Gardens and Nurseries at Lyons. 1 ] 5 



are enumerated. Wilmot's superb strawberry produces fruit 

 4 in. (108 millimetres) in circumference; care being taken to cut 

 off the runners as they appear. A melon this year weighed 

 21 lbs. New Zealand spinach thrives, and is much liked; the 

 summer being too hot for the common spinach. Among the 

 ornamental trees are : Cytisus alpinus, with white flowers ; le 

 Cytise parasol, or Gros bois ; and le Poirier glutineux, of which the 

 pretty little fruit "would form a proper accompaniment" to that 

 of the berry-bearing crab. Dahlias are here propagated by the 

 bud, or rather, we should say, by the joint, or knot. After a 

 stem has attained the height of from 1 ft. to 3 ft., according to 

 the variety, it is cut into as many pieces as there are joints. 

 Each piece is then reduced so as to leave a very small space 

 above and below the joint; one of the leaves is cut off, and the 

 cutting so formed is planted, leaving one of the leaves above 

 ground ; the greater part of its petiole being buried. Shading 

 and the usual routine being attended to, the plants root imme- 

 diately, and generally flower the same year. 



The Vineyard of M. Depitits de Maconcx contains some excel- 

 lent varieties of table grapes, cultivated for the sale of the fruit. 

 The variety principally grown is the Mornain blanc, which, 

 when ripe, has the russet tinge, which is so much admired by 

 the amateurs of grapes. He grows, also, le Janean de Vaucluse, 

 a white, very early, fine, and good grape and the Chasselas 

 rouge de Fontainebleau, of excellent quality. The Muscat of 

 Alexandria is grown in the warmest places. Among the grapes 

 grown for wine are the Game noir, and la Serine a graine 

 sucre, from which the Cote-roti and Hermitage wines are made. 

 Panicum altissimum is here grown as a forage plant, but hitherto 

 without much success. 



The Nursery of M. Poizat, at Vilieurba?ine, is stated to be re- 

 markable for its order and neatness, and the committee did not 

 observe a single weed. All the tools are regularly disposed in a 

 shed, each in its proper place, every evening, after the workmen 

 leave off, properly cleaned and in good condition ; if they are 

 otherwise, they are immediately cleaned and put in order. Two 

 yew trees, clipped into the form of candelabra, decorate the 

 entrance to the garden; in which, among many other fine plants, 

 were found several new varieties of A'ster, raised from the seed 

 of A. Novae A'ngliae : one is called A. ericoides, and has blue 

 flowers. An Althaea frutex has the leaves variegated with 

 yellow. A Ceanothus, which appears to be that of Africa, but 

 which is sufficiently hardy to live through the winter in the open 

 air, bears abundance of seed in summer. Many seedling lilacs, 

 remarkable for their appearance. Two varieties of Zilia : the one 

 procured from T. argentea, which has long shoots turned down- 

 wards, and thickly clothed with leaves at their extremities; the 



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