CHEMICO-AGRICULTURAL TOUR. 149 



and oil-cake, as the quantity of hay obtained in this district is 

 rather small. 



The railway between Verviers and Liege passes through a highly 

 picturesque country, and many very beautiful views are presented 

 along the line, some of which strongly reminded me of different 

 scenes in North Wales. As to the crops grown, potatoes and oats 

 appear to be very extensively cultivated here, as well as in that 

 district lying between Verviers and Aix-la-Chapelle. 



In going from Liege to Brussels, the railway passes through a 

 fine agricultural district, where a variety of crops appeared to be 

 growing in great luxuriance, though the country itself is rather 

 flat and unpicturesque. 



At Brussels my stay was very short, as I was unable to learn 

 that there was anything particularly interesting in an agricultural 

 point of view in the immediate vicinity of that city. Before leav- 

 ing, however, I visited the Botanic Garden, the conservatories of 

 which, situated on an elevated site, form a very striking and pic- 

 turesque object viewed from one of the boulevards opposite. The 

 interior of those conservatories are well worthy of a visit, not only 

 on account of the several fine plants they contain, but likewise for 

 some very prettily constructed aquariums, having in them a num- 

 ber of interesting fresh and salt water animals. I saw also there 

 what I have not observed in other conservatories, that a number of 

 the largest plants were grown in zIhc vessels, which appear more 

 neat, and are, probably, more durable than either the usual earthen 

 pots or wooden tubs. 



I visited also the extensive Museum of Natural History at Brus- 

 sels, and amongst other objects that attracted my attention in that 

 collection was the ingenious contrivance by which the different 

 preparations in bottles were kept supported in the spirit ; which 

 consisted in merely attaching them to little glass floats, or bal- 

 loons, having small hooks at the bottom, which, floating on the 

 top of the fluid, kept the preparations in an upright and suitable 

 position. 



From Brussels I proceeded by rail direct to Bruges, in order to 

 become better acquainted with the agriculture of Flanders— a 

 country which is so deservedly celebrated for the progress it has 

 made in that important art, as well as practical science. The 

 country in passing from Brussels to Bruges presents little to inter- 

 est the traveller, being on the whole rather flat and tame in its 



