ioo The Public Gardens and Parks of Paris. 



the general space devoted to the subject being sufficiently large. 

 All these divisions we have just passed through cover an oblong 

 expanse of ground, the effect of which is of course anything but 

 beautiful from an ornamental point of view, but yet, in consequence 

 of the ground being well kept, each subject grown well and 

 vigorously, and all the squares bordered with roses and summer 

 flowering plants, the effect is better than might be expected. This 

 great oblong space is bordered on each side by double rows of lime 

 trees planted by Buffon. Between these are wide walks, agreeably 

 shady on hot days. 



The second great oblong space to the north is entirely devoted to 

 the school of botany, and this is simply a large portion of ground 

 planted on the natural system, remarkable for the correctness of its 

 nomenclature, and the richness of its collection. Here again 

 everything is well taken care of and kept distinct j the aquatics are 

 furnished with cemented troughs, in which they do quite luxu- 

 riantly ; and the whole is most satisfactory, with one exception 

 that they place out the greenhouse and stove plants in summer to 

 complete the natural orders. These poor plants are stored pell-mell 

 in winter in a great orangery, from which they are taken out in 

 early summer literally more dead than alive. They make a few 

 leaves during the summer, and are again put into their den to sicken 

 or die. The medicinal and other plants for special uses are indi- 

 cated by variously coloured labels. 



For the information of curators of botanic gardens I may state 

 that Cuscuta major is luxuriantly grown here upon the nettle, 

 C. Epithymum upon Calliopsis tinctoria, C. Engelmanii upon a 

 Solidago, and Orobanche grows upon Hemp. I have grown 

 O. minor upon perennial Clovers, and O. Hederae may be readily 

 grown upon the Ivy at the bottom of a wall (I once saw it growing 

 freely on the top of a wall near Lucan, in Ireland), so that there 

 ought not to be the difficulty in showing these curious plants to the 

 pi bl'.c which our botanic gardeners find. Orobanche ramosa is also 

 giown here upon Calliopsis tinctoria. The safest way with the 

 Orobanches is to scrape away the soil till you come near the root of 



