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THE FRUIT GARDENS NEAR PARIS. 



training, as well as to embrace the oppor- 

 tunity of availing myself of the important 

 assistance of Mr. Francis Rauch, which 

 might have been lost by delay: the period 

 of his stay at Paris being then uncertain. 

 Having resided four years in and near Paris 

 for the purpose of accurately observing 

 everything connected with horticulture, he 

 was eminently qualified for the task he 

 kindly undertook of conducting me to pla- 

 ces most important to be seen in regard to 

 the object of my mission, and likewise for 

 obtaining the best possible information, on 

 all essential points, from the various horti- 

 culturists whose establishments we visited. 



I accordingly went from London to South- 

 ampton by railway, February 27th, and 

 sailed the same evening for Havre, where 

 I arrived next morning. Here there was 

 little to be seen interesting in a horticultu- 

 ral point of view. I observed, in passing 

 through the market, some good specimens 

 of the Easter Beurre pear, exposed for sale 

 under the names of Beryamotte de la Pen- 

 tecote and Doyenne d'Hiver. This, with 

 some Old Colmars, St. Germains, and Ca- 

 tillacs, were the only kinds of pears worthy 

 of notice. Of apples they had some good 

 Reinettes du Canada, which they call Rei- 

 nette du Canada, or Reinette de Bretagne ; 

 some Nonpareils, Reinette Grise, Pigeonet, 

 Reinette Franche, Reinette de Caux, or 

 Belle Reinette de Caux, a very handsome 

 variety, and, from being generally exposed, 

 its cultivation must be rather extensive in 

 this paft of Normandy. There were seve- 

 ral varieties of apples named Reinette 

 Franche ; the one so called at Havre is the 

 same as the Reinette Franche Grauwe of 

 the Dutch, and is an excellent late dessert 

 apple. 



Of vegetables, Salsify and Scorzonera 

 were very plentiful ; so much so that it 

 may be inferred the demand must be much 

 greater than in London. Cabbages and 

 savoys were rather indifferent, but Brus- 

 sels sprouts were good. The excellence of 

 this green is certainly not sufficiently ap- 

 preciated in England, where it is apt to de- 

 generate in many situations, but in others 

 there is proof of its seeds having been 

 saved for years as genuine as any imported 

 from the neighborhood of Brussels ; the 

 plants producing abundantly;/'efa,or sprouts, 



as round and compact as they possibly 

 could be. 



I proceeded, March 3d, to the Jardiu des 

 Plantes, Paris, and saw the arboretum, the 

 plant-house, Ecole botanique, and nurse- 

 ries for ornamental plants ; and afterwards 

 the economical and fruit-tree departments, 

 which are exceedingly well managed under 

 the superintendence of M. L. P. Cappe. 



The pyramidal trained pear trees are 

 from 10 to 15 feet high, or more, having a 

 regularly tapering outline from the base to 

 the top, where they terminate in a single 

 shoot. The young plant is stopped accord- 

 ing to its strength, and so as to furnish side 

 branches. These are not in stages at uni- 

 form distances along the stem ; on the 

 contrary, almost every shoot which breaks 

 out from the stem is allowed to grow ; but 

 the laterals produced on these are pinched 

 in summer, and even such of the leading 

 shoots as appear likely to become too strong 

 for the others are stopped. All the culti- 

 vators from whom I had an opportunity of 

 obtaining their opinion on the subject, ad- 

 mitted the advantages of summer pinching ; 

 whilst some regretted that circumstances 

 prevented them from practicing it to the 

 extent they could wish. It is, however, 

 well followed up by M. Cappe. He pinch- 

 es all the young shoots, not required to 

 form branches, when in a very young 

 state; when they have scarcely pushed a 

 finger's length, they are shortened to about 

 an inch, or from that to an inch and a half. 

 The portion left forms the basis of one or 

 more fruit buds, bearing fruit in the fol- 

 lowing season, or a spur on which blossom 

 buds are formed for bearing in the second 

 season. 



The advantages consequent on properly 

 managing fruit trees with regard to sum- 

 mer pinching, are so important that atten- 

 tion to the subject cannot be too strongly 

 urged. On the whole, it occasions little or 

 no loss of time ; for the confusion which 

 would otherwise accrue is prevented ; and 

 this being the case, it is only doing that in 

 summer which, if neglected, would occa- 

 sion as much loss of time in winter. I am 

 aware that many have more time to attend 

 to trees in winter than in summer ; but let 

 the advantages of summer pinching be ex- 

 perienced, and doubtless, in most cases, 



