I 



370 



JOUENAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ Majf SO, 1867. 



present day a want need only be felt and expressed to te in 

 a very short time supjilied ; so I would hope that some day 

 soon our nurserymen will put tlieir catalogues through a pro- 

 cess of expurgation, and clear a few pages for the reception of 

 a list of plants as ornamental in form and foliage as those used 

 in the London Parks last year, but requiring something a little 

 less expensive than a stove for their winter quarters.— Avit- 

 SHiRE Gardenek. 



THE GAKDEN OP THE PARIS UNIVERSAL 

 EXHIBITION. 



That portion of the park surrounding the Exhibition build- 

 ingwhich has been assigned as a garden for the display of objects 

 connected with horticulture, lies adjacent to and parallel with 

 the ficole Militaire. The visitor, therefore, who arrives by the 

 bridge of .Jena and enters thus by the Grand Avenue into the 

 building, has to traverse its entire length in the same straight 

 line until he finds himself in the park beyond. Passing 

 through some sections on his left, devoted to Flanders and 

 Brabant, he speedily reaches the garden itself, which is en- 

 closed by iron railings of various patterns. Here he will have 

 to pay an extra half franc, which covers all other expenses in 

 this part. 



To obtain a general view of the whole garden many ascend the 

 artificial mound in the central portion, on which a handsome 

 iron and glass structure, of great height and with curved out- 

 lines, has been raised. This is styled the " Serre Monumentale," 

 and its exterior i.s eiBciently covered with blinds composed of 

 thin round strips of wood of the thickness of a quill, painted 

 in alternate stripes of dull green and white, and which effectually 

 exclude the sun's rays. The interior is as yet unfinished ; a 

 fantastic portico will serve for many purposes in the future. It 

 is difficult, however, to imagine the practical purposes which 

 this really handsome house could serve. It may, however, be 

 an advertisement for the constructor. There have been few 

 plants within it. and, with the exception of some fine pyramidal 

 Azaleas, shown by Messrs. Veitch, nothing which the other 

 houses could not have held is exhibited thei e. A good general 

 idea of the plan and of the effect of the whole scene is obtained 

 from this point of view. With a true conception of the nature 

 of their object our neighbours laboured to raise here a central 

 semicircular mound which dominates the ground. As this is 

 the old review ground of the Paris garrison, it may again 

 serve for some military purpose. An arliticial valley is thus 

 formed, and the ground, rising gradually towards the arc of 

 the semicircle, forms an agreeable slope all round. This has 

 been planted with large trees ; and these, now in leaf, mask the 

 buildings in the streets, and concentrate the effect within its 

 sphere. Considering that the ground (the Champ de Mars), 

 was a dead level, what has been effected lueiits the warmest 

 praise, and is a decided addition to the Exhibition. 



In front of the Serre Monumentale spreads the "lac," of 

 course of no great size, and other pools diverging on each 

 hand continue the effect of the water. TJiey are small — too 

 small in fact, and the imitation rustic bridges, which were 

 needed for communication, might have been more pretending. 

 Gay flower-beds are formed in the thriving turf, but the 

 French do not excel in the art of bedding-out. Indeed, these 

 beds, labelled and placed under painted canvas pavilions, are 

 but so many advertisements of French .seedsmen, and are 

 meagre and ineffective in themselves. In this portion one 

 misses the English taste, which has done so much in geome- 

 trical flower-beds. The depredators of bedding-out, as now 

 practised, could not, however, like these mixed beds. 



The great attractions in the garden are the two aquaria. 

 That for salt water is unfinished ; but the fresh-water aquarium 

 is perfect, and much frequented. A waterfall passes over the 

 summit of the grotto under which the aquarium i.s constructed. 

 The next attraction is the pavilion, in winch some magnificent 

 band plays each afternoon. Behind the pavilion is the section 

 reserved for the fruit trees, and near it is the stove wherein 

 were the plants with which Messrs. Linden and Veitch con- 

 tended for floral honours. On the other tide of the pavilion is 

 a restaurant, evidently an important " coiKe.-isicm." It displays 

 the Imperial banner, whose field, thickly strewn with the Im- 

 perial emblem, carries a golden eagle in the centre. Below, 

 the incessant stream of people proves how fashionable the 

 garden is likely to be. As with us, music, no doubt, contributes j 

 largely to its attractions, and the strains of the band of the 

 Guides now invite a descent from the Serre Monumentale to- ! 



wards the pavilion. The slopes of the ground are well clothed 

 with healthy young trees and shrubs, all carefully labelled, and 

 worthy of examination. Many old favourites and some new 

 plants are here luxuriating in the rich black soil. Lower down, 

 and at the base of the mound, are the French horticultural 

 implements. Some of these are by no means unworthy of 

 e.xamination, and are commendable for cheapness. 



