14 Notes and Reflections during a Tour ; — 



as near as possible, of the same size in every respect, and of 

 the same vigour in their annual growths. 



Choisy le Roi is also a village of nurserymen, but smaller 

 than Vitry, and of much less note ; indeed, as already ob- 

 served, the number of growers, and quantity of acres men- 

 tioned as connected with the latter village, may be considered 

 to include those of the former. At the back of the inn here 

 is the forcing-ground of a kitchen-garden which belonged to 

 a royal chateau destroyed in 1789. The walls are very mas- 

 sive, and covered by a broad stone coping. An old man at 

 work told us that he remembered the time when the walls 

 were covered with glass [serres chaudes)^ and the interior of 

 the ground with pits. On some parts of the walls were the 

 remains of old peach trees and vines. At the inn we got 

 excellent mealy potatoes, of a purplish red variety, cooked au 

 natiirel. Mealy potatoes are not very common in France; 

 but the reason is to be traced more to their want of good 

 varieties than to the climate. We have sent specimens of 

 some of the best British late sorts to the Abbe Gossier, for 

 the Agricultural Society of Rouen. 



Noisette's Nursery is one of the oldest about Paris. It 

 appears to occupy between 6 and 8 acres ; contains a tolerable 

 collection of green-house and some hot-house plants under 

 glass ; a moderate collection of hardy trees and shrubs ; and 

 an extensive collection of roses, standards, and dwarfs. There 

 are few herbaceous plants, with the exception of georginas. 

 There are a stock of pine-apples, and a collection of about 20 

 sorts of table grapes, which M. Noisette informed us, in 181 9, 

 that he had obtained from England ; besides about a dozen 

 sorts of French and Dutch eating grapes. The hardy trees 

 and shrubs in this nursery were formerly cultivated in masses 

 according to the natural system ; so, at least, Victoire Varan- 

 got, M. Noisette's foreman, informed us : but in 181 5, and in 

 1819, when we were shown round the nursery by M. Noi- 

 sette, the circumstance did not attract our attention. A spe- 

 cimen of each of the more rare of the hardy trees and shrubs 

 is named by a tin label soldered to the top of an iron rod 

 about 2 ft. long. The green-house and hot-house plants 

 have their names printed on small plates of earthenware ; 

 each of which has a hole behind, in which may be inserted a 

 stick to support it from the ground, or a wire to tie it to the 

 plant. We regret that we had not leisure to examine this 

 nursery in such a manner as to give a more accurate and 

 ample account of it. Victoire Varangot we found a reading 

 gardener, who understood the natural system ; and we pre- 



