FOREIGN NOTICES. 



533 



Paris Peach Gardens. — Monlreuil-aux-Pcches 

 is about four miles east of Paris, and, together with 

 the adjoining village of Bagnolet, has long been 

 renowned for its Peaches and Nectarines; so much 

 so, that Paris and the country for fifty miles round, 

 is almost entirely supplied from these two places. 

 It is, in fact, their stai)le article of trade, and one 

 by no means inconsiderable, if report speaks truly 

 of the amount, which is stated to be, on the ave- 

 rage, 80,000 fi-ancs a year, independent of other 

 fruits. An exact estimate of a produce so entirely 

 regulated by the state of the weather is, I think, 

 very difficult to ascertain. The year 1841 was un- 

 productive, and the long continuance of wet and 

 cold also materially checked the consumption; 

 this season, on the contrary, has been exceedingly 

 prolific, and the excessively hot weather in Au- 

 gust augmented the demand in an equal ratio, and 

 it is said that the sale this season realized more 

 than 120,000 fiancs. 



Large as this sum may at first sight appear, it 

 will not upon reflection be found exaggerated, 

 when the number and extent of gardens is taken 

 into consideration. The markets and streets of 

 Paris were literally glutted at the end of July; and 

 in August, fine fruit was sold at one penny, and 

 very good at a half penny each. The gardens vary 

 in size from one-half to a whole acre, and are 

 surrounded with walls about eight feet high, rising 

 amphitheatrically, one above another, to the top of 

 the hills; they give the neighborhood a pictur- 

 esque appearance. The soil is genei-ally a deep 

 sandy loam, with here and there, a mixture of blue 

 clay, similar to that of Montmartre and Pere la 

 Chaise. Most of the trees are oUI, yet their gen- 

 eral appearance is healthy, which the cultivators 

 attribute as much to their being worked upon al- 

 mond stocks, as to the suitability of the soil. Fan- 

 shaped training is usually adopted; but another 

 form called "Espalier carre," is now coming into 

 vogue. M. Leptre, of Montreuil, claims to be 

 the originator of this system, which, however, is 

 warmly disputed by others. It appears to me to 

 •be little, if at all diflerent from the horizontal 

 training which has for many years been practiced 

 in England. As the design of these gardens is 

 profit, it may be readily supposed, that the varie- 

 ties are chiefly confined to those which are most 

 prolific, or produce the finest fruit in their differ- 

 ent seasons of maturity. At almost every cultiva- 

 tors, I found the Petite and Grosse IMignoinne, 

 Chevrcuse hative, Galande, Magdeleine, Bourdine, 

 Admirable, Belle de Paris, Royale, Parie, and 

 Teton de Venus, with a few Nectarines, such as 

 Violctte Hative, Musque, and Grosse Violette. 

 The other parts of the walls are clothed with 

 Cherries, Plums and Pears. Strange as it may 

 seem, I could not find any one who grew the Mo- 

 rello cherry; and although I have often asked for 

 it in Paris and tlie other cities of France, I have 

 never yet been able to meet this delicious variety. 

 The cherry used here for jireserves and brandy is 

 somewhat of the same form, but far inferior in 

 size, and totally deficient in the racy vinous fla- 

 vor .so peculiar to the Morello. Among the Plums 

 I found Royale de Tours, Monsieur, Reinc Claude, 

 Mirabelle, and Reine Claude Violette, most prized 



among the older sorts: Coe's Golden Drop is also 

 becoming known and in much request. Triel is a 

 small town, northwest of Paris, between St. Ger- 

 main and Poissy; it enjoys an equal reputation for 

 Apricots. The soil is here light and sandy, and 

 the gardens are walled and terraced, in the same 

 manner as those at Bagnolet and Montreuil, but 

 the culture is not upon the same extensive scale. 

 The training and pruning do not, as far as I could 

 learn, differ in any way from those in general 

 practice. The fruit is entirely sold to the Paris- 

 ians, and is valued, on the average, at about 40,000 

 francs a j^ear. The only varieties in cultivation 

 are Precoce, Muscli, Abricot Peche and Breda, on 

 the walls, and Precoce and Abricot Pt'che on 

 standards. This last is of first-rate excellence, 

 and succeeds admirably in the open grounds; it is 

 of the largest size and fine flavour, very like the 

 Mon Park, if it is not, indeed, the same. The 

 Mirabella Plum is also %'ery extensively grown in 

 both these places, and for preserves it is preferred 

 before any other variety. I have not often seen it 

 thus used in England, and may therefore be excused 

 from calling attention to ■ its merits. When per- 

 fectly ripe it is of a beautiful transparent, wax- 

 like, golden color, with a flavor something be- 

 tween the Apricot and Date. It is excellent pre- 

 served in brandy, to which it imparts a peculiar 

 softness and delicacy, far superior, (as I think) to 

 that of cherries; it also keeps its color for a con- 

 siderable length of time. But this is not all; its 

 greatest attraction is when it has become one 

 among the favored coterie denominated Glace; 

 there it challenges equality, if not superiority, to 

 the Apricot, Reine Claude, Pastcque Chinois, or 

 even the Pine-apple itself. — For. Cor. Gardeners' 

 Chronicle. 



Remahks. — We copy the foregoing chiefly for 

 the sake of comparing the easy culture of the Peach 

 in our more favorable climate, with that of Paris. 

 At Montreuil, the celebrated peach district of 

 France, all the trees must be trained on walls or 

 espaliers; the average annual product is 80,000 

 francs (about $16,000,) and the markets of Paris 

 are considered glutted, when the fruit is worth an 

 English penny each, (i. e. at the rate of $4 per 

 bushel.) 



Contrast with this the peach orchards of New 

 Jersey and Delaware, which supply the markets 

 of New York and Philadelphia. One county, 

 (Newcastle) in Delaware, contains about twenty- 

 five liundred acres devoted to peach orchards — the 

 annual product of which is nearly or about §200,- 

 000. The Messrs. Reybolds alone in that county 

 raise, annually, nearly four times as many peaches 

 as all the growers of Montreuil. These great peach 

 growers are, we believe, very well content with an 

 average of 75 cents per bushel for their crop. 

 We have no means at hand for giving an estimate 

 of the product of the peach crop of New Jersey, 

 but it is very large, and we trust some friend will 

 enable us to give it authentically. It was stated 

 in one of the newspapers List year, that peaches to 

 the enormous amount of S 1,200,000 were sold 

 (partly of course for re-shipment) in the city of 

 Now York last .season! This will give foreigners 

 some idea of the orchards of the United States— 



