de France, published in a recent number of the
Society’s journal:--In December, 1876, M. Lavalldée laid before
the Society several branches of the Red Marly Lilac with perfectly
white flowers, and at several subsequent meetings he exhibited
similar specimens, all of them produced upon a system differing
from that generally adopted. The most usual method of obtaining
the artificial white Lilac is to grow the plants in a greenhouse
from which every ray of light has been carefully excluded, but M.
Lavallée has proved, by repeated experiments, that absolute
darkness is not essential for producing the white flowers. The
effect of darkness, perfect or partial, on the plants is due to the
well-known principle of vegetable physiology, according to which
the colouring-matter of leaves known to chemists as chlorophyl—
itself, by the way, being a mixture of variously-coloured con-
stituents—can only be perfectly developed under the influence of
light. This principle has long received valuable applications in
the blanching of Seakale, Celery, Endive, Asparagus, etc., but it
is only lately that it has been applied to the bleaching of flowers,
and, as far as I know, in the case of the Lilac only. M. Lavallée
goes on to point out the needlessness of growing the plants in
perfect darkness, and observes that the mistake which horti-
culturists have made has arisen from the fact of their having
confounded two distinct notions, the one being that leaves grown
in darkness are pale or colourless—the other, the absence of colour
in flowers in which the colourless principle has never been

Cuap. XXXI.] LILACS OF THE PARIS GARDENS. 529

developed, and which therefore remain white. According to M.
Lavallée, specimens of the artificial white Lilac were first exhibited
to the Society by M. Laurent in 1860. These specimens excited
a great deal of interest and surprise amongst the members of the
Society at the time, and a commission was appointed to investigate
the means by which M. Laurent succeeded in obtaining such
beautiful results. M. Laurent’s mode of procedure was found to
be very simple. It consisted in forcing the plants in a hothouse
heated to 80° Fahr., and kept in a perfect state of darkness. M.
Laurent, however, allowed that it was not impossible now and
then to obtain white flowers on plants grown in broad daylight.
At the same time the commission reported on the results ob-
tained by another Paris grower, M. Berthelot, who, also engaged
in forcing Lilacs, produced the same effect in the full light of day,
using for the purpose a well-lighted house, heated to a high
temperature. From this fact M. Duchartre, who acted as
reporter to the commission, concluded that heat as well as absence
of light was capable of preventing the formation of the colouring-
matter in the petals of the Lilac. M. Lavallée has thoroughly
tested both these totally-different methods of arriving at the same
result, and has succeeded in obtaining perfectly-white flowers in
both cases. He is decidedly of opinion, however, that white
Lilacs, grown in an ordinary well-lighted house, give thicker and
larger bunches of flowers, and which last a longer time than when
M. Laurent’s method is employed, and finally, that the open-
daylight mode of culture requires much less care and attention.
Some 9 ft. or 10 ft. of a frame in a Dutch greenhouse were
devoted by M. Lavallée to this experiment, the Lilac-plants being
planted so that their buds were within from 8 in. to 1 ft. of the
glass. They were then left to themselves for nearly three weeks,
the house being kept at a temperature of from 68° to 72°. At the
end of this time the Marly Lilac was in full bloom, while the
Charles X. variety did not blossom until four or five days after.
It has been stated that the last-named beautiful variety could not
be forced, but M. Lavallée has proved this to be a mistake. It
seems, however, that in the early part of the season it does not
always come to perfection, the plants placed in the forcing-house
by M. Lavallée in November having failed to flower ; but after the
beginning of December it is the best variety for forcing. Two

530 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXXI.

Specimens of the Charles X. variety were shown by M. Lavallée,
both of which were grown in the light, but under different
conditions of temperature. The first one, which had pale lilac
flowers, was placed in a house heated to a temperature of 68° Fahr.
on December 23, 1876, to force ‘its growth. At the end of four or
five days the flower-buds began to make their appearance, and it
was transferred to a cool house, the mean temperature of which
was 40° Fahr. The flowers began to open about January 10, and
were of a pale lilac. The shade of colour having been carefully
noted, M. Lavallée replaced the plant in the forcing-house, which
was now at a temperature of 70° Fahr., in order to see if the heat
would have the effect of destroying the small amount of colouring-
matter already formed; but not the slightest change took place,
the flowers preserving exactly the same tint. The second specimen
had perfectly-white flowers, and was put in a well-lighted forcing-.
house on December 30, where it remained until it was exhibited
to the Society. Two specimens of the Marly Lilac, with equally
white flowers, were also shown. They were grown in a well-lighted.
forcing-house at a temperature of 72° Fahr. To vary the experi-.
ment, several plants which had produced pale lilac blossoms in a cool
house were transferred to a perfectly-dark forcing house, but
without the slightest change taking place in their colour.

From these experiments we may draw the conclusions—that a
prolonged heat of from 68° to 72° Fahr. prevents the formation of
the colouring-matter in the petals of the Lilac, but that when once
it has been formed, this temperature is incapable of destroying it,
and that a temperature of 40° Fahr. has no influence on the
colouring-matter of the flowers of these plants. M. Lavallée
therefore supposes that it is on account of the rapidity of their
growth in the forcing-houses that these Lilacs produce colourless
flowers, and that darkness has nothing whatever to do with the
phenomenon ; also that when the Lilac is forced into blossom in
fourteen, fifteen, or even twenty days, the colouring-principle has
not sufficient time to develop itself. Whenever, therefore, we
wish to obtain Lilac with white flowers, all we have to do is to
place the plants in a forcing-house, the temperature of which is
kept at 68° Fahr., without seeking the aid of darkness. This
method of producing artificial white Lilac is extensively practised
by the country people in the neighbourhood of Antwerp. They

Cuap. XXXII] LILACS OF THE PARIS GARDENS. 581

simply plant the common Lilac in tubs at the proper season, and
place them in their living-rooms, close by their stoves, which
are never allowed to go out. The plants flower well, the flowers
being always perfectly white. The same result is obtained by
cutting off the flowering-branches at an early stage, placing their
extremities in a bottle of water, and keeping them in a forcing-
house or in a well-warmed room.

It has been said that when the Persian Lilac is grown in a
forcing-house it will not yield colourless flowers like its con-
geners, but M. Lavallée has obtained identical results with this
species. He attributes the want of success hitherto to the fact
that this Lilac is of very rapid growth, and that a lower tempera-
ture, say from 60° to 64° Fahr., is sufficient to make it produce
colourless flowers, which would not resist a greater degree of heat.
These experiments have been repeated by several members of the
Society, who have endorsed the correctness of M. Lavallée’s
conclusions.

