66 Le Jardin Fleuriste de la Ville de Paris. 



central pathway, and on these a great number of plants are stored, 

 so that every space is taken advantage of without in the slightest 

 degree interfering with the health of the plants, which is indeed ad- 

 mirable. But doubtless it is necessary thus to economize space, for 

 the enormous number of nearly three million of plants is annually 

 required from and furnished by this establishment for the embel- 

 lishment of Paris and its environs. These are raised at a very cheap 

 rate less than a penny each. And observe that many of the plants 

 are such as would be fit to embellish any exhibition, numbers of 

 them being palms and fine-leaved plants, while of course the least 

 valuable are simply bedding plants, from Nierembergias to Pelar- 

 goniums, of which last there are annually sent out from hence 

 400,000 plants ! 



Without seeing the houses or plants, the potting-shed would tell 

 of extraordinary horticultural operations, for in the centre there is 

 a great wide bench, around which sixty men can work. Ordinary 

 bedding plants are kept here at an extraordinarily cheap rate I 

 think more economically than I have observed them in English 

 gardens. A very large space of ground is covered by parallel lines 

 of rough and rather shallow small wooden frames, very simply and 

 cheaply made. They are rather closely placed, and the pathways 

 between, and, in fact, all the spaces around them, filled up with 

 leaves and mossy rakings from the adjacent Bois de Boulogne. 

 These are nearly or quite filled up to the edge of the frames, and 

 of course keep the plants warm and snug through the winter. In 

 winter the floor of the frames is low j in spring their bottoms 

 are raised so as to bring the foliage of the plants right up to the 

 glass; and the men were engaged in doing this by putting in a 

 quantity of the pretty well consolidated leafy stuff before named. 

 When this becomes decomposed around the . rough and simple 

 frames, it is taken away and preserved for potting purposes, making 

 of course excellent leaf-mould. With the frames thus plunged in 

 a comforting mass of genially warm leaves, and the plants lowered 

 inside in winter, protection is a matter of easy accomplishment. 

 They were crammed with healthy bedding plants the most 



