402 Gardening Visit to Paris, 



perfect manner in which they were trained and managed under 

 the direction of the kitchen-gardener. 



The border in front was about 12 ft. wide, not cropped, but 

 protected from being trod on by a low trelUs, also covered with 

 vines. One use of this trellis, we were informed, was to afford 

 a few grapes to the passers by, that they might not be tempted 

 to take any from the wall. The wall is of stone, rough-plastered, 

 and covered with a wooden trellis, to which the vines are tied 

 with willow twigs. The coping of the wall is of flat tiles, and 

 projects about 1 ft. to throw off the rain, which would otherwise 

 take off the bloom from the fruit, and render it unsightly at 

 table. For the same reason, the ground at the base of the wall 

 is covered with vine leaves and prunings to the breadth of about 

 18 in., to prevent the rain which drops from the coping from 

 splashing the grapes on the lower lines of the trellis, the bunches 

 of which reach within a few inches of the soil. The kind of 

 grape planted is chiefly the Chasselas ; but there are also some 

 Muscats, and other kinds, but none, we believe, of either the 

 Muscat of Alexandria or the Black Hamburg. A peculiar 

 kind of mousetrap, of very small size, is inserted at intervals 

 between the trellis and the wall. The ver blanc is here, as every 

 where else, troublesome in the border. 



We were conducted through the most interesting parts of the 

 Forest of Fontainebleau by the Inspector-General, M. Marrier 

 de Bois d'Hyver, already mentioned. This gentleman possesses 

 a scientific knowledge of trees and shrubs, and of every part of 

 forest management ; and he is, besides, enthusiastically devoted 

 to the subject. Previously to proceeding to the forest, he 

 showed us a map of the whole, including the palace and gar- 

 dens, as they existed before the time of Le Notre, by which it 

 appears that the interior of the compartments of the flower- 

 garden, which are now covered with Festiica ovlna, were at that 

 time laid out in parterres of embroidery. Le Notre had simpli- 

 fied the design ; judging, perhaps, that the parterres of em- 

 broidery were too distant from the eye to produce their proper 

 effect. M. Bois d'Hyver showed us his specimens of indigenous 

 woods, and also several pieces of furniture made of the common 

 juniper, from trees which afforded boards from 6 in. to 9 in. in 

 width. We also tasted at his table a very excellent fragrant 

 spirit, made from the berries of Cerasus Padus and C. Mahalch, 

 the flavour of which was somewhat like that of kirschwasser. In 

 proceeding through the forest, we saw numerous trees of Pinus 

 Laricio grafted on P. sylvestris, numbers of which are 50 ft. 

 liigh, bearing cones. P. 5'trobus, P. pumilio, and P. Cemhra 

 are also grafted on P. sylvestris, and doing well. There are 

 in the forest about 3000 hectares (about 7000 acres) covered 

 with pines, and about 20 hectares on which the P. Laricio is 