Liwacs IN THE OPEN arr.—About the first day of May the Lilacs
are in full beauty in many of the public gardens of Paris, and
form at that season the principal attraction. The bushes are
pruned closely for two reasons—to insure a strong bloom, and
to keep them about the same size every year. They are in lines,
as a rule, like soldiers, only more regular. With us this lovely
shrub is often left to perish and starve from overcrowding. It is
something even to train a common shrub; for so much we have
to be grateful in Paris, where the State gardens are virtually in
the hands of architects, engineers, and other persons who know
little about gardening, and have no sympathy with right efforts
therein. The true way to grow Lilacs is not that used in Paris.
One ought, perhaps, to apologise for wasting words about a subj ect
that apparently never has excited the least attention. The right
method would be to group Lilacs naturally on the Grass, or on
mounds or slopes, allowing each bush room enough for its full
development. It should not be starved above or below ground zi
it should not be tortured into anything like a broomstick and
balloon-head as in Paris, or contorted by neglect as with us. It
should be allowed to assume a natural form, and be pruned so that
form is never interfered with ; moderate thinning of the branches
to secure a vigorous bloom would be desirable. There are now so

532 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cnap. XXX.

many fine varieties of Lilac that varied and most beautiful small
groups or groves could be formed of them alone. To have a Lilac
group, or several, or a small grove, or even a few thoroughly well-
grown specimens, would be infinitely better than the common
plan of scattering a number of plants through the shrubberies to
dwindle or to perish.

As regards Liiacs in the open garden we appear to be satisfied
with the common variety. It is to be regretted that snch
excellent kinds as Dr. Lindley and Charles X. are not plante4 in
preference to, or at least to an equal extent with, the commoner
kinds. These are limited to three: Syringa vulgaris, 8. dubia
(or rothomagensis), and §. persica, with a few of their varieties ;
and it is one or other of these kinds we are sure to see in our
gardens or pleasure-grounds. In France, however, there is no
such poverty of selection. There Lilacs are grown more fre-
quently as specimens both in public and private gardens, and are
often carefully pruned with a view of securing finer trusses of
blossom. Many accustomed to the one kind so often half-starved
in London shrubberies, and like so many other fine hardy shrubs
treated as if unworthy of culture or attention, might be surprised
to see such a list as the following from a French catalogue of
handsome kinds more or less distinct.

Alba Docteur Nobbe Moritz Eichler
Laciniata Ekenholm *Philémon

Rubra Flore pleno Président Massart
*Aline Mocqueris Géant des Batailles Prince Impérial
Ambroise Verschaffelt Général Schmidt Princesse Camille de Rohan
Amona Gloire de la Rochelle Princesse Marie
Béranger *Gloire de Moulins Professor Stoeckhard
*Blane Virginal Goliath Purpurea

*Carné & Grande Fleur James Booth Rubra insignis
Charlemagne Justii Charles X.

Croix de Brahy Karlsruhensis *Saugé

*De Croncels Konig Johann Spectabilis

*De Laval Langius Triomphe d'Orléans
*De Trianon Lovaniensis Vallettiana

Delépine *Madame Kreuter *Ville de Troyes.

Doctor Lindley

As regards the best kinds of Lilac, M. C. Baltet, who has had excellent op-
portunities of judging, recommends those in the above list with an asterisk affixed
as the kinds most worthy of culture among the varieties raised in recent years.
He has observed more than fifty kinds growing in his garden, and among them
he considers there are twenty good ones.

Pansy Basket of the Paris Market.

CHAPTER XXXII.

“Went out at early morning, when the air
Is delicate with some last starry touch, :
To wander through the Market-place of Flowers
(Lhe prettiest haunt in Paris), and make sure
At worst that there were roses in the world.”
E. B. Brownine.

FLOWER, FRUIT, AND VEGETABLE MARKETS,

No garden in existence possesses half the variety of the flower,
fruit, and vegetable departments of the Halles Centrales, and it is
a variety that is perpetual, for every day brings fresh materials,
every week changes of supply. About twelve o’clock at night,
before Paris has gone to bed, the growers have already arrived on
the spot and begin to expose their freshly-gathered produce in the
market or on the wide footways of the streets around, and for
eighteen hours after that time the whole scene is one of animation.
With its merry clatter of ten thousand tongues, the Central
Market of Paris offers, particularly in the early morning, a never-
failing source of interest, even to those who confine themselves to
the study of the human species. But we who love Violets and
those little fresh Rose-buds that’ look as if born in May and
gathered before they were kissed by the sun, and on whom,

perhaps, the brightness of some of the faces set sy white
N

534 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. (Cuar. XXXII.

caps is not, in consequence, wholly lost, may find much to
interest us here. Many who see this market in perfection in
summer and autumn do not know it in early spring. The bitter
cold of the early spring morning has no noticeable effect in
reducing the numbers who usually throng the market, though it
certainly must mar their comfort. The large extent of the Great
Hall, however, saves them from such drenchings as the people
suffer in Covent Garden on a wet morning. The piles of Mush-
rooms are among the most interesting of the things to be seen.
These are thrown out on wide benches, and heaped up as any
common roots might be. As to quality, these Mushrooms are
excellent indeed ; nearly round, on an average about the size of a
Horse Chestnut, perfectly white, fresh and delicate in texture and
flavour, they look as if each was selected by an epicure from the
myriads often seen on a hill-pasture on an autumn morning. These
Mushrooms all come from the depths of the old stone-mines
beneath Paris and its environs. Almost equally round, and
chubby, and tender, are the little Carrots. Piles of large Pumpkins
strew the ground; these have been kept through the winter, and
form, when green vegetables are scarce, an important article of
food.