Following the crowd (no bad course after all), we arrive at 

 the fresh-water aquarium, constructed with immense labour 

 and on a large scale. It is divided into compartments in the 

 artificial grotto, and the fishes, among which are descendants of 

 the famed carp from Fontainebleau, which were originally 

 placed there by Francis I., are seen floating at the level of the 

 spectator's head. Other varieties are visible in the remaining 

 compartments. This aqu.arium is a very great source of plea- 

 sure to the Parisians. Little can be learnt, of course, even by 

 repeated visits, of the habits of the fishes. This requires long 

 observation, and what the salt-water aquarium can teach is to 

 us, dwellers on the seashore and fishermen, a marvel ! The 

 aquaria, however, serve their purpose well, and possibly they 

 will create a taste for such instructive pursuits, and thus the 

 object in view will be realised. In this sense the whole Exhi- 

 bition is wonderfully interesting, and is certainly well calculated 

 to succeed. The grotto itself is a beautiful artificial cave, and 

 it would be a pity not to preserve it. One can imagine that 

 rare effects could be- produced here by moonlight, or by coloured 

 illuminations. On the summit is a large burnished globe, 

 wherein, by shifting one's ground, a view of the whole garden 

 is gradually obtained, including a portrait of the spectator him- 

 self, with his head curiously and somewhat alarmingly fore- 

 shortened, as we see in caricatures. 



All this time the echoes of the band of the Guides have 

 been luring our not-unwilling steps toward the orchestral pavi- 

 lion, and from here, too, an artisf would select a stand-point 

 to photograph or sketch (were it allowed), the scene. Under 

 the shade are many of those very convenient iron chairs, so 

 common in Paris, filled with listeners. Crowds appear and 

 are lost in the windings of the slopes blooming with Khodo- 

 dendrons. They wind past the miniature lakes, cross the tiny 

 bridges, and ascend laughing to the seats near us. Strangely 

 enough, not a shadow of any national costume is to be seen. 

 You may hear close to you Bussian, Swedish, Koumanian, or 

 any other language (far more readily recognised than many 

 think), but the utterers themselves, men or women, are un- 

 recognisable as to dress — not that they are aristocrats ; far from 

 this, the mass appears to be of the middle class, or even of a 

 lower grade. After a time the eye distinguishes national pecu- 

 liarities, of feature especially ; but, at first sight, what difference 

 is there between one foreigner and another as to dress? Are 

 they not all equally strange to, and all unlike us in this re- 

 spect ? There is one great delusion which this international 

 meeting dissipates, and that is, that educated people differ 

 essentially wherever they may be. National costumes are fast 

 disappearing. The figures representing such in the building, 

 though of high finish, serve only to excite the hilarity of the 

 crowd. You pay two sous for your chair, and repeat this at 

 every move, and it is wonderful how often this is done. From 

 here, close to the Empress's Pavilion — another " coiiecssion," 

 and covered with the names of the tradesmen selected — the 

 view is charming and characteristic. One regrets that the 

 garden was not of larger extent, so artistically has it been laid 

 out, and so fashionable has it become. There are here few of the 

 hybrid kiosques, or sham mosques, which abound in the park, 

 and the eye finds repose in the fresh green of the turf and the 

 bloom of the flowers around, while the distant hum of Paris 

 reminds the visitor that he can, by a few yards of movement, 

 regain the crowded streets, or return to the bewildering riches 

 of the Great Show. 



The police of the garden is paternally administered by mem- 

 bers of the old Garde Municipale. Very polite are they, and 

 strangers should always consult them or the sergents de ville 

 when in any doubt — not, however, if they really wish to ap- 

 proach any of the crowned heads who visit the Exhibition, 

 unless it be to do exactly the reverse of what they advise you 

 to do. 



Those who expect to see a good display of fniit and vegetables 

 will be disappointed, unless autumn greatly change the charac- 

 ter of the Show. As usual, our neighbours trust wholly to 

 their fine climate, and neglect artificial aids for maturing fruits. 

 The results are visible in nine mean and small Peaches and six 

 Nectarines, shown about the middle of this month. Some Cal- 

 ville Apples and Uvedale's St. Germain Pears made up the rest. 



