Field Market-Garden of M. Cadet de Mars. 259 



dryness and flavour of potatoes, and the succulency of turnips, 

 cabbages, and the other common culinary vegetables ; but the 

 Paris markets approach to equality with those of London, in 

 mushrooms, salads, and aromatic iierbs, during summer, and 

 surpass us in those articles during winter. 



December 20. Observed a great quantity of excellent 

 cauliflowers ; endive and chiccory, blanched in different 

 degrees ; lamb's lettuce, scorzonera, Teltow turnips, solid 

 celery, common white turnips, very long leeks ; onions, rather 

 small; excellent field cabbage, in immense quantities; savoys, 

 large heaps of mushrooms, and, to the best of our judgment 

 at the time, every vegetable seen in the London markets 

 about the same season, with the exception of broccoli, sea- 

 kale, asparagus, and forced rhubarb. The fruits were Chas- 

 selas grapes, Colville and reinette grise apples, a few indifferent 

 pears, different kinds of service, cornel berries, walnuts and 

 filberts, and sprigs of orange-blossoms, as in September. 

 It is but fair to mention that we failed in being at the 

 market sufficiently early in the morning to see things in their 

 best state. We shall now glance at some of the market- 

 gardens. 



The Field Market-Garden of M. Cadet de Mars, at Auher- 

 villiers. — Oct. 4. Aubervilliers is a small village, about a 

 league from Paris, and M. Cadet de Mars's grounds occujjy 

 50 or 60 acres round it. This gardener has been repeatedly 

 mayor of his village, and he is unquestionably at the head of 

 field market-gardeners in the neighbourhood of Paris. He 

 was, as he told us, a peasant ; but it is impossible to see his 

 imposing manly figure and open generous countenance without 

 feeling that he is noble by nature. He is upwards of seventy ; 

 and he began the world without a penny, and without edu- 

 cation ; but he is now proprietor of the grounds which he cul- 

 tivates, besides houses and other property. He has lately 

 ceded his grounds, widi the exception of a few acres for his 

 own amusement, to his children ; and lives quietly with his 

 wife, an excellent woman, about twenty years younger than 

 himself. This old man is full of gaiety and spirits, content 

 with his past life, and apparently happy. He has always had 

 the greatest curiosity respecting other countries, and this still 

 breaks out every time he sees a foreigner. He told us that he 

 would travel tlnough England, provided his wife would 

 accompany him. He once went as far as Havre with a friend 

 who was going to England, for the sake of seeing the sea, and 

 he speaks with raptures of the visit. He takes an interest in 

 all that is passing in the world, and spoke much of America ; 

 the government of which he admires beyond that of all other 



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