In the United States, iong- keeping Gourds are quite as im-
portant a crop as the Turnip is with us,if not moreso. It would,
therefore, seem desirable that their alue should be better known in
England, where they are as easily grown as the Vegetable Marrow,
the only Gourd now popular with us. As compared with the
large Gourd of the Paris market and the best Squashes of the
Americans, the Vegetable Marrow is of little importance as a food-
supply. The common garden Turnips are seen here, but are not
so abundant as the Navet, which many think better, and which
is pretty regularly supplied to Covent Garden from the Paris
gardens. But there is another curious Turnip here—the Navet
de Meaux. This is a singlar-looking kind, usually more than a
foot long, frequently curled in form, and only as thick as a
Cucumber. These are sent to market in a peculiar manner. The
top is cut clean off, a hole pierced an inch below the cut, through
which a few straws are passed, which permit of a dozen roots or so
being strung ina bundle together. These Turnips remind one of
the huge white Radishes that are seen in the Chinese quarter of

Crap. XXXII] FLOWER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKETS. 585

San Francisco, but are not so large as the snowy ones of the careful
Chinese gardeners. Passing by many vegetables common to
London and Paris markets, we observe that the Shallot offered
everywhere here is the true kind, a distinct species with a slender
bulb and a grey coat, whereas the Shallot now commonly sold in
London, and evidently a small variety of the common Onion, is a
roundish bulb, with a shining dark brown coat. Some not very
important vegetables, almost out of date with us, are here yet
seen in abundance, such, for example, as the Rampion, with its
long and slender creamy-white roots, which are grown to per-
fection in the light rich soil of the market-gardens. Quantities of
Green Peas, from the south, and piles of Globe Artichokes, do not
interest us much in early spring, because they are obviously pro-
ducts ofa fairer clime; but the great feature of the market is the
quantity of excellent saladings of every kind, from the long tufts
of Chicory (blanched in caves), to the fresh green rosettes of the
tender Lettuce, which Paris is never without. Those sent from
Paris to the London market, however good in quality, are never
seen there to such advantage; their freshness is tarnished by
packing and the journey. Though the whole process of growing
these saladings is carried on within the very walls of Paris, there
are many who suppose them to be (like the Green Peas and the
Artichokes from Africa) the produce of a much warmer climate.
There is no market where business is more expeditiously done
than here; but what interest us most are the provisions made
for the retail trade—for the purchases of the general public. In
Paris far more than in London it is the custom to send to the
market daily from every class of home. The buyer goes where
numbers of competitors are side by side, and where the majority
of vegetables exposed are fresh from the gardens.

In London as regards the quality of the products when de-
livered by the grower, there is rarely anything to complain of,
for the market-gardener is usually an excellent cultivator ; but
the bruising and filth and delay they encounter, owing to im-
perfect market-arrangements, before reaching the customer in
London, often render them barely edible, while the very poor,
in buying the cheapest, often get that which is absolutely

unfit for human food.

There is no country in the world where vegetables can be

Q2n2

536 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXXIL

grown more abundantly and cheaply than in the country round
‘London, which can pour its produce into the great centre in an
hour or two by rail, and yet for the want of spacious markets, and
proper regulations, the London public is to a great extent de-
prived of advantages enjoyed by most cities and towns in Europe.
As for our chief fruit and vegetable market, it is a disgrace to
civilisation. So long as the largest and richest city in the world
depends upon Covent Garden as at present arranged, for its fruits
and vegetables, so long must it find them very deficient. The
want of room alone is sufficient to frequently make important
differences in the prices, not to speak of the treatment the produce
gets at all times, especially in wet weather. What a contrast to
the central market in Paris!

Can we not secure a good wide market accessible to river, rail, and
streets somewhere on the Thames Embankment, and leave Covent
Garden to one or two branches of the trade? Can nothing be done
to remedy a state of things which is not only a strong evidence of
the want of orderly rule in the management of London, but which
must have a bad effect on the supplies of almost every family.
The cattle-market at Islington and the meat and poultry market
in the City are excellent; they, like the Thames Embankment,
are really worthy of London; but as yet we do not seem to have
moveda step towards the establishment of a garden-market worthy
of the town. Were this done with as broad an aim as has been
shown in the other markets just named, we should have a feature
added to London which would assuredly be of the greatest utility
and benefit to the public at large. We should also have an
exhibition of the garden-produce of the country around London,
presenting new objects of interest every day as the seasons
changed. A market fitted to accommodate, from the point of
view of buyers and the public as well as the trade, the produce
of the market- and fruit-gardens, would be one of the greatest
improvements that could be effected in London.

In the Paris market, in addition to ample provision for whole-
sale trade, there are streets of stalls containing everything the
purchaser requires, classified so that the market-women who vend
the same sorts of produce are brought into proximity and com-
petition with one another. The advantages gained by the public
are obvious—the housewife has not only the opportunity of pur-

Cuar. XXXII] FLOWER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MARKETS. 587

chasing everything good and at its fair price; she also has a great
variety to choose from. But it is needless to enumerate all the
advantages that a good retail and wholesale market confers upon
its neighbourhood. In those little avenues of neatly-arranged
stalls in all the Paris markets the namé and number of the occu-
pant is plainly printed; there is usually a free passage between
each two rows, along which the purchaser can walk free from such
crowding as must occur in badly-arranged markets. In fact there
is every convenience for both purchaser and seller. The adoption
of the same system of stallsin the new fruit and vegetable market,
to which we may look forward, would be a great improvement.
London is, however, now so vast in extent that little less than a
series of well-managed markets will ever supply its population so
well as Paris is supplied. Nevertheless one large central well-
ordered market to begin with, would be a great boon to Londoners.

The history of the Halles Centrales illustrates to some extent
the essentially-practical turn changes and improvements have
taken in Paris of recent years. At one time the site was occupied
by a vast graveyard, where the greater portion of the dead of Paris
were gathered for centuries. At one time it lay outside the
walls, but it gradually became surrounded by narrow streets, and
eventually the place became a horrible nuisance. Then the
government caused the vast accumulation of human remains to be
removed by night in covered carts, escorted by chanting, torch-
bearing priests, to the subterranean quarries that lie under Paris,
and which, now filled with the piled bones of millions of men, are
known as the Catacombs.

The most noticeable and admirable features of this great
covered market are the neat stalls for retail dealers before alluded
to, the lightness of design and good ventilation, and the roomy,
airy character of the whole. It is constructed so as to be a pro-
tection against extremes of weather at all seasons; it is cool and
shady in summer, the system of cellars underneath roomy and
good, and with many useful arrangements for storing away the
oth alive and dead. The roof is of zinc, the flooring
partly asphalte, partly flags, and, like every new building, o
avenue, or wide street in Paris, trees adorn the margin of the
wide footways around it, shading the scene of almost ceaseless
animation beneath. There are many other markets in Paris, but

provisions, b

538 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXXII.

all of them are smaller than the Halles, which offer most interest
to the stranger. A good deal of the choicer produce is, however,
taken to the Marché St. Honoré, after having been sold wholesale
in the central market.

