Chap. XXVL] THE MxiRKET GARDENS OP PARIS. 459 



usual. Manure would appear to be dearer than in London, and 

 it IS used very profusely, some of the crops being grown in almost 

 nothing else. Prom the beginning of May to the end of November 

 the market-gardeners have no use for hotbeds, still every day 

 arrive loads of stable-manure, which piled meanwhile into rick- 

 like heaps, will be used chiefly in winter and spring. In Novem- 

 ber they commence to make the hotbeds, and as stable-manure 

 continues to arrive every day it is mixed with that which has 

 been gathered during the summer — this making beds giving a 

 moderate degree of heat. 



But a more important and expensive item is the watering. 

 The Parisian market-gardener, if not a " scientific " man, would 

 appear to be fully aware of the fact that by far the most important 

 constituent of vegetables is water. It is mainly owing to the 

 abundant watering of these gardens, that the Paris markets are 

 throughout the hot season better supplied with crisp, tender, fresh 

 vegetables than any other capital in Europe. Almost every 

 market-garden has its pump worked by the horse of the establish- 

 ment — the Naudin system being generally preferred. The water 

 is thence conducted into barrels plunged nearly to their rims 

 in the ground at regular intervals over the garden, and from 

 these distributed by copper watering-pots made to discharge the 

 water very quickly. This constant watering involves a consider- 

 able expenditure for labour, one or two men being nearly always 

 employed at it in each little garden during the sunny months. 

 The system of watering with the hose, generally adopted in the 

 city of Paris, could not fail to attract the attention of the market- 

 gardeners : it is already used by several of them In these cases 

 the pump is employed to elevate the water to a cistern placed a 

 few yards above the highest point of the garden. I examined 

 a garden thus arranged, and found the system very satisfactory. 

 Twenty-seven outlets for the water were established over the 

 surface of a garden about two acres in extent. To these a hose 

 of india-rubber is attached, with a few feet of copper tubing and 



large much-perforated copper rose or distributor at its other 

 end From this, when the water is on, it flows in a gentle but 

 copious shower ; and the apparatus may be -managed by a boy. 



Nobody could pass suddenly from our own markets and market- 

 dens to those of Paris in the middle of a dry summer without 



