Review of Loudon's Gardener\<i Magazine. 301 



in the presence of another celebrated amateur near Paris, it is always 

 responded to with " Bah !" and a shrug of contempt. Reverse this, 

 by praising the amateur's rose to another, and you will find the same 

 effect produced. It is therefore most prud,ent, if you wish to remain in 

 the sunshine of favor, to limit all your admu-ation to the roses present, 

 forgetting that there any other roses or I'ose amateurs in the world. 



" Among the seedling roses in this gai-den were some most curious 

 hybrids, between jRosa or Lowea berberifoVm and other roses : they had 

 not yet bloomed, but really looked very mteresting, owing to then- pecu- 

 liar habit. A custom in France among rose-growers gives rise to many 

 (to us) very uninteresting names. An amateur who raises roses from 

 seed is regularly besieged by his lady friends to name one after them. 

 He therefore keeps a book in which applications are duly registered, 

 and this is only deviated from under very peculiar cu'cumstances ; hence 

 we have Madame Desprez, Madame Hardy, &c. I often think that 

 some of the fair applicants have not been in high favor when I find 

 very bad roses honored with their names, wliich are soon consigned to 

 oblivion. On the contrary, if you find a cultivator names one after his 

 wife, it is generally a very fine flower, as is the case with those above ' 

 mentioned. I think this is generally a veiy safe criterion forjudging of 

 the goodness of the flower, merely by the name ; for, if the unfortunate 

 grower has a termagant wife, I am quite sui-e (from the active part 

 French women take in business) that she would not allow her name to 

 be attached to a bad rose ; and, if an affectionate partner, his feelings 

 will prompt him to honor her name with a fine flower." 



The Paris JSPurseries. — The nursery business in Paris seems 

 to be at a low ebb ; the writer states that there is not a respecta- 

 ble one in the vicinity. That of Cels is much reduced. Noi- 

 sette has retired.' Fion's nursery is in good taste, but very 

 small. It is said that new and rare plants are not patronized, 

 and only flowers and flowering plants for the market are worth 

 cultivating. This depression of the nursery business the writer 

 attributes partly to the following cause : — 



" Another cause for the slovenly and bad state of the French nurse- 

 ries is, that the instant, by plodding, the proprietor accumulates eight 

 or ten thousand francs, he considers himself a man of fortune ; and, 

 instead of investing it in improvements in business, as we do, he lives 

 on the interest, and feels proud in bemg called a gentleman : for, how- 

 ever respectable we think a man in large business, the French do not ; 

 but consider an idle man of thirty pounds per annum as much his su- 

 perior. I have found this from experience ; as an amateur, you may 

 command any thing : but if you avow yourself un commercant, ten to 

 one but the tone is changed. When an Englishman is told the amount 

 of property that some of these " men of fortune " possess, it is impos- 

 sible to repress a smile at the extraordinary smallness of the sum which 

 contents them: but then soupe aux choux (cabbage soup without meat) 

 five days out of seven is cheap living, and coffee is also cheap ; and 

 these are all a Frenchman cares about at home ; though, if you take 

 him to a restaurateur's, and treat him with a good dinner, it is amazing 

 how he will enjoy the good things of this life." 



This is a true trait in the French character. 



" Commercial Rose Nurseries in Paris. — Nothing can be more insig- 

 nificant, both as to size and stock, than the nurseries of the commercial 

 rose-growers near Paris ; they seldom exceed one acre, and more fre- 