There are thousands of Parisians whose garden is the window,
or a basket mossed over in the room, or a glazed case, and to most
of them the flower-market is a nursery ; an excellent nursery too,

A Flower-market and City-square in one. The new Central Flower-market, with Plantation of
Paulownias for shade:—(early morning view.)

for there they can get numerous pretty plants in-the best of
health for a trifling sum. Considering that a few miles of sea
have for ages separated many marked customs of both peoples,
and that thousands of miles of sea have not prevented English
habits, that have never crossed the Channel, from spreading to
the Antipodes, it is perhaps vain to hope for the adoption of such
a feature as the flower-markets of Paris in our great towns; yet
few could be more agreeable and useful. In Paris the larger.

Cuap, XXXII] CLIMATE. 539

flower-markets are not in permanent buildings, but occupy spaces
which may be compared to that in Trafalgar-square—the plants
being placed in groups on the gravel or flags, and the flowers and
choicer plants under temporary tents. When the market is over,
the space is cleared. In the great central market and in the
minor markets there are also rows of stalls for flowers ; shops
vending them are numerous, and occasionally a solitary stand with
abundance of them is seen here and there in the streets,

To the already well-known flower-markets, that against the
new Hotel Dieu is an important addition made since the war. It
is well worth the attention of all interested in city-markets, from
its simplicity of plan and fitness for the end in view. Beneath a
young and healthy plantation of Paulownia-trees are arranged
neat, permanent stands with cast-iron supports and zine roofs;
the paths and roads between are of asphalte and perfectly clean.
In spring and summer, when the weather will permit, quantities
of flowers are exposed in the uncovered spaces, and the roads and
quays near are on market-days covered with whole nurseries of
plants, shrubs, and young trees. As the market is a large and
well-supplied one, the scene is a pleasant one on market-mornings.
When it is over, the market-place forms a desirable open space kept
in perfect order, and as it is cooled in summer by the shade of the
large leaves of the Paulownia, it is probably as useful to the sur-
rounding inhabitants as a square would be. The regular flower-
markets are held at the Place de la Madeleine, the Chateau d’Eau,
the Quai aux Fleurs, and in the Place St. Sulpice—twice weekly
in each place.

Tur Cumates or Parts anp Lonpon compareD.—Devoted to his
institutions, the Briton is generally very hard on his climate. If
anything remarkable in the way of vegetable-produce comes out
of other lands, the merit is not sought in the system or the culti-
vator, but in the fine climate, while all our own shortcomings are
accounted for by climate, so that even those who heap most abuse
upon it should be grateful to it for settling so many questions.
But those who have lived in Paris during the winter or spring
will not be under any such illusion, and will probably begin to
suspect that there is at least one other climate in the world as
little like that of Paradise as is our own. Even of those who have
visited Paris many are under the impression that for clearness,

540 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Cuar. XXXIL

salubrity, dryness, and heat, the climate of that city is incompar-
ably. superior to that of London. ‘The idea has no doubt arisen
from the fact that most visitors to the French capital choose either
summer or autumn for their trip. At these periods even our own
smoky metropolis is at its best; but the Londoner who for the
first time finds himself walking down the boulevards or the Rue
Royale upon a lovely June or August afternoon, sees the Paris
climate in its fullest perfection. The air is free from smoke, the
buildings and houses are either dazzlingly white or of a delicate
cream colour, and even the mud itself is of a clearer and brighter
hue than the greasy, metallic-looking paste with which we are so
familiar here. Let him, however, choose November or December
for hig excursion, and he will soon discover that Paris can be as
cold and cloudy, and even as foggy, as our own city. A few
figures from various unimpeachable sources, both French and
English, will perhaps do something to dispel the prevailing notion
of the great superiority of the climate of Paris over that of
London.

The climate of Paris may be taken as being typical of that of
the whole of the north-west of France, its changeableness, how-
ever, being somewhat less than that of the districts bordering on
the sea. In general characteristics it may be said to stand mid-
way between the climates of the north-eastern portions of the
country and the channel-shores. It is less cold in winter than the
former, being warmed by the breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, but
is colder than the south and west. In summer it is more temperate
than the south and east, but hotter than the extreme west. The
mean temperature of Paris, taken from a series of official and
private observations running over thirty-six years, may be taken
‘at 51:55° F. The lowest temperature observed during fifty-two
years was 2° below zero F.; the highest during the same time
was within a fraction of 99° F.

These figures deserve a little consideration. For a similar
period the averages of the observations taken in London by the
officers of the Royal Society are as follows: Mean temperature
50:50° F. ; highest temperature, 97° F. ; the lowest, 5° below zero
F. The mean temperature of Paris is therefore one-twentieth of
a degree over 1° F. higher than our own, while the highest
temperature only exceeds ours by something less than 2° F.

Cuap. XXXII] CLIMATE. 541

It will also be instructive to compare the mean temperature of
the four seasons in both places. :

Paris. London.

Fahr. Fahr.

Mean Temperature, Spring . . . . . . 500 . . . 49:0
a Summer... . . 648 . . . 62:5

3 Autumn. . . . . . 520 . . . 510

5 Winte®. . . . « « 895 . « « 890

It must, however, be borne in mind that in the suburbs of
London the mean temperature is 2° F. below that of the city, and
that on winter nights, when Jack Frost is striving his hardest to
destroy all the vegetation within his reach, there is often as
much as 4° F. between the thermometers of the city and the
suburbs. The cause of this variation is twofold. In the summer
a large quantity of heat is radiated by the masses of brickwork in
the city, to say nothing of the amount of solar heat absorbed by
day and given off again during the night; while in the winter
the city is obviously warmer than the suburbs during both day
and night, on account of the extra heat caused by the numerous
fires, both industrial and domestic. Paris, as a city, being under
precisely similar conditions, we may feel safe in assuming that
the same difference exists between the mean temperature of the
Observatory and Montreuil as between that of Somerset House
and Tottenham for instance. Luke Howard, one of our most
acute British meteorologists, on the strength of many thousands
of observations made at Plaistow, Stratford, and Tottenham, gives
the difference between the mean temperature of London and the
country as 2° F. exactly, and a careful examination of his data
has proved his figures to be correct within a fraction. This
difference sinks to less than half a degree in spring; it increases
in summer and autumn, and often rises on winter nights to as
much as 42° F. It isa singular fact that towards the end of
spring, when the fires are being discontinued, and the sun has
not yet reached his full power, it sometimes happens that the day
temperature is somewhat greater in the country. This is
doubtless to be attributed to the veil of smoke and cloud that is
hanging over the metropolis which intercepts the action of the
gun. The effects of the higher mean winter-temperature in the
city are singularly apparent in the earlier budding and blooming
of the trees, which frequently begin their spring life several days

542 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Caar. XXXII.

before their suburban cousins—a fact which may easily be verified
by a walk from the suburbs into the city, just as the Elms are
beginning to bud, or when the Pear-trees are putting on their
early spring livery:
The amount of annual rainfall in London only slightly exceeds
that of Paris, although any unprejudiced person would feel
inclined to give it as his opinion that the number of rainy days
“in London greatly exceeded those in Paris. The French authorities
who have been consulted differ somewhat in their calculations,
owing possibly to having collected the rain with dissimilar instru-
ments. The English figures are from Luke Howard, the French
from Gasparin and Bouvard.

