Garden of M. Laffay, at Meudon. 249 



consequently there is less danger from transportation than 

 with us. The difference in the loss of plants taken out of 

 the ground, or growing in small pots, is at least one half 

 greater in the former manner. Besides, when growing in 

 pots, they can be sent away any month in the year ; this is 

 important when orders for the west must be put up and sent 

 off late in the fall, or early in the spring, before vegetation 

 commences in the open air. 



M. Verdier is very successful in his management of the 

 rose, and his plants were in most excellent order. He has 

 formed a plantation of fifteen hundred varieties, selected from 

 above twenty-five hundred cultivated by him since 1827. 

 From such a plantation selections may be made when the 

 plants are in flower. M. Verdier has produced several fine 

 varieties from seed, and has also introduced to notice many 

 others, raised by his uncle, M. Jacques, gardener to the king, 

 at Neuilly. His whole collection gave us much gratification. 



Garden of M. Laffay, at Meudon. — Meudon is about six 

 miles from Paris, on the route of the Versailles railroad, from 

 the southern bank of the Seine. Mr. Laffay's garden has 

 been recently established here, on an elevated and airy spot, 

 with a deep, rich, heavy loam, in which roses thrive admi- 

 rably, and form vigorous plants. The weather had been 

 cool, with a heavy rain the day previous, and but few roses 

 were in bloom. M. Laffay was not at home, and his aged 

 father could tell us nothing in relation to the private marks 

 and numbers which were attached to most of the varieties 

 we saw in flower. The distance and the time, occupied in 

 accomplishing a visit, rendering it quite impossible for us 

 to call again, we noted such as we saw interesting, not know- 

 ing whether some of them were new seedlings, or older kinds. 

 The splendid La Reine, no one could mistake, who had read 

 a description of it ; and the very first bloom we saw assured 

 us it could be no other flower : we were right in our conjec- 

 ture. At least twenty different plants were in bloom, produc- 

 ing their immensely large, highly fragrant, and superbly cup- 

 ped flowers, very freely. This, certainly, is one of the great- 

 est triumphs in the production of seedling roses, and it will 

 be no easy task to raise a perpetual rose that will excel it. 



VOL. XI. — NO. vn. 32 



