of Rural A)t and Taste. 



185 



Curiosities of Horticulture in 

 Southern France. 



A CORRESPONDENT of the Journal of 

 Horticulture^ from Nice, furnishes some 

 interesting notes of observation as to plants, 

 flowers and horticultural occupations. 



" One of the most valuable introductions of 

 late years has been that of the Eucalyptus, or 

 Australian Grum Tree. The growth of these 

 trees at Nice is quite wonderful, springing up 

 sometimes 9 feet in the season. I have a sec- 

 tion of a tree only nine years planted, which 

 is 2 feet 6 inches in circumference, and the 

 wood is exceedingly hard. Thousands of acres 

 are, I am told, planted in Algeria, and they 

 are speculating upon planting them near Nice 

 for the purpose of making railway sleepers. 

 They are singularly beautiful trees. The 

 leaves up to about 12 feet high are oval, thick, 

 and of a powdery, glaucous color ; above that 

 they completely change their shape into a long, 

 narrow, sickle shape and green color, free 

 from powder. When first shooting out they 

 have every shade of red and purple hues, and 

 are very ornamental. What purpose of nature 

 is effected by this change of leaf I cannot im- 

 agine. We are accustomed to suppose that 

 the holly losing its prickles where it shoots 

 above the reach of cattle is because nature 

 does not grow prickles where not of use. Per- 

 haps some Australian reader may supply some 

 reason for this change in the Eucalyptus. 



The next tree that arrests one's attention 

 in the neighborhood of Nice is the Schinus 

 molle, or False Pepper Tree. It grows to a 

 large size — about 40 feet high, and with its 

 light pinnate foliage, is one of the most grace- 

 ful of trees. But the palms are what give a 

 quite oriental character to Nice. Although 

 well known of old in the palm forest of Bor- 

 dighera and along that part of the Riviera, 

 they are of comparatively modern introduction 

 into the town and environs of Nice. They 

 are now everywhere along the promenades 

 and in the gardens around Nice. They trans- 



plant them from Bordighera, often paying £50 

 for one tree, and they seem to bear removal 

 admirably. They flower and bear fruit, but 

 do not ripen it. The Date palm is the com- 

 monest, and its long raceme of yellow fruit is 

 very ornamental. There are good specimens 

 of the Sago palm, but not many. There is 

 said to be only one male plant of the Date 

 palm in the neighborhood of Nice, and it is 

 in the garden of the Villa Bacquis, behind 

 the English church. One of the best palm 

 trees is in the Rue St. Etienne. It has a stem 

 28 feet 6 inches high to the springing of the 

 leaves, and to the top 44 feet G inches. I 

 do not think there are many higher. 



There is one very fine specimen of the Ce- 

 drus Atlantica, and I believe the only one in 

 that district of Nice. It is a very beautiful 

 tree, with a straight, clear stem of 27 feet, and 

 then a fine spreading head, making the ex- 

 treme height 59 feet ; the girth at 4 feet from 

 the ground, 6 feet 6 inches. The two best 

 specimens of the Ilex I saw were at the con- 

 vent of Cuniez, which are supposed to be of 

 great age. Their girth at 4 feet is 8 feet 4 

 inches one, and 8 feet the other ; height only 

 50 feet ; but they are very wide-spreading 

 trees. The Phytolacca is much planted, 

 grows very vigorously along the sea shore, and 

 is there, on the Promenade des Anglais, 

 headed every season, and makes long, vigorous 

 shoots in the summer. 



Another of the most graceful trees on the 

 promenade of Nice is the Tamarisk, which is 

 grown as a .standard alternating with Phyto- 

 lacca and palms, and forms very beautiful 

 heads of raspbery cream colored flowers. One 

 of the most striking and beautiful of the trees 

 is the Carouba, or Ceratonia siliqua, the long, 

 bean-like fruit of which is used for feeding 

 horses. It is a very beautiful evergreen, with 

 close, dark green foliage, not unlike some 

 smooth-leaved hollies. It seems to flourish 

 out from the crevices of rocks where nothing 

 else would grow. On a steep precipice in the 

 neighborhood of Mentone I found one old tree, 

 the stem of which, from the nature of the 

 ground, I could not accurately measure, but 

 estimated it a})dut 12 feet in circumference. 



