from June 28. to August 16. 18 40. 387 



pied by a bi'oad carriage walk, and the border for the fruit trees 

 which clothe the surrounding walls. Exterior to this garden, at 

 one angle, is a forcing-ground ; and at another is a small garden, 

 containing the house which was occupied by the celebrated 

 Quintinie, the architect of the garden, and the head gar- 

 dener during the time of Louis XIV. The walls are well 

 covered with pear trees, peaches, and vines; and in the borders 

 throughout the gardens all the best French and Flemish pears 

 are cultivated enpyramide or e7i quenouille^ in the manner adopted 

 in the Chiswick Garden. One of the crops most extensively 

 cultivated is the alpine strawberry, with which the royal table 

 is furnished, from the open garden, ft'om June to October, and 

 great part of the rest of the year from hotbeds. These straw- 

 berries in France are preferred to all others; and deservedly so, 

 as we think, as far as flavour and duration of crop are concerned 

 (see p. 266.}. The plants are abundantly supplied with water, 

 which is given them overhead even during the hottest sunshine. 

 On remarking on this to M. Masse, he observed that it did 

 them no harm whatever, and that the extent to which waterino; 

 was obliged to be carried in the garden was so great, that it was 

 performed during the whole day. The same thing takes place 

 in all the florists' gardens about Paris. The earlier crops of 

 grapes, peaches, plums, &c., had been gathered ; but there were 

 succession crops in an excellent state. The kinds of grapes 

 forced are chiefly varieties of chasselas ; but the muscats are 

 cultivated for the later crops. The most remarkable circum- 

 stance, however, connected with the royal kitchen-garden at 

 Versailles, is the mode of cultivating the pine-apple, and the 

 success which has attended that mode (see p. 200.). 



There is a house devoted to the Mtisa, some plants of which 

 have large spikes of fruit ; and, if its flavour should be liked in 

 France, it will form a most valuable addition to the dessert, as it 

 can be cultivated in large quantities with the greatest ease. We 

 found here many dozens of pine-apples ripe, or nearly so, and 

 others in every stage of progress. Many of the full-grown 

 Envilles were as large as any which we have seen during the 

 time of Plimley in the forcing department at Kensington ; and 

 many of the plants had large fruit on their suckers, such as we 

 have seen at Wentworth House, and other places in Britain, 

 and in the royal kitchen-gardens at Munich, as described by one 

 of the royal gardeners there in our volume for 1829, p. 427. M. 

 Masse, whom we believe to be the third successor of Quintinie, 

 holds the situation of Intendant of the Gardens of the Crown, 

 for which, from his botanical acquirements and great experience, 

 he is eminently well adapted, showed use very attention and the 

 very greatest kindness ; and gave every explanation that we 

 required, during two of the three days that we devoted to Ver- 



c c 3 



