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PART III. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Foreign Notices. 



FRANCE. 



Paris, Sept. 18. 1828. — A Meeting of the Horticultural Society of Paris 

 was held yesterday, at which we were present. The forms observed in con- 

 ducting meetings of the Society, differ from those of the Horticultural Society 

 of London only in two or three particulars of minor importance. The papers 

 presented are not always read by the secretary ; but by the writer, if he is a 

 member, and present, or by the friend through whom he has transmitted it 

 to the Society. Discussions on the subjects read, which rarely, or never, 

 take place at the meetings of the Horticultural Society of London, form a 

 leading feature in the meetings of the Horticultural Society of Paris. On the 

 present occasion, there was, first, a great deal of controversial discussion on 

 official matters, such as the number of copies of the Annales that ought to be 

 printed ; next, a paper was read on the culture of the Patate, or sweet po- 

 tato (Convolvulus Batatas Lin.), which gave rise to a variety of observations 

 of considerable interest in a professional and scientific point of view. The 

 author of the paper was not aware that the Patate had been, for a long time, 

 cultivated in France, till the Comte Lasteyrie and M. Boursault mentioned 

 the places where they had seen it grown 50 years ago. The writer, M. Loise- 

 leur-Deslongchamps, stated, and the fact was confirmed to us by M. Lacroix, 

 that exposing the tubers to a dry air, like fruit in a fruit-room, had suc- 

 ceeded better with M. Vilmorin than any other method. We mention these, 

 to show in what way discussion becomes really useful. We have seen dis- 

 cussion maintained in a similar manner, and attended by similar results, in 

 the Zoological Club of the Linnean Society of London. 



A very interesting account of the anniversary meeting of the Caledonian 

 Horticultural Society, was read by the Chevalier Masclet, partly translated 

 by him from the Scotsman (a newspaper held in great esteem here, for its 

 liberal and extended views'), and partly from a private communication 

 from Mr. Neill. It was rendered particularly interesting, from the manner 

 in which M. Masclet connected it with the subject of the education and 

 moral improvement of the laborious classes; the great superiority of Scot- 

 tish gardeners being attributed to their advantages, in this respect, over the 

 gardeners of other countries. In the discussion which arose on this subject, 

 the Comte Lasteyrie, and the Chevaliers Soulange-Bodin and Byerley, 

 noticed, in a general way, the advantages which must necessarily result to 

 the arts in every country, from the better education of those who are the 

 operators in these arts ; glanced at the progress which had been made in the 

 diffusion of useful education in France ; and strongly urged the necessity and 

 advantages, not only of encouraging practical gardeners of every description, 

 by premiums and other honourable distinctions, to become better cultivators, 

 but to encourage the young men to become reading and thinking workmen, 



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