Gasparin. Bouvard. Howard.
Inches, Inches. Inches.
Rainfallin Spring . 2. 2. . . . 56. . 40. «50
53 Summer... . . 68 . . GO . . 85
3 Autumn... . . 58 . . 64 . . 75
3 Winter. . . .. . 46 . . 48 =. . 60

22°3 21°2 25°0

INDEX.

+

Acantuus for dwelling-rooms, 248; in
public squares, 119

Poot nakienun Society’s Gardens, 16, 18,

American cemeteries, 176

Angers, fruit-notes at, 345; Pears raised
at, 423

Annuals beneath sub-tropical plants, 34

Antwerp, forced white Lilac, 531

Apartments, plant decoration of, 244

Apple on the Paradise-stock, culture in
nurseries, 286; a great success, 289

Apple-culture, improvement in, 425

Applestocks, 306; experience at Troyes, 348

Apple-trees, training for windy situation,
341

Apricots on cottage-walls, 426 ; three kinds
on one tree, 325

Aquatic plants in public squares, 114

Architects as garden-managers, 91

Architectural gardening, 199

Argenteuil, Asparagus culture at, 468;
fig-culture at, 370

Artichoke, Globe, 500

Artificial water, in Bois de Boulogne, 1, 9;
in Buttes Chaumont, 66; in gardens,
254; objectionable, 42

Arum, tropical, in Parc Monceau, 25

Arundo on margin of lake, 108

Asparagus culture, 468, 473 ; among vines,
468 ; in trenches, 469; “‘ Early Argen-
teuil,” 472; forcing, 474; at Clichy,
476; old mode, 475; frames for forcing,
475; green inferior to blanched, 471 ;
how gathered, 470, 474; implements for
bunching, 477; planting of, 469; plough
cultivation of, 474; varieties of, 472

Asparagus, hardy climbiug, 61

Asphalte paving, 144; powdered, 147;
rvad-paving, 143 :

Avenue des Champs Elysées, 136; du Bois
de Boulogne, 136

Avenue-gardens in cities, 136

Avenues, 14, 131, 221

Bamsoos in Paris, 22, 113, 114, 167
Banks, false curves to, 12, 104
Barbe de Capucin, 487

Barham Court, fruit-garden at, £20
Barnes on Cordons, 292

Bathing-sheds used as work-sheds, 140

Batignolles, Square des, 110, 114

Bay-trees in tubs, 85

Bedford Square, improvements in, 130

Belgium, Railway fruit-culture in, 434

Bois de Boulogne, 1

Bois de Vincennes, 102 '

Bosquet des Bains d’Apollon, 206

Bosquet du Roi, Versailles, 205 )

a and zoological gardens combined,
Al

Botanists and garden-management, 48, 50,

Boulevard Richard Lenoir, 135

Boulevards, 131; available in London, 137,
138; recent in Paris, 131; width of, 135

Boulogne, Baroness Rothschild’s garden
at, 258

Bridges, 7, 103

Brunoy, 335

Buildings and trees, contrast, 80, 81

Buildings, needless cost of, 70

Burial, systems in Paris, 173; in America,
176 ; in England, 179

Burr-reed, for tying, 451

Buttes Chaumont, 66

Carés in public gardens, 70, 137

Calville Apple, at Montreuil, 365

Cannas, how preserved in Paris, 169

Cardoon, 496; blanching, 498; culture of,
497; earthing-up, 498 ; varieties of, 497

Carrot, crops grown with, 494; culture in
open air, 494; culture of varieties of,
490 ; forcing, 494; French early horn,
495; French forcing, 491, 494

Cascades, 9, 12, 67

Castor-oil plant, 23, 30

Caves for storing plants in winter, 169,
171; stalactite, 67, 73

Cedrela Sinensis (new tree), 53, 59

Celery, Turnip-rooted, 496

Cemeteries of Paris, 173

Cemetery-gardening, 181

Champs Elysées, 136, 137

Change or variety, want of, 2, 3

Chasselas de Fontainebleau, 378

Chasselas grape-culture, 379

Chateau-gardens, 251

Chatillon, Fontenay aux Roses, 331

544

Chestnuts, moving in full leaf, 96

Chicory, 488

Church-gardens, 179

Churchyard, trees suitable for, 179

Churchyards, flowers in the grass, 181

Clematis on trees, 40, 41

Climate of London and Paris, 151, 539

Climbing-plants on trees, 39, 40

Cloche, the, 487, 488, 481; for Lettuce-
culture, 478 ; where obtainable, 439

Coloured-cotton-handkerchief pattern gar-
dens, 114

Colouring of walls for fruit-culture, experi-
ments in, 416

Conservatory, cool, planted out, 241; sub-
tropical plants in, 26, 28

Copings for vines in open air, 381; on wall,
276; over Pear-trees at Ferritres, 339

Cordon, the, 280, 417; Apples, pruping,
288; at Versailles, 271; bilateral, 281;
horizontal, 281; oblique for Peaches,
304; ditto for Pears, 298; proper defi-
nition of term, 280; size of crops, 293 ;
summary of advantages, 291

Cordon-Peaches, 302

Cordon-Pears at Holme Lacy, 295

Cordon-training, kinds of Apple suitable
for, 285; “pinching-in” the shoots,
284; wiring walls for, 455

Cordon-trees, how grown, 284; pruning, 285

Cordon, vertical or double, for Pears, 300

Cordons at Montreuil, 356, 365 ; at Troyes,
349; at Vincennes, 276

Cordons, horizontal, at Suisnes, 332

Cordons of Vines, 385

Cordons, supports for, 295

Corn Salad, 489

Covent-garden, 536

Crab-stock, 306, 309

Crystal Palace, 74

Crystal Palace and Versailles, 195

Duwon, fruit notes at, 344

Doucin stock, 306

Dracena in dwelling-rooms, 245, 246

Dwelling-rooms, plants suitable for, 245,
24

Easter Bevrre, better on white walls than
as a bush or pyramid, 424

Edgings, improved, 456

Elms in Paris and London, 158

Elysée, Gardens of the, 88

Endive, 488

English Paradise stock, 306

Espalier-fences on railways, 432

Espalier Pear culture, needed in England,
262

Espalier training at Montreuil, 353 ; cande-
labrum form, 357, 359

INDEX.

