18 Notes and Reflect io7is (hiring a Tour : — 



Zyolium perenne var. italicum, here considered the most valu- 

 able variety of the species, was conspicuous; many species 

 and varieties of Festiica ; of mangold wurzel ; and of turnip, 

 lettuce, &c. 



This place, the name of which we unfortunately neglected 

 to write down, consists of an old, but commodious and well 

 preserved, chateau and park, laid out by Le Notre for Made- 

 moiselle La Valliere, a mistress of Louis XIV. Near the 

 house is a formidable sunk fence, which the French call saut 

 de loup. In the shrubbery of the English part of the grounds, 

 arranged and planted by M. Vilmorin, is a considerable num- 

 ber of rare trees and shrubs. In the kitchen-garden is a pit 

 of pine-apple plants, which M. Vilmorin kindly and generously 

 allows his gardener to grow for his own amusement. The 

 gardener's house is close by the garden : M. Lacroix took us 

 in to see it ; and as all the doors were open, and the gardener 

 and his wife from home, we took a note of the furniture, for 

 the sake of comparing it with that of an English gardener 

 under similar circumstances. The house consisted of two 

 rooms on the ground floor, and garrets over, with some out- 

 buildings for fuel, &c. We did not enter the garrets. In 

 the living-room were the family bed, of the couch kind, and 

 sufficiently wide for two persons ; a child's bed, of the cradle 

 kind ; a large clothes press ; two chests of drawers ; a corner 

 cupboard; a chest about 4 ft, long, 18 in. wide, and 18 in. 

 deep, for kneading dough, and keeping bread after it was 

 baked ; a large fire-place, with an oven on one side and a 

 furnace with two places for saucepans on the other ; eight 

 shining copper saucepans, three of them with lids ; two brass 

 saucepans ; three frying-pans ; one soup ladle ; one ladle for 

 lifting vegetables ; one gridiron ; one warming-pan ; two salad 

 bowls, and a number of minor articles. What struck us was, 

 that the crockery was remarkably coarse, the spoons of silver, 

 and the knives few and bad. * In the inner room was a larger 

 child's bed, of the couch kind ; a large closet, or store-room ; 

 one table, five chairs, a stove for warming the apartment, and 

 some other articles, including a print of Bonaparte, and an- 

 other of Marie Louise. There was a religious book or two, 

 but no gardening books ; neither master nor mistress being 

 readers. 



We have before designated M. Vilmorin and Co. as the 

 first seedsmen in the world ; and it is proper that we should 



* In farm-houses and cottages in the south of France, it is not uncom- 

 mon to find a handsome silver fork laid for each person, while there is 

 only one clumsy clasp knife, to be handed round for each in turn to make 

 what use of it he may require. — J. W, L. 



