May 16, 1867. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



.337 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



MAY 16—22, 1867. 



Meeting of Royal Society, 6.30 r.u. 

 Royal Hort.Snciety.Show and Promenade. 



4 >U\DAY AFTER EaSTER. 



Royal Hort. Swcioty, Special Fete. 



Rovnl Hort. Sue, Exjiit.ition of Tricolor 



P..larBnninmB. Fruit, Floral, & General 



Meeting of Society of Arts, 8 p.m. [Meetg. 



From observations taken near London dnrinff the last forty yeara, the average day temperature of the week is 66..S°; and its niffhl 

 temperatare 4.S.1-. The greatest heat was 89-', on the 2ind, 1B17; and the lowest cold 30', on the ISth and 19th, i8.J4 ; 20th, 1853; and 10th 

 and 20th, 185B. The greatest fall of rain was 0.58 inch 



PARIS UNIVERSjVL EXHIBITION. 



A DAY AT BILI.ANCOURT. 



HE Seine as it flows past 

 Paris forms several islands 

 but little raised abo\e the 

 ■water level, and which are 

 frequently inundated during 

 the winter months. Of these 

 Billancourt is one. When first it was proposed to devote 

 it to a garden where the Parisian market gardeners should 

 display their skill in cultivation, it was objected to the 

 scheme that without an Imperial guarantee the cultivator 

 could not risk the necessary labour against the overflow to 

 be expected after the rains of last autumn. It was. there- 

 fore, eventually turned into a sort of " annexe " or adjunct 

 for the agricultural macliines, for which space failed in the 

 main building. 



The island is not iinsuited either by distance or by 

 natural features for this purpose, being flat and accessible 

 to heavy machines, and adjoining the river. For some 

 time the inundations which wearied the Commissioners 

 have subsided, and something, though as yet extremely 

 inadequate, has been done in the way of ornament. As to 

 the valuable machinery it is safe under commodious sheds, 

 and the climate is too fine to cause alarm. 



The means of reaching Billancourt. however, have not 

 been made so perfect as they may eventually become, and 

 visitors would do well to be cautious how they use them. 

 One of the Parisian papers, L'Epoquc, comments on this 

 deficiency thus ; — " The omnibus (a small and unsuitable 

 vehicle), and the river steamer (a boat of small power, but 

 having a good amiing), start at the same moment, in con- 

 sequence of which the \'isitor often misses both. In de- 

 spair he is di-iven to travel over two kilometres (about 

 IJ mile) of dusty road under a burning sun. He returns 

 in the same way, and, out of breath, arrives at the station 

 in time to see the smoke disappearing under the bridge." 

 In fact, the much-vaunted system of Parisian omnibus 

 correspondence is, in this case, one cause of vexatious 

 delay and fatigue. 



My own experience was somewhat similar : for, starting 

 from the station of the Femes, not far from the Arc de 

 Triomphe, I arrived shortly at th& Point du Jour station 

 (ominous name "break of day"l, and found no omnibus 

 whatever going in the direction of Billancourt ; so I sat in 

 the shade, till refreshed with beer, I " took," as our neigh- 

 bour's say, " courage in both hands," and under a tropical 

 Bun proceeded to the island on foot. Tlie heat of that 

 hour would have astonished any one. Tlie road is ex- 

 tremely wliite and dusty, flat, and of the market-garden 

 character, though laid out already in building lota. The 

 soil is a chalky loam, but porous, and with access to water, 



No. BSO.— Yoi,. XII, Kkw Seeie!. 



would, by enriching, bear good garden crops, or Vines, 

 many of which we see on the distnnt slopes. The whole is 

 but little above the water le^•el, but the splendid climate 

 supplies many defects. 



At last with weary feet I reached the bridge over the 

 river leading to the island. The stream is of a green 

 grey hue. but not turbid, and runs at about three miles 

 an hour at this season. I could see that it had been 4 or 

 .T feet above the present level during the winter floods. 

 The scenery is tame, and the absence of steamers and plea- 

 sure boats contributes much to its monotonous cliaracter. 

 Tail masts, from which tricolor pennons were flying, gave 

 a transitoiy though theatrical gaiety to the bridge. To an 

 English eye tliis seems tawdry, but it is not so very easy 

 to render buildincs suitable for the exhibition of ma- 

 chinery or cattle interesting. 



After paying one sous "pniir Ir pnnt, Mnusicur," I found 

 myself between two ugly rows of Norwegian-looking sheds, 

 seemingly destined for the sale of beer, ■vnne. and spirits. 

 Tliese, also, had their appropriate flags, and appropriate 

 inmates too. Certainly the increase of drunken men in 

 the streets of Paris of late years is conspicuous, and Emile 

 Girardin in his journal notices the crowds of workmen 

 round the English restaurants, and ironically says they 

 must be strangers whom the march of civilisation has 

 converted into topers and Frenchmen, so like a native is 

 their language. 



Tlie politeness of the Acting Superintendent spared me 

 much time and fatigue under that fierce sun, without means 

 of obtaining shade save among the drinking-sheds. Those 

 to whose lot it fell to be present at the earlier stages of the 

 Exhibition building know how much invaluable time they 

 expended in finding out their special objects. 



The visitor on entering will find on his left-hand a space 

 devoted to horticultural objects, which are worthy of his 

 notice. The section, devoted to these is in the Park of the 

 Exhibition near the Ecole jNIilitaii-e, and contains the prin- 

 cipal objects of this department. The visitor, however, 

 whose chief desire is to inspect some of the machinery or 

 cattle, may thus examine some fine specimens of trained 

 trees shown by Baltet, of Troyes, who is considered here a 

 clever cultivator. The trees shown by him are enclosed, 

 and called the Emperor's Garden. Some fine diagonal 

 Pear cordons by Professor Gressent are worth looking at. 

 as he also has a high reputation. Specimens of neat little 

 Apple cordons as edgings may be seen in front of thera also ; 

 and a method of bending Pear shoots by Oudin. of Lisieux, 

 is practical and ingenious. Shrubs were still being planted, 

 and walks made on the island, which if made permanent 

 will be a great improvement. A small collection of stocks 

 was exhibited, among which were the following : — Quinces 

 from Angers, Lisieux, Orleans, and Portugal : the Para- 

 dise. INIyrobolan, St. Julien. the Mahaleb, and Pnmus 

 spinosa. There was also a collection of French Hops, as 

 well as a very interesting show of Vines tramed I'ur vine- 

 yards, from which the English visitor may gather an idea 

 for training Vines under gi'ound vineries ; some curved 

 specimens are particularly recommended to his notice, as 

 also the very old stumps still in good bearing condition. 



No. 9T!.— Vol.. XZXVn., Ol.n Sebi«s. 