Espalier-trees, protection for, 270

Espaliers, 417 ; self-supporting, 341; train-
ing in stormy position, 344

Evergreens in tubs, 205

Fan-Paums, old, 62

Felt, bitumenised, as a coping for, 452

Ferriéres, Baron Rothschild’s garden at,
257; fruit garden at, 338; improved
fruit-shelves at, 441, 442

Fig cultivation in France, extent of, 371;
at Argenteuil and La Frette, 370; near
Paris, 369

Fig-planting on railway embankments, 374

Fig-trees, renewal of, 377

ae plants associated with flowers,

Fire-shovel patterns, 38

Fleuriste, the, in the Little Trianon, 211

Flower beds, objectionable, 43, 44

Flower-markets in Paris, 539

Flowering shrubs, groups of, 6

Forcing-frames, 442

Formal “ figures’ or beds, objectionable,
88; and unnecessary, 90

Formality, in banks, 12; in bedding, 38;
in border planting, 68

Forsythias on rocky banks, 10

Fosse commune, 174

Fountains in gardens, 92, 95

Fountains, Versailles, 197

French Paradise Apple stock, 306: Ameri-
can experiences of, 310, 311; difficulties
in procuring the true, 313; English ex-
periences of, 311, 313, 314; merits of,
309

Fruit-culture, lectures at Suisnes, 335;
means of improvement in, 408; on rail-
way embankments, 431; School of, 274

Fruit garden, at the Luxembourg, 97; plan
of a, 275, 329; trials of French systems
made in England, 420

Fruit gardens in France, 323; notes on
M. Jamin’s, 323

Fruit-shelves, improvements in, 441

Fruit terraces on railway banks, 433

Fruit trees, advantages of regrafting over
new-planting, 414; as gifts to cottage
tenants, 427; grown for their beauty, 6,
410; in front gardens in towns and
cities, 412; in Jardin des Plantes, 57;
kinds grown at Angers, 345; need for
judicious thinning, 428 ; on railway em-
bankments, 412; on walls and borders,
protection of, 295; re-grafting old, 414

Fruit walls, copings to, 323; copings neces-
sary in England, 326

GARDEN-ARTISTS, 78
Garden-cemeteries, 175

INDEX.

Garden, characteristics of a true, 20, 21

Garden-design, ignorance of, 72, 73, 78, 80;
the Grand Trianon, 216

Garden-hedges of Pear-trees. instead of
Arbor vits, 349

Garden implements in France, 437

Garden-improvement in France, 250

Garden, National, for France, 52, 58

ae Plants, objectionable features in,

Garden of the Elysée, 88

Garden-seats, 87

Garden-walla, wiring, 417, 453

Gardeners, training-school for, 272

Gardens of the Louvre, 79, 83; defects,
83; of the Tuileries, 83; wall-paper
pattern, 252

Geometrical gardening, Versailles, 194

Gleditschia Bojoti, (new tree) 49, 59, 259

Grafting mastic, 441

Grafting by approach, 288, 337, 356, 361,
364, 400

Grand Trianon, 214, 216

Grape-keeping at Thomery, saving to
growers, 318; system, tried in England,
320

Grape-rooms, 317

Grapes, best kinds for open-air culture
in England, 380; preserving through
winter, 314; how cut for, 316

Grass, seed-mixtures for forming Paris
lawns, 128, 129; watered repeatedly in
Paris, 83

Gravels, coloured, 75, 80

Hawes Centrares of Paris, 534

Hardy flowers, Nursery for, 170

plants, natural grouping of, 6

sub-tropical plants, 27

trees and shrubs affording finer effect
than tender subjects, 33, 34

Hollow wall, flowers growing in, 92, 93

Holme Lacy, Cordon-Pears at, 295 ; weight
of crops, 298

Honeysuckle on Birch-tree, 39; on Plane-
trees; 114; standards, 96 :

Houses in Zoological Gardens, opportuni-
ties for gardening in, 16, 17

Innocents, Square des, 127

Islands, in Bois de Boulogne, 2, 3, 7, 8
Islets in lakes, 105
Isolating plants, 35, 93
Italian garden, 86
Ivy, Algerian, 51, 59
Ivy and Wistaria, 190 ;
Ivy, bands of, 87, 186; bowers, 186;
edgings, 79, 86, 172, 1%7, 189, 191; for
covering objectionable wall-surfaces, 88;
in courtyards, 186; curtains on rock

545

walls, 68; in dwelling-rooms, 245: in
Paris, 184; in Squares, 112, 115; Trish,
186; on banks, 10; on church walls,
180; on rocks, 10; on rocky grottoes, 5,
187; on stakes or pyramids, 59; on
trunks of trees, 188; propagation of,
190; trained in wreaths, 92, 94, 95, 184
a for rooms, 189; on high walls,

JARDIN DEs PLANTES, atype of all that is
stupid and harmful, in botanic gardens,
45, 62, described, 56, merits, 57; not
oe a endowed, 62; open all day,

Jardin Fleuriste, 165
Jujube tree, 55

Kew, gardens at, 63, 64, 72; closed during
forenoon, 63, 64

Kitchen-garden, needless walks in, 461

Knotweed in Pare Monceau, 24

Lac prs Minimgs, 104, 106

Lachaume on Mushroom culture in lime-
rubbish, 622

Lake, Saint Mandé, 102, 103

et in France, effect of subdivision of,

58

Landscape-gardening, 199, 203, 207; the
Bois de Boulogne, 10; Acclimatisation
Scciety’s Gardens in, 18; dogma by
Allison, 38; instances of false, 74; the
Louvre, 80

Lavallée’s experiments in forcing white
Lilac, 528

Lawns, forming, 128 ; how maintained, 129

Lectures on gardening, common in France,

Leicester Square, improvementsand defects
in, 126, 127

Lepére’s mode of Peach Cordon-training,
303 :

Lettuce culture under frames, 483; Gotte,
culture of, 486; Petite Noire, culture of,
481; the Passion, culture of, 487; Verte
Maraichére, culture of, 484

Lettuces, 478

Lilac, 87, 96, 526; in open air, 531; best
sorts, 532; proper treatment of, 531;
varieties of, 532

Lilac forcing in France and England, 527

Lilac, white, how grown, 526; in dwelling-
rooms, 527; darkness unnecessary in
forcing, 527; forcing at Antwerp, 531;
Lavallée’s expcriments, 528; stems in
water for forcing, 531; temperature for
forcing, 530 4

Lilacs, dwarf, 527; in Paris, 526

Lime-trees unsuitable for street planting,
157

546

Locust-tree for church-gardens, 180

Lombardy Poplars near the Little Trianon,
215, 219

Lougchamps race-course, 10, 14

Louvre gardens, 79

Luxembourg garden, the, 84, 91

Lygeum Spartum, grown for tying plants,
451

Lyons, fruit garden at, 339

Marerns to water, 12, 13, 14 ; at Ferritres,
258

Market-gardeners in Paris, 458; improve-
ment in condition of, 465

Market-gardening near Paris, expenses of,
458

Market-gardens of Paris, 458; culture of
Carrots, 490; rapid rotation of crops in,
464; wages of workmen in, 465

Markets, need for spacious, 536

Markets in Paris, 533; advantages of, 536

Mastic ’Homme Lefort, 441

Mats for covering pits and frames, how
made, 443

Melon, Cantaloup, 502 '

Melopospermum, 58, 61

Medicinal plants, 58

Mirror-globes in gardens, 254, 260

Montagnexa Heracleifolia, Pare Monceau,
26

Montreuil, 98; Peach gardens at, 351

Montrouge Square, 112, 113, 122

Municipal gardens in Paris, 165

Musa, Abyssinian, 112

Musa Ensete in Pare Monceau, 27

Mushroom caves at Frépillon, visit to, 511 ;
at Montrouge, visit to, 505; rental, 508 ;
ventilation of, 508; water supply, 509;
spawning the beds, 514

Mushroom-culture in caves, 505; cost of,
525; daily crops, 511 ; duration of crops,
520; gathering, 509, 519; preparing
material for, 511, 513; preparing spawn
for, 513; soiling, 517; varieties, 52],
522

Mushroom-culture in lime-rubbish, 522;
in open air, 523; near Paris, average
produce, 525

Mushroom, diseases of the, 517; enemies
of the, 523 ;

Natrona botanic garden, objects of a, 54
Natural style of laying out grounds, 12,
13

Navets, 501, 502; de Meaux, 534

New Zealand Flax, 28; in vases, 259;
leaves for tying plants, 451

Normal school with garden for teaching
fruit-culture, 350

Nurseries, public, 165

INDEX.

Orprum, cure for, at Thomery, 383

‘Oleander, 85, 98; culture in France, 100;
in tubs, and in small pots, 99

Orange trees, carriage for removing, 439;
in tubs, 83, 99

vey at Ferritres, 257 ; at Versailles,

0:

Orchard, the ornamental, 411

Orchard culture, improvements in, 427;
result of pruning and thinning, 430

Orchard-trees, list of best hardy kinds, 430

Orchards, rarity of good, 427

Orchids in dwelling-rooms, 248; in winter
gardens, case for, 244

Patmerre form of training, 328, 336, 341;
Verrier, how formed, 390

Palms, 19, 24, 26; for cool winter-garden,
240; for dwelling-rooms, 245, 246; treat-
ment for cool winter-garden, 243

Paradise and Doucin stocks compared, 308

Paradise-stock, kinds of Apple for grafting
on, 286; origin of, 307

Pare Monceau, 20

Paris and London, rainfall, 542; tempera-
tures compared, 540; temperature of
town and suburbs, 541

Paris, city fruit-garden and herbaceous
nursery of, 106; market-gardens, rota-
tion of crops, 464; system of burial in
cemeteries, 173

Parks in cities, how to plant, 107-109

Parsnip, 502

Paulownia imperialis, 32, 33

Peach as a cordon, 302; as a pyramid in
Suffolk, 425; gardens at Montreuil de-
scribed, 359; is best grown on walls in
England, 425

Peach-growing at Versailles, 271

Peach-trees horizontally trained, 362; in
full bearing, 325; proteciing, 340;
pruning, 357; training, Montreuil fan-
shape, 359; other forms, 360

Peach walls should be white, 354

Pear as a cordon, 294

Pear-culture, by country gentlemen, by
farmers, and in private gardens, 410;
climate of France not better than England
for, 409; improved system of orcharding,
409; in shrubberies, pleasure-grounds,
and open country, 412; on the Quince
stock, 418; on walls, 415

Pear-trees, worthless kinds destroyed or
re-grafted, 424; columnar form, 404;
inferior kinds from pips, 424; fruitful
without pruning, 412; grown for their
beauty, 436; numbers grafted at Angers
annually, 345: Palmette Verrier form,
328 ; protecting, 340; pyramidal, 326,
327, 395, 896; re-grafting, 404

INDEX.

Pears, best kinds for wall-culture, 423;
best varieties known, 423; hedges of,
278, 349; quantities imported from
Eemsiosy 409; suitable as oblique cordons,

Pére la Chaise, 174, 178

Petit Trianon, 207

Pinching-in severely, a bad practice, 297

Place de l Etoile, 137

Plane-trees, 92; in squares, 114; not the
only trees suitable for cities, 124

Planes—in Paris and London, 154; moving
in full leaf, 96; on Paris quays, 155;
on Thames Embankment, 155

Plants—in dwelling-rooms, 244; material
ey tying, 450; suitable for conservatories,

26

Play grounds in cities, 125

Plough-hoe, 441

Private gardens—in France, features in,
253; in Paris, 250; of the Tuileries,
86

Professorship of Hoiti-ulture, 72

Propagating house, 172

Pruning—at Montreuil, 361; ill effects
upon trees, 153; pyramidal Pear-trees,
396

Public bathing places, 140

Public garden management should be by
trained garden-artists, 42, 45

Pumpkin, 534

QUINTINYE on varieties of Pears, 422

Race-courses in public parks, 14

Raidisseur, the, 447

Railway, fruit-culture on banks of, 431;
Trees suitable for, 433

Reed-mace, for tying grafts, 452

Restaurants in gardens, 70, 106

Roads and walks by water-margins, 109;
needless in parks and gardens, 43; too
many in Pare Monceau, 43

Rock-plants on islets, 105 :

Rock-shrubs, 10, 103, 105 ; ditto and trail-
ing evergeens, 75, 77

Rockwork, formation of, 214

Rose-Charmeux on open air grape-culture,
380

Rose, climbing, isolated on grass, 93

Rouen, 346; fruit-notes at, 346

Royal Horticultural Society, 52, 71, 73 |

Rush, common, for tying, 270; for tying
plants, 450

Sr. CroruiLpg, 183

St. Cloud, view from Bois de Boulogne, 12
St. Jacques, Square and Tower of, 111

St. Petersburg, conservatories in, 225
Salads in Paris, 478, 535; Barbe de Capu-

547

cin, culture of, 487; Corn-salad, or
Mache, 489; Lettuces, culture of, 481-
487; Scarole, 488

Saulsaie, Regional school at, 341

Scarole, 488

Sceaux, fruit-gardens at, 331

School of Botany in “ Jardin des Plantes,”
58, 59; of gardening in Paris, 72; of
as at Versailles, scheme of,

Scientific garden should also be a beautiful
one, 49

“ Scientific” research not interfered with
by opening gardens at all hours, 64

Sécateur, the, 288, 445; English experience

of the, 457

Selaginella denticulata, in winter-gar-
dens, 232

Shallot, the true, 535

Smoke-nuisance in London, 150

Sports and varieties, value of, 60; should
be observed and increased, 60

Spring-grove cemetery, 177

Square des Thermes, 114; Montrouge,
112, 113, 122

Squares, 110; central portion, how spoilt,
122, 123; edging to public, 114; effect-
ing of opening to public, 118,119; ever-
greens in, 127; how to plant, 111; in
London, defects in, 122, 128; necessary
in suburbs also, 120, 121; planting of,
123-125 ; present aspect, 110; what they
might be, 111; seats in, 123; should
contain playgrounds, 125; Trees in, 123;
walks in, 123; wanted as much or more
than parks, 121

Stanhope, Sir H., on Cordon-Pears, 296

Statuary, 87, 199, 201; in public gardens,
137; in public squares, 113

Straw-mats for wall-protection, 276

Strawberry, four seasons, 346; propagation
of, 347; culture, 347 D

Streamlets in public gardens, 67, 102, 104,
105, 107, 114, 115, 209

Street built over canal, 135

Street pavements, 141

Structures, in squares, 123; needless, in
gardens, 40, 41, 42, 70

Sub-tropical effects producible in gardens
throughout Great Britain and Ireland,
29, 34

Sub-tropical gardening, 20, 21, 31; plants
for, 26 F

Sub-tropical vegetation in conservatories,
223

Suisnes, fruit-gardens at, 332
Trrra-coTta work in gardens, 200, 203

Terrace-gardens, 84, 195, 198, 258
Thermes, Square des, 114

548,

Thomery, 98; grape culture at, 381 )
Tool houses in gardens, 40, 41, 42
Trat and pruning, 390
Training ‘Fruit-treea, vertical, 418 ot
Travel necessary for landscape-gardener;
16 3
Tree-ferns for cool winter-garden, 240 -*
Tree-planting, 86, 92, 102; in London
parks, 152
Trees, effect of planting in cities, 118; for
boulevard planting, nursery for, 169%
for parks and gardens, 160; for street
, Pplayting,. 219; how grown for city
plhnting, 166; in avenues, pruning of,
: in. boulevards, 188; in cemeteries,
18s in cities, ‘gratings round, 138 ;-in
groups, 163. in ‘London,’ wrong . ideas
upon. 3149 yin the- Little Trianon, 207 ;
in tubs, 80, 83, 84; mutilation of, at
Versailles, 216; overcrowded on boule-
; vards, 139; remarkable in the Little
Trianon, 210, 211; suitable for cities,
149, 152, 154; thrive better in London
than in Paris, 134; for city planting,
170; transplanting large, 161
Trellis for pear-trees, 264, 266, 268;
dead wall, 253 ; wire, cost of, 264
Trellises for espalier trees, 338, 455, 456
Tropical plants grouped. under "trees, 258,
Tropical vegetation in conservatories, 223
Troyes, fruit-notes at, 348
Tuileries Gardens, 83

on

VARIETY, the life of true gardening, 4, 31

Fane 80; 87; in gardens, mistaken use of,
20:

Vegetables grown in-Fxance, list of, 503

Versailles, 74, 84; Gardens at, 193 ;
Gardén-statuary.... ‘at, 201; School of

ro ies fae 261; Berane of school,

27

Vinegnines, Donjon of, 102, 108 7 school of
Frtjt-gultyire,27¢ ., F 4

Vine culhire at Thojaery; 3 378; important
points in;"38e profitable.i in open-air -in’
England, 378, 380; grafting,. 385, 387 -

Vines, a mode of training on walls, 389 ;;
in horizontal cordons, 385

Virginian Creeper in wreaths, 93

a

ae

SLONDON ERINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SON
a * AND CHARING CROSB. sede. |

INDEX!

WALES by margin of watér, 1213} 104°
. Walls: :in! kitchens gerden, i reaséna ai
i. néedless,461: ¢ !-
Waiks;needlesa, i in Fietich gardens, 70:
Wall-copings, 339, 353, 363
Wall, Hollow, growing flowers i in, 92, 93
Wall’ Pear- trees, 262, 268 ie all

or

_ Wallace,’ Sir ‘Richard, garden? at Paris,

256

Walls, cheap form at: Fitna: 339; at Vaise
Lyong;. 344: for fruit-trées, best colour
for, 416; made of blocks of plaster; 363 ;
wooden, for ?fruit-culture by cottagers,

21

Water, use of, in Paris market-gardens,
460

Water-basins, 85, 90, 96; hideous effect
of, 195

Water-margins, 258

Watering public squares, 112, 113 -

pe on Cordons, 293 ; on Cordon-Pears,

02

Weeping-Beech on banks, 17

Wild flowers in public parks, 10

Wild Roses in groups, 8

Winter garden, 19; a cool, 238; at Marie-
mont, 228; choosing and grouping of
plants in, 231; cool, planting of, 239;
distribution of plants in, 233; drainage
of, 230; ground plan of, 236; of a warm
temperature, 230; orchids and stove-
plants in, 243; plant arrangement in,
232; planting in, 230; preparation of
soil for, 230; shade in, 243; walks in,
229 :

Winter gardens, 222; advantages of cool
over warm-temperate, 238; M. André’s
notes on, 227; planting for contrast, 232 ;
rockery in, 232

Wire, galvanised, for garden walls, 456 ;
for training fruit-trees, 431; for wiring
garden walls, 453

, Wire, Raidisseurs for sightaning, 446

Wistaria and Ivy, 250

_ Waod-pavements, worst form of street
paying, 141

& * Wreaths’on ‘trees, ee 93, vs

ahe

" Yuéos, 26, 29, 101, 114, 181

MFORD STREET

vow

e

- Digitized by Microsoft®